Category Archives: politics

all things political

Women and the city

cities, design, equity, governance, People, politics, sustainability, urban design, ,

Re-Posted from The Global Urbanist

A woman’s right to enjoy the city

Dealing with the overlooked issue in Urban Design, Women and the City. As part of our series on eliminating violence against women and girls in our cities produced in collaboration with the Huairou Commission, Mumbai architect Pallavi Shrivastava offers a personal reflection on how the threat of violence forces women not only to change our movements but also prevents us from enjoying our cities, and thus from helping to make them the cities we want them to be. click here for the full article.

Climate Deniers

climate change, governance, politics, sustainability, ,

Re-Posted from The Fifth Estate

Peter Newman: Why climate whingers and climate deniers need to get real

Any climate change-related article in The Conversation, and indeed any newspaper, attracts some of the most diabolical discourse, the most offensive personal abuse and the most deeply felt rhetoric. It is not very elevating to read. Climate Skeptics dominate the media.

It has of course spilled over into politics and threatens to tear apart the fabric of our society.

Continue reading Climate Deniers →

Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid

climate change, Opinions, politics, ,
Opinion: Be afraid, be very Afraid

Stupidity in action

From The Guardian Australia: Tony Abbott’s top business adviser accuses IPCC of ‘dishonesty and deceit’. ‘The scientific delusion, the religion behind the climate crusade, is crumbling,’ Maurice Newman says.

It does not get much worse than this. The Rabbott government has been doing some stupid things of late, and there’s promise of even more stupidity to come in 2014.

Continue reading Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid →

be afraid, be very afraid

Opinions, politics
Opinion: Threats to human rights in Australia

rabbott01The Rabbott government has moved quickly to shut down and to strangle so many progressive, financial, immigration, education, indigenous, disability, social welfare and climate programs, that it is difficult to identify which of their ideological decisions are the most dangerous to the future of this country.

Freedom of speech and the freedom from discrimination are both fundamental to our way of life. Yet these are now very much under immediate threat thanks to this inhuman national government.

Continue reading be afraid, be very afraid →

Innovation

Opinions, politics, technology, ,
Opinion: about manufacturing and innovation
and a few more topics

While I am not too worried about the closure of GM’s (Holden) manufacturing plants in Australia in 2017, I am concerned as to whether manufacturing as an Australian industry and its associated innovations are not being supported. It is hard to find intelligent comment on these subjects in the Australian media.

Continue reading Innovation →

Political Distraction

Opinions, politics, random, ,
Opinion: Rabbott Distracts while cutting deep

rabbott01Very cleverly  the Rabbott Government used the ‘shock’ announcements of vehicle manufacturing closures to distract attention from the government’s cuts to key social programs.

The mainstream media filled headline after headline about the closure of a particular car manufacturing company.

Our loyal opposition parties did not help as they joined in crying out loud through the media about the closures. Meanwhile damage was being done elsewhere in plain sight.

Continue reading Political Distraction →

Equality

Opinions, politics, religion,
Opinion: The High Court Judgement on Marriage

Interesting to hear the mainstream media go on about the high court decision on marriage equality. Yes the ACT legislation was voted down by the judges.

But the real story is how the judges went further and made the call on what the court will allow to be constitutionally recognised as marriage when the Australian Parliament decides to get its act together and do the logical thing.

Under the judgement by the high court, once the National Parliament has passed the inevitable changes, the high court will not stand in the way of the changes, that is there will be no avenue for a challenge by all those vexatious religious types.

David Marr is on the case and has provided a neat summary of what really happened with this quiet landmark ruling by  high court – here is his article from the Guardian.

Julia Gillard

Arts & Culture, politics, women/equity,
Announcement:

Anne Summers Conversation presents Julia Gillard on DVD

Anne Summers has announced the release of the two conversations with Julia Gillard.

For more information, click on the image to the left (or here) to be taken to Anne’s website.

Anne’s “the Looking Glass” has other useful links and information so please support her work by at least having a look – click here.

Climate Change

climate change, Opinions, politics, random,
“It’s time to stop this madness”
Philippines plea at UN climate talks
click on the image above for the speech whereby the Philippines pleads with the world to get out of their ivory towers and to do something about climate change.
Listening were you Rabbott? Oh that’s right, you had important things to do rather than have Australia properly represented at these climate talks.!

