Michael Swanson

How to win in November

Extraordinary from the Liberal Party's 2025 election review: not all shadow ministers are "equipped" to develop policy.

Their main job is to "cultivate relationships" with interest groups, who are "keen to assist in policy development".

Private donors are keen to assist too.

The White House just posted a video mixing real footage from the Iran strikes with a killstreak animation from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

x.com/WhiteHouse/s...

A rotating GIF of images from the return of passengers on the first commercial flight from the Middle East to Australia after US-Israel strikes on Iran. Middle East at war ‘My kid’s in a war zone’: David Koch among relieved parents as Sydney private school students return The Australians on the first flight from Dubai included a group from Sydney’s Barker College who were welcomed by parents, including TV personality David Koch. 2 hours ago

Huzzah. The SMH finally found a way to link the Iran War with private schools!

Labor says Australia won’t run out of fuel due to the Iran conflict. So how much do we have and how long will it last? The amount of crude oil being refined locally has dwindled in recent years – but officials say Australia’s strategic reserve means there’s no need to worry

“There is no need to panic-buy petrol.”

I dunno, but I reckon the average punter listening to a politician say this will have the immediate take away that now IS the time to panic buy fuel.

More panic buying of electric vehicles, solar, and electric appliances instead I say.

Last year, 50 Australians were serving on US attack submarines, and that number was on the rise.

The Albanese Government must answer whether Australian troops were used in this attack.

If we don't want to be involved in this war, withdraw Australian troops.

[WARNING: This is a bit graphic.]

A Marine Corps veteran protesting Trump’s War on Iran had his arm broken by Capitol Police and GOP Senator Tim Sheehy. It appears to be a compound fracture.

"The shadow treasurer named as his top three priorities: “lived aspiration and commercial hope”, either through self-employment or small business; dropping the top marginal tax rate of 47 cents in the dollar to “incentivise the right types of behaviour – which is work”; and budget sustainability."

TL;DR: WTF Is Going on in Tennessee Five bills you need to know about

Incredible find from @rachelwells1.bsky.social: Tennessee Republicans are trying to codify fetal personhood through an AI regulation bill

wellsrachelm.substack.com/p/tldr-wtf-i...

Paraguay's intervention in the Gaza genocide case offers a preview of Israel's legal arguments:

- Attacks on military targets that also kill civilians cannot constitute genocide

- Genocidal intent cannot coexist with other motives

- UN and NGO reports cannot prove genocide

1/🧵

Adelaide University cancels literary festival event with UN Gaza investigator Francesca Albanese Festival organisers criticise the university for last-minute booking cancellation of event headlined by special rapporteur for Palestinian territories

"For Adelaide University to crumble in fear of possible criticism by imposing a regime of censorship in Australia is reprehensible,” Sidoti said. “A university incapable of upholding free speech no longer merits to be called a university

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Ridiculous... didn't they learn anything from the last one?

Trump helps MAGA influencers flee Middle East war zone on private jet Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz, dogwalker Sarah Daither, former lobbyist Jay Footlik, and others managed to escape on a private plane thanks to the White House.

The White House has helped MAGA influencers escape the Middle East on a private jet while more than a million ordinary Americans are still trapped with no way out.

This is an incredible chart from Al Jazeera.

It shows just how barbaric US foreign policy has been, bombing ten countries this century.

The United States is a nation addicted to war.

This is sociopathic

The very idea of the "target" has been rendered meaningless in the post-Gaza world. Targets are no longer encountered or searched, they are manufactured, industrially, digitally, with AI, as a means to hide the carpet bombing of civilians in war.

On February 22, 2026, Naval Ravikant tweeted: "If you're unwilling to defend your country in time of war, then you're a tourist, not a citizen." As of March 3, 2026, the tweet has been deleted.

deleted his tweet as soon as an actual war popped off

No Senator Wong the legality isn't a matter for the US and Israel to determine, it is the responsibility of the international community to speak up when blatant disregard for international law takes place. So it is absolutely a question for Australia to be addressing unless you support aggression

🔥 Too Hot to Be Home 🔥

Today we’re releasing the first of this year's Renter Researchers reports, Too Hot to Be Home, looking at the experiences of renters in apartments and high-rise buildings across NSW.

Someone should do a study of how many bombs the monstrous US has dropped on people in West Asia the past 40 years.

And which country is designated as “terrorist?”

The strikes are so obviously unlawful that it is not even up for debate. If the Foreign Minister has legal advice to the contrary, she should release it to the public immediately.

US strikes on Iran ‘outside international law,’ says Macron Macron joins Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez in calling the legality of the strikes into question.

After four days of hesitating, the president of France has joined the prime minister of Spain in saying that the 🇺🇸🇮🇱 attack on Iran is a violation of international law.

But they are still the only 2 EU leaders to have done so. Will others join?

UK funded Israeli report on alleged sexual violence used to justify Gaza genocide The UK government awarded £90,000 ($114,000) in public funds to an Israeli research initiative whose findings around alleged sexual violence on 7 October were later used to mobilise support for the…

The UK government awarded £90,000 ($114,000) in public funds to an Israeli research initiative whose findings around alleged sexual violence on 7 October were later used to mobilise support for the Gaza genocide.

Read: www.middleeastmonitor.com/20260303-uk-...

Every trans person is like "I knew something was up before I had the words to describe it and had to fight for this for years" and every transphobe is like "one conversation with a doctor could have convinced me to get the walrus surgery from the movie 'The Walrus'"

In war, civilians suffer, while the rich line their pockets.

Oil profits are up. Weapons companies are booming.

Meanwhile, schools and hospitals get bombed, and thousands die.

War makes billionaires and their corporations even richer. It’s just another business model for them.

Can you do a piece on the ‘worrying’ sign for Australia that our Antisemitism envoy’s family trust also makes large donations to racist political group Advance? #auspol

Occasionally, the human race redeems itself

Hello Zionism, this is your publicist speaking. I advise you to keep doing this shit

Adelaide University cancels literary festival event with UN Gaza investigator Francesca Albanese Festival organisers criticise the university for last-minute booking cancellation of event headlined by special rapporteur for Palestinian territories

Zionist really are just universally shitty people.

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...