May 20, 2022

Truth - the first casualty of war

Wars are complex issues with blame shared albeit not equally distributed among all sides. They are unpredictable and can lead to perverse, including lose-lose outcomes. In a war with the worlds biggest nuclear power, a dispassionate analysis of costs (of victory and defeat), risks and constraints is especially advisable. Yet this is mostly missing in the one-eyed mainstream media (MSM) framing of the Ukraine war: Russia bad, West good; Putin evil, Zelensky superhero. Almost all coverage falls into one of three categories: the heroism and valour of Ukrainians; a Russian column, tank or ship destroyed; and Russian atrocities. Although all true, this is not the whole truth. There is a Russian side to the story, and it is wrong in principle and risky in practice to insist otherwise.

December 27, 2018

CHARLES M. BLOW. What Happens If ... (New York Times, 02.12.18)

I no longer think that anyone in America, including Donald Trumps most loyal supporters, can afford to put off the consideration of the central question of this administration: What if Donald Trump or those closest to him were compromised by the Russians or colluded with them?

July 17, 2022

Australia should show leadership in nuclear disarmament - a resolution in the UN General Assembly on the use of tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine would help

_Australia needs to show leadership in the area of nuclear disarmament, and of more immediate importance, (like, ‘….could happen next week’), of nuclear risk reduction.

June 24, 2022

African youths make it clear they prefer China over US

The 2022 African Youth Survey released on Monday has sent shock waves across the world. China has surpassed the United States as having the biggest positive influence among African youths.

August 29, 2022

The Biden-Trump persecution of Julian Assange

For a good while one could blame Trump for the prosecutorial monstrosity perpetrated on journalist Julian Assange. But now its time for Trump to move over. The single worst assault on the first amendment and a free press in recent centuries is no longer solely his. Biden owns it. Biden could end this state persecution of a journalist today, if he felt like it. A persecution that a U.N. expert has called torture. A persecution that could easily lead to Assanges death.

June 12, 2022

Fighting the first UK-Rwandan refugee flight

June 10 bore witness to a valiant effort on the part of refugee groups and a trade union to stop what promises to be the first journey of many as part of the UK-Rwanda plan. Their attempt to seek an injunction failed to convince the High Court. Next Tuesday, the first flight from the UK to Rwanda filled with asylum seekers will, unless the Court of Appeal rules otherwise, take off. Some 31 people of Iraqi and Syrian background have been told they will be on board with one-way tickets.

June 1, 2022

What emissions target should the Greens and teals aim for?

There is a lot for the new government to get on with as it leads our transition away from a high-carbon economy. The Greens and Teals should focus on pushing the program forward rather than arguing about the 2030 target.

June 7, 2022

The Great Barrier Reef: the ultimate test of an ambitious climate policy

Frances Ambassador to Australia Jean-Pierre Thbault has called the Albanese Governments climate position ambitious. But is it enough for the survival of the Great Barrier Reef?

September 25, 2022

The US empire is accelerating toward global conflict on two fronts

The situation is very serious. Since 1700 three people have tried to take Moscow: Karl XII who lost his Swedish empire, Napoleon who lost his, Hitler who lost his… and now NATO / AUKUS, in which we are mindlessly participant. The US budget year begins with 830 billion for defence, 600 billion for nuclear refurbishment. Not news in Australia.

April 4, 2022

David Van Deusen: No love for Putin: No guns for Nazis in Ukraine

_Ukraine in fact has a serious Nazi problem.

June 22, 2018

BHIM BHURTEL. Nepal looks toward China as a measure of last resort

After an exchange of high-level trips between Nepal and India, Nepalese Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli is to land in Beijing on Tuesday for a five-day state visit. It will be his second state visit since his accession to the Prime Ministers Office after his partys landslide victory in the general election in November.

March 3, 2021

Behind the scenes: Section 92, the High Court and State coronavirus border closures

Nearly four months after the High Court ruled in favour of the WA Government against billionaire miner Clive Palmer, who challenged WA’s coronavirus border closure, we have the Courts reasons for its decision.

April 12, 2022

Labor will never appease Murdoch, and should stop trying

News.com is never shy about claiming all of the power and influence that its mortal enemies fear it has.

June 11, 2022

The wisdom of youth in education

At a time when good news is hard to come by, to hear of the substantial increase in the numbers of young people choosing to study the humanities in New South Wales in defiance of the Morrison governments Job Ready Graduates price changes, is cheering on several fronts.

June 8, 2022

The road ahead for a more workable Parliament.

