Kerry Packer Dis-Memorial

The eight folks arrested for protesting outside the Kerry Packer memorial should be very proud of themselves. Such good work. Nobody in the Australian media would risk their careers by saying publicly that they didn't approve of our taxes being used to send off the country's wealthiest man and proudest tax avoider, but the protesters at least got the issue into the news. And why did the police feel the need to arrest them? They behaved themselves and weren't actually guilty of anything except their unwillingness not to move on. I wouldn't have thought that the silencing of a group of people non-aggressively making their opinions known would be a good look for the farewell of a king of australian media.
I only saw snippets of the event, but my goodness what a freak show it must have been. The poor audience had to listen to drivel from Alan Jones, and then a poem delivered by Russell Crowe (ick!). Such a godawful song selection - Sinatra's My Way, Kenny Rogers' The Gambler, Waltzing Matilda, and a bizarre sing-a-long to C'mon Aussie C'mon. Only a family with either a sense of humour (which the Packers aren't famous for) or a whole load of ego could pick those songs. And in fact he was right to think of himself so biggishly, since even in death the most powerful people in Australia were desperate to kiss the collective Packer-family arse.
And why was Tom Cruise there? Simply his friendship for James Packer? Or was the deciding factor his position as the world's brightest-smiling Scientologist and James Packer's new position as the world's wealthiest (and I presume most powerful) one?
Will James' religion have any impact on how he handles dad's businesses? Presumably the Australian media will now be more wary of how they report on any Scientology-related stories that do crop up.
I have no idea whether Kerry's $10million mistress turned up. Was she invited?
I wouldn't have minded this so much if it had've been a private affair, but that our taxes paid for it is an insult to all of us. And the constant going's on about his Australianess truly irk. Kerry was not the kind of Australian I could ever be proud of. Nup.