Rex Tillerson, Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State and Trump’s best Cabinet choice so far, will probably survive his gruelling full day of confirmation hearings by the US Senate Foreign Affairs Committee last Wednesday 11 January (Washington time). (more…)
Category: Politics
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ANDREW FARRAN. Molan v. Woolcott: The rough and the smooth in regional diplomacy
Molan writes that this sensitive touch in relations with Indonesia is reflected in a long tradition of Australian diplomats putting Indonesia’s interests and the views of Indonesians ahead of our own. Indeed he implies that but for geography Indonesia would be of little or no importance to us at all.
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The strange career of American exceptionalism.
In this article in The Nation, George Grandin of New York University comments
Obama’s recomposition of American exceptionalism was tactically successful, at least as measured by his 2012 reelection, which expanded the multiracial and cross-class coalition that had given him the White House four years earlier. (more…)
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CHARLES LIVINGSTONE. Gambling industry finds plenty of political guns for hire to defend the status quo.
“Responsible gambling”, like “responsible drinking”, is a clever-sounding way of deflecting attention away from the product. (more…)
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BOB BIRRELL. GP Oversupply and Medical Migration
There are many indicators of GP over-supply in Australia. … One consequence has been an escalation in the cost of GP rebates to the taxpayer. … Better distribution of GP services could be achieved by restricting new provider numbers to under-supplied districts.
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JOHN AUSTEN. Roads – another year of congestion-causing deficits
We are spending enormous sums on roads and increasing our national debt. Communities are being seriously disrupted and the congestion is increasing. When will we put a stop to this nonsense?
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FRANK BRENNAN SJ. The cost of Alexander Downer cutting corners on Timor Leste a decade ago.
If only the government and their supporters like News Ltd had been prepared to listen to the parliamentary committee a decade ago.
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SPENCER ZIFCAK. Robert Manne v Ramesh Thakur v Gillian Triggs: What on Earth is Going On?
If one were ever in this situation, who would one wish to speak for them: George Brandis or Gillian Triggs? That’s the choice. (more…)
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CHRIS SIDOTI. 30th Anniversary of the Australian Human Rights Commission. Part 2 of 2.
Human rights work has a cost, and we need to remember the cost and the toll that it takes on the people who are doing it. Those who are paying the price need the support of those who are not paying so much.
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CHRIS SIDOTI. 30th Anniversary of the Australian Human Rights Commission. Part 1 of 2.
Chris Sidoti recounts the context for the establishing of the AHRC, (formerly called the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission) and records the frequent conflicts over the years between the AHRC and the government of the day.
This is an edited first half of the speech. The second half will appear in the next P&I. (more…)
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RICHARD TANTER. Fifty years on, Pine Gap should reform to better serve Australia.
Pine Gap has capabilities that could genuinely contribute to the defence of Australia. This would depend on the will and resolution of an Australian government capable of identifying these. (more…)
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BRUCE THOM. Agonies of an American scientist under Trump.
A truly great nation must be compassionate, loving, kind, rational and celebrate diversity. (more…)
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MUNGO MacCALLUM. Turnbull on Indonesia and Israel.
The theory remains that Indonesians are all right to visit, but we still don’t regard them as full allies or equals. (more…)
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Don’t ask about the war
John Howard contributed to world events that are still affecting us: invasion, illegality, sycophancy to our allies, refugees, and even Brexit and Trump. Why do Australians not hold him accountable? (more…)
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IAN McAULEY. Brexit, Trump and the Lucky Country – Introduction
John Menadue – introduction to Ian McAuley Series.
Many have been surprised and even horrified by the Brexit and Trump results. These events are likely to be followed by similar outcomes in elections in other countries this year.
Serious issues have been raised – a wave of anti-globalisation, an alleged swing to the right, blaming ‘deplorables’, racism and xenophobia. Establishment politics is being challenged. Russia is becoming an insider in Washington!
Some of these reactions to Brexit and Trump are over-simplified, but there is no doubt that we now face complex and challenging times.
Our attention has been focused on the UK and the US, but these issues, although important in Australia, may not take the same acute form here. But one thing we do have in common with Trump and others is the conservative protection of privilege by diverting attention from inequality , unfairness and the power of elites and focus instead on the most vulnerable, Muslims, refugees and welfare ‘bludgers’
Against this background I asked Ian McAuley to focus on these issues. His introduction and eight parts follow. Your comments would be welcome. John Menadue. (more…)
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IAN McAULEY. Brexit, Trump and the Lucky Country 1 – Who’s been left behind?