The focus of political commentary since the election has largely been on the balance of power in the House of Representatives and on the make-up of the new Government. Labor has a very narrow majority in its own right in the House. So what is the road ahead for Labor?

June 7, 2022

KEITH MITCHELSON: Becoming a rooftop superpower

Our household rooftop solar panel network helps fulfil international commitments of the Australian government, yet it also represents a hidden taxation that citizens do not seem to recognise. Can the new Labor government rectify this and other larger taxation anomalies?

September 23, 2022

Leadership has improved China's global standing

China is facing the most immoral and unprecedented attacks from myriad quarters because of its ability to remove the obstacles to its economic growth at a time when almost all other countries are encountering economic downturn, which began with the global financial crisis.

June 11, 2022

HUGH SMITH: Justice - the first casualty of peace?

A 21-year old Russian tank commander, Sergeant Vadim Shysimarin, has been tried and sentenced to life imprisonment in the Ukraine for the murder of a civilian. This is the first war crimes trial arising out of Russias special military operation a label which does not exempt any of the combatants from the law of armed conflict’.

May 16, 2018

MICHAEL WEST. Good timing: Australia Post in talks to become a bank

The banks will fight it tooth and nail. Australia Post is considering becoming a bank, a move which could deliver significant competition to the countrys banking oligopoly through lower fees and lower-cost mortgages.

February 19, 2020

ROSS GITTINS. An economy for the common good.(SMH19.2.2020)

We have to make democracy work for the masses, not just the rich and powerful.

June 26, 2022

Deadly games: The labour casualties of Qatars World Cup

A sordid enterprise, nasty, crude and needless. But the World Cup 2022 will be, should anyone bother watching it, stained by one of the highest casualty rates amongst workers in its history, marked by corruption and stained by a pharisee quality. The sportswashers, cleaning agent at the ready, will be out in force, and the hypocrites dressed to the nines.

November 28, 2018

MICHAEL KEATING. The Future Agenda for Economic Reform

Given the lack of agreement about what are our key problems we shouldnt be surprised that economic reform is presently in the doldrums. But progress would be easier if the business community recognised that the old agenda to improve the flexibility and competitiveness of markets is now largely complete. Instead I argue that the new agenda should focus on reducing inequality by increasing education and skills. Furthermore, this will also help foster innovation by increasing the ability of the workforce to adopt and adapt to technological change.

June 9, 2022

Tolerance of intolerance threatens Indonesias image

The LGBTIQA+ community in Australia is cautiously expecting an acceleration of acceptance now the Albanese government has the steering wheel. But in the nation next door which boasts it runs with moderation, human rights is going in reverse.

August 17, 2022

Uluru Statement shows the way on Australian Frontier Wars

In an earlier article for Pearls and Irritations I wrote, _Proper recognition and commemoration of the Australian Frontier Wars at the Australian War Memorial would be a practical expression of the Spirit of Uluru._The Uluru Statement from the Heart is more than resonant prose. Its words about First Nations people taking their rightful place in their country, about how First Nations culture can be a gift to all Australians, and, most of all, on truth-telling about our past, all provide signposts for action.

March 16, 2020

KEVIN LISTON. The Amazon Synod and Australia

Pope Francis response to the Synod on the Amazon challenges Catholics everywhere to take responsibility for the Church in their own regions.

February 10, 2020

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.

May 2, 2021

Be not afraid: Daniel Berrigan and his fearless nonviolence, at 100

Five years since his death and 100 since his birth, legendary priest, author, poet and activist Daniel Berrigan continues to offer wisdom and insight on living a life of creative nonviolence.

August 8, 2023

Our minerals are ripe for the plucking by the US

US-driven fast-track negotiations to develop secure strategic critical minerals supply chains from Australia risk jeopardising our mining industry links with China, and locking down our own industrial development based on our critical minerals.

October 10, 2020

Biden at Gettysburg

Donald Trump thought about giving his campaign speech at Gettysburg but opted for the safety of the Rose Garden instead.

March 23, 2020

JAMES Gruber. A 14th Century Glimpse Into The Future.

Since the end of World War Two, the process of globalisation has provided a tremendous tailwind for businesses and societies at large.

June 15, 2022

A Spanish court calls: Mike Pompeo, we want you

On June 3, Judge Santiago Pedraz of Spains national court, the Audienca Nacional, issued a summons for former CIA director and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to testify in an ongoing investigation into the conduct of private security firm UC Global and its founder, David Morales.

June 19, 2018

ATUL ANEJA. India rebalancing ties with Pakistan to open path to Eurasia

In a significant gesture, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain shook hands and exchanged pleasantries after a press conference by the leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) here on Sunday.

