Comments

Geoffrey Taylor

Thu, 2015-04-30 22:52

The claim by a supposed 'leader' of the Australian Kurdish community that "ISIS was established by Turkey, Iran, Syria and Iraq, purely to fight the creation of our nation" is an absurd libel against the governments of Syria, Iran and Iraq.

Only those kept ignorant of the facts of the conflicts in Syria could possibly not know that ISIS is a creation of the Arab dictatorships of Saudi Arabia and Qatar to overthrow the secular government of Syria. That terrible war, which commenced in March 2011 has already cost the lives of 220,000 Syrians. In that war the Kurds in northern Syria have so far been allied with the Syrian government (although in the 4 Corners program of 27 April 2014, No Free Steps to Heaven – reviewed on candobetter and available on iview until 25 May – it is a concern that the program reporter was from Israel, itself now overtly supporting the Syrian 'rebels' who are clearly fighting on the same side as ISIS).

Sheila Newman

Thu, 2015-04-30 21:43

The Maori's Are Coming: Solidarity From Across The Ditch Against Forced Remote Community Closures By Padraic Gibson Keywords:  paddy gibson teanau tuiono remote community closures There’s growing opposition to the forced closure of remote Aboriginal communities. And not just in Australia. Paddy Gibson reports. Teanau Tuiono is a Maori activist helping to build solidarity in Aotearoa (New Zealand) with the movement against the forced closure of Aboriginal communities in WA and across Australia, including NZ protests on the upcoming Day of Action, Friday May 1. Here he speaks with Padraic Gibson from the Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning (UTS) about the common struggle of Indigenous peoples against settler-colonialism. Read more of this article at https://newmatilda.com//2015/04/30/maoris-are-coming-solidarity-across-ditch-against-forced-remote-community-closures New Matilda has a pay-wall but you can read about 3 articles weekly for free. Although it seems to cover mostly the same topics as the mainstream, I gather it is trying to develop beyond that.

Dennis K

Thu, 2015-04-30 21:08

Beyond Left and Right, Beyond Red and White:
Framing the Liberation War in Donbass

An interesting article by Nina Kouprianova on the conflict in Ukraine which provides a fresh perspective we don't get exposed to in our media.

Russia seems to represent a "regression" from modern Liberalism and it is here I think the West sees a threat. Russia, and in particular Putin encapsulate many aspects we thought we "moved on" from, perhaps due to Russia's isolation from modern Liberalism post WWII. The conflict is largely ideological, something I believe Putin is keenly aware of. He understands that Western Europe's modern Liberalism is detrimental to Europe's spiritual and demographic future. This challenges the very core of neo-Liberalism, as do many European populist parties such as the Front National.

The year 2014 saw an unprecedented surge of patriotism in contemporary Russia, which resulted in popularizing the notion of the Russian World. One reason for increased patriotic sentiment was Crimea’s return to the home port after the overwhelmingly positive vote by its majority-Russian residents in a referendum one year ago. The onset of the liberation war in Donbass from the West-backed Kiev regime was the other. This war truly delineated the stakes for the existence of the Russian World. The latter is not an ethnic, but a civilizational concept that encompasses shared culture, history, and language in the Eurasian space within a traditionalist framework. To a certain extent and despite the obvious ideological differences, the Russian Empire and the USSR embodied the same geopolitical entity. A particularly noteworthy aspect of the ongoing crisis in Donbass is the symbolism—religious and historic—that surpasses the commonly used, but outdated Left-Right political spectrum. In the Russian context, this also means overcoming the Red-White divide of the Communist Revolution. That this war pushed Russians to examine their country’s raison d’être is somewhat remarkable: for two decades its citizens did not have an official ideology, prohibited by the Constitution that is based on Western models. The emergence of a new way of thinking in Russia will become clearer once we refer to the meaning of religious insignia, wars—Russian Civil and Great Patriotic, as well as the question of ideology in the Postmodern world.

Anon (not verified)

Wed, 2015-04-29 16:12

You may be interested in the claims of a leader within the Kurdish Australian community. (See below) This was reported in an article in "the Saturday Paper" about the death of an Australian who joined the Kurdish forces. "But Kurdish groups in Australia say they actively discourage Australians joining their ranks. They have been keen to use Johnston’s situation to build a case for greater humanitarian and Australian military support for the Kurds and the opening of channels for this aid between Turkey and Syria. Australian Kurds are also campaigning to have the Kurdistan Workers’ Party delisted as a terrorist organisation here, a move that would prevent those supporting the PKK being prosecuted under some anti-terrorism legislation. “We recognise the sacrifice Ashley made of his life for our cause. Ashley was a good person who just felt the Kurdish people needed help,” said Abdul Wahab Talibani, secretary of the Kurdish Association in Sydney. “The Kurdish people have a big problem … ISIS was established by Turkey, Iran, Syria and Iraq, purely to fight the creation of our nation. But we have over 40 million Kurds who are ready to fight … our people are more than capable. We need weapons and tanks … but we don’t need others to come and fight.” The AFP has expressed concerns a martyr’s memorial may encourage further recruits. Opinions also remain divided over whether delisting the PKK as a terrorist organisation would lure other recruits."

Anonymous (not verified)

Mon, 2015-04-27 16:44

The "economic growth" model, one that's continued for over two decades, is not true to it's name! Our economy, in absolute terms, no doubt IS increasing in size, with regards to the amounts of currency and transactions in circulation, but it's not increasing our wealth but creating more poverty and cost cutting. A recently released Committee for Economic Development of Australia report titled "More than a million Aussies living in poverty a disgrace" reveals that as many as 1.5 million Australians are living in poverty". Up to 6 per cent of the population, are "classed as being in entrenched disadvantage, with little to no hope of getting out of that situation," reported commission chief executive Stephen Martin. http://www.theage.com.au/comment/the-age-editorial/an-obligation-to-act-... Governments can't simply ignore the poverty as "bad luck" or distance themselves from it! "The past 20 years had essentially been a massive failure by successive governments to address entrenched disadvantage and policies have been economically short-sighted," Professor Martin said. It's assumed, in the advancement of The Economy and business interests, that some people will fall off the bandwagon and into poverty. It's pure and evil neo-liberalism and focus on monetary values at the detriment of the public. Human welfare can't just be igmored and discarded because of budget cuts that the public have no control over. Mr Abbott and MrHockey are now afforded the chance to reverse 20 years of social and political mismanagement. There needs to be an assessment of the costs and benefits of this "economic growth" model. If it's failing the majority, and only feeding the wealthy, it needs to be dropped! A group of scientists, known collectively as the Club of Rome, constructed a detailed mathematical model to test whether population growth and economic development could continue indefinitely and if not, what the limits to growth and its manifestations would be. The standard future scenario in their computer projections showed positive growth in both the population and the economy until the mid-21st century - and then a decline. People are now expected to assume that social welfare benefits, plus health care and education, are not basics any more that they are entitled to. We are seeing degenerative symptoms on our society, of dis-eases of drugs, unemployment, domestic violence, crime and homelessness. If houses must be liquidified to pay for pensions, and their main assets - their own homes - can't be passed onto future generations, we've come to the brick wall of ecomomic growth's limits! Who really benefits from continuing with our failing "economic growth" model? Banks, corporations, multinational companies, and the capital owners are all using people are commodities, and while we accept our increasing poverty it will continue "business as usual"!

Katie (not verified)

Sun, 2015-04-26 17:25

Thank you, Dennis. You have put your finger on it! The War or wars were wall to wall yesterday on most channels but they were not educational and it just amounted to a day of wallowing in it.

Dennis K

Sun, 2015-04-26 13:16

I noted during the "coverage" of the ANZAC day commemorations a lack of history. Channel 9 had many stories, and as is typical for mainstream media, a rundown of emotions felt (as is the case with reality TV too). It seemed largely an introverted affair aimed at broadcasting the specific emotions which this poorly understood campaign is supposed to ellicit. It was basically "How does ANZAC day make you feel?". There was no rundown, at all, of the historical context of the war, or the landings. You could watch this for hours, and be none the wiser as to why they were there, or what the war was fought for, or what the strategic aim was, or the political situation which made the war seem necessary. No understanding of the world at the beginning of the 20th century. There was lots of focus on the emotion of the event, but surprisingly, virtually nothing from the soldiers themselves, no retelling of first hand accounts, no revisiting the news, the analysis and experiences and thoughts of the time. The soldiers themselves are simultaneously lionised and blotted out. I watched expecting maybe a retelling of their personal experiences, a diary entry, anything, these are abundant, but nothing. Sadly, this is how the powers use war. They reinvent wars for their purpose, but stripping out the historical context, and then claiming (falsely) that the war as about reinforcing the PRESENT day morality. All you have to say is that the soldiers 100 years ago fought for our values TODAY, and you get a moral one-up over others. Although never explicitly stated, it is strongly implied that government action today is endorsed by the dead heroes because this is what they fought for. World War 1, World War II, these are reinvented to support the status quo today, a status quo which would have been rejected back then. And because people aren't educated as to what people used to think, they can fall for it.

Bandicoot

Sun, 2015-04-26 09:06

A massive earthquake has killed more than 1457 people as it tore through large parts of Nepal, toppling office blocks and towers in Kathmandu and triggering a deadly avalanche at Everest base camp. It's the nation's worse disaster in 80 years, but the final toll from Saturday’s 7.8-magnitude quake could be much higher. Dozens more people were reported killed in neighbouring India and China. The worst damage was in Kathmandu, where the historic nine-storey Dharahara tower, a major tourist attraction, was among buildings brought down. An estimated 4.6 million people in the region were exposed to tremors from the Nepal earthquake, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. In Nepal, 30 out of 75 districts were affected by the quake. Major historic monuments in the Nepalese capital have been destroyed in the powerful earthquake, eyewitnesses and officials have said. These include a nine-storey tower, temples and some parts of what was once a royal palace, all listed as Unesco world heritage sites. On the other side of the planet, the volcano Calbuco has blown its top twice in recent days, sending a huge cloud of ash in to the air and forcing thousands of people to leave their homes. This week was the volcano's first eruption in 42 years. Ash from the volcano in Chile, which erupted without warning this week, has reached as far as southern Brazil on Saturday and prompted some airlines to cancel flights to the capitals of Chile, Argentina and Uruguay. About 1,500 people in Ensenada, in the foothills of the volcano, were told to evacuate earlier this week, essentially turning it into a ghost town. The dust could contaminate water, trigger respiratory illnesses and halt more flights. More than 4.000 people have been evacuated. The 6,500 foot Calbuco last erupted in 1972 and is considered one of the top three most potentially dangerous among Chile's 90 active volcanos. Yellowstone National Park is the home of one of the world's largest volcanoes, and is capable of erupting with catastrophic violence at a scale never before witnessed by human beings. This would be a disaster felt on a global scale, which is why scientists are looking at this thing closely. While we are warehousing more and more people in mega-cities, the risks of living in an unstable planet are mounting. Megacities – urban areas with populations exceeding 10 million people – already exist on five continents, and the number and size of these areas are growing. According to UN estimates, almost two-thirds of the world’s population will live in urban areas by 2040. Weather-related disasters, such as drought, floods and hurricanes, temporarily displaced some 20.6 million people in 2013. Add to that the growing millions that are displaced due to poverty, conflicts and terror! The Asia-Pacific region experiences some of the world's worst natural hazards-frequent earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, cyclones and annual monsoons. It also includes many of the world's megacities-those with more than 8 million people-so the number of people exposed to hazard risks in the region is very high. A volcanic eruption on an uninhabited Alaskan island is unlikely to be a disaster, but a similar eruption in the densely populated Asia–Pacific region could be catastrophic. Many such growing urban areas will also be situated along the world’s waterways and will be especially vulnerable to the unfolding effects of climate change, including increased sea levels and more severe natural disasters.

Michael 1958 (not verified)

Sat, 2015-04-25 16:25

Last night’s anti-war event (mentioned above). “The War to end all wars” (held at Deakin Edge on the 24th of April at 7.30 pm with Peter Cundall (Garden guru and veteran of three wars), Kellie Merritt (Social worker and widow of Paul Pardoel, who was killed in Iraq) and Adam Bandt, MP for Melbourne) was held under the auspices of “Health professionals promoting peace” The stand- out talks were delivered by Kellie Merritt, the first war widow of the Iraq War (2005) and Peter Cundall, best known as a TV garden expert and personality but whose 88 years of life have brought him face to face with theatres of war and the results of war. Kellie Merritt fiercely questions the pretext of Australia’s involvement in the Iraq War and whether her husband’s death had any valid point. She advocates an inquiry into Australia's involvement in the Iraq War parliamentary debate for any future decision to commit Australia to armed combat overseas rather a than a PM “Captain’s call”. Peter Cundall gave an enthralling passionate speech about his life experiences as a child in post WW1 Britain seeing the war injured all around him, his nightmarish experiences in service in WW2, in Europe and Palestine. He described his decision to come to Australia for some peace only to find himself in an equally ugly war in Korea. He deemed war to be based on greed for resources and territory and opposed it in no uncertain terms. A sour note, however The talks were punctuated by 3 community/school choirs of high standard, one of which managed, in my view to hit completely the wrong note with a made- up song about how Australians who own houses are intolerant of migrants from a diversity of regions and cultures (!) This was to me a total unnecessary unsophisticated and unjustified put-down of Australian people. The choirs involved in the event were Shaking the tree (with offending song), Melbourne Singers of Gospel, the Mesopotamia band and students from Brunswick Secondary College.

admin

Sat, 2015-04-25 11:35

The following was recently posted to the [nosyriaintervebtion] mailing list;

I find the near coincidence of the commencement of the Armenian genocide on 24 April 1915 with the Gallipoli landings the next day to be chilling. By the estimate given by Speaker of the People's Assembly Mohammad Jihad al-Laham (see article above - Ed), more than half a million Armenians perished in the genocide.

