Independent Commentary > John Menadue >
Dr Strangelove warned us of a “Doomsday Machine” that would destroy the entire planet. “Many years ago, Peter Sellers starred in what many regard as his greatest movie, the black comedy “Dr Strangelove”. It was a spoof – a scary one – about a nuclear conflagration triggered by a nutter
read now Scott Morrison has failed a fundamental marketing test-communicating authenticity. The problem with Scott Morrison is not that he is a marketing man but that’s he actually not a very good one. The Scottie from marketing criticism directed at the PM from many journalists and critics is partially based on a
read now Australia’s response to US Trumpeting in Iraq has been muted and said nothing about whether we agree in principle that it is acceptable to assassinate foreign nationals in other countries. Russia in Britain? US policy designed to protect American live and assets has had the opposite effect including on
read now And the Herald Sun relegates bushfires to page 4 while the Courier Mail brings good news via’Onion Oricle’ Read how the Murdoch papers deny climate change and largely ignore the fires. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/jan/04/the-australian-murdoch-owned-newspaper-accused-of-downplaying-bushfires-in-favour-of-picnic-races?CMP=share_btn_link
read now Today, there are four simultaneous and momentous crises before which modern democracies seem impotent; global warming, population growth, wealth inequality, and a dangerous geostrategic shift. This brings me to the Thodey Review. Collectively these crises seem destined to produce, perhaps by mid-century, conflict, mass population movement, widespread hunger, and
read now Australia’s tragedy has brought a scandal about hard issues: Morrison separated politics from government too publicly. Although not new, politicking is more specific, I think, to the Liberal Party, which are often accused of being “born to rule”. If the terms are incorrect since “dominating” Liberals rarely “rule”, the phrase
read now Meaningful action to prevent global warming requires joint action through time. In this sense, we require a focus on outcomes—the goal of limiting warming to two degrees Celsius—and what must be done to realise this. Justice, of course, requires a sharing of the burden, because only a sharing of the
read now Between late 2001 and early 2003, during the so-called Millennium Drought, eastern Australia experienced unprecedented periods of bushfire. By end of 2002 something well over 2 million hectares of forest had burnt along the coast and ranges of New South Wales. Cooperation in fire fighting between the re-equiped Rural Fire
read now The future has come – and it is not good for Australia’s natural environments. Drought, heat waves and wildfire, all linked manifestations of climate change, have subverted (and continue to subvert) the viability of many of Australia’s species. Across vast areas, we are losing much of our nature. Impacts
read now I’m all for being a team player. I pay taxes to help run our economy and society. I do volunteer work to support a caring society. But when a key player in the team lets us down, I feel torn. Do I keep contributing, because most people are still working
read now Trump’s decision to order the assassination of Iranian General Soleimani is understandably dominating coverage and analysis of world affairs, completely overshadowing consideration of Kim Jong Un’s end of year statement, even though it had been somewhat anxiously awaited. But the North Korean statement may also shed light on the US’s
read now Predictably, we are seeing calls for a Royal Commission into the bushfires that have Australia in crisis mode right now – either in the genuine hope of finding answers or finding someone to blame. However, this is just the latest example of a systematic failure in public administration. Nobody
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