John Menadue
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Author Archives: P&I Guest Writers
There’s a term for what happened at the Capitol this week: ‘whitelash’ (Politico 9.1.21)
The whiplash from the Georgia elections to the storming of the Capitol mirrored a familiar pattern in US history of Black advancement followed by white backlash.
Posted in World Affairs
1 Comment
Words matter: Was the attack on the Capitol a rally, protest or insurrection? (Center for Public Integrity)
What happened at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6? Depends on whom you ask. To some, the attack by hundreds of mostly white men and women was an insurrection. To others it was a coup.
Posted in World Affairs
1 Comment
The Confederacy stormed the Capitol. The unfinished civil war.(The Nation 7.1.20)
And then, because the rioters were white, they were allowed to walk away. But just imagine if they had been Black…Authorities would remove and arrest Trump—if he were Black.
Posted in World Affairs
3 Comments
Blending electoral democracy with political meritocracy: Michael Lyons
“Democracies” come in many shades of grey, from liberal to illiberal, authoritarian to “managed”, and more. A convergence of East and the West towards something akin to “post-democracy” might bring a much-improved world order, and a safer planet.
Posted in Politics
14 Comments
Ian Robinson: Changing one word doesn’t fix the National Anthem but makes it worse
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is deluded if he thinks changing one word can fix our deeply flawed National Anthem. There are too many things wrong with it. Tinkering around the edges cannot save something that is rotten at the core.
Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity Memo: To Biden: Don’t be suckered on Russia
Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) hopes President-elect Joe Biden will avoid the mousetrap being laid for him to make it more difficult for his administration to deal in a sensible way with Russia.
Posted in World Affairs
1 Comment
Central Banking’s Green Mission (Project Syndicate Dec. 8, 2020)
Since the 2008 global financial crisis, central banks have shown time and again that they have the power to maintain the economic status quo. Now, they must use that power to support a timely green transition.
The Hong Kong student bubble
This is a very humble response from a University lecturer of many years in Hong Kong. It’s a response to various analyses to the Hong Kong protesters. Who are they and what motivates them to protest?
Posted in China
2 Comments
Partners in crime – disadvantage and our criminal justice system
Australia’s criminal justice systems compound disadvantage. Why should Australians be troubled by this, and what we can do about it. A summary of report by the Centre for Policy Development.
Posted in Human Rights
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Robodebt was a Morrison fiasco at every stage (Peter Van Onselen, The Australian, 21.11.20)
The buck should stop with the PM, but he won’t be held to account. With summer just around the corner, this week’s $1.2 billion settlement of the Robodebt class action has shone a light on government failings.
Posted in Politics
8 Comments
The election and the US military empire (Ron Jacobs, CounterPunch, 6.11.20)
When examining the activities of the US military it is essential to maintain the long view. In other words, despite the practice of looking at Pentagon activities in four-year spans that approximate the terms of the US president, the reality … Continue reading
Posted in World Affairs
1 Comment
We now know what America is. (Andrew Mitrovica, Al Jazeera, 4.11.2020)
After four years of Trump, millions of Americans have still chosen to vote for him. The biggest lie is not about Trump,but America.
Posted in World Affairs
3 Comments
Open letter to the Prime Minister from more than 70 Australians opposing the $498m redevelopment of the Australian War Memorial
The Australian War Memorial development project will have major heritage impacts on the Memorial, a place that has deep meaning for all Australians. The intervention by the Australian Heritage Council, the government’s principal adviser on heritage matters, shows that reconsideration … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
2 Comments
Iran’s pact with China is bad news for the West (Foreign Policy 9 August 2020)
Tehran’s new strategic partnership with Beijing will give the Chinese a strategic foothold and strengthen Iran’s economy and regional clout.
Posted in Defence and Security, World Affairs
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Hong Kong from the inside
Reporting by outsiders on Hong Kong tends to be over-simplistic and seen through Western eyes. We need to look at things through the eyes of Hong Kongers. The old Hong Kong is dead but the new one may emerge not … Continue reading
Posted in China, Politics
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RICHARD CURTAIN. Key elements of a suppression strategy
What is a workable alternative to an elimination strategy?
Posted in Public Policy
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GARY MOORHEAD. Cheap renewable energy and the future of manufacturing.