Had the Gallipoli landings actually helped prevent or reduce the scale of the genocide, it may be possible to justify the sacrifice the deaths of 8,000 Australians out of the total 44,072 allied fatalities at Gallipoli.

However, as far as I am aware, the campaign did nothing to reduce the scale of the genocide. Conceivably, it may have caused the Ottoman rulers to increase the scale of genocide.

Whatever the truth, no narrative of the Gallipoli campaign, that I have read, has placed the campaign in the context of the Armenian genocide. (Neither have any of those narratives placed the campaign in the context of the nearby Balkan conflicts of which the First World War was merely an extension for the people in the region.)

The supposed subsequent reconciliation between the soldiers of two sides that were trying to kill each other in 1915 seems to me to have largely been a consequence of the Australian and Turkish Governments having become effectively allied against the new Russian government of Vladimir Lenin which created an autonomous republic from Armenians to live in and which supported that republic militarily against Turkey.

Anonymous (not verified)

Sat, 2015-04-25 08:21

It's tragic that the carnage of Anzac, Gallipoli, did actually form us as a nation, and put Australia on the world map. Australia was a "young" nation in European terms, recently independent as a Commonwealth from Britian 1901. Australians were clearly a tough bunch, and indebted to their "Mother" country, Britain. Just go to any small town or city and see the memorial crosses, the cemetery statues, and the halls commemorated to the Anzacs, and the Great War. The impact was massive, and the losses to Australia horrendous. We need to honour and respect the sacrifices made by these volunteers, and remember the heavy costs of war, and the horrendous suffering. However, we should not glorify war, or make it our signature of our nation. Visiting Gallipoli has become a rite of passage for Australians, but it's probably a mystery for many immigrants, who don't have connections to our past. However, war should never be glorified, and our nation's identity should never be forged by the trenches, and "brave" dead, but be based in high morality, and peace. How many of these soldiers were mere young boys, out for adventure, not to be served as a sacrifice? Australia was not directly under threat from Germany's alliances. After 100 years, Anzac day should be put aside, and put to rest inside the history books with the respect and honour it deserves.

Sheila Newman

Fri, 2015-04-24 19:56

Note, however, the very crude attempt to 'unite' us all over Gallipoli. It is as if this is the only thing that young people are going to be allowed to identify with as Australians - the 'glory' of war. It seems that young Australians are being prepared for endless wars in the most cynical way and with full cooperation of the corporate press. And people are not falling for this as they are expected to do. This morning a health professional asked me what I was doing tomorrow for the 'Dawn Service'. I had to think for a moment what he meant, and then realised that he meant some Gallipoli 'celebration'. I replied that I would probably be writing articles against war-mongering. He laughed and said it was a bit like that. He added that it was like we are already engaged in the third world war, but made up of little wars everywhere, never stopping. I said, Yes, beginning with Yugoslavia. We agreed.

How many Australians can see through their governments and corporate 'leaders' and press, but do not realise they can speak up against this sickening manufactured consent by writing for candobetter.net and for any other alternative media that isn't trying to sell ads.

Australians must speak out in any way they can.

There is an anti-war event at Federation Square tonight. One fears that there will be little if any criticism of the way we are backing wars in Syria and East Ukraine, and taunting Iran. (Although I must say that I am glad our foreign minister visited there recently. Maybe there was actually a chance for real dialogue behind closed doors, for once.)

quark

Fri, 2015-04-24 10:42

I think that social division is being fermented by members of the government, and by powerful elites through mass media. They are dividing ordinary people both latitudinally and longitudinally like a cutter on a tray of biscuit mix. These forces pitch one generation against another, (equivalent to parents against children), neighborhood against neighborhood (in the struggle to withstand unwanted development) , residents of middle suburbs against those from outer suburbs,( with rapid population growth and poor infrastructure and planning, badly affecting the latter), country against city (e.g. piping water from country to city) and "lifters against leaners". All this stirs up resentment, prevents us from seeing ourselves as one people and is counterproductive to rational thought. The very rich are laughing all the way to the bank. We cannot fight this unless we articulate it.

Dennis K

Thu, 2015-04-23 20:55

Guest worker programs are ALWAYS permanent. ALWAYS. There is, practically speaking, virtually no difference between a guest worker program, and a permanent migration program. Guest worker programs fail. But there is another issue. The lack of debate means that the ONLY people who will vocally, and totally oppose this in an organised manner will be the reactionaries. Sometimes I think our state is doing everything it possibly can to breed a far right movement in Australia. It is almost as if our government is begging for social division.

Sheila Newman

Thu, 2015-04-23 18:35

Thank you James for distilling these points from Kelvin's very informative speech. It was as much as I could do to edit and publish it in a timely fashion, but it is comments like these that assist people quickly seeking the guts of a speech.

James Sinnamon

Thu, 2015-04-23 17:03

Kelvin Thomson proposed that

... the property developers who are the beneficiaries of the increased land value that comes from population growth ought to be the ones to pay for the costs of this growth

If the beneficiaries were made to pay the true costs of high immigration it would end very quickly. No articles in support of high immigration that I could find have shown showed any tangible benefit that Australia has gained from high immigration in recent years. Take for example, Immigrants and the economy are inextricably linked in the story of Australia (9/4/15) | the Age.

The article commences:

"George Megalogenis' three-part ABC documentary Making Australia Great 1  has had a very positive response. ..."

The article continues:

"From the data, Megalogenis looks up to the wider horizons of what it tells us about ourselves and our story and, crucially, he puts economics where it should be, at the heart of a story with many related facets – politics, history, culture, and identity. All interpenetrate. To see any one in isolation is to only partially see how society works and changes."

None of the claimed data is cited in Alex West's article. I have yet to see any data which shows that high immigration is beneficial to the current inhabitants of Australia. The true economic effects of high immigration is given in Kelvin Thomson's speech:

  • Government cost of maintaining infrastructure doubles if population grows by 2%;
  • The $8 billion cost of the (now abandoned) East-West Link;
  • 500,000 15-19 year olds with full-time employment in the 1980's compared to only 150,000 in Jan 2015;
  • 20% of 15-19 year olds with full-time employment in the 1980's compared to 75% today;
  • Tertiary education, once free, only available to the rich;
  • Highest youth unemployment in 17 years;
  • Long-term unemployment has more than doubled since 2008;
  • More than 2,000,000 casual workers;
  • More than 1,000,000 contract or labour hire workers;
  • Further increases in housing costs;
  • Fewer Melburnians living in detached homes as high-rise apartments being built in Melbourne at 4 times the density allowed in New York, Hong Kong and Tokyo;

As numbers of our cities' inhabitants swell on this arid continent, ever more bushland and farmland in regions adjoining our cities are being destroyed to build more housing. As a consequence, ever more of Australia's unique fauna and flaura are threatened with extinction including the Leadbeater's possum.

Those living on the edges of our ever expanding cities are forced to spend ever larger proportions of their day commuting to and from work.

Even if a minority are able to gain from high immigration, Australians, as a whole, lose terribly. Unless it is stopped, both current Australians and new arrivals are destined to suffer environmental and economic calamity.

If beneficiaries of high immigration were forced to pay all of its true costs, it would end immediately.

Footnote[s]

1. ↑  It was not possible to view the series as ABC only makes a program available on iview for 14 days after its broadcast. (The web page of part 3 only dated 31/3/15 was found here and its no-longer functional ivew page is here.)

nimby

Thu, 2015-04-23 11:46

Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Monday said Australia had shown the only way to stop the deaths “is in fact to stop the boats’’ and urged European countries to adopt ‘’very strong’’ policies. Foreign minister Julie Bishop has suggested the strict Australian policy of turning migrant boats back might not work for Europe as it grapples with the flood of people smuggling operations across the Mediterranean. The Australian: Julie Bishop casts doubt over Australian asylum policies in Europe Geographic circumstances are very different between Europe and Australia, Bishop said. There is an effort to clamp down on people smugglers after the horror of more than 1300 migrants dying in two major boat capsizes off Libya in the past week. Successfully accommodating the "migrants" puts up a green flag for more to come! Commenters note that "Africa was much better under colonialism. Rhodesia was one of the richest countries in the world, now look at Zimbabwe today! Same for South Africa, visit it before it falls apart entirely". ..." and so was Libya, Chad, Somalia, Ethiopia, and 90% of the rest of Africa, but the usual do gooders , Fraser one of them, decided otherwise, the natives are now the one that suffer". It's Western intervention and colonialism that's ruined any family or tribal community structures in Africa. The West meddled too much, especially when it brought new crop strains and basic medicine to Africans, enabling their explosive population growth that is keeping them poor, violent and unable to evolve beyond their current stage of development. Migrants leaving from north Africa for Italy do so overwhelmingly from Libya, though there are also routes to Italy from Egypt and Morocco, and from Turkey to Greece. The estimated cost of getting to Libya varies from about $200 to $1,000 from west Africa, and from about $1,000 to $6,000 from the Horn of Africa. The people are fleeing some mixture of war, oppression, civil disorder and poverty. Most of the migrants are young men. The most immediate is a population explosion which has seen sub-Saharan Africa’s population increase from barely 200 million in 1950 to just under a billion today. There needs to be efforts to rebuild these failed nations, not keep accommodating into Europe, overstretching their resources. Aid agencies are pushing pop growth to artificially high levels, which means that rhinos, elephants killed for their horn/tusk as more and more men see it as a way to make money, and fund Islamic terror groups. We should all just leave Africa and let them sort it out themselves, our interference in this continent just makes things worse.

Stop the Ponzi ... (not verified)

Thu, 2015-04-23 11:27

Australia is set to issue, for the first time, more than 5 million visas this year, presenting a range and scale of policy challenges not seen since World War II. Surging numbers of students, tourists and workers on short-term visas mean that as many as 1.9 million foreigners are likely to be in the country at any one time over the course of 2015, according to Michael Pezzullo, Secretary of the Department of Immigration. The Age: Five million visas into Australia this year likely to set new records It seems that the Immigration Department is operating in a parallel universe, outside public opinion, and current economic trends. Just what is their aim in allowing a surging numbers of students and workers on short-term visas into Australia meant to achieve? Our GDP must be sagging, or it's a desperate attempt to "offset" the number of ageing, despite the fact that we have record rates of youth unemployment. If we had an abundance of natural and built resources to share, and a surging economy, 5 million new migrants over the course of 2015 would not be questionable. However, as it is, we are being constrained by a proliferation of heavy budget cutbacks, joblessness, overloaded infrastructure, and chronic "shortages" of public services! How many "temporary" migrants end up becoming permanent migrants? Adding people has become the default action to initiate a surge in our GDP, and a measure of "economic growth". It said that each new person in Australia, whether born or immigrates here, costs upward of $200,000 each, and we are already heavily in infrastructure deficit. Universities are being compromised by their economic dependence on international students, and we hardly need foreign "workers" with our unemployment rate so high! Immigration department policies should be subject to public scrutiny, democracy, debate and transparency. As it is they are acting as "lone wolves", free-lancing without parameters, and are manipulating our demographics outside logic and public interests. The public are being treated like mushrooms, and cultivated in the dark. Why are we not permitted into the debate on our country's future? Population growth, and ultimate size, impacts on EVERY issue today, from food security, sustainabiltiy, climate change, living standards and wealth. It's time Immigration stopped being a "lone wolf" and opened it's doors to public scrutiny, transparency and open debate.

limits to growth (not verified)

Tue, 2015-04-21 15:29

The Committee for Economic Development of Australia's (CEDA) report "Addressing entrenched disadvantage in Australia" found that more than 1 million Australians were battling permanent disadvantage. Current policies aimed at getting people back into the workforce were not working. CEDA's chief executive Professor Stephen Martin said successive governments had failed "massively" in dealing with the problem. "Telling people who do not have a stable home base or in some cases even basic education levels to go and get a job is pointless. People need a stable foundation to start with for labour market programs to work". The fact that Australia is failing to produce enough "jobs" to keep up with population growth can't be deduced logically? After more than 2 decades of glorious "economic growth" in Australia, we are producing more poverty, not prosperity. Professor Martin said the past 20 years had essentially been a massive failure by successive Governments to address entrenched disadvantage and that policies had been economically short-sighted. - See more at: http://www.probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2015/04/million-aussies-living-p... “It is unlikely that any country can wholly eliminate poverty and disadvantage. However, Australia most definitely can and must do better.” They must believe in an economy without limits, and an infinite universe when it comes to human activities. The "lucky Country" concept is clearly been eroded. There's no concept of "carrying capacity", or more people sharing finite resources! Contradictorily, CEDA is committed to ensuring a "growing and vibrant economy, which requires good policies and frameworks to govern government decision making". So, the solution is "good policies", not measuring population growth to match our economy's success and progress? The fact that we are not producing stability, and that "growing and vibrant economy" is failing to produce wealth, seems to elude their logic - guess CEDA depends on government support and funding?

VicForests vandalism (not verified)

Tue, 2015-04-21 14:55

Even though most will scoff at the idea that Venezuela is a real military threat to the United States (given the size and nuclear capability and the fact that Venezuela recently reduced its military by an unheard of 34%), the spread of an ideology that challenges the United States' right to exploit and impoverish its southern neighbors could be sufficient reason to consider Venezuela a "threat" to United States' ideology of imperialism; thus causing the US to resort to its age old practice of "regime change."

For the past 150 years, the United States has treated Latin American as its own personal backyard to exploit. Most of the exploitation has been accomplished through economic dominance and the support of right-wing dictatorships.

Daily Kos | Anti-Capitalist Meetup: Venezuela - A"Threat" to US Imperialism

The United States, which saw many of its businesses and interests overruled by the Bolivarian Revolution, previously backed a coup against Chavez in 2002. Attempts to weaken Maduro's legitimacy, Chavez's successor, were stepped up when the results were announced.

