Pearls and Irritations

The rise of totalitarianism – 12 similarities between 1930s Germany and 2020s America - Part 1 The parallels between today’s America and the Germany of a century ago are profound – and are becoming more relevant with each passing day. Sadly, what was considered inconceivable a few years ago has now become a possibility: the development of a totalitarian state in America.

Trump has assembled the wealthiest cabinet in modern history. The ability of his billionaire backers to support him with massive funding has been possible due to a curious US Supreme Court ruling, the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission 2010. #auspol #USPol # ...

Palestinians have a history of oppression long before 7 October, 2023 It would seem that most journalists and political commentators remain stuck on the terrible attack by the Hamas brigades (formally Islamic Resistance Movement) into Israel on 7 October 2023.

Where do journalists and media ever feel that growing “in the belly” tension of using powerful words to objectively inform, and where do the media bother to read history of this tragic country? Do they bother or just take politician's statements as fact? #auspol #Israel ...

A fairer tax and welfare system for Australia 2025 with no-one left behind? Only if we act now Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s re-election speech brought a promise many of us hold close to our hearts: together we are turning the corner, and together we will make our way forward with no-one held back and no-one left behind.

Implementing the A Fairer Tax and Welfare System 2025 blueprint does more than ease hardship; it strengthens the foundations of fairness, equality, and respect that define Australia at its best. The time is to act now. #auspol #Taxreform

Deepfake abuse caused a crisis in South Korean schools. How can Australia avoid it? Australian schools are seeing a growing number of incidents in which students have created deepfake sexualised imagery of their classmates. The eSafety Commissioner has urged schools to monitor the situation.

The South Korean crisis didn’t happen overnight but they ignored the signs. In 2023, South Korea produced more than half the world’s celebrity deepfakes and rising misogyny online. And more AI tools. Australia mustn’t make the same mistake. #auspol #AI

China is building the world’s biggest hydropower dam. Why is India worried? China breaks ground on what Premier Li Qiang has called the project of the century, but some fear a water conflict and ecological effects.

Concerns raised by observers, China asserts that the Yarlung Tsangpo project has undergone rigorous scientific evaluation and will not adversely affect the environment, geological stability, or water resource rights of downstream countries. #auspol #YarlungTsangpo

Nuked: The submarine fiasco that sank Australia’s sovereignty AUKUS is a classic case of the “tail wagging the dog. On the back of lies, a constructed inevitability of future conflict and political ambition, Andrew Fowler shows how the Morrison Government might have put the future of Australia’s national security at risk.

Andrew Fowler’s Nuked: The Submarine Fiasco that Sank Australia’s Sovereignty provides readers with a well-written, comprehensively researched account of the events that resulted in the sinking of the French submarine deal through stealth-like manoeuvring to establish A ...

ALP members demand more from PM on Palestine As the genocide in Palestine continues, pressure on governments grows across the globe. In Australia, ALP members are demanding more from Anthony Albanese.

The Members of the ALP Bexley Branch implore @AlboMP as our Labor leader and as our prime minister to act now. "We believe in you, and we believe that you have the courage to take the right and morally courageous decisions this tragedy demands of you." #auspol

The GST — past, present, future — and always tense There’s little elegance in the way Australia approaches tax reform. It’s never a highway cruise.

Courage in politics isn’t just about yelling at the other side. It’s about having the courage to tell hard truths to your own supporters. If we, the people, demand courage and truth on the part of our leaders then we must have the courage to accept and act on the truths ...

Message from the editor I spent some time in Parliament House this week and it was a delight to see the increased diversity of elected members.

This week, Greg Barns will deliver his verdict on the government’s Gaza stance. We will also mark the 80th anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with a terrific piece from Robert Cockburn on a little-known story. @catrionajackso1 #auspol #johnmeandue #pearlsandirritatio ...

Is ChatGPT making us stupid? Back in 2008, The Atlantic sparked controversy with a provocative cover story: Is Google Making Us Stupid?

This essay starts with the question of whether ChatGPT will make us stupid, but ends with a different question: How will we use ChatGPT to make us smarter? The answers to both questions depend not on the tool but on users. #auspol #ChatGPT #AI

US Senate Dems vote to block arms sales to Israel – the tide is turning, says Bernie Sanders The American people do not want to spend billions to starve children in Gaza, said Senator Bernie Sanders. The Democrats are moving forward on this issue, and I look forward to Republican support in the near future.