Paul Keating

Opinions, politics, random,
Paul Keating: a most appropriate  speech

the Australian War Memorial 11 November 2013

Paul Keating’s Remembrance Day address “Those Australians fought and died not in defence of some old world notion of competing empires and territorial conquests but for the new world – the one they belonged to and hoped to return to.

This is why Australia was never in need of any redemption at Gallipoli, any more than it was in need of one at Kokoda thirty years later.

There was nothing missing in our young nation or our idea of it that required the martial baptism of a European cataclysm to legitimise us.”

full text of his speech at Australian War Memorial

Rabbott update

Opinions, politics, random
Review: Things beyond belief

rabbott01It it time to monitor the performance of our nation’s pet Rabbott now that he and his followers are inside the pen with all the assets of people of Australia to play with.

The trend is to make fools of the media – and this is a turn around given the role of the mainstream media  in promoting  the Rabbott and Murdoch messages prior to the last federal election.

Continue reading Rabbott update →

Democracy threatened by dangerous idiots

Opinions, politics,
Politicians & their supporting media types do not know when to keep their dangerous comments to themselves!

There’s nothing more basic in our democracy as the processes that underpin the election of our governments. At the time of writing , the WA Senate election has become  complicated, not just because of the necessary recount given the closeness of the first results, but because of the unfortunate event whereby by about 1,400 previously counted votes have been misplaced.

Continue reading Democracy threatened by dangerous idiots →

Climate Change

climate change, green infrastructure, Opinions, politics, urban development
Reform failed – so let’s try Revolution

The Australian politicians were called on to address climate change over a decade ago (at least). Local community groups have recognised the need for climate change adaptation and have been frustrated with the lack of meaningful leadership that should be offered by elected officials.

The mainstream press, as led by Murdoch, and the ABC have provided their own biased information on these complex topics. The general public has received mixed messages instead of meaningful and useful information based on the overwhelming scientific evidence.

16RegentsCanal-1100774

Continue reading Climate Change →

That Media Sneer

Opinions, politics, random, , , ,
A note on Crickey Reporting

cyclistEver so often, actually a little too often, Crickey puts out a silly and patronising report that leaves you feeling What was the point?

Here’s one by Andrew Crook, who has a few of these out there.

Hold the bus! He has researched the possible annual income of the outgoing Prime Minister. Well that ‘s important information I needed to know!

One can not help sense that he is not going to let that Julia Gillard retire quietly and resume life peacefully in her new roles. Must be some dirt here somewhere. Surely such a ‘senior journalist’ could do some real journalism. Is that asking too much?  Andrew – get a life, on your bike…

End of the Road?

Arts & Culture, books & readings, politics, , , ,
Review:  Book

End of the Road?, Gideon Haigh, Pengiun Specials, 2013

It’s a tough life taking an interest in your country. Traditionally the main sources of information for most people has been the media. In the last decade this source has become totally corrupted, especially the mainstream media and the ABC.

When it comes to the rhetoric around the car industry in Australia, the ideological arguments that are trotted out do nothing but harm and mislead. Thank god (or whoever is out there) Penguin has these ‘Penguin Specials’ and thank you to Gideon for his research and information that goes a long way to providing a reality check on where the country is at when it comes to having a car industry.

Continue reading End of the Road? →

Laura Tingle Great Expectations

Arts & Culture, books & readings, politics, ,
Review: Book

Great Expectations, Government, Entitlement and an Angry Nation, Laura Tingle 2013
an expanded version of her previous Quarterly Essay

The beginning of the 21st Century is a time when something changed in society due to a rise in the lack of civility and anger over expectations not being addressed. This unrest has surfaced within the larger political debates as well as in more discrete arenas such as companies, community groups, societies and associations.

The media has had a great time fueling this dissatisfaction through the constant emphasis on problems, large, small and imaginary, about our  governments. Continue reading Laura Tingle Great Expectations →

Being Honest

Opinions, politics, ,
The Crime of Speaking Up

On Monday this week, the new Labor opposition party met to talk leadership and opposition front bench positions. The leaders had already been elected and now the caucus would elect the members of the Opposition Ministers and then leave it to the leaders to appoint the actual opposition minister positions to those on the elected list.

No sooner had the list being announced, then one of their number, Anna Burke, the previous House Speaker,  let it rip as to what she thought of the process.

Continue reading Being Honest →

Democracry under threat

Opinions, politics, random
Be Alert and Be Aware

The democracy experiment continues to be under threat in the United States.

A revealing article on a the web site, Independent Australia, explains how frightening the current political crisis is within the US and the background to the government shutdown.