Even US allies in the region failed to echo its concerns about human rights in Venezuela and instead unanimously condemned US intervention. Mr Obama has now backtracked by saying that Venezuela isn’t really a threat, the executive order has not been rescinded. It can't be the military of Venezuela which is no match to the US military at all. The threat is geostrategical as China is playing the mayor role in this game. China has already started to build a second "Panama Canal" through Nicaraguan territory, the "Nicaragua Canal".

‘Nicaragua Canal - potential threat to the US and Western powers'. According to the planning it is expected that the canal can by used by end of 2020. China oil companies, China oil shipping, Chinese oil harbours, a Chinese owned international waterway comparable to the Suez or Panama Canal., etc. and this all in the so-called "back yard" of the US. The future oil trade between Venezuela and China though the Nicaragua Canal is breaking-up the powerful grip the US. 1 

China has been generously co-signing financial transactions with the Venezuelan government including the borrowing of billions of dollars in exchange for future trade advantages. In contrast to China, funding from the United States often involves conditions in which less developed countries are asked to follow the United State’s neoliberal model for their development.

China's need for energy is projected to increase by 150 percent by 2020. to sustain its growth China requires increasing amounts of oil. Its oil consumption grows by 7.5% per year, seven times faster than the U.S.' 2 

Washington perceives Beijing’s move into Latin America as a threat to its authority.

Footnotes

1. ↑  Whilst the proposal to build a canal through Nicaragua and Lake Managua may help Latin American countries stand up to the criminal warmongering bully up north, I believe there may be serious environmental concerns which have yet to be addressed. - Ed

2. ↑  In a sense, economic growth is better than economic decline. However, as VicForests vandalism has pointed out, this 'growth' is dependent upon the consumption of non-renewable fossil fuels. As we have argued consistently on candobetter, at some point, 'growth' must stopped and be replaced by a steady state economy where humanity only consumes renewable natural resources. - Ed

VicForests vandalism (not verified)

Mon, 2015-04-20 17:31

We expect governments to be responsible stewards of our environment, not be the wreckers! This corruption of values, and the desecration of such old growth heritage trees, is akin to blowing up a cathedral or a shrine! How are we to protect the natural heritage of our State if the vandals are in charge of selling the timber from these iconic forests that take centuries to grow? There's nothing "sustainable" about eco-terrorism, in the name of short-term cash flows.

VicForests is the face of government corruption and a service to protect high ranking fat cats, and is a destructive force now, and for future generations. As for "socio-economic" values, as of last year, the ten years it's been in existence, it has received $25million in grants and subsidies to help it haul $300million worth of free logs from public forest which it still owes Victorians $74million in unpaid dividends for.

"VicForests has controversially clearfelled and chipped at least 2/3rds of our forests to supply the export woodchip company at Eden. This will now see local sawmills suffer. Most Gippslanders though will celebrate the anticipated end to VicForests' reign in the east and an end to the decade of sending our rich forests into the woodchip pile and waste paper bin" said Jill Redwood on the 10 year anniversary last year.

VicForests – a decade of debt and destruction

Dave Macilwain (not verified)

Sun, 2015-04-19 11:32

Over the course of the Syrian crisis, the ABC has consistently failed to fairly represent the situation in Syria and the true nature of the foreign-backed insurgency that the Syrian army is fighting. The question we must now ask, as the uniform support for this insurgency amongst Western media, NGOs and governments is copied by the ABC, is whether such reporting and the feeding of false information to its audience constitutes culpable action. If the consequences of Western media lies and misinformation was benign then we may not need to worry, but I would wager that in fact the consequence is the facilitation of the commission of war crimes and crimes against humanity. There was a significant opportunity afforded last year by the overwhelmingly positive vote for Bashar al Assad, for Western media to change tack, and start to look at why the Syrian people might feel like this. Some Western journalists did indeed start to change their tune, but the ABC showed no interest in visiting Damascus, or presenting a different angle. It is impossible to claim that they were unaware of the reality, or at least the possibility of a different viewpoint; a plethora of information was available in the public sphere, and on non-Western news services. So to me this looks awfully like 'wilful ignorance'. And as the campaign to remove Syria's leader is clearly intensifying, this ignorance can be no excuse - the consequences for the Syrian people and society will be devastating, and it will be OUR fault - because it's 'Our ABC'....

Dennis K

Sat, 2015-04-18 14:25

Hi Katie, I think the lack of a coherent message and united front is a major hurdle. Part of it is because these forces haven't quite followed through thought about the issues. A shortcoming I see is many people see a problem, see a cause, then stop. For example, one might see the horrendous traffic, realise that the rapid population growth is the cause (and therefore the reason the crisis will turn to disaster), then stop. While I think it is good and correct to state that population growth is the underlying cause, I think, at least for those who are in the 'think tank' roles, it is in error to stop here. Globalists get their way largely because people accept their moral premise. I think there is a contradiction with groups like Sustainable Population Party pushing for a population target, because it seems to accept the premise that a state or national entity CAN and SHOULD set a target. The debate is then framed simply about what that number must be, which is a tough debate to win, because it would necessarily involve economic and logistical arguments that most people won't understand. I may be wrong, and I welcome debate on this matter, but I suspect it's an issue. I take the view that having A population policy, or target, or otherwise government/corporate/church/political/etc mandated population size or goal or composition is, frankly, evil, or leads to evil, and in the past, usually has. I think this ties in with BOTH the issues of population numbers AND the issues of cultural and ethnic/demographic change, as BOTH are the result of bureaucrats, technocrats and vested interests assuming the right to do so. Whether it be to manipulate the economy, or fulfil some social goal or simply to change the demographic make up because some consider the current composition to be a problem.. I advocate that a society should determine its make up, through its own reproductive choices, at least for Western nations or Australia. For the rest of the world, they may need something else, but that's for them to decide, not me. Again, I may be wrong, but as no one really thinks about this, there is no one to debate it against. I think if people in power had their right to shape our culture, size over our own choices challenged, they may start to come unstuck.

Katie (not verified)

Sat, 2015-04-18 09:33

The above comment makes more coherent to me the current confusion of political cries in an apparent wilderness of messages. What the author seems to be saying is that the forces of globalization come in many different guises and under counter intuitive banners. But from my observations the forces against the oppression, recklessness and destruction (which characterize globalization and unfettered capitalism) have a very difficult time making their case coherent to the masses and of forming a united front.

anonymous (not verified)

Sat, 2015-04-18 06:51

Western Australia's collapsing GST allocation is the most severe economic shock the state has faced since the share crash of the late 1980s, Premier Colin Barnett says. The premier said he would not accept less than the state's current share of 37.6 cents in the dollar and WA was going to start being more 'selfish'. Western Australia is on track to only receive 30 cents in the dollar back from its GST contribution due to falling iron ore revenues. Deidre Willmott, chief executive of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia, argued the failure to prepare the state's economic future "would be funny if it weren't so serious". She warned that the slump in ore prices and declines in the share of GST have left its economy vulnerable. Since 2007, WA has been the fastest growing State or Territory in Australia, and in the last few years the volume of growth has almost outstripped that of Queensland. In the period 2012-13, Western Australia’s population increased by 3.3%, or 81,300 persons. It also reached the minor population milestone of 2.5 million persons. However, the state has slipped to third on both housing finance and dwelling starts and has fallen to seventh on unemployment. High population growth in the last decade has increased pressure on Perth’s road infrastructure and public transport network. The down turn of the WA economy is putting many employees at risk of losing their jobs. The recent influx of people to Western Australia has put a tremendous strain on all their infrastructure etc. The powers that be seem to have no trouble keeping count of the population in Australia, and the location of most of these people, so how hard would it be to determine the GST for each state purely on a per capita basis. Unlike Australia Norway has transferred its tax/royalty revenues from its key resource, oil and gas, into a sovereign wealth fund. Norways sovereign wealth fund has now reached a value of 6 TRILLION Kroner or nearly $1 TRILLION Australian dollars. Compare this with Australia and all we have to show from our resources boom is a budget deficit. The state should have created a sovereign wealth fund, and we can compare Perth today with what happened to Melbourne during the debt-fuelled property boom of the 1880s. WA have squandered their mining boom on population growth.

anonymous (not verified)

Fri, 2015-04-17 14:55

Miriam Margolyes is one of a number of private landowners across NSW working with the NCT to maintain habitats on their property and protect threatened species. The English-Australian actor had no idea she shared her southern highlands property with the carnivorous marsupial, as well as "several pages" worth of other threatened species. She said that "Ninety per cent of wild animals are on private land. We tend to think, 'let the national parks take care of wildlife, it's their business.' I think that's quite wrong." Brisbane Times: Miriam Margoyles stands up for threatened tiger quoll "It's become very clear that in terms of a loss of species, the loss of habitat is one of the primary problems," said Gary Wells, CEO of the NCT. In NSW around 59 per cent of all mammals are threatened with extinction: 40 per cent of all reptiles and 30 per cent of all birds. Local green groups have responded angrily to suggestions the native vegetation laws needed scaling back and flagged that alterations to the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 would spell disaster. Giving locals the responsibility of regulating the clearing of native vegetation is de-regulation at it's worse, and puts conservation in the hands of these with vested interests in clearing! Most rural councils have not identified, mapped and zoned high conservation value vegetation for protection in their local environment plans, and where they have tried, the Nationals have intervened to stop it. So the changes effectively mean NO OBSTACLES to clearing native vegetation in most areas. The nation most famous for mammal extinctions can only descend into barrenness and stagnation, in a featureless landscape of nothingness.

George W (not verified)

Fri, 2015-04-17 12:02

PARTY FOR FREEDOM 'FIGHTING BACK'

I will be pressing charges against the three Anarchist perpetrators who attacked Party for Freedom members and supporters last Sunday outside the Halal Expo 2015.

We've had many running battles with different anarchist and far left outfits over the past 5 years. Wherever and whenever we've held a rally or counter rally none of our members or supporters have been arrested on any charges. The violent leftist thugs mainly from Antifa or other anarchist or socialist groups have always been the initiators of violence and threats. There have been arrests on their side but left wing magistrates have always dropped the charges, surprise! Surprise!

The anarchists are tools of there state. Anarchists collude with Communists and Islamists to battle Patriots but behind the scenes they are funded and supported by internationalist organisations including the Australian political hierarchy. Have you ever seen any anarchist organisation stage a protest against the Labor or Liberal parties? Some anarchists do move in different circles supporting the usual social justice nonsense. An anarchist is someone who is opposed to the state yet the anarchists concentrate their energies fighting powerless political organisations like Party for Freedom. If they were true anarchist, they would be attacking the major political parties.

In the UK, the UAF (United Against Fascists) who repeatedly attack BNP, Britain First and even UKIP are actually FUNDED by the Tories and Labour. So, the major parties fund a UK anarchist organisation to destabilise any growing opposition so why would it be any different here?

I had a meeting with City Police yesterday regarding Sunday's rally. Police are concerned about possible violence emanating from the left and do not want us to stage the rally. We have a democratic right to stage a peaceful rally and if anarchists or leftist thugs attack us, we will be pressing charges against those perpetrators. Police have information that many threats have been made against me by the same anarchists and their motley crew. It is about bloody time the aggressors were charged for their thuggery over the years.

I have spoken to our Lawyer regarding the attacks and we are now in the process of taking out private AVO's against [name suppressed by candobetter.net editor]

and two male perpetrators who attacked protestors last Sunday. Our lawyer also advised us to hold the rally and if we are attacked, we will press charges against the perpetrators.

[name suppressed by candobetter.net editor]

a member of Antifa. She was present at our Marrickville Woolworths rally. She made online threats to 'bash us'. At the Marrickville rally, the anarchists and their dirty minions arrived with knives and bedposts. View the first picture and you will see the bedpost attached to the back of a placard. I also have video and sound footage of a Policeman stating that weapons were confiscated from the anarchists.

We need your help to identify the two male perpetrators who attacked me so if you have any information please inbox me or leave a message on my timeline.

Our Sunday ‘Rally against Illegals’ is going ahead. We will not be silenced with threats of violence emanating form the lowest levels of the gene pool.

Today, I received approval from City Police to hold Sunday’s rally so please inform your family and friends to join us in protest against the ‘open border’ lunatics.

SBS News: Anarchist thugs attack anti-halal protestors

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crBs8Tw2MCs

‘Stop Animal Cruelty’ Halal Expo 2015

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gz9KhRig_t4

Nick Folkes [Party for Freedom]

Sheila Newman

Fri, 2015-04-17 00:08

Bharat Bachao Andolan
(Movement against Imperialism, Zionism and Religious Fanaticism)

~ Public Meeting ~
"Analysing Yemen and the growing Crisis of Wars across the Middle-East"

~ Speakers ~
Com. Vasudevan (Veteran Trade Unionist), Sarfaraz Arzu (Editor, Hindustan Daily), Feroze Mithiborwala (India Palestine Solidarity Forum, Gen Sec.), Jatin Desai (Veteran Journalist), Kishor Jagtap 1  (President, Phule-Ambedkar Intellectual Forum) & Mayur Thackeray (Socialist Unity Centre of India)

Venue: Marathi Patrakar Sangh, CST, Mumbai
Date/Time: Saturday, 18th April 2015 from 4-6pm.

~ Organizers ~
Anil Tyagi, Farid Khan, Jyoti Badekar, Salim Alware, M A Khlalid, Sayeed Khan, Swapnil Tare, Farid Batawala, Imran Mubarak, Sohail Ajani, Zaheer Abbas, Aarti Badekar, Farouk Mapkar, Asim Khan, Abdul Qadri, Lilesh Lule, Arif Kapadia, Harshawardhan Vartak, Afaque Azad and Shadab Siddiqui.

Contact: 9029277751 /

Footnote[s]

1. ↑  Kishor Jagtap can be seen on this 8 minute video which was uploaded in Dec 2012 (currently there are two copies). Unfortunately there is no audio or textual English translation.

