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Psychobabble is just that!

This article is highly contentious. Apart from the dubious claim that it draws from a leaked account of some in-depth exploration of the leaders' personalities; the account which it offers is reflective of an old-fashioned and simplistic Freudianism, long discredited. Were Starmer and Macron subjected to interviews by a range of relevant experts? Most likely not. We should be extremely cautious about these kinds of sensationalised exposes.

Lest we forget

The Balkan wars of the 1990s should have been a salutory reminder of the extent to which the failure to screen post-war migrants has undermined our social cohesion. Croats and Serbs had kept the WWII atrocities alive to the point where a new generation displays the same hostility to fellow Australians. Right-wing politics in Australia continues to be infected with a strong undercurrent of racism. When conservative politics relies on these fascist tropes, we all lose. In an uncertain world, we need our political parties to draw on the very best of their origins. There is some evidence that...

An anatomical election

What a choice we have facing us, folks! Spineless/gutless versus brainless/heartless. I'd add soulless to the latter, except that it's not anatomical, strictly speaking. Does it getter any better than that? Let's hope that electable Plan Bs are on the menu in most electorates.

Kidding ourselves: Were America's values ever ours?

No one stole American jobs. Neoliberal big business magnates sent them offshore where they paid even less for labour than they did to the US working poor. All for greater profit. Thus the dire straits of US jobs and manufacturing in 2025. As for Australia having no levers to pull: Pine Gap, Tindall, Darwin, Exmouth .... But those values. We must acknowledge the US as one of the most violent countries on earth. Internally the NRA and the death it wreaks. Externally we participated in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan for no gain, only loss to us and the countries...

Referendum granted citizenship to all Indigenous people

Under the Nationality Act of 1920 (Cth), Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders born after 1 January 1921 were deemed to be British subjects. This only applied to the then future Indigenous people, not the then existing population. Under the Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948 (Cth), those Indigenous people who were British subjects were automatically deemed to be Australian citizens, along with the non-indigenous population. In the 1967 Referendum, Australian citizenship was granted to all Indigenous people, regardless of date of birth. The issue of voting is more complex. Prior to Federation, some of the Australian colonies permitted their indigenous...

Criticising politicians

Any suggestion that it is un-Australian to criticise Australian politicians for their actions or inactions would probably be met with actions ranging from the rolling of eyes to shrieks of derisive laughter. The media and available books suggest that similar criticisms of American politicians are not un-American and the same philosophies or freedoms seem to be applicable in Britain. Then, those are apparently democratic countries, or hold themselves out to be. Why are criticisms of Israeli politicians regarded as un-Israeli, other than that those politicians have invented and weaponised a special word for un-Israelianism? If mere objective criticism is...

Political and media lies are poisoning society

The political and mass media crusade to sanctify the genocide being perpetrated by the Zionist Netanyahu government of Israel is too slowly being peeled back, exposing the unconscionable power of the Zionist industry in Australian society. We passed over the extremely suspect arson of the Adass synagogue with far too little serious examination of the circumstances and background of Zionist activity (especially Mossad's known history of false flag operations). Now we have — at last — some irrefutable evidence that antisemitism is being weaponised in defence of the Zionist genocidal abomination with the AFP announcement that the Dural...

Dodgy fishy business

Thank you to Peter Sainsbury for highlighting the serious and multifaceted environmental problems that result from salmon farming in Tasmania. The industry is a revolting demonstration of corporate and political greed. According to the Australia Institute, the three multinational corporations behind industrial salmon farming pay no company tax (despite selling more than $4 billion worth of fish since 2019) to literally leave their crap in Tasmania’s beautiful waters. And Anthony Albanese has just promised $37 million to support this industry. Disturbingly, both major political parties have demonstrated that they are beholden to the salmon industry, even though it...

Trump's denial won't change climate reality

The Roman Inquisition silenced Galileo because his realisation that the Earth orbited the Sun was contrary to the church’s interpretation of biblical texts. Now Donald Trump is slashing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency, and ordering the removal from the internet of all research relating to climate change, because he believes climate change is a hoax. The Roman Inquisition did not change the movements of the planets by silencing Galileo. President Trump will likewise not change climate science by simply denying that the problem exists. Silencing Galileo did not harm our solar system at all, it simply slowed...

