Van Nguyen - 4 days left

As the clock winds down towards the execution of Van Nguyen on Friday 2 December, I’d like to comment on a few things about it.

First, its obscenely petty of the Singapore authorities not to allow his mother to hug him in his last days.

Second, I can’t agree with calls for a minute’s silence for him on Friday - after all, he committed a serious crime, while its tragic for him and his family and friends, I believe that official sanctioned minutes of silence are for remembering heroes and nationally significant occurrences.

Third, the stirring about John Howard going to the cricket on Friday is just a beat up. What difference does it make to Van Nguyen? As I’ve said, tragic for him, his family and friends, but for the rest of us, we need to get on with our lives. Its my birthday, I’m not going to stop celebrating it ….I’ll probably just reflect briefly on Nguyen’s fate, and then get on with my day.