Anonymous (not verified)

Thu, 2015-04-16 09:18

Highly respected Liberal MP Philip Ruddock, who was immigration minister from 1996 to 2003, said there was falling demand for skilled migrants and fewer jobs available for less qualified family reunion arrivals. Surely, our youth unemployment rate is a symptom of massive immigration rates, based on "skilled migration" - then they are permitted to invite teir familes. Mr Ruddock said in the speech that he expected annual net overseas migration to average out at 80,000 over the long run, but the figure actually reached about 300,000 in 2008 and has been well over 200,000 since then. 80,000 per year would just about equal emigration. High youth unemployment, unaffordable housing, declining living standards, welfare overload, and massive infrastructure deficit - why can't other politicians join the dots between high immigration and all the problems we are facing? Adding migrants is simply lazy economics that satisfies corporations and businesses, property developers, mortgage sales, and artificially boosts our GDP. While governments bemoan our ageing population, and think we must "offset" them with young migrants, they are distracting the public from the real problem - young people are being denied a future, and we are not creating stable , sustainable and harmoneous communities.

Vivienne Ortega

Wed, 2015-04-15 16:40

If only it had been an April Fool’s joke. But it’s true. On 1 April, the 95-metre industrial factory trawler the Dirk-Dirk (now reflagged as the Geelong Star) arrived in Australia, and it’s starting to fish in our waters right now. Unbelievably, the Abbott Government has welcomed this foreign factory trawler, despite huge opposition from recreational fishers, conservation groups, tourism businesses and local communities alike. Join a weekend of action at these events around Australia to Stop the Trawler. Bring your friends, banners and boats along! Melbourne: 11am Saturday 18th rally at the Victorian State Library Fremantle: 11am Saturday 18th banner event outside Cicerello's on Mews Road Hobart: 10am Sunday 19th boat rally on the water or 12noon outside Fish Frenzy at Elizabeth St Pier Sydney: Perth (TASMANIA): 10am Saturday 18th boat towing to rally at Lions Park Adelaide: Sunday 26th banner event at Birkenhead Bridge, Port Adelaide (note, the weekend after) For more details on the events visit Stop the Trawler And if there isn’t a rally being organised near you, you can take a photo with your ‘Stop the Trawler’ message, and post it on social media using the Stop the Trawler Alliance’s hashtag #StopThisBoatTone or email it to us on [email protected] This is the largest factory trawler to be fishing in Australia, and it’s starting to fish in our waters now. But we don't know where or we don’t know what they caught, because the company is protected from providing this information! Massive freezer-factory trawlers represent the most extreme excesses of global over-fishing, wreaking ecological havoc in our oceans. We must not let them get a foot in the door. Please take part on our national weekend of action to protect our marine life, our fisheries and the future of our local fishing communities. In 2012 we stopped the Margiris, and we can do it again. For our marine life and fishing future, Michelle and the team Save our Marine Life & Protect our Coral Sea

Sheila Newman

Wed, 2015-04-15 15:53

Please consider inputting to the poll at the end of the article:

Victorian government settles East West Link claim for $339m. Article in the Age by Clay Lucas, Josh Gordon, dated April 15, 2015 - 2:49PM

Seems like a pretty good outcome to me, although one would have hoped that the Liberal Party responsibles for contracting when the did should go to trial under some law. Should their party not be sued for this amount?

I am glad that the Victorian Government kept its word on this. Pity that Steve Bracks did not keep his word on the promise of an airport train.

End the Growth Ponzi (not verified)

Wed, 2015-04-15 10:34

Prominant Australian scientist Dr Karl Kruszelnicki has walked away from his endorsement of the government’s intergenerational report, saying he regrets taking part in advertisements spruiking the document. He agreed to be the public face of the report in television, online and radio advertisements on the basis it was an independent, bipartisan, non-political document. Dr Kruszelnicki now says it was a mistake to take part in the campaign, describing the report as “flawed”. Of course, he doesn't mention our pumped up population growth as one of the inconsistent "challenges" of the report. He was probably warned about not mentioning immigration rates, and any glaring inconsistency of making feeble attempts to address climate change! He agreed to do it to support long-term policy making and because he gets paid "bugger all" by his employers, the ABC and the University of Sydney, he said. SMH:Dr Karl Kruszeinicki - my role in government video does not mean I'm a Liberal party stooge Treasury secretary John Fraser told a Senate estimates hearing last month that the report "is the Treasurer's document" - and nothing "independent" about determing our future and offsetting our ageing population with extreme population growth. Dr Karl Kruszelnicki (scientist, author, broadcaster, educator) is a prime example of how successful our Multicultural program is - as if all migrants end up as successful as him? The IGR advocates population growth, that's enough to tell us that the report's ludicrous and will destroy the life style of future generations.

Sheila Newman

Tue, 2015-04-14 14:32

How To Shut Down An Immigration Debate

Saturday, March 14, 2015

 7 comments

is immigration good for australia

Big Australia, or big anywhere, is a contentious issue. The population ponzi scheme is a concept the public appear to find noxious. There's no votes in packing more sardines into the Australia can. Aware of this, sniveling politicians have often schemed a way to get the public to focus on their rhetoric and ignore their government's ever increasing immigration numbers. 

Take war monger and lying rodent, John Howard. During his time in office, Howard more than doubled the immigration intake. Hilariously, immigration also pumped from those Sandrockistan countries that truly agitate 58 year old disability pensioners, bereft of hope, who while away their days ranting on Larry Pickering's blog. The exact group who continued to vote Howard into power because he told them, "we will decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come."

Read more here.

DennisK (not verified)

Tue, 2015-04-14 10:56

The issue that I have with groups like Reclaim and other similar "cultural preservation" interest groups and many anti-refugee pundits is that they immediately accept the premise that a population is constructed by government policy and set by fiat. Their argument is that government is doing a bad job, I think. It is not atriculated clearly.

This implies that somehow a bunch of arts/law graduates who have never worked and just want a personal career COULD somehow make population policy work, when it has never worked in the past anyway. Leaving Real Estate agents (the only profession which doesnt require an education, well neither does prostitution, and one may note similarities here!) to set policy of course is going to lead to issues!

All examples in the past where governments have had a policy of shaping the population, with perhaps a rare exception or two, has led to problems. Cyprus being manipulated by the British. Fiji being manipulated by the British, the Middle East, Yugoslavia, Nazi Germany. Chinese manipulating Tibet in what appears an attempt to destroy Tibetans.

We justify ignoring this by saying Australia as an exception is actually the rule (?!) and even then it is usually the "Greeks and Italians".

Accepting that beaurocrats and technocrats get to shape a population, and then wondering why its cracking up is a bit silly. Leaving people who have ethnic grievances shape policy and shape the population courts diaster, and I am including here people who think that Australia or a Western nation is 'too homogenoeus' and something should 'be done', who are among the worst offenders. The problem is obvious, but no one points it out, and something obvious that doesnt get pointed out gets overlooked.

But Reclaim kind of go after the government, or is it Muslims, who can be sure? The message is a unclear. I get their concerns, there are legitimate questions as to the stability of a free and democratic society in a changing demographic landscape (and like many in Reclaim, I'm pessimistic), but the Burka isnt THE issue, neither is Islam (its just the easiest group to use as an example)

Anonymous (not verified)

Mon, 2015-04-13 10:07

Harmony Day is celebrated on the 21st March every year to coincide with the United Nations ‘International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination’. In other words, it is propaganda engineered to portray Australia and other Western nations as inherently 'racist' and in need of more cultural diversity to cure such evil fabricated behaviour. So, Multiculturalism and Harmony Day is to divert any racism!

This past week saw demonstrations by a collective of people who came together under the "Reclaim Australia" to vent their anxieties at the dilution of their country, and express concern about Islam's growth in Australia. Their message was itself diluted at various rallies because of a melee of angry and opposing voices.

According to The Age, 1  those who participate in Reclaim Australia are indicative of a fortress mentality, of a clan or tribe that feels besieged, and in protesting at it, is trying to both stop the walls of the fortress from being chipped away or from being overrun by alien hordes. Every nation must have some fortress, some boundaries!

Reclaim Australia rallies driven by regrets, fear of changing society (12/4/15)

Surely it's our right to defend our territories, our culture, our language and heritage from large overseas and foreign influences?

Most people would agree that we do benefit from some diversity, and support the basic idea of Multiculturalism, but in a divided world, we are now importing some more extreme elements, from third world countries with draconian ideals far fetched from the liberalism of the West.

With ongoing mass immigration, and our population to be projected to up to 70 million or more by the end of the century, it will be hard to convince the public that it's in our interests, and that Australia's heritage won't be overwhelmed!

These rallies are an indication that governments are failing to support Australia's identity, and people are being denied to have a say in our demographic future.

Footnote[s]

1. ↑  See Reclaim Australia demonstrators ignite hatred over an issue that doesn't exist (10/4/15) by
Kuranda Seyit.

Sheila Newman

Sun, 2015-04-12 05:18

Some local sources in Syria contradict reports in the mainstream media [1], that the PLO is not cooperating with the Syrian Arab Army to oust ISIS from Yarmouk. Local PLO sources say that the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and other Palestinian fighters are doing the fighting inside the Yarmouk camp. The Syrian Army (Syrian Arab Army - SAA) is not entering the camp, but is providing artillery cover for the fighters. The army is hitting hitting Hajjar al-Aswad, next to Yarmouk, where the Daesh (ISIS) fighters are coming from. It has been reported that the UNRWA is trying to get the civilians out, and the SAA is cooperating with them. However, ISIS is preventing civilians from leaving the areas that it controls - using them as human shields to stop the army from defending the area and routing ISIS. At the same time it sounds like ISIS is threatening and taking civilian lives, so in the end the PLO and the Syrian Army may have to go in anyway. There is some optimism that ISIS will eventually be removed. Source:https://thewallwillfall.wordpress.com/2015/04/11/yarmouk-breaking-news/ [1] Mainstream media version here for instance interprets things in a skewed fashion and reports from PLO spokesperson distant from the source: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/apr/10/plo-says-no-to-military-action-in-syrias/

James Sinnamon

Sat, 2015-04-11 07:29

Sean Penn 'sympathetic' to whistleblowers, but not Snowden, Assange

The following is from an article Sean Penn says families will be hacking each other's emails within two years (10/5/15) about the movie The Gunman by Garry Maddox in the Sydney Morning Herald:

While there is a reference to whistle-blowing in The Gunman, handing over dark secrets for the public good, Penn admits he feels torn about the leaks by former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, even though it was important the world saw some of the material.

"I'm certainly inclined to be on the side of the whistleblower in most circumstances," he says. "However, in the case of Snowden and even more so in the case of WikiLeaks, I think there are some very serious questions about curation.

"You look back historically to somebody like Dan Ellsberg, who was quite a responsible curator of the information he released in the Pentagon Papers and a very informed one. Then you have Edward Snowden by his own words saying, 'Gee I don't really know what should go out, what shouldn't go out. I'll let these journalists have it and let them decide our national security interests'. 1 

"Well, that doesn't seem like the way we can go either. If we're not going to protect national security then we're not going to get anywhere by protecting whistleblowers. We've got to find a way to do both."

Penn is even tougher on the Australian WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who remains holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, for the security information he has released.

"I think he definitely needs to be brought to account, with the damage to diplomacy and the likelihood that there was life loss as a result of some of those things," 2  he says. "A lot of very important relationships are going to take a long time to retrieve. The people lose in a situation like that."

Penn concedes it's a tough issue because intelligence agencies cannot go unchecked, given the technology they have, without jeopardising the individual's right to privacy. But "you can't have these wholesale exposures going on".

Penn thinks his outspoken nature is a trait of his generation. "The Vietnam War 3  was very present in our lives on television as kids. And you watch what you think is the truth turn into a lie. You watch what you think is a lie turn into a truth or a partial truth.

Footnotes

1. ↑  This one quote, taken out of context, could make Edward Snowden appear indifferent to concerns about United States national security. However, has Snowden has made it clear that he was prepared to surrender to the United States government as long as he was guaranteed a fair and open trial for his alleged crimes. Fellow Whistleblower Chelsea Manning, formerly Bradley Manning, was never given a fair trial and is now incarcerated for her 'crime' of revealing to Wikileaks information about United States war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq.

2. ↑  These do not appear to be Edward Snowden's own words. Searches on "Gee I don't really know what should go out, what shouldn't go out" and "I'll let these journalists have it and let them decide our national security interests" with quotes and with quotes omitted only found the article cited above. Edward Snowden has made it clear that he is not indifferent to concerns about United States national security and that he was prepared to surrender to the United States government as long as he was guaranteed a fair and open trial for his alleged crimes. Fellow Whistleblower Chelsea Manning, formerly Bradley Manning, was never given a fair trial and is now incarcerated for 35 years for her 'crime' of revealing to Wikileaks information about United States' war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq.

3. ↑  It's instructive that America's war against the Vietnamese people, which formally ended in 1975, is the only example cited by Penn in this lengthy article. There is no mention of Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria nor Ukraine. The combined death toll of these wars, even excluding the Vietnam and Korean wars, is many hundreds of thousands, barely an order of magnitude less than the crimes committed by Hitler's Third Reich.

Anonymous (not verified)

Fri, 2015-04-10 09:56

The silencing and persecution of whistle-blowers on war crimes has direct parallels with the threat of Ag-Gag laws infiltrating Australia. It's about criminals being protected by the powers that be, and prosecuting the messengers rather than the criminals.

Only criminals desire to protect crimes from being disclosed, and shut down avenues of transparency and integrity. Under threat of imprisonment, it would force investigators to surrender the first piece of evidence obtained – effectively tipping off industry and shutting down the investigation. Ag-gag laws operate to hide the truth about how animals are raised on factory farms by silencing advocates and stifling transparency.

In 2013, the NSW Minister for Primary Industries, Katrina Hodgkinson observed that “it seems every week now where you’ve got animal activists breaking into intensive farms … these people are vandals. These people are akin to terrorists.” So, the word "terrorists" can be warped to include compassionate people promoting a more peaceful, and kinder world for humans and animals!