February 18, 2018

The Alliance: Deeper thought required urgently

This is not the time to deepen our commitment to the alliance and, become ever more involved in the US imperium and need for enemies. We need to think freshly about our international relations and security. The recent Foreign Policy White Paper, constructed by Julie Bishop, was depressingly free of any such fresh thought. The new US Ambassador clearly sees his role to ride shot gun on Australia’s military role in the Alliance.

June 14, 2022

EU's report on Hong Kong SAR a twisted narrative

Despite destructive chaos right in Europe’s own backyard, its politicians still find substantial time to lecture China on how its Hong Kong Special Administrative Region should be run.

May 20, 2022

Government outsourcing: Theres gold in them thar hills!

Government outsourcing in Australia occurs in many ways. It can provide the best outcome for the community. But at the other extreme, it could mean a case of outright corruption. If there is inadequate monitoring and accountability, the Australian public at large could be short-changed due to dubious contracts and too much profiteering.

April 3, 2022

Let them eat cake

In closing the gap between First Nations peoples and their fellow non-Indigenous Australians, this budget has nothing worthwhile.

August 14, 2021

Sunday environmental round up.

Unlike Australia, the USA is actively supporting a just transition for communities hard-hit by the demise of fossil fuels. The science and politics of solar radiation management. An Australian environmental philanthropists tips for doing the unexpected, and coastlines as essential infrastructure.

July 31, 2021

Sunday environmental round up - bees like blue.

John Kerry predicts an unlivable tomorrow if the Glasgow COP fails to deliver clear plans for the next decade, but are wealthy nations listening? Recommendations for speeding the transition to EVs and making electricity systems more resilient. Bees like blue.

June 29, 2022

Catholic Bishops playing the Plenary with questionable spirit

Australias Catholic bishops seem to think they own the franchise of the Holy Spirit and are prepared to manipulate the Plenary process to back their foolish claim.

June 11, 2022

If only.....Australia

It would be easy to develop a history of recent Australian history around the theme of if only.

April 5, 2022

The advertising propaganda rort

The Morrison Government has ramped up its multi-million dollar spending on its most egregious rort of all, propaganda. Paid for from the public purse, to try to influence (in its favour) the way the public votes.

August 15, 2022

The voice implies a change of heart

The Governments proposal for a referendum on a Voice is a bold idea whose time has come. But it is being asked to carry a lot of weight weight that might easily sink it.

March 29, 2020

MICHAEL GRACEY. Protecting remote Indigenous people from the COVID-19 pandemic

The current pandemic caused by the virus COVID 19 is affecting many countries; it is highly infectious and potentially fatal, especially for vulnerable people. Indigenous Australians are especially at risk to this infection and will need special arrangements to minimise the devastation that this virus could bring to them. How can this be best achieved?

December 27, 2018

LESLEY HUGHES. The Best of 2018: Cognitive Dissonance in the Big Dry.

Climate change is worsening the drought now affecting huge swathes of the continent, bringing gut-wrenching misery for farmers and the communities they support. And what have some of the parliamentary representatives of those regions been up to? They have been trying to convince the Japanese to invest in more coal-fired power generation in Australia.

February 9, 2020

DENIS MULLER. Media 'impartiality' on climate change is ethically misguided and downright dangerous.(The Conversation 31.1.2020)

_In September 2019, the editor of The Conversation, Misha Ketchell,declaredThe Conversations editorial team in Australia was henceforth taking what he called a zero-tolerance approach to climate change deniers and sceptics. Their comments would be blocked and their accounts locked.

May 20, 2022

So now youre appalled over the Israeli killing of an American journalist?

The relative horror expressed over the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh is justified and necessary. It is also belated and self-righteous. Now youre appalled? The blood of a famous journalist, no matter how brave and experienced she was and she was is no redder than the blood of an anonymous high school student who was traveling home in a taxi full of women in this same Jenin a month ago when she was killed by gunfire from Israeli soldiers.

June 30, 2020

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.

April 3, 2022

In Indonesia the past is another country

Nationalism in the worlds fourth largest nation is rising - but so far unthreatening. Indonesian passions are being driven not by demagoguery but through discovery of the countrys pre-colonial, pre-Islam heritage with added ghosts.

January 23, 2021

Call of Duty: Capitol insurgents playing the role of heroic avengers who kill without consequence

Donald Trump and the Republican Party alone have the capacity to restore stability to the United States. They have to acknowledge that the game is over, and their claim that the election was stolen was a big lie.

Pearls and Irritations

John Menadue's Public Policy Journal