November 20, 2018

Decoupling the US from Asia (ANU East Asia Forum).

Maybe US Vice President Mike Pence didn’t mean to fire the opening shots in a new Cold War with China in his 4 October speech at the Hudson Institute, but the global policy community can be forgiven now for taking the proposition seriously.

February 17, 2021

Penny wise, pound foolish: the federal government must step up on hotel quarantine

Our biggest weakness in protecting the community from Covid-19 remains a hotel quarantine system that demonstrably is not fit for purpose. Heres how to fix our quarantine system once and for all.

July 21, 2020

The US South China Sea Policy Statement: Little New and Laced With Hypocrisy

On 13 July US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made a policy statement on the South China Sea. Although it was anticipated to be new, it added little to the US position and was laced with hypocrisy.

January 23, 2020

MARK BUCKLEY. Cleaning the Stables

_On Dec 2, 2019 the Australian Parliament voted on a motion to create a federal Anti-Corruption Commission. The motion was put forward by Andrew Wilkie, an Independent from Tasmania. The motion failed, because a majority of federal parliamentarians was against the creation of such a body. The votes were cast along party lines, with no deviations.

December 20, 2020

We thought you saw us nurses - seems we were wrong

In 2020 the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife there has been a focus on nurses and nursing. Not the one planned, but nonetheless, nurses have been seen: by politicians and the public. But not by the medical doctors with their vested interests.

January 23, 2021

We have the tools to help control the pandemic; we have to use them

The arrival of more infectious Covid variants means more of us need to be vaccinated than previously thought, with an uptake of at least 80%. The federal government must now drive that promotion campaign with a focus on vaccine safety.

November 18, 2019

SALMAN KHURSHID. Ayodhya verdict nudges us to look back at how much we have lost over years of conflict (The Indian Express 11-11-19)

The greatest opportunity that the judgment offers is a reaffirmation of India as a secular society. It is a decision that refutes the idea of Hindu Rashtra and amplifies the practical handling of sensitive religious concerns in a secular system.

February 22, 2021

Coalition government continues to short-change bushfire victims

No figures are publicly available for the three largest bushfire recovery funds, which account for more than 55% of the $2.73 billion the federal Coalition has promised to devastated communities. And by the end of last year, less than half of that $2.73 billion had been spent, some $500 million less than claimed by David Littleproud, the minister in charge of the recovery effort.

October 21, 2019

JOHN CARLIN. The Catalan Argentinians

The treatment of the Catalans by the Spanish government over the last decade has meant that support for an independent Catalonia has tripled. If Madrid had agreed to a referendum years ago it is almost certain that the vote for independence would have been lost.

July 31, 2018

MURRAY HEASLEY. On witch-hunts and the Kiwi way: the proposed New Zealand Historical Abuse in State Care Royal Commission.

The New Zealand government is currently evaluating the terms of references and scope of its royal commission into child abuse. It is likely to exclude faith-based institutions on the grounds that the State was not directly involved in their operations. The New Zealand bishops withheld any support of involvement until a letter in late March 2018.

November 17, 2020

Have your say: Senate inquiry into media diversity in Australia

_After more than 500,000 people signed a petition launched by former prime minister Kevin Rudd raising concerns about the influence of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, the Senate is to hold an inquiry into media diversity.

July 24, 2019

JESSICA CORBETT. Majorities of Both US Veterans and Public Believe Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan 'Not Worth Fighting' (Common Dreams)

The polled groups also told the Pew Research Center that the U.S. military campaign in Syria wasn’t worthwhile

November 22, 2018

ALEXANDER STILLE. The Sins of Celibacy.

This article was published by The New York Review of Books on the 25th of October 2018.