The indiscriminate use of bombs by the US, usually outside a declared war situation, for wanton destruction, for no military objectives, whose targets and victims are civilian populations, or what we now call "collateral damage." The US has repeatedly acted to undermine peace and human rights initiatives at the United Nations, routinely voting against hundreds of UN resolutions and treaties.

The brutality of the US government’s “war on terror” has been condemned both by the court of international public opinion and by the Principles of International Law governing human rights. The wars of aggression in Iraq and Afghanistan and the torture of detainees are clearly defined as war crimes by the UN Declaration of Human Rights, the Geneva Conventions, the Convention against Torture and other treaties to which the United States is a signatory. Under the aegis of "national security," additional countries are being drawn into these on-going wars.

War Criminals Watch

Dennis K

Wed, 2015-04-08 20:09

I may elaborate on this more, perhaps in an article, but I think, and observation seems to support this, that this terminology bandied about, or thrown at people regarding them being "racist" has a lot more to do with an exercise of political power, than in actually making an accusation. I'm pretty convinced that in most cases, actual concern about racism, or concern other ethnic groups or the wellbeing of others doesn't factor into it. It is an exercise of political power, which, for young, impressionable, dependant people may be one of the few opportunities they have to exercise power over another. Especially if they view themselves as the underclass and don't believe they will have other avenues of power over themselves, i.e, a good career, etc. This gives them an opportunity for cathartic release. More mainstream people use it too, for example the growth lobby, but they are more selective than the radicals. That is to say, SOME people use "racist" as a means of asserting a dominant position, because the response the person whom it is targeted at, is almost always to either immediately go into the defensive position argumentatively, or to stymie discussion by making the accused try to disprove something that is impossible to disprove. How can you prove you are not a racist, to someone who has made an accusation without any evidence, and who won't withdraw the charge because the existence of the charge gives them an imagined 'one-up' over you? It used because it works, because people react strongly to it in a psychological way. If you had a word you could use, which would make anyone who supported any kind of growth automatically pee their pants and become defensive, you'd use it frequently when arguing a pro-growth, especially pro-population growth advocate, right? Well, maybe not you personally, as that would be crass, but some would. The other downside is, that by suppressing the more intelligent, clued-up, level headed people from discussing sensitive issues, these issues are left to the fringes such as "Reclaim Australia", and they are dealt with, shall we say, rather poorly and crudely. The far-Right's power comes from the unwillingness of others to discuss things they feel free to discuss. They are kind of like the only cop in the police force who fully believes your story that you were mugged.

anon (not verified)

Wed, 2015-04-08 09:43

Distorting the definition of "race" and "racism" is a way of bringing in the dreaded word into a movement, and an effort to silence debate. Islam is not a "race" and objecting to some of the new forms of "diversity" being brought into Australia is not a "racial" but a cultural issue, introduced by mass immigration! Australia does not have to be international territory, or be the face of every culture and ethnic group or power lobby. Each nation, and sovereignty, has a right to determine their own futures, values, and population. We are being manipulated by "Political Corectness" (PC), and silenced by heavy social controls. Redefining words for convenience is a clever tactic, but it should be exposed as such. It's time Australia was reclaimed, and not considered a blank canvas for whatever religion, culture and imported values, or determined by big dollar investors - such as the housing lobby.

admin

Tue, 2015-04-07 01:02

The following tweet:

#qanda Britain owes Greece reparations for disarming resistance fighters and re-arming collaborators in 1944

... did not appear on the TV screen before the program ended at around 10:40PM, nor is it to be found at #qanda.

Clearly either Tony Jones or his moderators decided to censor my post. This is not the first time a tweet of mine has failed to appear on Q and A.

Greek singer and former European Union parliamentarian Nana Mouskouri featured on the program. She informed viewers that Greece was ruled by dictators until 1975. My post pointed out how the rule by dictators was established by the British in 1944 after they supposedly liberated Greece from the German occupiers in October 1944.

Dennis K

Mon, 2015-04-06 11:43

There were reports of missiles thrown by the counter rally-ers, including horse manure, bottles and a placard which hit a young woman and knocked her to the group. An elderly lady was pushed to the ground. Because they have resources (money and people) and they have little to do (you rarely see any charity from these groups), they expend the resources on rallies. The thugs are then let loose on any organisation or collection which is ideologically removed from them. Unfortunately, in my experience, there is no reasoning or discussion with them, as they can't say anything other than pre-prepared "arguments" and talking points. It is important to note that there are very few people who think, who are even ALLOWED to think. The mass of the movement are young people who think they can run the world, have NO knowledge of it, and are armed with hate and a sense of being Fascistic warriors and tropes and set loose. Their membership is very unstable, as most leave once they grow up, but there is no shortage of young, naive people. Their membership turnover is actually very high, as personally witnessed and reported by others I know who took part. I don't think the government specifically deploy them, but there is little doubt the Government tolerates them more than they otherwise would, because these "Socialists" (they are NOT Socialist at all in practice) paradoxically support the system by enforcing the ideals which the system needs and opposing and true anti-capitalist, anti-status quo movement. They do what the state isn't allowed to do, which may be why when they harrass Liberals, they seem to get away with it. However, when you combine close mindedness with a sense of moral supremacy, and combine with fanaticism and a lack of a sense of proportion, you get a very dangerous combination. You get people who will stop at nothing, who will do anything to anyone to advance the cause du jour and attack anyone without trial, without evidence, without a hearing. P.S., Having spent months in Europe, I do understand the concerns of Reclaim Australia, though the response, just being critical of Islam and leaving it at that doesn't address the core problem (in fact, I wager Reclaim Australia don't mention it, which after a look through their facebook page, confirms my suspicion), which is population policy set by an elite. It is also ironic and amusing that they consider Islam as the primary threat to free speech, but when they rallied it wasn't Muslims by the hundred opposing them and using violence. I hope they've learned something about who stops speech. P.P.S. I noted that the image in the article was about the Tunnel protests which turned nasty. It is interesting because the man at those protests, Anthony Main was also organising the "Rally against Racism" and speaking to the Police at Fed square on Saturday. Unfortunately, some people make a LIVING doing this, and as such, have to justify their living by rallying against the world.

Anonymous (not verified)

Mon, 2015-04-06 05:51

After extensive traveling through NZ they seem to have a more grounded approach to their wilderness area management than Australians do. Public hunting areas, more liberal gun laws. Their national parks are beautiful, well managed and easily accessed. People seem to come to a sensible compromise in NZ, where in Australia the debate is completely polarized and as such is doomed to fail. Our national parks are a shambles. Home to ever increasing hoards of feral animals and basically unusable by the public (just check out the masses of signage in any Aussie park)

Sheila Newman

Sun, 2015-04-05 23:24

Here is what I believe the story behind the Reclaim Australia and No Room For Racism probably is. In a nutshell, the Reclaim Australia protests are a logical consequence of current and recent governments' foreign affairs policy and local promotion of a perceived need for terrorism laws. The Reclaim Australia protests would be a reaction to the grotesque war-propaganda repeatedly conveyed by US/NATO, Australian newsmedia and our government that Middle Easterners are naturally unstable sectarian obsessives and in need of firm external guidance and bombing into oblivion. Recent terrorist attacks - false flag or real - have reinforced this message. On that basis it should be expected that some or even many Australians will start to consider Muslims in Australia as a dangerous group. They have repeatedly been told this by their government. The Government isn't going to change the message that it keeps upsetting such Australians with (and Muslim Australians) because the message serves a purpose of its own, however the Government also does not want Australians to think that they can start giving the government their point of view with impunity. Because if that happened, we would pull out of wars, cut immigration right down and bring down house prices, among other things. Hence, the government deploys the 'Socialists' rent-a-thug crowd to intimidate the worried Australians so that next time they try to organise a rally about their concerns, no-one will turn up.[1] Problem solved: 'apathy' produced through fear. Police state by the handy proxy of so-called socialists. (No offense meant to real ones) and a belief that you can't win. ABC (and all other press except maybe candobetter.net) present what happened as a random clash between diverse groups of Australians (although visibly more young vs old) - rather similar to the way they present 'clashes' in the Middle East, and anyone who was not involved is totally mystified. No-one mentions that Mel Gregson is a prominent member of the Socialist Party of Australia. No-one comments on the resources that were found to organise the 'protest' or the crowds in several states at once at this protest and many others in the past. Somehow the 'socialist' 'anti-racists' come out looking a bit better in the press reports than the anti-sharia law people, even though they will have started the violence. A few will have been arrested, but nothing important will happen to the group. Any experienced activist will recognise this syndrome. It's either intimidation in the streets or take-over of any successful and positive movement. And the same tactics keep 'order' in the Greens and Labor Party. Now, I don't have any direct proof of this in these circumstances, but its a very familiar scenario to most real activists. Anyone with another explanation, please write in. Notes: [1] It's easy to get some actual volunteers to participate if they believe they are combatting racist demonstrators because Australians have all also been schooled in another belief which is that Australians are riven by racism. So we have self-identified anti-racists vs anti-terrorists stopping each other from effective political expression while old civilisations are reduced to dust by bombs in the Middle East. Many of the feared Muslim refugees and immigrants come from these places because we are bombing them. But no-one gets round to asking questions about this, unfortunately.

Depak P. (not verified)

Sun, 2015-04-05 12:23

India is working on several fronts here. Although its participation as a BRICS country is well known, its strong grouping with RIC-Rus-Ind-China is not well appreciated. The Congress Party has favoured an apparent shift towards the US, which Modi will tend to encourage. Practical political concerns however mean that India will maintain wider relationships in the East and the West, all the while using US connections to negotiate and preserve a strategic balance of power with China and its close ties with Russia. India remains firm in its support for Syria, even though it gave in to US-Israeli influence on the question of Iran. Although India's role as a leader has dwindled since the NAM period, it still cuts a sophisticated figure on the global stage. The SCO-Shanghai Coop Organisation is bringing South Asian nations together in a move where India could have had a greater role than it has taken. Perhaps this lack of leadership in that region is because we don't have any leaders of the calibre of Jawaharlal Nehru. If it shows less initiative in South Asia, India knows the importance of maintaining close engagement with China and Russia, with whom it shares profound strategic considerations, particularly in Afganistan, whilst continuing economic cooperation. I do not think that the US will attack China. The US has a history of dividing and conquering poor countries lacking military capability. It is unlikely to challenge any country that is able to defend itself well.

Depak P. (not verified)

Sun, 2015-04-05 02:25

New Delhi: India Protests against the Saudi-led Invasion of Yemen. The students and youth of the Yuva Kranti (Students Revolution) organized a protest at Jantar Mantar on the 3rd of April 2015. The Yuva Kranti is a secular democratic and progressive students organization.

The protests were led by Prof Rakesh Rafique, Ravi Kohar, Haider Rizvi, Abhimanyu, Pratap Chaudhari and many other enthusiastic patriotic anti-imperialist and anti-Zionist youth!!

The protesters called for a political solution to the crisis, for Saudi to halt its bombings and killings of civilians and for the unity of the Sunni and Shia Muslim communities against the Imperilist and Zionist backed aggression. 

More protests are soon due across India, with the major one in Bombay on the 6th of April to be held by the Bharat Bachao Andolan at the Azad Maidan.


https://www.facebook.com/www.yuvakranti.in?fref=ts

 — with Abhimanyu Kohar and 22 others.

admin

Sat, 2015-04-04 14:40

From Yahoo News story French far-right leader again calls Nazi gas chambers a 'detail' (2/4/15) :

Paris (AFP) - The founder of France's far-right National Front party, Jean-Marie Le Pen, reiterated his assertion Thursday that Nazi gas chambers were a "detail" of World War II, prompting condemnation from rights groups and his daughter.

Le Pen told a French TV station he did not regret making the statement repeatedly over nearly three decades, earning convictions for hate speech along the way, and then said it again.

"I have said what I believed. Gas chambers were a detail of the war, unless we accept that the war is a detail of the gas chambers," the European Parliament member told BFMTV.

He first called the gas chambers a detail of World War II in 1987 and repeated it 10 years later in Munich, Germany, again in comments to a French magazine in 2008 and a year later at the European Parliament.

...

Even the far-right leader's daughter and current FN president Marine Le Pen spoke out against her father's words.

"This is nothing new. I profoundly disagree with Jean-Marie Le Pen both in form and content," she told AFP.

...

Dennis K

Thu, 2015-04-02 21:03

This book will be put on my 'must read' list.

http://bowlingalone.com/

(New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000). In a groundbreaking book based on vast data, Putnam shows how we have become increasingly disconnected from family, friends, neighbors, and our democratic structures– and how we may reconnect.

Putnam warns that our stock of social capital – the very fabric of our connections with each other, has plummeted, impoverishing our lives and communities.

If we are all going to celebrate "our own" festivals, does this not not further erode social cohesion? Putnam comes to this conclusion (but takes great pains to try and interpet things according to the Politically Correct doctrine). People supposedly say this future direction of society enriches us, but I think it is the exact opposite. People who do not partake, nor care for the festivals may enjoy attendance, but it is only a superficial level of participation.

There are an endless number of 'multicultural' festivals, parades, and in each and everyone, participation is shallow. They are nothing more than spectator events to most people. Culture is brought to the level of "My Kitchen Rules", a way to pass time and be entertained. Something to watch. A 'show' to be put on by the culture in question to entertain onlookers.

As a result, the cultural and social ties which bind people are reduced to spectacles and recipes, and social systems and structures which would have once served a purpose for social organisation and conveyance of information, knowledge and custom, are stripped of any gravity. This not only degrades the culture that people claim they are 'appreciating', but the image that Australians have of their own culture, philosophy and customs. They are rendered non-existent, and all of a sudden, long held values developed and nurtured by philosophers such as John Stuart Mill or Voltaire, disappear.

