Politics
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RICHARD BROINOWSKI. American delusions about the Philippines
When someone pointed out that President Duterte had just abrogated the bilateral Visiting Forces Agreement, Admiral Davidson conceded the point, but said it was up to ‘agile Australian diplomats’ among others to get it re-instated. Continue reading »
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GREG McCARTHY. Searching for a humane response to the coronavirus. (EAF16.2.2020)
The coronavirus (COVID-19) has served to magnify political, economic and cultural tensions within and between Australia and China. Continue reading »
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GEOFF MILLER; United States; Portraying the policy reality.
Recently the head of the US Indo-Pacific Command spoke in Sydney. He criticised China’s behaviour in very strong terms, but in talking about the United States’ role and attitudes he described a set of policies that no longer exist. Continue reading »
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Moral Disengagement, Honesty, Transparency, Accountability and the Sports Rort
Generally speaking, most people desire to behave ethically and within moral bounds. Continue reading »
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How the OTIS group did Albanese a favour
A group of disgruntled federal Labor politicians known as the OTIS group and dubbed by some the ‘outside the inner sanctum group’ has helped Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese in a number of ways they probably didn’t intend. Continue reading »
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ROSEMARY O’GRADY. It bodes well for the ALP’s future
The successful outcome of Labor Leader Albanese’s nomination for office of a disaffected Queensland National was a deft move. Continue reading »
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PETER SAINSBURY. Sunday environmental round up, 16 February 2020
Migration is the focus this week, particularly within country migration, with stories about human migrations in Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, South Asia and the USA, bird migrations in Australia and bee migrations in the USA. Continue reading »
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SATURDAY’s GOOD READING AND LISTENING FOR THE WEEKEND
What people in other forums are saying about public policy Continue reading »
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DAVID SOLOMON. Aliens in a racist Constitution.
Almost all the arguments against constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders went out the window on Tuesday, courtesy of a decision by the High Court (Love v The Commonwealth). Continue reading »
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DUNCAN GRAHAM. From blusukan to bland in five years
There are some cheering on-line videos worth checking from 2015 when Malcolm and Lucy Turnbull visited Jakarta. Continue reading »
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JEFF KILDEA. The Irish Elections of 2020
Perhaps, after almost 100 years, the time has finally arrived when we can declare the Irish Civil War to be over. Continue reading »
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ALEX MITCHELL. NSW Liberals torn apart by factional Game of Thrones
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and her Coalition partners are fond of declaring that they are free of factions. But factionalism is alive and well. Continue reading »
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Impeachment politics revisited
The doomed impeachment has helped Trump and damaged Biden. The election is now Trump’s to lose and the Democratic nomination is Sanders’ to lose. Continue reading »
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DAPHNE WHITE.Voters don’t vote their self interest,they vote their values.(Berkeleyside 2.1.2017)
What Democrats need to do is articulate their message in terms of metaphors that voters can understand, and stick to their core values, George Lakoff said. Continue reading »
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LAURIE PATTON. NBN latest: Oh dear, what can the matter be?
I’ve argued before, the only viable solution is to start replacing all the dud technology and that requires that we take the politics out and develop a bipartisan solution. Continue reading »
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MACK WILLIAMS. North Korea. Has Trump lost the plot?
The stalemate between the US and the DPRK has dragged on past the Kim Jong-un’s end of 2019 deadline. Continue reading »
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MINGMING CHENG. We depend so much more on Chinese travellers now. (The Conversation 12.2.2020)
The travel bans dramatically escalate the potential economic impact of the novel coronavirus. Continue reading »
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ROBBIE GRAMER and COLUM LYNCH.Trump Seeks to Halve U.S. Funding for WHO as Coronavirus Rages(Brookings Report 10.2.2020)
The president’s new budget would cut more than $3 billion in global health programs. Continue reading »
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MARK BUCKLEY. Sheer Hypocricy – No Joke
The Morrison Government is withholding funds to the Commonwealth Secretariat “unless flaws in how it operates and hands out lucrative contracts are fixed.” You could not make this up! Continue reading »
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GEORGE W. GRUNDY. High Stakes Gambling
It may just be that Scott Morrison is right and nearly everyone else is wrong when it comes to climate change, but our Prime Minister is playing a very high stakes gamble with Australia’s future by refusing to act in the face of catastrophe… Continue reading »
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ELENA COLLINSON and JAMES LAURENCESON. China and the Coronavirus. (Australia-China Relations Institute 10.2.2020)
Is China telling us everything it knows about Coronavirus? Continue reading »
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MARIO CAVALO. Something’s not right here folks”. The USA 2009 H1N1 Virus compared to China 2020 Coronavirus(China Daily8.2.2020)
This vicious, political, xenophobic racist attacks and smearing of all things China needs to stop Continue reading »
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DAVID SHEARMAN and PHIL SHEARMAN; Anguished Scientists and the Collapse of Democracy
In the clouded eyes of government, scientific facts, which have guided our technologically advanced civilisation are now simply an opinion which can be discarded in favour of their own. Continue reading »
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HANNAH AULBY. Strangling Accountability.
The Centre for Public Integrity invites you to the inaugural National Integrity Forum: “Strangling Accountability”. Continue reading »
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JONATHAN PAUL MARSHALL. Barnaby Joyce and fantasies of Climate Technology
Fantasies about improved technologies, often seem to inhibit effective responses to climate change. This is illustrated through a brief commentary on Barnaby Joyce’s comments on climate policy after his closely failed challenge for leadership of the National Party. Continue reading »
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The Nats and Barnaby
Barnaby Joyce is focused and determined to the point of egomania, and utterly ruthless in the process. That is what makes him dangerous. Continue reading »
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JACK WATERFORD. The sports rorts will taint the Canberra air for a long time.
We need an inquiry into how public service stewards provide dubious alibis for ministers Continue reading »
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JOHN TAN. Is Australia prepared? The next virus outbreak could be bioterrorism.
Technology to create a synthetic virus like the China new coronavirus is well established. It is widely available to some governments, private firms, and individuals. Continue reading »
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LAURIE PATTON. The Data Retention Act. How not to introduce complex legislation.
Appearing before a Parliamentary inquiry into the Data Retention Act the Commonwealth Ombudsman Michael Manthorpe revealed that law enforcement agencies have obtained individuals’ web browsing history without a warrant. Continue reading »
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JOHN CARLIN. Brexit Has Happened: Good Night and Good Luck
The divorce has gone through, and now begin the negotiations as to who gets the house, the car and the kids. Continue reading »