politics

Created
Fri, 22/11/2024 - 04:52
Lyndsay Connors (Pearls and Irritations, 14 November 2024) takes issue with my argument that the Commonwealth should get out or be pushed out of schooling. The argument for a Commonwealth exit is this: – By just about every indicator Australian schooling has been on the slide for at least 20 years, despite the Rudd/Gillard governments’ Continue reading »
Created
Fri, 22/11/2024 - 04:53
I audibly gasped when Andrew Podger referred to Israel’s response in Gaza as a “lack of care” in a recent P&I article. Hardly a balanced use of words. Andrew Podger’s article (19th November) expresses his views on bias and imbalance within P&I, particularly on the issue of Palestine-Israel. I noted John Menadue’s firm response but Continue reading »
Created
Fri, 22/11/2024 - 04:54
As someone who has spent most of my life working with people for whom the system is profoundly broken, I wrestle with the same question that many middle-class people do: Why do so many disenfranchised people support figures like Donald Trump, whose policies often seem designed to further entrench inequality? The answer, I’ve come to Continue reading »
Created
Fri, 22/11/2024 - 04:55
The question draws from what Trump effectively used in the closing weeks of the recent USA elections. Liberal-National Party (LNP) leader Peter Dutton is exploring a similar approach to winning government in the approaching Australian election. Employer groups are preparing to help him. Will Labor’s messaging on living standards satisfy the Australian working class? The Continue reading »
Created
Fri, 22/11/2024 - 04:56
Joe Courtney, who serves as Congressman for Connecticut’s second district, has received a rather curious honour. It has come in the form of a tribute from a US satellite – some would rightly say annexure or some other subordinate status. A press release from his office on October 22 announced that Rep. Courtney had been Continue reading »
Created
Fri, 22/11/2024 - 04:58
From atop Mount Olympus, Zeus peers in perplexity through fumes of fire, dust and vehicle exhaust, toxic chemicals, roiling tempests and raging floods, idly wondering what those darned mortals are up to now… First his eye is drawn to ancient Media, part of old Persia (now known under its modern name of Azerbaijan). Here a Continue reading »
Created
Fri, 22/11/2024 - 10:41
Overnight the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. Benjamin Netanyahu gives his response, journalist Mehdi Hasan provides analysis and Human Rights Watch calls for international support. At G20 in Brazil, PM Albanese says outcomes will lead to more jobs for Australia while earlier this week Continue reading »