DennisK (not verified)

Thu, 2015-04-02 09:59

It was probably the 3AW or ABC Radio afternoon show I was listening to, where they were talking about the parking at train stations being at capacity. One station in particular was mentioned, Williams Landing which is in Melbourne's Western human dumping ground, sorry, I mean "Growth Corridor". The complaint was that it is scarcely been built, but already full. A similar complaint was made about Watergardens, in the North West. Poor planning was mentioned, but no mention of our population policy. The media ASSUME, so as not to allow it to be questioned, that population growth must happen, and the peanut gallery bang their heads worrying about each crisis this brings. It is silly to hear people talk about how to waterproof the carpet from water damage, without mentioning that perhaps we wouldn't have this issue, if attention was paid to the missing tiles. Only a day or two later, or earlier, similar discussion was made about the traffic crisis, and again, mass growth was only mentioned, but it never, ever was mentioned that perhaps the population policy itself is no good. It is taken as an assumption, and not questioned. The problem is, the media thrive on crisis. People worry about crisis here and now, and are too focused on fixing what is a crisis TODAY, that they neglect to attend to issues which will result in a crisis tomorrow. Those then becomes tomorrows "Its too late!" crisis. We've known for years that traffic will become a problem, as housing, but no, it had to wait until it actually materialised, IN FULL before we even started to mention it. The media can't sell papers based on preventing crisis. Most people aren't alarmed. The media, and journalists will always support the status quo, because they are presstitutes, and have power precicesly because they reinforce the status quo. They are hopeless behind on news. The ghost cities in China weren't made an "issue" until about 3 or so years after many already realised it an issue. Traffic in Melbourne was obviously going to grind to a halt, but it's just NOW becoming news. This is a symptom of a dying society, which cannot anticipate change. Out institutions are monolitihic, outdated, slow and stuck in the past. The mainstream media consists of nothing, with nobodies but actors. Our politicians by and large, are nothings. They are beholden to vocal interest groups, because they are weak. I can't help but conclude that it is partly because most people just don't care, or have any desire to protect their nation and their built up civilisation. In previous years, people would have said "I wont stand for this", but apathy reigns supreme. The media fuel it, and the media respond to it.

Anonymous (not verified)

Thu, 2015-04-02 08:21

The media present our population "projections" as a matter of course, as if it were some natural phenomenom, or inevitable. While fertility levels have remained mostly constant, there's nothing unpredictable about our immigration rates! Our government holds the purse strings with regards to the great variety of visas, and their numbers. We are being conned into thinking that our population "projections" are a challenge we must take on, as if we had no choice? Where's the democracy? Of course, the rubber hits the road at local residential levels, and at local government level, as reported in the Leader newspapapers. If we continue to squeeze more people into our cities, the fallouts we have now will simply become greater - more crime, homelessness, family breakdowns, congestion, food insecurity, unemployment, smaller housing, crushing and social discord. The elite will simply look down on the swarming masses, all trying to survive, but they will be gaining the "economic growth"- and just give lip service to the growing numbers of people falling between the cracks in our society. Cuts to homelessness, mental health care, social housing, etc means more people dispossessed - and discarded. We are not creating stable, sustainable communities, but a growing dystopia!

Anonymous (not verified)

Wed, 2015-04-01 18:10

Population growth in Australia Source: The Australia Institute 26 March 2015 Australia has the fastest population growth of major developed countries, and projections show a reduced infrastructure spend per capita, putting huge pressure on major cities. This report reveals: •Population growth rate has increased above historic trends, largely due to immigration. •The ABS predicts population will be around 40 million in 2061 and up to 70 million by 2101. •Almost all of these people will live in major cities. •Australia has the fastest population growth of major developed countries. •Despite rapid population growth, discussion around population policy and planning is almost non-existent. Summary Since the Sydney Olympics in the year 2000 the population of Australia has grown by 25 per cent. In fact, since the Sydney Olympics, Australia’s population has grown more than the entire population of Sydney at that time. While our political leaders vacillate between being for a ‘big Australia’ or a ‘sustainable population’, data shows that our population growth rate is unaffected by this rhetoric. Our population growth rate is affected to some extent by changing economic fortunes, our population has increased steadily since the second world war. Each year our population increases by around 400,000 – a new Canberra every year. In the last decade our population growth has increased slightly above historic trends, largely due to migration. Indeed more immigrants came to Australia since 2000 than arrived between 1950 and 1980. Now is the golden age of immigration, as much as the 1950s and 1960s were. Our population growth is forecast to continue at similar rates. Based on current trends, the ABS projects that our population will grow to around 40 million in 2061 and depending on migration policies, will grow to between 42 million and 70 million by 2101. Almost all of these people will live in major cities. In 2060 both Melbourne and Sydney are forecast to have larger populations than all of Australia had in 1950. And in 2060 Perth and Brisbane together will have almost the same population as Australia had 100 years before, in 1960. Australia has the fastest population growth in the OECD other than Israel and Luxembourg, which are very different cases and not good comparisons. Australiare very different cases considerably faster than that of Canada, the other great Commonwealth multicultural success story. Under reasonable assumptions of future population growth, Australia could have the same population as Canada by 2090 (about 50 million) and of Italy, a country currently two and a half times as populous as Australia, by 2100 (about 53 million). Despite our rapid population growth being at historic rates and among the highest in the world, it is all too rarely discussed. Whether this rate of population growth is ‘good’ or ‘bad’ depends on your point of view. More importantly, however, it will depend on how well we plan for our future population. Australia needs serious debate around what our population policy should be and how to plan for our future population. This rate of population growth must not be measured as "good" or "bad" subjectively! The basis of our lifestyles is our environmental resources, opportunities, living standards, sustainability for future generations, and who benefits. Population growth now will deprive and steal from future generations, and there's no economic, social or environmental justification for our massive growth- inverse too all the planet's trends and the multiple impacts of human activities threatened non-human species, and their rights to existence.

admin

Tue, 2015-03-31 02:41

Adapted from article published on PressTV.

On 28 March The BBC, Al-Jazeera and the Independent reported that the Syrian city of Idlib, with a population of 100,000, had fallen to fallen to ISIS terrorists. Al-Jazeera report commented:

But the capture of Idlib by a rebel coalition, including the al-Qaeda linked Nusra Front, marks a major defeat for the Syrian government.

The fall of the city may be an indication that Assad's forces are struggling to keep the momentum they gained on the battlefield last year.

The report below from PressTV is a sign that the loss of Idlib may not have been quite as catastrophic for the Syrian government and the Syrian people as these earlier reports suggested.

Syrian military forces have regrouped in the suburbs of the northwestern city of Idlib a day after the city fell into the hands of al-Qaeda-linked terrorists.

"Forces are repositioning on the outskirts of Idlib in order to face the terrorist battalions... and be in the best position to repel their attack," a security source in the Syrian capital city of Damascus told AFP on Sunday.

The troops carried out a "successful operation regrouping south of the city,” Syria’s al-Watan newspaper reported.

"Army reinforcements were sent to start a military operation to regain control of the areas that were vacated after the evacuation of the local population to safe areas," the daily quoted a source on the ground as saying.

On Saturday, a coalition of terrorist groups, which calls itself the Army of Conquest and includes the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front and militant group Ahrar al-Sham as well as other smaller groups, seized control of the city following days of heavy clashes with government forces.

Earlier this month, Damascus said thousands of terrorists streamed in from Turkey to attack Idlib. At least 170 people have been killed on both sides since Tuesday.

Idlib has been the epicenter of deadly fighting between government troops and militants for months. It is located near the strategically significant main highway that links Damascus to the key northern city of Aleppo.

Idlib is Syria’s second provincial capital to fall into the hands of militants following the fall of the northern city of Raqqah in March 2013.

Syria has entered the fifth year of a foreign-sponsored conflict that has so far claimed the lives of more than 215,000 people.

MSM/MHB/AS

admin

Tue, 2015-03-31 01:03

Excerpts from article of 28/3/15 on thestar.com :

...

When a democratic nation such as Canada breaks international law and acts against the UN Charter it not only loses its moral standing in the world but sets a dangerous precedent to be followed by other countries, especially those who do not boast of their respect for law and order. It becomes even more serious when a democratic country violates international law more than once as Canada will have done if we bomb the Islamic State in Syria.

Fifteen years ago this month Canada joined NATO countries (Greece excepted) in the bombing of Serbia, thus violating international law, the UN Charter and NATO’s own Article 1 prohibiting NATO from using force to resolve international disputes and to act always in accordance with the UN Charter. Later, Canada again broke the law by following the U.S. in recognizing the unilateral declaration of Kosovo’s independence from Serbia (there was no referendum).

The illegal bombing of Serbia and the recognition of Kosovo were justified on the grounds that genocide and ethnic cleansing were taking place in Kosovo by Serbian security forces. These charges were later proven by the United Nations to be highly exaggerated. Forensic experts were unable to find any evidence of mass killings and the refugee exodus out of Kosovo took place after the bombing started.

...

We hear very little today about NATO’s intervention in the Balkans and Canada’s role in the bombing of Serbia. However, it was then that the western democracies first violated the UN Charter and international law. A precedent was set and the framework of international security suffered a serious breach. It was set back again with the United States invasion of Iraq and will be again if we take part in the bombing of Syria.

James Bissett is a former Canadian ambassador to Yugoslavia, Albania and Bulgaria.

Sheila Newman

Mon, 2015-03-30 20:51

And yet it is so important to world peace! I suppose that the mainstream media corporations are invested in the arms trade. I believe that their investments should be stated inside the front page alongside the names of proprietors and updated daily.

DennisK (not verified)

Mon, 2015-03-30 15:34

I think it is important not to constrain arguments to those the growth lobby use. For example, the growth lobby says that population is an economic concern, and opponents then accept this as assumed fact, and try to argue that population growth is economically not favourable. Do you shuffle your family members and add new ones, based on it being economically profitable to do so? Once you accept the idea that economic factors override familial considerations, you are then forced to adopt this "logic". Some in the anti growth lobby I think makes this mistake, by taking it as assumed truth, that economic considerations, or profit should set population policy. The fact that population growth may be profitable doesn't make it right. This is IMO very dangerous, and why eventually it will be the more right wing elements that will have the final say, as they are the only ones who outright reject this proposition. Besides, demographics is a branch of economics. As the population changes, so too will the economy. The economy is largely determined by the people. A good economy is not based on numbers and figures but by soil, water, resources, social stability, air, energy. An economy is a system by which inputs are converted into desired outputs, and the QUALITY of inputs and outputs is critical. Economic stability and prosperity is reliant upon good conditions to allow food to grow, services and goods to be innovated and created, good social conditions to allow and encourage this and the ability to maintain natural wealth to support a good quality life, the very basis and the POINT of all economic activity.. Sacrificing these to chase numbers is insane and counter-producTive. The numbers go up, but ability declines. This is the legacy of "economic" population growth.

anonymous (not verified)

Mon, 2015-03-30 11:17

The problem of wild fires, and an overload of "fuel", is admission of poor environmental management, and the drying off of our State. It's not only climate change, but the loss of species and vegetation coverage. It's beyond a "green" and sentimental issue, to one that's turned the tables and threatening us! Logging, land clearing, ecosystem and habitat destruction, the compounding effects of drying up and more fire vulnerability, means that there's an increased demand for fire, to prevent more fires! It's a cyclic argument, but ignores the problem. If we need to double, or triple the burns, then we may as well concede that destroying the landscape that's supposed to provide for our natural resources, along with ecological and social benefits, and means we've failed in managing our environment. We shouldn't destroy the spoon that feeds us, that provides for our needs - and our natural wealth! With the loss of invertebrates, mammals, birds, fungi and barriers of forests to protect human habitation, fires can burn for longer and more ferociously. We can't just keep burning off and torching wildlife, in a useless effort to keep people and property "safe"! The cause of the problem, and the solution, can't be the same. (Albert Einstein)

Bandicoot

Sun, 2015-03-29 09:13

Hectare, or percentage targets of public land to be burnt for fuel reduction, could give residents, and property owners, a false sense of security that they are "safe", and leave them vulnerable because the prescribed burning program is not optimized, or correctly targeted. With targets, such as 5% per year, Victorian state agencies will choose the easiest route of burning sensitive environments, to fill quotas, tick boxes, and in the process kill off flora, fauna and habitat features that many species rely on for survival. Former CSIRO bushfire scientist David Packham said that fuel-reduction burns should be doubled or even tripled to reduce high levels of forest fuel across the state! We may as well clear the whole State, and just pave it with concrete! This draconian approach might leave our State "safe", and in cinders, but at what cost? Human lives and assets are not the only consideration. There are native flora species that might tolerate flames and regenerate, but wildlife will die, and more species will be endangered. Simply burn, burn and burn is an admission that our economy and human activities has made our land vulnerable and inflamable. Land clearing, logging, destruction of invertibrates, urban sprawl is causing a drying out of land, and thus the cycle of more and more dangers from fires. Certainly our indignous fore-bearers would have already destroyed our land long before if this is the only way to control fires and keep humans safe? The burning for fuel reduction should be optimized and fine-tuned to be effective. The timing of the burns should also take heed of breeding times and seasons for the species present, particularly those that are already rare or threatened.