On August 25 Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigan published an eleven-page letter in which he accused Pope Francis of ignoring and covering up evidence of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church and called for his resignation. It was a declaration of civil war by the churchs conservative wing. Vigan is a former apostolic nuncio to the US, a prominent member of the Roman Curiathe central governing body of the Holy Seeand one of the most skilled practitioners of brass-knuckle Vatican power politics. He was the central figure in the 2012 scandal that involved documents leaked by Pope Benedict XVIs personal butler, including letters Vigan wrote about corruption in Vatican finances, and that contributed to Benedicts startling decision to abdicate the following year. Angry at not having been made a cardinal and alarmed by Franciss supposedly liberal tendencies, Vigan seems determined to take out the pope.

November 17, 2019

GEORGE MONBIOT. The Unlearning (The Guardian 7-11-19)

There are two stark facts about British politics. The first is that they are controlled, to a degree unparalleled in any other Western European nation, by a tiny, unrepresentative elite. Like almost every aspect of public life here, government is dominated by people educated first at private schools, then at either Oxford or Cambridge.

January 21, 2021

China-Australia trade conflict is not all Chinas doing

_For the past nine months China has blocked some Australian exports, including coal, cotton, lobsters and timber, while also levying anti-dumping duties on Australian wine and barley._Post Covid, it will be hard for Australia to grow quickly without Chinas market, capital, people exchange and know-how. Finding a dtente is essential.

July 4, 2020

The South China Sea. Who is the real threat to peace and stability?

The US led-cacophony of criticism of China for its actions in the South China Sea is reaching a dangerous level. The situation is far more complicated than the U.S. would have it and there is plenty of blame to go around for the sad state of affairs. Indeed it is not at all clear which big power is the greater threat to peace and stability thereChina or the U.S.

August 1, 2018

James Wimberley Coal crash in India

T_ony Abbott told us that coal was good for humanity. More recently the federal resources and energy minister Josh Frydenberg told us that there was a strong ‘moral case’ to export coal to countries such as India._

That has more to do with coalition politics than any logic. Now India is moving rapidly away from coal as John Quiggin points out in his blog which was derived from James Wimberley….see below (John Menadue)

January 12, 2020

JOHN TAN. About Hegemony, Leadership .. and Assange?

There has been one global hegemon since WWII, a commander with enough soft and hard power to make all the rules that matter, and to enforce them.

August 8, 2020

China must obey international rules in the South China Sea but the US ignores them in Diego Garcia (Repost 3 July 2020)

China is rightly criticised for building islands for military purposes in the South China Sea whilst ignoring an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) brought by the Philippines. But what of the US in Diego Garcia?

April 10, 2018

JOHN MENADUE. Are we still the land of the second chance?

This is a slightly amended repost from Australia Day this year which I recalled when thinking about the cheating of Australian cricketers.

We all make mistakes. We all need a chance to put things right and happily Smith ,Warner and Bancroft have decided to cop their suspensions.

The Macquarie legacy is still with us. It underpins our best instincts togive all residents in this country, whether Australian born, migrants or refugees, an equal opportunity in life, a second chance. That ethos of redemption is a core part of our history.

July 25, 2020

Hagia Sophia reconverted to Mosque

Converting Hagia Sophia into a mosque is more than a mere re-classification of an ancient, extraordinary building. It is another step in the Turkish eradication of the Greek-Byzantine history of Istanbul/Constantinople.

January 20, 2020

GEORGE BROWNING.CONSERVATISM, BEAUTY AND SIR ROGER SCRUTON

The philosopher, Sir Roger Scruton, the darling of contemporary conservative politics died on 12 January 2020 aged 75. Tony Abbott is reported to have said that if John Locke is the father of western political conservatism, Roger Scruton is its contemporary intellectual son. However, from their words and actions, it appears Tony Abbott and presumably his fellow right-wing fanatics never read, or perhaps understood, much that Scruton wrote or thought.

January 8, 2021

EU/China investment deal splits the West?

At a time when the United States and China are distancing themselves from each others economies, especially in the area of investment and high tech, while at the same time doing their best to undermine the global system for trade and investment, it may seem curious that on 30 December the EU and China concluded an in principle grand-daddy investment deal: that is, the China-EU Comprehensive Agreement on Investment.

November 20, 2018

WILLIAM GRIMM. The Catholic Church's one foundation (UCA News).