The Senate votes came days after the official death toll in Gaza surpassed 60,000 and a new poll showed US public support for Israel's assault on the Palestinian enclave reached a new low, with just 32% of respondents expressing approval. #auspol #USIsrael #Gaza

Environment: Humans are the wisest mammals, but which have the most biomass? The biomass of marine mammals is almost double that of land mammals. Clean energy investments are increasing but not quickly enough. Illegal gold mining wreaks havoc on the Amazon’s Indigenous communities and environment.

The most staggering feature of the data on biomass is the enormous weight of humans and their animals, roughly a thousand million tons (Mt), compared with all the world’s wild mammals. Read Peter Sainsbury's environment report. #auspol #environment #climate

Australia speaks of normalising Israel. My family is living through its genocide Earlier this week, I read the Australian Government’s statement on Palestinian recognition, signed by ministers who speak the bureaucratic language of “solutions.

The Australian Government has a choice: stand with justice, or stand in the way. Supporting justice means a genuine commitment to Palestinian self-determination, not dictating terms. It means ending complicity with Israel and imposing sanctions. #auspol #israelpalestine

Worst-case scenario of famine unfolding in the Gaza Strip According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a worst-case scenario of famine is unfolding in the Gaza Strip.

This is a man-made famine of which the international community has full knowledge, but to date has only shown moral cowardice in the face of such human catastrophe. #auspol #IsraelPalestine

The moral correctness of a conscientious 'flotilla' Lest anyone imagine that the recent attempt by a ship containing aid for distressed Palestinians was without precedent, they should consult a cartoon in the Sydney Morning Herald of 28 July 1995 by Alan Moir.

Critics might deride the Handalah actions as symbolic and a futile attempt to breach the iron ring Israel has established around Palestine. But "freedom flotillas" demonstrate to the world that Israel as occupying power has no respect for international law. #auspol #Isr ...

Australian media persists with a misguided and tragically ineffectual strategy – the way to prevent suicide is not to talk about it Statistics are cold-hearted methods to gauge the success of suicide prevention strategies, yet they are the only tool available to measure the number of Australians who take their lives each year.

Perhaps part of the reason suicide rates in Australia remain so high is that we won’t talk about it. Illogically, we are not reporting on ourselves. We have allowed a most human action, the act of self-death, to be hidden, sealed from open discourse. #auspol #suicide

US integration of Pacific allies into war plans must be opposed The United States is increasing its military footprint on Australia and Pacific and Pacific Rim countries as it prepares for war against China.

Albanese and his government should be encouraged to stand firm against this US pressure, chart an independent course for Australia, keep us out of foreign wars and help promote peaceful relations in our region. A campaign by IPAN #auspol #aukus

No-one is okay When you ask me how I am, I will answer with a lie because the truth is too painful to convey.

How is this self-defence? It would seem that Palestinians are the wrong race to warrant constructive Western nation intervention. If only they could have been more Ukrainian. And less Arab. Or less Muslim. This is where we’re at. And this is why no-one is okay. @TasChop ...

New National Climate Risk Assessment – more omission than commission? The Albanese Government will soon deliver Australia’s first domestically-oriented National Climate Risk Assessment, which was due in December 2024.

Will Australia’s first domestically-oriented National Climate Risk Assessment, describe the full spectrum of climate risks Australians will face in the future, or be marred by a poor approach to risk analysis, bureaucratic incompetence and a limited vision? @djspratt #a ...

New ethical multilateralism of the fraternal economy program of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences We have arrived at a pivot of history. The world system that emerged at the end of World War II is over. The seeming truths of an earlier age have become dangerous illusions of our own age.

The Church has a unique vocation in promoting the new ethical multilateralism. It uses its offices and global goodwill to mediate and solve raging conflicts. It alleviates suffering and provides role models for others, its teachings a heritage for all humanity. #auspol ...

