Free speech in Australia
Posted by John, June 6th, 2019 - under Uncategorized.
Tags: ABC, Free speech, Freedom, News Corp, Newspapers
Comments: 1
Am I living in a police state? On Tuesday the Australian Federal Police raided the home of News Corp journalist Annika Smethurst. On Wednesday it was the turn of journalists in the Sydney offices of the ABC. They were looking for information that they could use to prosecute whistle-blowers who provided the information to journalists. […]
Put the bankers, not journalists, in the dock
Posted by John, June 4th, 2019 - under Uncategorized.
Tags: Bankers, Banking; Hayne Royal Commission, Banks
Comments: 1
Two things happened on Tuesday that caught my attention. The first was the decision of the Reserve Bank of Australia to cut the cash rate by 25 basis points or 0.25%, from 1.50% to 1.25%. According to the RBA, the cash rate is ‘the overnight money market interest rate.’ It is essentially the rate the […]
The lessons of Tiananmen Square
Posted by John, June 3rd, 2019 - under Uncategorized.
Tags: China
Comments: none
Dennis Kosuth tells the story of the revolt that shook China’s rulers. Reprinted from Socialist Worker, written ten years ago, still relevant. THE CHINESE national anthem, like for most countries, is militaristic, jingoistic and–unless one is a fan of marching–difficult to listen to. Unlike most others, however, it begins with the line “Arise, all who refuse […]
Rugby League, the National Anthem and Aboriginal peoples
Posted by John, June 2nd, 2019 - under Uncategorized.
Tags: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, Genocide
Comments: none
Every year Rugby League has its state of Origin. Queensland plays New South Wales for 3 games over the mid-season. They are intensively competitive games, watched by millions. They are often the best rugby league contests locally or internationally. The first game this year is on Wednesday 5 June. So what? many of my readers […]
Bob Hawke – Australia’s Thatcher
Posted by John, May 27th, 2019 - under Uncategorized.
Tags: Bob Hawke, Margaret Thatcher, neoliberalism
Comments: none
Bob Hawke—Australia’s Thatcher 27 May 2019 Bob Hawke has been lauded for his consensus politics, but he waged a brutal assault on unions and Labor’s own working class supporters, argues Ian Rintoul in Solidarity Magazine. Conceding defeat on election night, Bill Shorten said, “I wish we could have done it for Bob”. But Bob Hawke, who […]
Do not send Assange to the US
Posted by John, May 26th, 2019 - under Uncategorized.
Tags: American imperialism, Assange, Australian imperialism, Chelsea Manning, Free speech
Comments: 4
As readers would know, I have no love for Julian Assange. I want him sent to Sweden to face inquiries and possible prosecution over allegations of sexual misconduct (e.g. rape.) I oppose sending him to the United States for any reason. The reality is the ruling class there want to imprison, if not execute, Assange […]
Could Jeremy Corbyn lead the Australian Labor Party?
Posted by John, May 20th, 2019 - under Uncategorized.
Tags: Australian Labor Party, Fake left, neoliberalism
Comments: none
I know. The idea of Corbyn leading the Australian Labor Party is ridiculous. For a start, he is a British MP. Second, he has his hands full leading the British Labour Party, on the way to possibly becoming Prime Minister in the near future. But of course, you know the reason why I have framed […]
What now?
Posted by John, May 19th, 2019 - under Uncategorized.
Tags: Class struggle, Election 2019
Comments: none
The Coalition has retained government. At the time of writing on Sunday it has 74 seats, Labor has 66 and various independents and minor parties, including a Green, hold another 6. Five seats are in doubt with 4 potentially going to the Coalition. This would give it 78 seats in the new Parliament, enough to […]
Labor to win between 76 and 82 seats?
Posted by John, May 18th, 2019 - under Uncategorized.
Tags: Election 2019
Comments: none
And so the last day of electioneering and voting has arrived. Thank the gods the 5 weeks of lies, rubbish, obfuscation and vagueness have finished. Here is a list of seats to keep an eye on. It is based on the latest aggregated odds of 7 bookmakers fielding on the result and taken from information […]
If it happens, will a Labor government make much difference to wages?
Posted by John, May 16th, 2019 - under Uncategorized.
Tags: Equal wages for equal work, General strike
Comments: none
Of course, a Labor government will make a difference to the industrial landscape. Its minor industrial law changes, plus the abolition of the Australian Building and Construction Commission, are welcome. But like much of Labor’s program, they do not go far enough. Sally McManus has warned that the right to strike is almost dead but […]