Mark Steyn on Free Speech at the IPA from Institute of Public Affairs on Vimeo. Rupert Murdoch’s Andrew Bolt a free speech champion? I fear so. See here, here and here. Of course, it doesn’t help that Bolt made so many mistakes in his piece against Aboriginal Australians, seemingly designed to denigrate them. Should Western…
Showing all posts tagged Australia
Never wholly trust foreign media not to be seduced by easy narratives
The Sydney premiere of this new documentary on East Timor, Breaking the News, will take place next week at the Antenna Film Festival:
Please can Australia have a mature discussion over refugees? No, didn’t think so
The Australian “debate” over asylum seekers leave ones thoroughly depressed. Both major sides of politics seem determined to dehumanise the most vulnerable people seeking assistance. Grubby and utterly pointless. No wonder nobody really respects politicians these days. Are we truly saying Australia can’t handle a few boats arriving on our shores? Sigh. The Australian’s George…
This is modern Labor; helping disaster capitalism thrive
Which companies would benefit from such an arrangement? The Australian Labor Party has always been in love with helping the American war machine and here’s the latest evidence (via the Courier Mail): She’s been called “Captain Bligh”, now the Premier wants Navy subs based in Queensland to guard the state’s rich gas and coal reserves.…
A rare correction in Murdoch press that denies BDS is anti-Semitic
What a change (no doubt after legal threats?) One day, and soon, the Murdoch hacks calling BDS against Israel anti-Semitic will realise how mainstream the movement has become globally, targeting Israeli businesses complicit in the occupation. This has nothing to do with Judaism: An article published in The Weekend Australian on August 20 (” ‘Anti-Israel…
At least some (establishment) figures talking sense on asylum seekers in Australia
VIDEO: Richo on the PM’s failure
Talking about the role of Serco negatively affecting public freedom
It’s a discussion that rarely occurs in Western countries where Serco (and other corporations) are increasingly intruding on our lives. As citizens we are meant to silently accept the influence of these unaccountable firms. Privatisation will set us free, apparently. Resistance is most certainly not futile. Take this recent piece by Zoe Williams in the…
Duty to hold Sri Lanka to account for war crimes but Australia embraces the thugs
In some countries, such as Britain, there is continued public pressure on Colombo to hold those accused of war crimes to account. And rightly so. The Australian government has a rather different view: Several of the Tamil asylum seekers caught trying to flee Sri Lanka for Australia this week are being held in detention camps…
Australian liberal Zionists in turmoil over BDS and morality
The issue of boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) continues to dominate the media agenda (with the Israeli occupation largely ignored). Today’s Melbourne Sunday Age has a feature on the issue and once again shows the Zionist establishment echoing anti-Semitic illusions: John Searle, president of the Jewish Community Council of Victoria, takes issue with the language…
Palestine burns, Israel occupies and Zionists look to the sky over UN vote
This week (probably) sees the Palestinian Authority (PA) go to the UN and ask for something resembling statehood. It’s all so vague and so deeply troubling that too many in the Western world have blindly supported it (such as today’s UK Observer). Others, such as Gideon Levy in Haaretz, can’t understand why Barack Obama isn’t…