Anonymous (not verified)

Sun, 2015-03-29 08:06

Trying to measure and fix the social problems of our "economic growth" model is like trying to hit a moving target. ACOSS might try an suggest policies to say, reduce poverty or homelessness by 20%, but that 20% proportion could be actually increasing, in aboslute terms, because of population growth. Like trying to fill a leaking bucket, or sieve, it needs more contents to flow in that what's flowing out! So, economic growth is like one big Ponzi scheme, with new people continually needed to keep the system of "growth" running, to compensate for those that are lost down the other end - in unemployment, homelessness, crime, imprisonment, welfare and illness. Everything that grows perpetually is hard to fix. What other profession, except economics and town planning, must deal with a subject that must keep growing? People are lost in the processes, falling between the crack of such an impossible economic model to maintain. There must only be scant recognition of the problem, or blaming of the victim, or the proponents would have to recognise that we are not creating stable, sustainable and liveable communities.

anonymous (not verified)

Sat, 2015-03-28 15:55

Police investigating the Germanwings crash said they had made a 'significant discovery' at the home of co-pilot Andreas Lubitz, who deliberately ploughed the Airbus A320 into the French Alps. Officers refused to reveal details of the potential breakthrough but said it was not a suicide note. Co-Pilot of Germanwings Airbus Was MUSLIM CONVERT. It was said that Lubitz had a Muslim girlfriend. It is unclear if she was still dating Lubitz at the time of the crash. It is unclear if he met the woman through his Muslims friends. French and German officials said there was no indication the crash was a terrorist attack, but gave no alternative explanation for his motives.

david macilwain

Sat, 2015-03-28 15:07

The following was posted to the Melbourne Age three days ago on Wednesday 25 March. I am unable to verify whether or not the letter was published. If any one else is able to, please advise. - Ed

As Malcolm Fraser is laid to rest, it seems that some will work to see his views on the ANZUS alliance buried with him and at a time when our allegiance to the US is drawing us ever deeper into their wars. What irony indeed that SBS, the broadcaster that Fraser launched, should be assisting at this burial with a couple of highly partisan reports on ‘Dateline’ which directly contradict his views on Australia’s preferred ‘alignment’.

While we paid little attention to Malcolm Fraser’s warnings over joining the West’s campaign against Syria, or supporting the US puppet government in Ukraine against Russia, we can still atone for this and pay our respects with ‘the debate we need to have’ on the US alliance.

yours etc,

David Macilwain

nimby

Sat, 2015-03-28 08:19

ACOSS has come to the amazing and unprecedented conclusion that for "an increasing number of Australians, housing affordability is a serious problem that affects their ability to work". A quarter of people battling with housing stress regularly skip meals in order to pay their rent.

"There's a lot of overcrowding, people are bunking up, living in inappropriate forms of housing which are not good for anybody," chief executive of the Australian Council of Social Service Dr Goldie said.

Surely this explosion of logic, the profound cognitive process that drew to this conclusion is well overdue? The conclusion is surely obvious, that homelessness is more than a product of "domestic violence" as it's usually portrayed.

Our cities are becoming hostile to our living standards, and the vulnerable are the first to fall between the cracks.

Our real estate and housing-construction based economy means more congestion, and negative social impacts. On any given night, more than 7000 people sleep in crisis accommodation, while more than 105,000 identify as homeless. This is in a country that touts our living standards and wealth all over the world, to lure more people to migrate here!

Dr Goldie, instead of addressing the major cause of poverty, unemployment and unaffordable housing - population growth - she's endorsing funding for the homeless, and urged a bipartisan commitment to increase housing supply to help vulnerable people afford a place to live. To "increase housing supply", or putting more heat on the housing market frenzy, won't produce "affordable housing". With budget constraints, and heavy cut-backs to public services, there's nothing set aside for more social housing either.

ACOSS have no population policy, but their methods are more funding, more more more - of fixing symptoms and not addressing the cause - greed and growth!

Housing affordability driving homelessness SMH

Dennis K

Fri, 2015-03-27 21:12

"If we had taken polls ... I think people would have voted 80, 90 per cent against us but we explained the reasons for it." It is the job of a democratically elected politician to act and put policies in place as per their stated policies and ideals. Abbott himself said that democracy can't work if a leader says one things before and election, and does something else afterwards (I'm aware he's a hypocrite, but I agree with the sentiment). They are there to represent our will, not push theirs. Otherwise, we may as well have a dictatorship. If Australian's didn't want immigration, as they don't want the levels now, our leaders must deal with it, suck it up and respect the decision Australians have made. That is the whole point of democracy. Malcolm did this with immigration, going against the will at the time. As some may be aware, I am very unforgiving of any politician or leader which doesn't act with utmost honesty and with a sense of servitude to their people, and I also am unforgiving of those who create deleterious conditions in an attempt to "do good". Good intentions are no excuse for poor results. We as a society would do ourselves much good by not longer excusing people's for policies which had poor consequences because "they had good intentions". I view this as a sign of a societies immaturity and incapacity to deal with managing civilisation. For a Prime Minister to use a nations and go against its will and desire, to fulfil a personal moral need is inexcusable. Forcing change on people "for their own good" almost always results in failure, and this is the excuse that tyrants have used in the past. Its always "for your good". The results of enacting population policies using 'population targets' I believe are unethical to the highest degree, and pose a much larger moral hazard than potentially denying some refugees entry. Mr Fraser was planning on creating another 'restore Australia' party, which would have a larger population as one of its platforms. Malcolm Fraser's unrealised manifesto - an Australian republic with green credentials (27/3/15) at http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/malcolm-frasers-un... Lastly "The Population Bomb" was written by Paul Ehrlich, not Ivan Illich.

quark

Fri, 2015-03-27 09:01

In recent days, in the media aftermath, reminiscences and discussion following Malcolm Fraser's death, I noticed a couple of times that the ABC managed again, seemingly casually to merge the issues of immigration, multi-culturalism and refugees into one big "feelgood" pudding so as to ward off any questioning of its components .

SaveOurWildlife (not verified)

Thu, 2015-03-26 16:00

This is not just a wombat issue, but has impacts on NSW flora and fauna. Koalas and other iconic wildlife are vanishing from our bushland as the trees they call home continue to be cleared for farmland. They're plastered across our tourism brochures, yet our government's policies are putting them at risk. The Baird government is scrapping the Native Vegetation Act - one of the most important protections for koalas in our state. The review panel report that recommended this backward legislation also recommended conserving habitat at a regional or even state scale. Farmers, it said, had been left to carry an unfair share of responsibility for preserving nature in the state. "Regional or State" level is a way of leaving it up to individuals, who will probably be loaded with conflicts of interests! It's political abandonment, to make way for housing and urban growth. Mr Evans, chief executive of NSW National Parks association, said the rate of land-clearing from agriculture had fallen 68 per cent since the Native Vegetation Act was passed in 2003. Of course the National Party and the farmers will welcome this news, and gives them more license for land clearing and short-term profits. SMH: NSW Native vegetation to get the chop as Baird rolls back protections The Wilderness Society NSW Campaign Manager Belinda Fairbrother said: “Weakening wildlife protection laws will place our threatened species in peril at a time when bold action is required to reverse the ongoing decline in our state’s rich biological diversity... We are resolutely opposed to any weakening of our state’s wildlife protection and land clearing laws". Backward Australia will be more cleared at a time of multiple environmental and climate change threats, and will be a the cost of long term sustainability, and ultimately more food security threats. “The Native Vegetation Act is among the most important nature conservation laws in NSW because it protects so much of the state’s wildlife like koalas and gliders from indiscriminate destruction. If new laws weaken protections for land and wildlife, Mike Baird will be remembered as the Premier who took us back to the dark days of broadscale land clearing" said Nature Conservation Council CEO Kate Smolski. Sydney's urban sprawl had wiped out market gardens on peripheral land since first settlement. The problem now is Sydney's expansion has reached the last phase, where in 20 to 50 years the sprawl will eradicate unprotected farms. So, instead of containing the limits of population growth, more land clearing will "fix" the problem, and mow down the constraints of trees, grasslands and bush in the path of "progress". Contradictorily, at the same time as the government is establishing a $100 million survival fund to stop a ‘race to extinction’! The commitment was made after Opposition Leader Luke Foley promised $150 million to create new national parks including a Great Koala National Park on the north coast — as a nod to the NSW Labor Party’s preference allies the Greens. It's easy to make political promises, throw out spin, and money to environmental problems, but actually have tight laws and policies protecting native vegetation and wildlife is far to holistic and intrinsic for slippery politicians who pander to lobby groups.

End the Populat... (not verified)

Thu, 2015-03-26 08:05

Backward Australia is still in the retro state of Colonialism, of accommodating new settlers and the "nation building" mentality, but on a mature nation. Due to the uniqueness of Australia's history, of settlement since the First Fleet, post war immigration DID bring prosperity and build our nation. We selected people from the UK and Europe, people with similar ideas and standards of living. Now we are bringing in people of the third world, and "diversity" of crimes and cultural collision. It's imagined that this "growth" can be endless, and in a pool of politicians and economists devoid of scope, ideals, intellectual rigour, and basic history/environmental education, they think that the "growth" we enjoyed under the policy of "populate or perish" can persist forever! It's dangerous intellectual denial, and lazy economics to rely on a growing pool of people. It's stealing from future generations, in a finite world. Any questioning of our immigration rate is quarantined under "racism", where as the real problem is much more profound, and complex. It's more about resource depletion, living standards, and economic downfall. While the tail wind of new arrivals buying goods and services, and contributing to taxes, brings in economic benefits, the head wind is the cost of infrastructure - which is not evident immediately. Australia already has an excess of $700 billion infrastructure deficit, and it's calculated that each new person requires at least $200,000 worth of infrastructure. So, they keep adding new people, by default, for more taxes - and so we have an addiction to growth and a cyclic argument that we must continue with our assumed and projected population growth!

Anonymous (not verified)

Wed, 2015-03-25 16:10

Scientists from Harvard University have successfully copied genes from frozen woolly mammoths and pasted them into the genome of an Asian elephant. Using a DNA editing tool called CRISPR, the scientists spliced genes for the mammoths' small ears, subcutaneous fat, and hair length and color into the DNA of elephant skin cells. The tissue cultures represent the first time woolly mammoth genes have been functional since the species went extinct around 4,000 years ago. Woolly Mammoth DNA successfully spliced into Elephant cells The work is part of an effort to bring extinct species back from the dead, a process called “de-extinction”. The recent breakthrough shows that one proposed de-extinction method--which involves splicing genes from extinct animals into the genomes of their living relatives--just might work! Could we bring back the Tasmanian Tiger, the Dodo, and dinosaurs? We have diminishing habitats for our existing, remant wildlife, and bring back some extinct ones that have great territorial needs is playing pure science, without really considering the implications. They are doing it because they "can"! Scientists have long suspected that because elephants and woolly mammoths are related, there was a chance that researchers could use elephants to carry mammoth young to term. There have been a few stumbling blocks that have held up that process though. Woolly mammoths, which as a species died out in the last Ice Age, are genetically similar to Asian elephants. Implanting the hybrids into the wombs of female elephants--is unsavory to animal rights activists as well as geneticists. According to the WWF, human encroachment (is this the PC version of human overpopulation?) and overall habitat loss has severely impacted the Asian elephants numbers to the point where there are now only 25,600 to 32,750 animals left in the world. Even more concerning is that when we look at how the populations are distributed, there are actually less than 10 populations. This leads us to suspect that the elephants are approaching a crisis point in terms of available habitat and overall genetic diversity. In addition, and though steps have been taken to curb this in the past few years, the illegal hunting of elephants for sport, as a matter of local safety, and for ivory, all remain significant problems–and that goes for the African elephants too who face many of these same threats. YouTube: Resurrection Biology: How to Bring Animals Back From Extinction

End the Ponzi scheme (not verified)

Tue, 2015-03-24 13:20

Some Australians who live with mental illness may be about to lose important medical and social support services. The Federal Government funds scores of community-based mental health service providers to the tune of $300 million a year. The suicide rates, the end of life for many people with mental illness is high as it is. These programs are fundamentally about delivering services and programs to some of Australia's most vulnerable and needy people, people who experience mental illness and have sometimes come to rely on these sometimes day-to-day supports - sometimes less frequent support - to manage their daily lives. The groups have written to Prime Minister Tony Abbott seeking urgent action to ensure community-based mental health services have the money they need to continue operating. The groups, including Suicide Prevention Australia, SANE Australia, and the Black Dog Institute, say hundreds of contracts funded by the federal health department are due to end on June 30. There have already been savage cuts to the homeless, and the Abbott government will consider making even more spending cuts in coming months as it deals with the dramatic fall in global oil and gas prices, new Assistant Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says. The political parties are not mentioning it, but high population growth is preventing Australians from having the range of necessary services required for a satisfying and productive life, according to Sustainable Population Australia (SPA). According to Infrastructure Australia, we need to spend $700 billion just to catch up with infrastructure maintenance. Yes, we hear of the need for "infrastructure", and more of it, as if we were a bottomless pit of money and resources. Every additional person entering Australia costs approximately $200,000 in additional infrastructure (Jane O'Sullivan): housing, roads, water, electricity, hospitals and health services, police, education etc, but our economy is failing to produce the "surplus" to service the needs of the community, and the most vulnerable are easy targets for cutbacks.

admin

Tue, 2015-03-24 01:50

The following was posted on 21 March 2015 to a mailing list of activists opposed to the United States sponsored-terrorist proxy war against the Syrian people. That war, which commenced in March 2011, has so far cost the lives of 200,000 Syrians.

Whilst Malcolm Fraser's actions against the elected Labor government of Gough Whitlam in 1975 undoubtedly harmed Australian sovereignty, he should still be given due credit for his outspoken public support for Syria and Russia since March 2004. That support for Syria and Russia flies in the face of the lying narrative fed to us by the mainstream 'news' media and nearly all of the political establishment on both 'sides' of the fence. It is no accident that, whilst they mention his opposition to South African apartheid, support for Aboriginal reconciliation and support for Vietnamese refugees, none of the mainstream media eulogies for Malcolm Fraser have mentioned his support for Syria and Russia, as is noted below. - Ed.

While the news of Malcolm Fraser’s unexpected passing yesterday may have penetrated to the rest of the world, it is unlikely that some key facts about his recent political life will do so, given that they are mostly absent from Australia’s own reporting.

