http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/01/15/andrew-sullivan-how-obama-s-long-game-will-outsmart-his-critics.html I'm an Australian. I don't know in great detail what Obama is or isn't doing, but I probably know as much as most Australians know about their own Prime Minister. I'd love to hear Americans' response to this article arguing that Obama is doing a better job for both conservatives and liberals. It's better if you just click on the link, but he bas...
And the winner is? Well, we don't quite know yet. Tonight, the people of Australia have sent a clear message to both major Parties... that neither Party has inspired the Australian people enough to give either of them a majority in the House of Representatives. And it seems clear that we will have a hung Parliament. So if you like anti-climaxes, this is the election for you. Whoever forms the next Government must heed that message. And if I am given...
Most of you would know that little would make me less happy than seeing Tony Abbott as Prime Minister, but that is my prediction for the upcoming election. Rudd's support will help and maybe Labor has a rabbit still left to pull out of the hat, but I don't think they will get over the line. The Labor Party nominated three main issues as to why they felt the Rudd Government had gone off track: climate change, refugees and the mining tax. These were the issues Gillard said she...
Dear Kevin, I thought you should know that the 24 th of November 2007 was the best night of my life. You could not wipe the smile off my face because not only had you deposed the worst Prime Minister in Australian history, you outlined a stunning vision for Australia. I didn’t agree with your recent changes to ETS policy or refugee policy, but you have every right to feel proud of your great achievements. I believe you could have become the best Prime Minister we...
Just to clarify for American readers, Malcolm Fraser and Robert Menzies were 2 of Australia's most conservative Prime Ministers, as was John Howard. Neo-liberalism and libertarianism are two fairly similar, radical economic theories that threaten the very fabric of our society in ways that are to the detriment of its members. Like liberal thinkers of the past, I believe that Government has a role to play in regulating our economy so that big businesses are not able to take advantage of the un...
It saddens me that people do not show the same respect to Uluru that they show to places like St Paul's Cathedral. However, it saddens me much more that the Anangu people are missing out on the many employment opportunities that the Rock provides. On my visit to Uluru, I was shocked by the fact that there were thousands of dollars being made through the cultural centre, tours around the rock and accommodation, yet there was not an Aboriginal person in sight. With all the energy and money being s...
Dear Ms Bligh, Although I am a Greens voter, this election I will be directing my preferences to the LNP. This is not something I thought I could ever do, but I cannot support the Labor Party as long as it is prepared to build the Traveston Dam. Dams are not the answer to the water problems we face. Countless times, we have had days of heavy rain in Brisbane, only to hear on the news that none of it fell in the dams. Yet, what is a water tank if not a mini-dam? Rather than tr...
President Barack Obama. I think Americans have voted for one of the most intelligent and capable people to have ever run for President, as well as one of the most compassionate and with a genuine interest in working with people. I congratulate you on your choice of President. I don't expect miracles, but I think that my bank balance in 2012 will be in the best possible circumstances given the financial crisis and I think that I will be proud of what our militaries do jointly. President Obama ...
The Weekend Australian features an article called "What Went Right", in which Greg Sheridan argues that "history will judge Bush much more kindly than today's commentators do". Already I see Greg Sheridan is joining the journalists at Quadrant in rewriting the history of the Bush Presidency ("What Went Right", The Weekend Australian, Weekend Inquirer, p 15, Jan 17-18). As time goes on, the facts and details can be forgotten and Bush can become the hero of Iraq and the free world that his spin...
You can tell it's the silly season by some of the reactions to the movie "Australia" and its stars. Germaine Greer has entirely missed the point in her criticism that the movie "Australia" glosses over the treatment of Aboriginal stockmen. It is quite clear from the movie that Jackman's character was ostracised by the white community for being sympathetic towards Aborigines. Luhrmann's movie shows the Aboriginal stockmen being subjected to racist taunts and differential treatment in pu...
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has announced that Australia will aim to reduce its emissions by 5-15% in spite of urgings from economist Ross Garnaut to reduce by 20% and evidence that anything short of 25% will cause economic and environmental problems. Rudd's 5% target is bad for the environment and bad for the economy. Even former Liberal leader John Hewson has pointed out that an ETS can create new industries and be positive for growth and jobs if handled correctly. The world's sea levels are...
And the big news? Good News Week returned to the telly, although in a slightly watered down version, with less political humour, lots of cross-promotion, and Claire Hooper replacing Julie McCrossin. So fortunately fans of Big Brother still have a TV show that caters to their level of intelligence. George W Bush opened an embassy in China…presumably to negotiate a prisoner exchange between Tibet and Guantanamo. Bush urged for greater freedoms for Chinese people. After all, they a...
I thought an education revolution would mean that struggling schools would get access to improved libraries, better maths resources and more teachers to help struggling students do better. Most Australians believe that Labor normally does a better job at education, so why are we getting a policy that is a rehash of a Howard-Nelson policy? This idea has already been tried and failed in Britain. What will be Kevin's next revolutionary idea? An Economic Revolution that introduces us t...
We’re doing it tough, with the rising price of petrol, groceries, housing. We’re doing it tough…. here in the heated, carpeted bedroom the size of a double garage, pissing our pay up against a wall. Some middle class families are doing it so tough this winter that all we have to warm ourselves with is the lights of our widescreen plasma screen TVs. Other families without TV sets have had to resort to taking trips to the Caribbean over the Australian winter to keep warm. But ...
We’re doing it tough, with the rising price of petrol, groceries, housing. We’re doing it tough…. here in the heated, carpeted bedroom the size of a double garage, pissing our pay up against a wall. Some middle class families are doing it so tough this winter that all we have to warm ourselves with is the lights of our widescreen plasma screen TVs. Other families without TV sets have had to resort to taking trips to the Caribbean over the Australian winter to keep warm. But ...