Commentary around Donald Trump tends to gravitate to the delusion that he is the leader of the most powerful country on the planet. Every time we blindly accept that delusion, we reinforce it, we assume that we are powerless in the face of such a powerful country. We forget that America’s power is a product of alliances struck during the cold war. Alliances based on the principle of co-operation. That co-operation was/is based on shared values of justice, the rule of law, human rights and constitutional democracy. (more…)
John Tons
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Ending the US alliance: America first means Australia last
The foundation of Australia’s alliance with the US is that there is a shared commitment to the rule of law and constitutional democratic government. We are faced with the choice of waiting until there cannot be a shred of doubt that the US is committed to a dictatorship or beginning the process of cutting our ties with this latest incarnation of American democratic government.
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Dutton’s policy exposes the Liberals as slow learners
Prudent public policy seeks to protect us against black swan events. Black Swan Theory (BST) is a metaphor that describes a rare, unexpected event that has a huge impact and is difficult to predict. These events are considered outliers because there is no past data to indicate when they could occur. (more…)
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Seal of approval for the Teals?
Peter Dutton has questioned the effectiveness and value of the Teals. I live in Mayo. This has always been a solid Liberal seat. So why was Rebcca Sharkey successful? Although predating the Teals, she has many features in common with them. She had been active in the local branch of the Liberal Party, but her motivation in challenging her former boss was because they “have not had a MP who has actively represented them for years”. The people in Mayo, in common with many in so-called safe seats, were willing to vote for someone who at least allowed their voices and concerns to be heard. This has been the real achievement of the Teals: they have been able to broaden the political agenda. (more…)
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Unleashing Australia’s potential
In 1992 I was teaching a class of year 11 students. They were concerned about climate change. I had some good news for them. The Rio de Janeiro earth summit had resolved to protect our future; Rio’s big idea quickly became known as a carbon tax. The aim was to protect earth’s future by making a commitment to sustainable development. (more…)
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The social contract and The Voice
Now that the dust has begun to settle, we can look at the referendum result with a little more clarity. Those of us who supported the Voice saw with some dismay how the initial widespread support in favour of a yes vote began to wither away. yet we should not be fooled by the headlines that the referendum result was a resounding defeat – it was far from that. (more…)