In “developed” countries the benefits of 35 years of economic growth have been unevenly distributed. Many people who once had well-paid manufacturing jobs and many who live in the country have fallen behind. While this has been most starkly manifest in the US, it is also happening in Australia.
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Brexit, Trump and the Lucky Country 2 – The response of those left behind
It would be hasty to attribute the Brexit and Trump votes to a “swing to the right”, or to an ill-informed electorate. The most compelling explanations are in terms of protest votes. People’s anger of electorates has given an opening for political opportunists.
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IAN McAULEY. Brexit, Trump and the Lucky Country 3 – Globalization takes the rap, unfairly
Globalization has been only one of the developments that has led to widening inequality and social exclusion. Countries that have globalized have also introduced a raft of neoliberal domestic policies, against which people are reacting.
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IAN McAULEY. Brexit, Trump and the Lucky Country 4 – Issues re-framed
Contrary to some interpretations, the trend in “developed” countries is still towards social and economic liberalism. But there is a strong reaction against the social exclusion that has accompanied liberalization. The economic models that guide public policy are not up to the task of dealing with exclusion.
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IAN McAULEY. Brexit, Trump and the Lucky Country 5 – How we lost trust in government
We have lost trust in our governments and in mainstream political parties. Politicians, the media and corporate interests have been responsible for alienating governments from the people who elect them, creating fertile ground for populists.
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IAN McAULEY. Brexit, Trump and the Lucky Country 6 – Who exploited discontent and how
A turning point in Australian political life was the 2013 election when Abbott set about destroying what remained of trust in government and of trust in social and political institutions, including traditions of dispassionate and objective inquiry.
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IAN McAULEY. Brexit, Trump and the Lucky Country 7 – The left went AWOL
Contrary to right-wing conspiracy theories, there is no significant “anti-business” force in Australia. In fact the left has never been weaker: the traditional unionized left has been weakened by structural change, and the “progressive” left has dealt itself out of contention by abandoning economics.
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IAN McAULEY. Brexit, Trump and the Lucky Country 8 – Don’t wait for a “leader”: we need leadership.
We have many hard issues to confront but our present political elites are adept at avoiding them. It’s futile and dangerous to wait for a “leader” who will solve our problems. The task of leadership is one that falls on anyone who has voice.
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TONY SMITH. A nasty government
The compact between government and citizen is being destroyed. (more…)
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RICHARD WOOLCOTT. Australian governments have made us more at risk from terrorism.
We should not refer to ISIS as a state. It Is not a state. It has no Air Force or navy. It has no fixed boundaries. It is really a series of militant groups. It behaves in a ruthless manner, as does Saudi Arabia and its agents in Yemen. (more…)
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WALTER HAMILTON. An Emperor Asks to Step Down
In August 2016, Japan’s Emperor Akihito took the highly unusual step of asking publically to be relieved of his duties – to be able to abdicate. The government is still mulling over its response many months later. The article below is a repost from August 9, 2016. (more…)
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Chomsky interview on the ravages of neoliberalism.
In this interview, reported in The Wire on 31 January 2016, Noam Chomsky talks about the ravages of neoliberalism. this is a repost from 21 February 2016. (more…)
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CHRISTINA HO. Hothoused and hyper-racialised ethnic imbalance in our selective schools.
This is a repost from November 3, 2016.
“Across Sydney students from a language background other than English (LBOTE) regularly make up 80% or 90% of enrolments in selective schools.”
As families increasingly turn away from their local public schools, our kids are less likely to experience the full range of our diverse society.
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SUE WAREHAM. Why is Australia not fully behind efforts to prohibit nuclear weapons?
It’s about time for some good news. Heaven knows, we need it after 2016’s litany of human failures to find peace between ourselves and with our struggling planet. But as a Christmas gift of historic proportions, the UN – which is to say its member states – has taken the most promising action in decades to lead us towards the elimination of the world’s worst weapons. Late on December 23 in New York, the UN General Assembly resolved by a strong majority to begin talks in March on a treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons.
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JOHN TULLOH. Erdogan aims for the long haul as an Ottoman-style ruler.
Not long ago, when events in Turkey were as unsettled as they are now, its military leaders would have stepped in, toppled the government and taken draconian control to restore order. But President Recip Tayyip Erdogan seems safe for now, having emasculated the military leadership after the failed coup last year, sacked much of the judiciary and bureaucracy, jailed opponents and perceived rivals, cowed the local media by locking up editors and journalists and currently imposing a local news blackout. (more…)