Defining hate speech

Very pleased to see someone suggest that public attacks on Jewish Australians who express concerns about Israel's killing of Palestinians might be considered antisemitism – especially when it is made clear they are being attacked specifically because they are Jewish. At the very least some of the language quoted should meet the official threshold for hate speech. The same loud members of the Israel lobby continue to try to erase the word Palestine from Australian usage. A previous P+I article entitled Crossword clues and bullying refers to a demand for an apology when Palestine was the answer to...

Keep the ADF out of strategic thinking

When you have a health problem with your back, you go to a chiropractor. If it's a muscular issue, you go to a physiotherapist. If your teeth are playing up, then you visit a dentist. A surgeon is always a last resort, unless you like knives. In the US with its gun laws, if you’ve got a gun you need to shoot things. With defence from the top to the bottom, from Marles down, they are always looking for an excuse to put their uniform on to play with their toys, blow things up and shoot people. ...

Same old, same old

Unfortunately, there isn't much good to be said about the current state of the US and certainly not AUKUS. So what is the answer to this? According to this letter? Go back to the mother country! As if Europe, let alone Britain, has anything to offer for Australia's defence. After their clear deceit of the Russians following the Minsk accords, the Europeans in their paranoia can't seem to bring themselves to try and make peace with Russia, but to prepare for another war. I would say they are in no position to offer others advice on defence. Like...

Any election reform must include fixed terms

The commentary on the upcoming date of the next election has become a major diversion from the real work of the Parliament and has given more advantage to the major parties. The PM and the leader of the Opposition have been campaigning at taxpayers' expense for the past 12 months. They should be forced to donate their frequent flyer points (I suspect they get plenty) to those suffering most due to the cost of living crisis. Given the opportunity to program a natural disaster in Queensland, NSW Labor would have jumped at the chance to limit Dutton's trips...

The 1967 referendum was not quite what some think

“Yes won in the 1967 referendum, which gave Indigenous Australians citizenship and the right to be counted in the census. Not quite. Firstly, it certainly did not give Indigenous Australians citizenship. That had happened for all Australians with the Citizenship Act of 1949. Secondly, Indigenous people were counted but were not included in the census figures used to determine federal electoral boundaries, because they mostly did not have the right to vote. However by the time of the 1967 referendum, all Indigenous people had the right to vote and the anomaly had to be removed. To do...

Rubio’s Christianity badge and mass murder

A video in Five Minute scroll 100 shows US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wearing the Ash Wednesday badge of Christianity on his forehead, a cross of ash, while threatening to annihilate thousands more people in Southwest Palestine. His price for not doing this? Release the remaining hostages without moving to Phase 2 of the US brokered and “guaranteed” ceasefire agreement. Even though he knows that Donald Trump publicly and very recently in Washington gave Benjamin Netanyahu carte blanche to recommence taking Southwest Palestine. That means restarting the genocide, which Netanyahu would do the moment the last hostage...

Yes... The AUKUS chickens are coming home to roost

Dear John M., Thank you, thank you, thank you. For me and my reading, this article is so absolutely long overdue and well merrited. Just bang-on. “The Chinese Hawks” … being our government(s), politicians, general press, way too many of our 26 million and a lot of the rest of the world need to get your (our) drift. FYI … I have a daffy P.A.C. mate (Red) who belongs to the above group. I'm sure there are plenty of my S.P.O.C. (Blue) blokes in the same boat. Our poorly educated prime minister must learn word for word and understand...

Getting your head around community independents

Michael Keating's article shows that he's firmly stuck in the two-party system, unable to get his head around what community independents are – that independent means what it says and that, in government, it can and does work. When every vote they make is evidence-based and community considered, why would community independents effectively write a blank cheque to guarantee supply to one party or the other before knowing what is on the table after the election? Once they know who they are dealing with (Will there be an upset in Dickson? We live in hope!) and what assurances the...

Striking a 'balance of power' bargain

Excellent article, Mr Menadue. It would be a very good thing indeed if those MPs who are predicted to hold the balance of power after the forthcoming election were to use as a bargaining chip the commitment to re-examine everything to do with AUKUS and our ties (i.e. relinquished sovereignty) to the US military-industrial complex. The examiners must not include anyone at all from said US military-industrial complex or their lackeys in our tertiary education institutions. Let's all suggest this to our MPs! We've got nothing to lose and everything to gain.

ABC ratings

I have zero tolerance for the obvious lies the ABC has been broadcasting. You know what would send their ratings through the roof? Telling the truth. You know what will keep ABC struggling to get off the floor? Continuing to lie to us.

