Independent Commentary > John Menadue >
The Coalition government remains in thrall to a tiny rump of its support base despite its wilful refusal to make changes necessary to the national interest and the climate. This is the week in which the Morrison government will make enough cosmetic change to its years of obsessive, debased, vote-winning climate
read now After all the grandstanding, the National Party will make a deal on climate change policy. They are for sale. Was there ever a more shameful or shocking sight in Australian history than the auction of the past few weeks at which Prime Minister Scott Morrison bartered away to the National
read now We are condemned to a hot planet. A 4-degree warming is inevitable no matter what measures are taken, so humans must now consider how to cope with this reality. The world is not going to get zero emissions by 2050. Society must be mobilised to respond to our failure to
read now Life might go on as usual for expats, but for native Hong Kongers, the new security law is having a real effect on their freedoms. Bob Rogers’ article “What crackdown? Life in the Hong Kong ‘gulag’, 15 months on” published by Pearls and Irritations last week presents a one-sided and
read now Science increasingly suspects the proliferation of harmful nerve toxins in recent decades is to blame for a downturn in our IQ levels — and this is threatening not just our health but our very system of governance. Since an educated, thoughtful and responsible electorate is indispensable to any democracy that
read now The Australian mainstream media have been bullied into submission by the Israel lobby, considered at home to be the most effective in the world. When you’ve sometimes wanted to understand more about the political tensions in the Middle East, and their causes and consequences, you’ve probably wondered why the Australian mainstream
read now There are many things wrong with both housing policy and tax policy, and the interaction of them predictably creates distortions in our housing market. It makes it impossible for many young people to own their own home. Politicians, unwilling to upset beneficiaries of those distortions in fear of losing votes
read now Chronic problems in US Navy shipyards and questions over the future viability of attack submarines in their current roles cast doubt on the Morrison government’s controversial defence decision. Regardless of whether the construction of a China threat by the United States, which Australia subscribes to, is politically or strategically rational,
read now Nearly two decades after North Korea retuned five people it abducted to their home country of Japan, efforts to silence those who challenge the government line continue. Japan does not have to speak forever with only one voice. For a remarkable moment in 2002 Tokyo’s moderates were poised to have
read now The view that AUKUS is a justified response to China’s actions ignores China’s achievements and future ambitions. It also ignores China’s legitimate security fears. When Scott Morrison, Boris Johnson, and Joe Biden jointly announced the creation of the AUKUS alignment nearly a month ago, China wasn’t mentioned. But the Australian
read now After 40 years of successful diplomacy with China, Australia has hitched itself to a permanently warlike, self-seeking United States. How on earth did it come to this? The power of massive military annihilation dies not rest solely with America of course. But its martial dominance — based on an unequalled
read now The accident involving a US nuclear-powered submarine in the South China Sea brings into scrutiny the ramifications of such an accident. The release of nuclear radiation could damage the food supply of many nations. “US demands details of Chinese nuclear sub accident off California,” screamed the headlines. No, that has
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