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There are some important lessons for the Liberal Party to learn from their recent series of election losses. There is no necessary law of political gravity which means that a party which has entered a losing sequence needs or will continue to do so. But if you keep making the same mistakes it is most Continue reading »

Why is Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong vocal about Australian-Chinese journalist Cheng Lei, jailed in China, but silent on Australian journalist Julian Assange, jailed in the UK? Senator Wong tweeted on 31 March 2023, “It is one year since Australian citizen Cheng Lei faced a closed trial in Beijing on national security charges. She is Continue reading »

At the last election, the Labor Party adopted a climate policy of “Swimming between the Flags”. This resulted in electoral success but it represented an unthinkable future for humanity. “Swimming between the flags” was Albanese’s policy of safety from attack by the Coalition government and their media supporters at the last election. Policy did just Continue reading »

When unpacking the way in which national funds for front line services such as homelessness are handed out, arguably little has changed for modern day Darwin since the garrison town was bombed in 1942. When Justice Charles Lowe handed down his first report of the Commission of Inquiry into the circumstances connected with the attack Continue reading »

For a public servant of my acquaintance, the new and emerging problem of public administration is dealing with what she called activists and advocates. Apparently, it was not a problem, or as much of a problem, before as it is now. Now it threatens good government. And she’s not talking about the unnatural influence on Continue reading »

One of the many, many signs that Australia is nothing more than a US military and intelligence asset is the way its government has consistently refused to intervene to protect Australian citizen Julian Assange from political persecution at the hands of the US empire. In a new article titled “Penny Wong moves to dampen expectation Continue reading »

12 slices sandwich bread¼ cup soft butter or margarine2 teaspoons prepared mustard2 cans (7¾ ounces each) red salmon, drained1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)¼ cup sliced pimiento-stuffed olives1 small onion, chopped (about ¼ cup)1 package (10 ounces) frozen green peas1 can (10¾ ounces) condensed cream of shrimp soup¼ cup milkDill pickles Toast bread; […]

… for Trump Axios recognizes reality: Think about how topsy-turvy Republican politics has become for Trump’s top rivals to defend him after he’s indicted. If that’s the mood of the GOP electorate now, good luck getting past Trump for the nomination. The first poll conducted post-indictment, by Yahoo News/YouGov, shows Trump’s support skyrocketing among Republicans. Trump now holds a 26-point lead over Florida Gov. DeSantis (57%-31%) in the GOP primary — up from just eight points two weeks ago. What’s good for Trump in a primary is unlikely to translate into a general election. Trump had rock-bottom favorability ratings among all Americans before the indictment, and the specter of a presidential candidate facing the prospect of jail time isn’t likely to win over swing voters. The problem for Republicans is that their voters don’t care much about electability. Just look at their 2022 roster of statewide candidates, which was filled with deeply flawed nominees who nonetheless cruised through primaries in which the most extreme rhetoric resonated. Getting them to care about DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov.

“Many of the former President’s fellow Republicans have quickly come to [Trump’s] defense, expressing varying levels of dismay at the indictment, with some even vowing to take official countermeasures however they can.” — TIME

Great. Just great. We’ve gone and set a big old precedent. Now every politician has to be super careful not to commit any crimes.

You’re telling me lawmakers are supposed to constantly make sure the stuff they’re doing is totally legal? What’s next, airline pilots need to know how to fly a plane? Gimme a break.

Congratulations. The floodgates have opened. Now anyone in an incredibly powerful position has to “have ethics” and “take responsibility” and “not commit fraud.” What else are you people gonna crack down on? Insurrections? Buzz off.

There’s nothing magical about Bayes’ theorem. It boils down to the truism that your belief is only as valid as its evidence. If you have good evidence, Bayes’ theorem can yield good results. If your evidence is flimsy, Bayes’ theorem won’t be of much use. Garbage in, garbage out. The potential for Bayes abuse begins […]

Over the past few years there has been a lot of talk about the mainstream media “normalizing” and “mainstreaming” the white nationalist fringe that has risen to prominence under the Trump regime. They have been reasonably successful at providing context for stories about groups like the Proud Boys and have done a decent job of reporting on events like January 6. But they just can’t seem to wrap their minds around how to deal with the insurrectionist caucus in Congress. On Sunday, CBS News inexplicably decided to air Lesley Stahl’s interview with second-term Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia for the venerable “60 Minutes.” If you think it was a tough interview, take a look at this response from Greene and I think you’ll be able to guess how it went: “It was an honor to spend a few days with the legendary icon Leslie [sic] Stahl and talented crew [of 60 Minutes]. Leslie is a trailblazer for women in journalism.

Ferguson et al.'s revised INET working paper on Trump and the 2016 election is temporarily available on open access from the International Journal of Political Economy.

The Roots of Right-Wing Populism: Donald Trump in 2016

The Doctor Who news continues: Jinkx Monsoon (RuPaul’s Drag Race; Chicago on Broadway) has joined the cast, reportedly in a major role.

The Georgia congresswoman was photographed eating the Judaic sausage in Times Square while en route to having her picture taken with Elmo.

“When our financial system is under assault, that is a national security issue,” Senate Intelligence Chair Mark Warner told The Intercept.

The post Pentagon Tries to Cast Bank Runs as National Security Threat appeared first on The Intercept.

I rode the world's fastest train.

MAGites won’t stop until stopped Your regular reminder: State legislative races matter. The war MAGA Republicans are waging is not simply cultural, not simply rhetorical, but potentially deadly. Ruth Madievsky reminds Salon readers: The right’s escalating culture war — with vigorous attacks on abortion and gender-affirming care for minors — incurs ever-evolving collateral damage. In recent months, conservative lawmakers have introduced legislation centered on banning books with LGBTQ+ content, obstructing transgender care in both minors and adults, and removing nationwide access to mifepristone—one of the drugs used to manage both medical abortion and early miscarriage. Recent events suggest that the newest casualty in these battles may be access to HIV care. On Thursday, a federal judge appointed by George W. Bush struck down a key provision of the Affordable Care Act requiring health insurance companies to cover PrEP, the highly effective drugs used for HIV prevention.

Last week I wrote an article on the indictment of Trump in New York. I argued that charging trump had broken an elite norm: there is no question Trump broke the law, but ex-Presidents don’t get charged with crimes and senior politicians rarely do, though as a couple commenters pointed out, there’s already been some erosion of that norm.

The Home Secretary's comments about British Pakistanis and grooming gangs are contradicted by evidence uncovered by her own Department, reports Adam Bienkov

As the Government fans the flames of anti-immigration rhetoric, Dorothy Stein looks at the data that suggests the public is unimpressed

Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa wants Russell T. Davies to make that John Boyega cameo happen; Gatwa shares a look at how training's been going.