Trump: end point and springboard

I wholeheartedly agree with the title of Michael McKinley's article. But I disagree that Trump’s victory was not inevitable. If not Trump, someone incredibly similar, summarising McKinley's delicious adjectives with the inadequate deranged, was bound to emerge. Trump (or similar) is the natural endpoint of the neo-liberalism that started at least in the late 18th, early 19th century. That manufactured disaster hollowed out the US so that all the money weighing at the top could not be upheld by the masses of poor and ignorant the system created beneath it. It was inevitable that someone cherishing money and power...

The dumbed down ABC News

Of course, ABC News isn't worth a crumpet. It was captured by the Liberals years ago. Shades of Murdoch prevail. Its last remaining effort at genuinely informative news programming ended with the death of The Drum. Online, it waved the flag of mediocrity with its recently redesigned website, designed for the next step after Play School but content not up to Play School standards. Only Laura Tingle is worth reading.

Forced labour?

So the country with the highest prison population in the world, where slavery is still legal (when convicted of an offence, refer to the 13th Amendment) and where torture and forced labour are rampant to profit private companies in those prisons criticises China for exaggerated and or debunked policies imposed to stamp out terrorism. Until recently, even the US classed Uyghur groups as terrorists. Perhaps China should have killed everything as is happening in Gaza and Trump could have moved the Palestinians there! (sarcasm intended!)

Independents' support – decide after election.

I disagree with Michael Keating's view that democracy is best served by independents deciding which party they will support before the election. The minor parties and independents are seeking to represent their electorate and their ability to advance the policies they are promoting cannot be determined until after the election. Their ability to be independent would be eroded if they had to decide which party to support before the election – and erode their independence.

Accountability, accountability and more accountability

If we learn nothing from the Trump saga it is that democracy and accountability go hand in hand. To achieve that freedom of information legislation needs to be beefed up, regulatory bodies need funding without government interference, the Auditor-General needs to be funded sufficiently to do its job and the recommendations made by all of these bodies need to be vigorously acted upon as do the recommendations of royal commissions. We certainly need to revise some of the outdated parliamentary practices: Parliamentary terms extended from three to four-year fixed terms; Limit parliamentarians tenure to two consecutive...

Taz, Taiwan and the Donbas

I agree with Edward Down – the ABC reporters are either the world's most ignorant or most complicit and compromised in the media outlets beyond the Benighted States of Murdochracy. (Honourable exception – John Lyons, now kicked upstairs as Global Correspondent after calling B/S on the beheaded babies in ovens and mass rape of 7 October which even the government of Israel has long acknowledged to be untrue hasbara. The Merkin Isle is approx. 250ks from Australia, Taiwan is 160kms from China. Both straits are international waters as the so-disant freedom of navigation provocations of the US and...

Invasion – massacre of sovereignty

An invasion, the massacre of sovereignty, which is the starting point, of freedom and well-being, of all humankind, must always be rejected. There can never be tolerance, let alone reward, of an invasion. Sachs' view is, therefore, untenable. Peace in Ukraine requires restoration of its territory, to the pre-2014 boundaries. All of humankind is duty bound to see to this restoration.

Challenging antisemitism

I must have read a dozen articles decrying the situation of the Palestinians in Gaza and how opposition in Australia to Israel's actions is being muzzled, particularly by false claims of antisemitism. However, life/death in Gaza goes on. It is time to begin to ramp up the level of protest, turn words into action; learn from Vietnam protests in the 1960s/70s (yes, I was there!) and begin a campaign of mass civil disobedience culminating in a symbolic day of protest, a Moratorium. (Unfortunately the presence of a modern day Jim Cairns in the Labor Party has long gone). ...

A little friendship goes a long way

Awkward to say and impossibly flawed; Scott Morrison’s deception should have been reviled by the Opposition in both chambers and the decision reversed by the Australian Labor Party when it came to power. Along with an apology to the French Government and people. Now we’re perceived as a vassal of the Trumpian States of America and have become its milking cow. Another fine mess we’ve gotten ourselves into. From the brouhaha that erupted when three Chinese warships circumnavigated Australia and fired off a few practice shots, you’d have thought the sky had fallen in, which, in itself, would have...

Independent candidates must remain independent

A hung parliament is, to the major parties, the Damoclesian sword. They portray minority government as the end of our democracy. Decades ago the major parties commanded more than 90% of the vote. At the last election they held 68% of the vote between them; this share is expected to reduce further at the coming election. If the major parties want a greater share of the vote they must better reflect the people’s will in their policies and in their government. But these parties have compromised their policies to accommodate vested interests. The community-based independents’ movement has flourished to...