Unfortunately it does not take much to join the dots as to what is going on behind the scenes in Australia now with the Abbott government.

here’s the link to the article – hope it dos not spoil your spring day.

A Word

Opinions, politics, random, women/equity
 Give PM Julia Gillard credit where credit is due

an article re-published   – in no fibs – was originally published by Mary Crooks
Executive director Victorian Women’s Trust on 5 July, 2013 as a full page advertisement.

I identify with her finishing paragraph:

“The truly ugly aspect of our national life revealed by the past three years should give cause for us all to reflect on what else is required to restore and maintain respect, civility, common decency and a fair go for women – in our society and in our democratic politics.”

read the original piece as reproduced here

Battlers & Billionaires

Arts & Culture, books & readings, politics,
Review: Book

Battlers & Billionaires, Andrew Leigh 2013

lc-leadn-malone-20130720164836879543-300x0Have you been wondering whether Australia is that egalitarian society we keep talking about especially in comparisons with other western societies?

As I write this review we are witnessing a millionaire, Clive Palmer, use his wealth to buy personal power in the Australian Parliament. At the same time the millionaire clan of Gina Rinehart and her children are locked in some court battle over a family feud over their millions. Continue reading Battlers & Billionaires →

Truth is out there?

Opinions, politics, random, the media, , , ,
Julia’s ‘murderous rage’

An article in a paper today by Alecia Simmonds stopped me in my tracks.

In the piece she discusses the reporting of the conversation between Anne Summers and Julia Gillard in Sydney. Alecia questions why the reporting concentrated on the statement by Julia when she referred to ‘murderous rage’. Alecia point was that such reporting was about manufacturing controversy yet again. There remains so many celebratory aspects of this event to be highlighted and discussed but too many reporters have yet again chosen to concentrate on making a headline as some form of criticism.

Continue reading Truth is out there? →

Truth is out there

politics, random, ,
political spin at its worst

This morning on the ABC program, INSIDERS, the group were discussing the two very successful events last week whereby Anne Summers had two conversations with Julia Gillard, one in Sydney and the other in Melbourne.

Julia had made a statement that it was not acceptable to do things that undermine the government and the labor party. She was clearly having a go at Kevin Rudd and his close supporters and their three-year campaign to internally disrupt the Prime Minister and her government and to create the environment for Kevin to be re-installed. Continue reading Truth is out there →

Take Your Best Shot

Arts & Culture, books & readings, politics, , , ,
Review: Book

Take Your Best Shot, The Prime Ministership of Julia Gillard, Jaqueline Kent 2013

It was a very strange three or so years in Australian politics. It remains difficult to make sense of it all.

The media, Tony Rabbot, Kevin Rudd and his ruddites and the shock jocks all part of the murky times. Then there was the uncivilised behaviour that morphed into accepted everyday behaviour and all those supposedly close colleagues who turn on you. What a time for anyone!

Continue reading Take Your Best Shot →

The Prince

books & readings, politics, religion, ,
Review: Quarterly Essay, The Prince, Faith, Abuse and George Pell.
David Marr, September 2013

This is one of those essays that I picked up knowing some of this story and already having opinions on religion in Australia, the associated politics and the horrible abuse issues.

I read this essay in one sitting and was totally taken aback by the details of events and the nasty side of human behaviour as told by David Marr.

This is recommended reading for anyone interested in the story of where this country has been and the issues we are yet to deal with properly. Continue reading The Prince →

The Stalking of Julia

books & readings, politics, women/equity

Book Review

The Stalking of Julia Gillard, Kerry-Anne Walsh

I should be able to say that there’s really no need for thinking and observant people to read this book.

The last three years in relation to the governance of Australia were just something totally unbelievable. We all think we know what happened.

I now consider that the labor government lost power well before the election. Was it because it was delivering fantastic economic management or was it because it did not deliver an outstanding set of national programs?

Continue reading The Stalking of Julia →

Misogyny Factor

Arts & Culture, books & readings, politics, women/equity, , ,

Book Review

The Misogyny Factor, Anne Summers

It was a month or so after our First Women Prime Minister had been removed from her position and following a number of not so nice events in my own life that I had started to wonder just what is happening to our Australian way of life and culture. What has happened to civility and respect.

There is a generation or two who seem to think that feminism is a cause now won and we should move on.

I find that certain men and women are fully capable of all sorts of weasel words about equality and the role of women in the workplace and act as if they champion such matters. Continue reading Misogyny Factor →