Josh Frydenberg and Malcolm Turnbull would like us to believe that if only recalcitrant states could sign on to the Commonwealth’s “National Energy Guarantee”, energy policy will be set on a stable path. A more realistic view is provided by the World Economic Forum, which, in a short and hard-hitting “while paper”, warns that “tsunamic forces could swiftly upend businesses and also profoundly alter the outlook for how energy systems affect emissions and sustainable development” in all countries.
“Never let good policy or consistency get in the way of a donor’s dollar or some leadership undermining” writes Crispin Hull on the misnamed Monash Forum. He compares the demise of coal-fired electricity with the demise of the film camera.
What’s keeping the lid on wages growth in Australia? Writing in the Fairfax press Jessica Irvine has a short article on the confounding situation of low unemployment and low wages. A decline in union membership stands out as a compelling explanation.
In the New York Times Michelle Goldberg has a short review of Madeleine Albright’s book Fascism: A Warning. Goldberg supports her review with reference to surveys by Freedom House, which “reported that 71 countries suffered declines in political rights and civil liberties last year, while only 35 saw improvements. Rather than standing against this trend, America under Trump has become part of it.”
James Comey has a story to tell and it is very persuasive – New York Times
Donald Trump has spent his whole career in the company of grifters, cons and crooks. Now that he’s president, that strategy isn’t working — for him or for the country – New York Times editorial.
US taking the world to the brink – Rick Sterling, Consortiumnews.
Winning slowly(on climate change) is the same as losing – Bill McKibben, Rolling Stone.
Malcolm Turnbull didn’t walk away from his believes because he never had any – Peter Lewis, the Guardian.
Frydenberg takes the low road: It’s a weak NEG or nothing – Giles Parkinson, RenewEconomy
Anne Aly and Jacqui Lambie tell compelling stories about life before politics – Brett Evans, Inside.
Murray-Darling – when the river runs dry – the Guardian.
Beating the khaki drum: how Australian identity was militarised – Paul Daley, the Guardian.
How Alinta turned into Australia’s most aggressive energy business- the Canberra Times.
The Tesla big battery is changing the way people think about the grid – RenewEconomy
On Saturday Extra with Geraldine Doogue this April 14th, marine heatwaves and what they mean to our ecosystem; a MSF doctor returns from Yemen where even before the war the healthcare system was lacking; what can leaders learn from Dwight Eisenhower with Louis Galambos, Professor of History at John Hopkins University; what does the Trump and Bezos stoush tell us about progressive liberals in the US with Thomas Frank , US political analyst and how the 1918 Spanish Flu changed the world with science journalist Laura Spinney. http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/saturdayextra/
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