The entire Church needs a new Reformation, a new turning toward Christ.

November 19, 2020

Tamed Estate: stop the presses; the Prime Minister took a barre class!

No holds barred? Kid-glove treatment for the Prime Minister, climate change denial, Murdoch media appears desperate and breaches of hotel quarantine.

May 3, 2020

PETER DONNAN. Pell-mell and reform paths in Catholic media

What type of underlying values were revealed by the Australian media, particularly Catholic media, in their reporting of Cardinal Pells successful appeal to the High Court? Clearly the case was polarising in Australian cultural life, and has been described in terms of a witch-hunt, scapegoating, prejudicial legally appalling and reflecting very poorly on the ABC, Victorian police and aspects of the justice system.

August 22, 2020

The unexceptional exceptionalism of America

There is nothing very exceptional about American Exceptionalism other than many Americans find themselves exceptional and demand that others do likewise. Australian Exceptionalism is risible.

July 31, 2018

CHARLES A. KUPCHAN AND EDWARD ALDEN. Trump Is Poised to Do Irreparable Harm to World Trade (Foreign Affairs 24.07.18)

During his trip to Europe this month, U.S. President Donald Trump derided his NATO counterparts over defense spending, undermined British Prime Minister Theresa May by second-guessing her approach to Brexit, and then groveled before Russian President Vladimir Putin. A firestorm of controversy has ensued. But at least the trans-Atlantic security alliance emerged intact from Trumps trip. That we breathe a sigh of relief at NATOs mere survival reveals just how low the bar has sunk during the Trump era.

June 20, 2020

Sunday environmental round up, 21 June 2020

Three graphs to stimulate the little grey cells: Norways domestic and exported greenhouse gas emissions, global electric car sales and changes in CO2 emissions during COVID. Plus, India plans to become a global renewable energy powerhouse (with Gautam Adanis support) and plastics fly to the wilderness.

May 23, 2019

JOAN CHITTESTER St Benedicts Rule offers fresh insight into age-old problem

A new series written by Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister OSB is exploring the question of institutional breakdown through the Rule of St Benedict.

November 12, 2020

Reading the China Tea Leaves

There are still chances to engage with China in a positive and beneficial way if Canberra is so inclined. Beijing continues to make overtures. Technical and cultural exchanges continue, and the business community has its own avenues for communication. A change of government in the US in 2021 will re-invigorate multilateral platforms. All of these present opportunities for Australia to rebuild a positive relationship without prejudicing valid security concerns.

November 23, 2020

Can we get out of Afghanistan?

The revelation of war crimes by Australian soldiers has brought our focus on to Afghanistan, why we are there and why the special forces did what some of them did there. If the US pulls out so will we but, if not, we face difficult choices. We must wait and see what President Biden will do when he finally gets into the White House.

October 17, 2019

JUDITH IRELAND. Backstage in Canberra: who is lobbying our MPs? (SMH 12.10.2019)

_Lobbying is big business and a part of life in Canberra, especially when Parliament is sitting. How does it work?

February 8, 2021

Housing Hypocrites: Tim Wilson's housing affordability crusade just an assault on super

Tim Wilson is the latest Coalition politician to cry crocodile tears over the housing affordability crisis, calling for Australians to access their superannuation to buy a house. Yet Coalition policies - from negative gearing, property subsidies, money-laundering, super fund borrowing to banking and lending standards - are all about pushing up house prices to benefit those who already own a house.

October 7, 2020

LobbyLand: Democracy on life support as the revolving door keeps swinging

Australian public policy is now routinely moulded to suit the interests of the highest corporate bidders and the lobbyists who represent their interests.

September 5, 2020

Pro-Trump Catholicism and the political consequences of a theological crisis (La Croix Sep 3, 2020)

The theological trajectory of conservative US Catholicism is one of the proofs that Trump’s America is not just a parenthesis.