The AUKUS chickens are coming home to roost

Empires in decline are often very dangerous. They are even more dangerous if they are led by a cabal of ill-informed people who have a sense of entitlement coupled with a belief of their infallibility. We should learn from the US' actions in Europe; it has proved to be an unreliable ally. It will be no different for us. Our objective should be to chart an independent course.

Pedestrian Council of Australia: two editions

Sam Varghese may have been speed-reading, to miss my reference to the PCA as the old one, not the current one in the letter he seeks to explain. The PCA to which I referred was this one. May I quote: The Wheelchair Council of Australia (formerly the PCA) is a road safety lobbyist who seeks to promote wheelchair as a transport mode. [1]  The chairman and sole member is Harold Scruby. The current PCA is an entirely different body and I believe does excellent work in the community, unlike its predecessor. This is no nitpicking matter:...

Four and a half eyes?

Further to this article, the US has now said it will cut off access to US intelligence if Britain supports Ukraine militarily. Do we assume that the same applies to us in Oz now that our PM has indicated military peacekeeping support? Will Five Eyes be reduced to four and a half for us too?

Correction about Pedestrian Council of Australia

In a letter published in this section, reference was made to the Pedestrian Council of Australia and it was described as having just one official. This is incorrect and I apologise for the error. The Council is a registered charity (which by law must have more than one member) and owns and manages National Walk Safely to School Day and Walk to Work Day, both of which have been going for over 25 years.

Brits got in first for Ukrainian minerals...

I have only one thing to add to this very interesting article by Eugene Doyle... and I've posted a link below to Alex Krainer, who reckons the distinctly anti-Russian Keir Starmer had already sewn up a deal with Volodymyr Zelenskyy (in January) before Zelensky dangled a similar deal in front of the US. A UK/Ukrainian 100-year deal for minerals etc and Ukrainian port facilities in exchange for UK billions towards security and boots on ground. If this is so, it would go a long way towards Trump's testy exchanges and final disdain of a fellow who steadfastly refused to...

Private sector opportunism: Doing what they do best

Until we acknowledge that the job of the private sector is to make a profit, we will never get on top of this problem. The private sector is nothing if not opportunistic. Take the present housing crisis. The regulations that governed housing in our state have been thrown out the window (with the help of state governments). SA may not be as prone to flooding as our northeastern states. Bush fires are another thing, but wait. Houses are being built on school ovals, prime farming, market garden land swamps ETC without the supporting infrastructure. There are more high-rise...

Productivity lessons forgotten

When studying production engineering in the 1960s, it was assumed that labour productivity could be improved by 1.5% a year. Clipboards and stopwatches gave way to Kaizen and continuous improvement in the 1990s with real improvements in productivity. In concentrating on technology alone, today's bosses overlook the gradual improvements achieved by dedicated input and shop floor co-operation with commensurate sharing of productivity gains.

What medical service?

I can't say I was pleased to read Don and Patricia Edgar's article. Grateful, yes, and sick of the lack of care from those adhering to the medical practitioners industry instead of the oath to heal and care for the those in need of healing and caring. There's no bulk-billing GPs in the rural area I live in, only those with mixed billing. And... yes, indeed, they look you up and down whether you're on an aged or disability pensioner or not and they assess whether they'll get instant money or not. With me, they get nothing but contempt....

Self regulation

When you can't trust your Parliament to self regulate, why would you expect industry to self regulate and follow its own voluntary code of conduct? The difference is that one of the main jobs of Parliament is to regulate for the good of all Australians. “Democracy may not be the best form of government but it’s better than all the other forms that have been tried“. That quote like our system of government needs regular updating, but how do you do it without political interference? I think that a benevolent dictatorship is the answer and I’m putting my...

A plea for a little more compassion

Thank you Melody Kemp for giving me the language to comment on the Bankstown nurses – angry fantasies. Who hasn't wished (aloud even) the annihilation of the schoolyard or office bully, by the most gruesome means imaginable? Thousands of people daily are unlucky enough to stumble across someone ready to exploit their vulnerabilities down the rabbit hole that is the internet. Yes, what the nurses said was stupid and repulsive when they fell into the trap of a master manipulator. But what must they have gone through either directly, indirectly or both in their so far short lives to...

