Your opinionated uncle’s favourite radio personality Alan Jones has compared NSW Premier Mike Baird to Vladimir Putin in his latest spray against the Sydney lockout laws.
During his regularly scheduled breakfast program on 2GB this morning, the shock jock opened fire at #casinomike, calling him all manner of colourful names, including that of Russia’s ruthless President or “dick-tator” as Urban Dictionary categorises Putin.
“The perception is you’re completely out of touch, if not very pig-headed and defiant,” Jones unleashed (transcribed via News Limited).
“They don’t even do this in Moscow [but] we’ll do over the Vladimir Putins on Macquarie St.”
During his show, Jones also chatted to a fellow named Mark Piggott who used to own a successful 24-hour newsagency on Oxford St that had been flourishing for over 80 years. 80 freaking years.
But, as Piggott told Jones, the Sydney institution was recently forced to shut down as a direct result of the lockout laws (despite that fact that it’s never sold a single drop of booze).
“The night time economy was easily 60 per cent of our ongoing business and they strangulated that by the neck basically,” Piggott told Jones. “Oxford St was the only place in Sydney that had a heartbeat. If they are trying to kill Sydney they have done a good job.”
Jones then proceeded to unleash a tirade of mockery against the Premier: “Take a bow Mike Baird, great stuff, be proud of that,” he said, comparing Sydney’s bordering-on-fascist alcohol laws to those of London, where people are allowed to drink on the street, are given takeaway plastic cups so they can finish their beers on the way home, and where judges have extensive powers to punish drunks who commit violent crimes.
“We had 15,000 people marching in the streets but the Baird Government says ‘we don’t care what you think’,” he said, referring to the recent Keep Sydney Open demonstration against the lockouts.
“Mike Baird is becoming one of the biggest bullies we’ve ever put in Macquarie St. He is defiant, he will do it no matter what [with] no consultation with anybody,” Jones continued, claiming that the 1.30am lockouts, 3am last drinks and 10pm bottle shop closures had not only changed Sydney for the worse, they’d also have done zilch to prevent the very one-punch deaths that led to their introduction (both of which occurred at around 9pm on the streets, not inside licensed venues).
It’s far from the first time that Jones has laid into Baird over the lockout laws, with the shock jock’s most recent spray occurring back in February when he labelled the NSW government “stark, raving mad”.
Mike, mate, you know you’ve fucked up when even an outspoken political ultra-conservative like Alan Jones thinks you’ve crossed the line.
Anti-lockout sentiment has been continuing to build to a critical mass ever since businessman Matt Barrie penned a thoroughly arse-whooping essay exposing every single contradiction and ulterior machination at the heart of the draconian laws.
Sydney’s lockout laws are currently up for review, you can have your say on whether or not they’re kept around by emailing the state government directly.
And speaking of the gov, there’s been a bit of good news on that front today, with officials finally agreeing to listen and discuss issues with the anti-lockout activists behind Keep Sydney Open.
Listen to Alan Jones’s interview with Mark Piggott below.