Trump trashes India, boosts Pakistan over oil – Asian Media Report In Asian media this week: India and Russian are “dead economies”. Plus: Border clash ceasefire a test for ASEAN; Populist Right rising in Japan; Jakarta wants all nations to follow France’s Palestine lead; Pyongyang “not interested” in easing tensions; Kashmir pilgrimage a “river of humanity”

In Asian media this week: India and Russian are “dead economies”. Border clash ceasefire a test for ASEAN; Populist Right rising in Japan; Jakarta, who recognised Palestine decades ago wants all nations to follow France’s Palestine lead. @Dart47 #auspol #AsianMediaRepor ...

Gaza: Options for urgent action put to parliamentarians Organising to meet a considerable number of federal parliamentarians in Canberra during a sitting week is never easy but that was the goal of Australians for Humanity desperate for new ways for Australia to contribute to urgent humanitarian action in Gaza.

In the "recognise Palestine stakes" Australia lags behind. France has joined 149 other nations and on 29 July, the UK informed Israel it would recognise Palestine unless the war ends and unless conditions for peace are guaranteed. #auspol #AustraliansforHumanity

Humanitarian propaganda conceals the real famine in Gaza I wrote this piece from the heart of the ongoing famine in Gaza and the chaos orchestrated by the Israeli occupation to make life in Gaza unbearable.

What Gaza's civilians need now is immediate opening of crossings, safe land corridors under international supervision and meaningful enforcement of international law. End the siege, hold responsible parties accountable and restore dignity to the people of Gaza. #auspol #israelpalestine

The politics of kindness and fairness Aside from cheering and the long list of thank yous that accompanied Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s 2025 election victory speech, the quote that really cut through was: “…the Australian voters have voted for fairness, aspiration and opportunity for all, for the strength to show courage in adversity and kindness to those in need”.

A government that offers public accountability to an increasingly distrusting nation through a Human Rights Act based on the No Rights Without Remedy model will be taking a big step down that road. We await the Albanese Government’s response. #auspol #HumanRights

Temu and Shein: cheap and very nasty A garbage truck full of textiles is dumped in landfill every second. Sixty percent of the materials used in the fashion industry comes from plastic in one form or another. The production of nylon and polyester that is used is highly energy-intensive and relies on fossil fuels in the production process.

Our government, like that of China and all other states, makes all sorts of proclamations to the effect that we are all combatting the climate crisis. Shein and Temu, and other fast-fashion producers, makes a mockery of these proclamations. #auspol #fastfashion #climate ...

Appeal to Parliamentarians: Resist Israel/US thuggery, be advocates for peace As though infected by a chronic illness, news of unending death and destruction in Gaza and on the West Bank leaves millions feeling frustrated, angry, despairing and powerless.

Australia's reputational recovery as a country prominent in building the world's institutions for peace and advocates for human rights depends on resisting Israeli thuggery, breaking boundaries, speaking frankly about justice, peace and a common humanity. #auspol #israe ...

‘Are you joking, mate?’ AI doesn’t get sarcasm in non-American varieties of English In 2018, my Australian co-worker asked me, “Hey, how are you going?”. My response — “I am taking a bus” — was met with a smirk.

As more and more people around the world use large language models, researchers and practitioners are waking up to the fact that these tools need to be evaluated for a specific national context. #auspol #AI

How Trump’s vision of a single-minded China containment has failed Instead of disengaging to focus on China, Trump’s America is more deeply involved in Europe’s defence and the Middle East than before.

Each day the US is mired elsewhere grants China more time to build strength, deepen partnerships and manoeuvre. The result is not a focused America relentlessly pursuing China containment, but an overextended superpower gifting its rival strategic room to breathe. #ausp ...

With the UK and France moving toward recognising Palestine, will Australia now follow suit? One of the smallest and most exclusive clubs in the world belongs to states. The US Department of State puts the number of independent recognised states at 197, while others count 200.

Australia’s position is probably more one of caution. Albanese wants to ensure recognition of Palestine from Canberra is meaningful and Australia is able to fully support an independent Palestine freed from Israeli military occupation. #auspol #UN #statehood #Gaza

Americans' support for Israel's Gaza war hits record low, poll shows Just 8% of Democrats and 25% of independents now back Israel's campaign in Gaza, compared to 71% of Republicans, marking the largest partisan divide Gallup has recorded on the issue.

The poll also found that a record-high 76% of Democrats support the establishment of a Palestinian state. Among Republicans, support rose to 41%, up from last year's record low of 26%, returning to near pre-October 7 levels.. #auspol #USpolitics #Gaza #israelPalestine