Whether it’s economic recovery post COVID, enhancing our future defence capabilities or even helping deal with climate change, manufacturing has become the new black. But before we can see any lift in manufacturing performance, a truly wicked problem must be … Continue reading
Posted in Climate, Economy
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IAN FRASER. Banks, master criminals of the Universe (Literary Review February 2020)
Banks, too big to fail and too big to gaol. A review of “Sabotage: The Business of Finance” by Anastasia Nesvetailova & Ronen Palan.
Posted in Economy
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VACY VLAZNA. Smashing the Chinese golden goose egg
In the fragile recovery from mega-bushfires, floods, drought and the pandemic, Australians are looking for competent, trustworthy and decent political leadership. If the Eden-Monaro by-election was a leadership testing ground, both major parties failed.
Posted in Politics
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NUALA KENNY. Disinfecting denial and secrecy.
“Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known” (Matthew 10, 26-28) Courageous proclamation of the “good news” of God’s love for us is the heart of Jesus’ mission.
Posted in Religion and Faith
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BRUCE CAMERON: The Politicisation of Gallantry – will Teddy Sheean get his VC?
Public opinion (aka votes) means that a face-saving new enquiry is now to be held into potentially awarding a VC to Seaman Teddy Sheean for his extraordinary bravery during World War II.
Posted in Defence and Security
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ANDREW JAKUBOWICZ. Is Australia a racist nation? Reflections on the last 25 years of denial – Part 1 of Racism Series
The last time Australia was labelled a racist nation by a regional power was in the wake of the election of John Howard and the emergence of Pauline Hanson in 1996 and 1997.
Posted in Immigration, refugees, Politics
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BEVAN RAMSDEN. Campaigning for an independent, self-reliant, and sustainable manufacturing sector
Australia has lost much of its manufacturing industry, including the ability to produce essential strategic materials, and has become far too dependent on imports which are subject to disruption from pandemics, wars and foreign political threats.
Posted in Economy
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BRUCE CAMERON. Australia’s First Defenders
Surely, the first defenders of Australia who tried to protect their family with spears when confronted by muskets and canon, deserve our admiration and respect.
Posted in Indigenous affairs
7 Comments
TERRY FEWTRELL. . Catholic bishops need to give up secrecy and learn to trust
Australia’s Catholic bishops seem to have learned little from the sexual abuse scandal and associated cover-ups, writes Terry Fewtrell. Pushed by a Royal Commission (RC) report to implement reforms, they recently reverted to standard operating procedures of delay and secrecy … Continue reading
Posted in Religion and Faith
3 Comments
ROBERT GATES. The Overmilitarization of American Foreign Policy (Foreign Affairs July/August 2020)
Donald Trump’s decision to go it alone in responding to the coronavirus pandemic is but the latest manifestation of the United States’ waning global leadership, writes Robert M Gates.
Posted in Defence and Security, World Affairs
3 Comments
ANTOINETTE MITCHELL. From Trump Tower to The Violent Trumps of America
It’s June 5, 1980, exactly thirty years ago, and the magnificent art deco Bonwit Teller building in Manhattan, is smashed to the ground.
Posted in Politics
3 Comments
PETER BROOKS, STEPHEN DUCKETT and BRIAN OLDENBURG. Telehealth and digital health navigators – a bright future.
Telehealth is not new in Australia but Covid -19 and the new Medicare item numbers have stimulated its rapid adoption across the country. It is clear patients like it. They do not need to expose themselves to potentially dangerous environments … Continue reading
MICHAEL FURTADO. Why Quentin Dempster, Malcolm Turnbull and John Warhurst are wrong about Catholic School Funding
We are at an historic moment of apocalyptic threat to the survival of the Australian Catholic Church, the Catholic Bishops say. Among the institutions facing their greatest threat are Australia’s Catholic Schools. Here’s what’s happening.
Posted in Education
24 Comments
HELENA COBBAN. Another American first: A self-collapsing empire!( Just World News 2.6.2020)
It is impossible to see how the United States can at any point in the next quarter century regain anything like the commanding position in the world system that it occupied from 1991 through late 2019. What we are experiencing … Continue reading
Posted in Politics, World Affairs
5 Comments