May 12, 2020

GREGORY ROSE & MAURICE HIRSCH. Rule or Ruse of Law in the UN International Criminal Court? (AIIA 6.5.20)

Fundamental to the rule of law is equal treatment and non-arbitrary, fair application of law. Instead, the International Criminal Court (ICC) exemplifies UN politicisation of international law principles and bureaucratic corruption of the rule of law, at extravagant cost.

October 17, 2018

JERRY ROBERTS. Pomp and circumstance. The Royal tour.

There is some debate whether it was H.L. Mencken or P.T. Barnum who said that nobody ever went broke under-estimating the intelligence of the public. Either way, the executives of Australias self-proclaimed Royal Network followed the advice faithfully when preparing for the current Royal tour. They assumed that the entire population of our continent is brain-dead. Judging by Channel Sevens coverage of the visit by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the assumption was warranted.

February 11, 2021

A royal abuse of political power

The revelations this week by The Guardian UK of the Queens secret intervention in political matters to protect her personal fortune are simply extraordinary. New documents from the UK Archives set out in excruciating detail the power of the monarch to vet legislation in her own interests. Under the guise of exercising the arcane royal consent, long considered a mere formality taken only on ministerial advice, the Queen and Prince Charles can secretly alter any Act that might affect the monarch personally. This they have done with alacrity.

February 2, 2021

Society depends on science: we need to get serious about protecting it

Science dodged a bullet with the end of the Trump presidency but the threat has not gone away. The concepts of truth, transparency and empiricism are universal. For too long, scientists have stood aloof from these conversations to societys detriment.

January 20, 2021

The Irrepressibles tame the Invincibles in their impregnable fortress

A transformative cricket series will do more to strengthen AustraliaIndia bonds than any amount of public diplomacy.

December 15, 2020

Heart of Darkness: Our expeditionary imperial culture and alleged war crimes in Afghanistan and elsewhere

_We tend to forget that our military, political and other cultures were formed in the frontier wars of British imperial expansion in the 19th century. Because those wars were fought in the process of taking the land of Aboriginal and Maori peoples and of inflicting partial genocide en passant, they were always going to produce serious historical amnesia. Silence.

November 30, 2020

Not only governments exert foreign influence. What about Rupert Murdoch?

_A Royal Commission under the best leadership could shine an enormously powerful spotlight on the fact that NewsCorp grossly breaches our foreign interference laws on a daily basis.

October 20, 2020

Will our Glad have a chair when the music stops?

Spare a thought for the personal tragedy of Gladys Berejiklian, a genuinely hard-working and on the face of it a decent premier of NSW. Brought low because she formed a long-term personal relationship with a spiv, one whose general dishonesty and abuse of power seems to have extended to trading on her credit.

May 6, 2018

GEORGE EATON. The local elections in the UK were not a bad night for Labour - but Jeremy Corbyn needs another great leap forward

Britain has entered a new era of ultra-hung politics. Were last nights local election results replicated on a national level, Labour would win 283 seats (up 21), the Conservatives 280 (down 38) and the resurgent Liberal Democrats 22 (up 10).

February 23, 2021

The Morrison method - if you dont ask, you cant tell

Some prime ministers are more practised liars than others. Some can confuse, distract and prevaricate in such a way as to strangle the truth. Morrison, however, is a special case. He does not seem to recognise any obligation to account. He resists any scrutiny and while using words such as transparency almost everything he does is opaque.

November 3, 2020

Virus a political vaccine for the incumbent premiers?

Most of the commentators seem to expect that Annastacia Palaszczuk, the Labor premier of Queensland will be comfortably returned to power on Saturday night.

July 12, 2017

GEORGE YANCY AND NOAM CHOMSKY (INTERVIEW). On Trump and the State of the Union

Is Russian hacking really more significant than, for example, the Republican campaign to destroy the conditions for organized social existence, in defiance of the entire world?

October 21, 2020

Who runs Crown? Packer's enablers

The latest revelation is that Crown is being formally investigated by AUSTRAC for breaches of money laundering regulations. But these are the tip of what is becoming a fairly substantial iceberg.

Pearls and Irritations

John Menadue's Public Policy Journal