The Liberal Opposition leader Tony Abbott is interviewed in today’s Murdoch Australian by Greg Sheridan, a man who never saw a war he didn’t love to watch (from a distance). The message? Abbott loves America, Israel, the West, the “war on terror” and anything Washington asks. That’s not a foreign policy; its sycophancy: I ask…
Showing all posts tagged Australia
Australia’s dyfunctional neighbour that we keep on funding
This Wikileaks document is revealing because of the general lack of public discussion in Australia about the massive amounts of aid given to Papua New Guinea or the resource curse that besets the nation: Papua New Guinea is entrapped by deeply corrupt politicians who have enriched themselves on resource revenues and Australian aid programs, according…
While the Wikileaks revelations continue, questions to be asked
One: The US and Australia schemed unsuccessfully in 2005 to block Mohamed ElBaradei’s election to a third term as head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a newly leaked US diplomatic cable shows. Both countries were unhappy with Mr ElBaradei’s “unhelpful” response to Iran’s nuclear program, but the bid to prevent his re-election to…
Memo to Murdoch hacks; supporting Palestine is legitimate so deal with it
In what is becoming a daily obsession by Murdoch’s Australian newspaper, today sees yet more articles comparing BDS for Palestinian rights akin to Nazi Germany, the 9/11 attacks and extremism. First the “news” story: Victorian unions have voted to embroil the ACTU in a controversial campaign targeting Israeli-owned businesses. This came as the Boycott, Divestment…
Fighting back against those raping the Earth
It’s encouraging that growing numbers of communities globally are challenging the right of unaccountable corporate raiders to pillage the natural resources of the world. This is the definition of the resource curse and it’s vital that indigenous peoples challenge the outrage. This recent piece in the UK Guardian by Melody Kemp highlights the trend: Have…
So now we know who has been talking to the US covertly
Philip Dorling writes in Fairfax in Australia that there are serious questions about who holds vital information, who releases it, who should horde it and where responsibility lies in an age where Wikileaks (rightly) forces governments and journalists to own up to their own culpability in human rights abuses and cover-ups: Confirmation that the full…
Why the Murdoch empire in Australia threatens democracy
Melbourne academic Robert Manne rightly calls for a neutering of Murdoch empire power in Australia: The company’s domination of our newspaper market poses a real and present danger to the health of Australian democracy … Unquestioning support for American foreign policy led the paper to conduct an extraordinarily strident campaign in favour of an invasion…
New website emerges and call for cash
Regular readers will see that today my new website was launched, designed and structured by Matthew Kerr. Cleaner, easier to navigate and sharper in style, it’s been two years since the last overhaul. It was time. Take a look around and tell your friends. Hopefully everything works as it should. If not, please be patient…
Anybody care that countless billions wasted in Iraq and Afghanistan?
American multinational KBR has its tentacles everywhere, including in Australia. The US-based Project on Government Oversight laments the over-reliance on suspect corporations with little or no accountability. This is the definition of disaster capitalism: At least one out of every six dollars spent by U.S. taxpayers on contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past…
Thank you Washington for watching Australian public and democratic protests
The infiltration of American (non) intelligence in Australia is almost comical; it certainly hasn’t brought any more love to the fading super-power. FireDogLake reports: Pro-Cuba, pro-Serbian, pro-Palestinian, pro and anti-Kosovo Independence, Sri Lankan, antiwar and socialist demonstrations were closely monitored by the US Embassy in Canberra, Australia in 2008 and 2009, a secret cable posted…