No Other Land – A 'must see' film

The film No Other Land is brilliant and heartbreaking. For me, it raises the question about what must be done to the consciences of IDF members that they can look their fellow human beings in the eye and treat them so barbarically, even to the point of cold- blooded murder. It should be noted that this is not set in Gaza but the occupied territory of the West Bank. Interestingly, when I went to check this on Google maps the village of Masafer Yatta doesn't exist. This film has struggled to be shown in the US. It's not...

History repeating...

While platforms like ChatGPT are ostensibly “free to use”, they ... will very soon start charging a subscription fee without end. All those AI enticements scattered over our screens like confetti are not there to be helpful but to set us up to be fleeced (some more). Welcome, DeepSeek! Q: What do Marie Antoinette and Donald Trump have in common? A: They are figureheads for the end point of utterly corrupt systems of government. We know what came after the former. What will we create to come after the latter? These questions brought to you from...

Let's not go from bad to worse

This is brilliant... scary stuff written with humour – shared on social media and with fellow Community Independent friends and colleagues. My big fear at this point is that people who are so legitimately disappointed with Albanese will be tempted to vote Liberal, ignoring the monumental disaster that would befall us. Not only Dutton and his empty policies, but his vacuous Liberal colleagues as well. My hope is that we will get a significantly increased crossbench, including a goodly number of Community Independents, and that, not too long after the election, Albanese will bid us adieu, willingly or...

'I saw three ships a sailing by'

Semitic refers to a family of languages Hebrew, Arabic, Aramaic and some ancient languages (Oxford dictionary Encyclopaedia Brittanica etc ) Abuse of those people is antisemitic. What is the acceptable word to describe the behaviour of elected representative and their followers in the ongoing abuse of China? I’m old enough to remember when some words were common, but are now unacceptable. How bad does the commentary have to be before you qualify for your own acceptable word/descriptor even if it is a shared one?

Free speech on campuses

I went to an all-boys Catholic High School in Brisbane in the 1960s. Immediately after High School I enrolled at University of Queensland in 1968. At that time, I was exposed daily on campus to the anti-Vietnam protests that were in full swing. They certainly made me uncomfortable and threatened my belief system; it was one of the best thing that ever happened to me!

Nuclear subs and the Adelaide dolphin sanctuary

Thank you for posting this article about the government's report to address the environmental impacts of constructing nuclear submarines at Osborne, Port Adelaide, noting it is open for public consultation. We did a lovely kayaking tour recently in the Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary – a part of the Port Adelaide area. It encompasses a 10,000 year-old man­grove for­est and marine park that is home to around 30 res­i­dent bot­tlenose dol­phins, with anoth­er 400 tran­sient dol­phins that vis­it at var­i­ous times – all wild, as well a number of threatened and migratory birds. I don't feel confident that the building...

If you're not with us, you're against US

What a friend we have in the US! If you're not with us, you're against us. If you are with us, you might be against us one day. If we are with you we might be against you one day has become we will be your friend at a price. We’re moving in today. Sit down, shut up and pay up (US$ or bitcoin).

Exit AUKUS now

I love and am so grateful for P&I but that doesn't mean I agree with every word or idea published. Assuming other fans are like me, some probably don't — yet — share Dr Patience's views in his Trump 2.0 article. Thus, for any such readers, the statement It is possible ... Trump (hence America) won’t care about Australia at all. .... Canberra’s timorous commitment to the ridiculous AUKUS agreement, for example, becomes ever more quixotic as Trump and his team up-end old alliances and the global order. is not direct enough. For current unbelievers and doubters, plain English...

AUKUS – Australia's marine defence albatross

Rescinding our commitment to AUKUS should be given priority, before we throw more good money after bad. to gain nothing. AUKUS will never serve Australia's strategic interest. The arrangement is now on shaky ground with one of its co-partners deranged by power-lust and self-centred ambition. In no way does it buy US allegiance. NATO is a case in point. The projected delivery date was always shaky (early 2040s for merely the first of the fleet – come in spinner. Furthermore, with up to $368 billion hypothecated to AUKUS until the mid-2050s, what social investment will be compromised to...

Healthy profit in government's hands

Health is an essential service, and undeniably costly. So, currently, are electricity and water supply. When the latter were taxpayer-owned and government-operated, these services were offered to consumers, domestic, commercial and industrial, at affordable rates – yet government still made a profit. This revenue was thus able to cross-subsidise services that were not operated for profit but were relatively costly to provide, for example, health and education. Seems like a no-brainer. I'd love to see the billions we're spending on AUKUS alternatively invested in utility buy-back and reinstatement of government-owned enterprises. This might just help attract investment by reducing...

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