Malcolm Fraser was always a Liberal, but the party that he led in power from 1975 to 1982 has now lost all semblance of liberalism, so much so that Fraser formally left the party in 2009 when the current PM Tony Abbott became leader of the then opposition. He had also become on the left of the Labor party as it also moved to the right, and became an associate of the Greens on some issues, particularly on asylum seekers.

But one of the most significant positions that Malcolm Fraser held was on Australia’s close alliance with the US, which he regarded as both undesirable and dangerous. He made this argument extensively in his last book – ‘Dangerous Allies’ – published last year. The ANZUS treaty which is often cited as a reason for Australia’s ‘obligation’ to fight in America’s wars does in fact only oblige us to come to each other’s aid should one be under attack. Not only is the US not under attack in the many wars it has created since WW2, but it is highly doubtful that the US would come to Australia’s aid if WE were to be attacked – and certainly not if we had not been performing our proper role as the US’ ‘Asian Sheriff’.

It is not simply a matter of Australia becoming involved in US wars in the Middle East, even though that support has ‘punched above our weight’ as well as giving crucial support to the US illegitimate stance in 2003 and now in Ukraine. Malcolm Fraser publicly protested when the previous government under Julia Gillard allowed US marines a base in Northern Australia. This is further to the long-time presence of spy base Pine Gap there, which the US uses for Drone attacks in Afghanistan/Pakistan, and no doubt surveillance further east too.

Gillard, like Rudd, and Howard before him, was a rusted on supporter of both the US and Israel; not only did she speak to the US congress with adoring platitudes, but she ‘stood with Israel’ in 2009 when it was flattening Gaza.

More recently the bond between the Australian government and NATO has been surely strengthened by the Ukraine ‘conflict’, as 40 of the civilians killed when MH17 was shot down were Australian. With Tony Abbott’s stance on Kiev’s atrocity being hand in hand with that of Cameron and Obama, and his ‘outspoken’ and aggressive posturing against Russia and Putin being cheered on by our deluded and sycophantic press machine and public, Australia has proved itself a vital member of NATO in spirit. Not even the Greens have spoken out in support of the rights of East Ukraine, leave alone in support of Putin, thanks to the clever psy-ops of ‘Pussy Riot’ and other Western propaganda trickery.

Equally, when Abbott volunteered to send 300 more troops to fight in Iraq – as ‘trainers plus’ there was hardly a squeak of protest – the US needed us to ‘help’. And if the US extends its ‘operations’ in Syria then Australia will be right behind; it is already a key supporter of the ‘SNC’.

All this is why I found the loss of Malcolm Fraser as a high-profile spokesman against US expansionism and militarism personally quite devastating. Following a memorable meeting with him in June 2013, accompanying Mother Agnes and Susan Dirgham, I had written to him periodically about the deterioration of Australian ‘leadership’ over Syria, and still hoped to hear his critical voice on this and other geopolitical issues; his strong support for cooperative relations with China resisting US dominance being the most significant, and of course the role China is currently playing in assisting Russia against NATO is a key one. It is to be hoped that some others may fill his role now, but I doubt it; while some say the ‘American Alliance question’ is ‘debate we have to have’, there is a persistent silence on the issue.

And the signs are not promising; not only did the government apparently choose to release a controversial report into the treatment of asylum seekers on Nauru yesterday afternoon, so that Fraser’s death would distract media reporting on it, but today there have been marches and celebrations around the country of ‘the end of the Afghanistan operation’ – ‘Australia’s longest war commitment, with 41 soldiers killed’. Forty One. It pains one to imagine the sort of rubbish being talked about ‘their sacrifice’ and what they have brought to the country; the warlord who was chief of Oruzgan province where the Australians were stationed was killed by a suicide bomber in Kabul yesterday – heralding a fierce struggle between tribal factions looking to take over Matiullah Khan’s sizeable ‘heritage’ of control over Opium trade and whatever else.

While some, particularly on the left, who were so angry with Fraser for his role in ‘the Dismissal’ of Gough Whitlam in 1975 that they simply can never acknowledge the immense good that he did in years since, there were many who did hear his message on both humanity and racism, as well as on ‘Australian independence’ and our part in Asia.

Anonymous (not verified)

Mon, 2015-03-23 09:41

Business Council of Australia (BCA) Chief Executive Jennifer Westacott stated that “a well functioning 457 visa programme is essential for bringing temporary skilled migrants to Australia to fill genuine skill shortages. It is critical that the programme has bipartisan and community-wide support..." BCA: Government's response to 457 visa review “The changed English language testing requirements allow greater flexibility while maintaining adequate standards and should be supported. The integrity of the system will also be improved through better enforcement of the requirement to pay market salary rates. This is a bizarre statement, considering our high rates of unemployment, and peak rates of youth unemployment! We hardly have any "genuine skill shortages" in Australia, but an oversupply of labour! How can the community support foreign workers being employed instead of domestic job seekers? The Australian Council of Trade Union (ACTU) secretary Dave Oliver is "deeply concerned" about the use of visas like 457s. "At a time when we've got unemployment in this country sitting (at) 6 per cent, youth unemployment at 14 per cent and we've got a Government that is trying to loosen requirements for bringing temporary workers from overseas," Mr Oliver said. TAFE enrolments have plummeted in Victoria, with government-subsidised places falling by 33 per cent over the past year. The former Napthine government cut TAFE and training funding by $1.2 billion which meant less teachers, less courses and less services for disadvantaged students. Ironically, the growth frenzy failed to produce enough revenues to train young people, produced by housing an property growth. Why bother training our own youth while it's increasingly easier, and cheaper, to import labour from overseas? No wonder our welfare budget is blowing out, and Newstart is under threat! State governments in Victoria, NSW and Queensland have made savage cuts to their TAFE institutes, but contradictorily we have "skill shortages"? Any genuine skills shortages are politically manufactured, due to lack of support for training and education, and an economic growth model despite a diminishing pool of jobs. "We believe labour market testing when it comes to 457s is costly, and it's ineffective and it doesn't achieve much," Chief executive of the Australian Industry Group Mr Willox said. We must wonder the priority of our Government, if they bow to these industry groups, and their "reports" that are a slap in the face to our unemployed and over-skilled! Just how "independent" was the review that recommended the abolishing of labour market testing before employing 457 visa holders? It seems that business collectives are able to derive their own "facts", devalue our own human resources, and influence immigration policies for their own vested interests.

Kevin Bain (not verified)

Sun, 2015-03-22 22:17

Matthew, thrilled to see your letter 'self interest rules now' in Frankston Leader this week. My group, Mornington Peninsula Human Rights Group, is in the middle of a campaign in support of Mornington Council's attempt to have some affordable social housing included in the SE Water redevelopment of their property in Kunyung Rd, Mt Eliza. Would love to talk about this - it comes up for review at Morn Council meeting Mon night 23 March. Maybe you can ring me and we can meet? I live in Frankston, would love to have you on board, and send you copy of our submission to council. Kevin Bain Sec. MPHRG mob 0413 427851

Chris (not verified)

Sun, 2015-03-22 06:34

http://www.audit.vic.gov.au/reports_and_publications/latest_reports/2014... The VAGO audit of the Caulfield Racecourse Reserve is damning of both the trustees of the CRR and the (then) Department of the Environment and Primary Industry, the department supposedly responsible for overseeing these old trusts. In the second half of the 19th century the then Victorian government (whatever that looked like) set up many "restricted crown grants" trusts where locals maintained public assets on behalf of the Crown. The CRR is just one of these are there 42 of them remaining across the state of Victoria. Many of these trusts have shifted from a trust arrangement to a committee of management arrangement based on the efforts of Dept staff to make these trusts more transparent and accountable. The old trusts are not obligated to submit any records at all to anyone as back in the day the concepts of transparency and accountability were not connected to the management of public land. They can do whatever they like as the Dept has no mechanisms for controlling these trusts. The 42 remaining old trusts have resisted becoming C's of M for obvious reasons ? self interest not the interest of the public assets they manage. After all, moving to a C of M structure does not alter the core function of any particular trust. The VAGO audit of the CRR has prompted a "review" of the 42 remaining trusts. There is clear historical evidence that the Dept has shied away from "reform" of these trusts. The terms of reference for the review is still being negotiated, I have been informed. If you have any interest in the proper management of public land it would be useful to contact your state member urging that this review actually be reform and that a legislative process be implemented to drag these old trusts into the 21st century.

anon. (not verified)

Sat, 2015-03-21 12:55

Victoria's annual duck hunt poses to the state's small population of brolgas. As Victoria's duck hunting season gets underway, Sean Dooley from BirdLife Australia said about 10 per cent of the state's brolgas were gathering ahead of their breeding season at Bullrush Swamp near Hamilton, in the state's west. These birds are quite grey and they're actually quite difficult to see in the early morning dawn light. The Game Management Authority's chief executive, Greg Hyams, said Krause Swamp near Hamilton will be closed to protect the brolga, which is a threatened bird species in Victoria. There are thought to be only 600 of the officially threatened wading birds remaining in the state. Laurie Levy, from the Coalition Against Duck Shooting, said the decision to allow a duck shooting season this year is "highly irresponsible". Agriculture and Regional Development Minister Jaala Pulford said decisions about the duck hunting season were based on independent advice, bird counts and environmental factors. Just how "independent" would this advice be? The only groups to benefit from duck shooting are the shooters- an increasingly strong lobby group. “Most wetlands in Western Victoria are bone dry and there are few sites for Brolga to gather in the lead up to their breeding season” explained BirdLife’s Conservation Manager, Dr Jenny Lau. Bird numbers are down, so just how can this season be justified? It's pure politics!!!!

BanDuckShooting (not verified)

Fri, 2015-03-20 15:59

Duck hunters and rescuers are gearing up for the opening of the Victorian duck hunting season today. For some inconsistent reason, despite rising crime rates in Victoria, this "sport" is allowed to continue. Duck hunting is brutal and unsustainable, and encourages aggression against gentle waterbirds. These birds are not pests, but part of our ecosystem. Numbers are down, but that doesn't phase our government! Agriculture minister Jaala Pulford to put an end to recreational duck hunting. How does it even fit under the heading of "agriculture" when it's a blood sport? Members of Field and Game Australia recognise the desperate need to take a pro-active approach "to ensure Australia's wetlands continue to be preserved and maintained well in to the future.” In a great piece of irony and satire, they will do this with firearms? RSPCA Victoria says one out of every four waterbirds shot "dies a slow and agonising death". People with guns, killing and maiming our native birds at a time of lower numbers, for entertainment, reeks of corruption and political whimpering to the shooting and hunting lobby! If the FGA want to protect our species and habitats, they should be protecting our native birds, not shooting at them! The best way to cooperate with Nature is through its protection, direct action, and with cameras, not with fire-arms.

admin

Thu, 2015-03-19 01:17

Just now, I attempted to post the following to a discussion on JohnQuiggin.com about Julian Assange. Whilst my previous posts have been published, this post has not so far appeared. I will aslo be publishing the article cited below on the front page.

Thank you for all of the well-reasoned and highly informative posts about the ongoing attempt by the Swedish government to have Julian Assange rot in prison like Chelsea Manning now is. A fairly recent article about the Assange case was posted to the Russian news service SputnikNews 11 hours ago: Swedish Ex-Prosecutor Calls Assange Case 'Disgrace For My Country'

Rolf Hillgren, in his op-ed in Svenska Dagbladet, has called for prosecutor Marianne Nye to be replaced, questioning her judicial impartiality and the sudden decision to interrogate Assange in the Ecuadorian embassy in London after years of insisting that any questioning would have to take place in Sweden

...

Hillegran says the prosecution should have carried out questioning much earlier, and accuses Nye of avoiding interrogation because it would have meant an end to the case.

"The most likely scenario is that she then [in 2012] found reason to discontinue the examination on the grounds that crimes can not be substantiated."

Hillegren then goes on to comment on how the prolongation of the proceedings could, in itself, cause a motivation for bias.

"Is it even possible to imagine that she, after completing interviews with Assange in London, concludes that the investigation should be closed down? What criticism would she suffer? And what criticism would be directed against the Prosecution?"

Concluding that the case "already qualifies as legal scandal," Hillegren says Nye has "disgraced the country."

It seems that finally we can hold out hope that Nye and the whole Swedish Government will be held to account by the Swedish people for their despicable conduct.

admin

Wed, 2015-03-18 23:51

This was posted to johnquiggin.com

People in Victoria might be interested in attending these 2 upcoming fundraisers in Melbourne for the campaign against a broiler farm to be built on the Moolort Plains near here. If it is approved by VCAT and built it would have a capacity of 1.2 million birds at a time, and will have negative environmental and amenity impacts that the community don’t want. Tickets are available through TryBooking

1. Humans, Animals and the Ethical Life
26 March 2015 06:30 PM
Venue: The University of Melbourne
Rai Gaita and Peter Singer in Conversation

2. Nature: Shaped by and Shaping Humanity
8 April 2015 06:15 PM (GMT+11:00)
Venue: The University of Melbourne
Robyn Davidson, Don Watson, John Wolseley & Raimond Gaita

(Hopefully it is okay to mention this since they are fundraisers not commercial)

Dennis K

Wed, 2015-03-18 19:40

I have had quite a bit of personal experience with the political activists I'm referring to. Pilger is not creating their ideology, but anyone, anyone who makes a living producing information produces information for a reason. Those who make a profile for themselves by virtue of simple market economics, are producing something that people want to pay for. Few people want to pay for objective truth, but rather what they want to hear. Therefore, there exists a kind of feedback cycle where those who produce information and 'make it' are those who produce that which people want to consume. I myself am by no means an exception, but I don't make a living. Note, I'm not saying people who make a living or a name producing information set out to mislead, only that there exists a selective bias, a natural selection if you will. There exists the same paranoia with the term "Socialist", which is the exact same issue with the word fascist. To free market capitalists, any objection to laissez-faire capitalism, in their minds, must come from a socialist mindset. Their belief is that Capitalism is the 'natural' state, and only the existence of Socialist ideology results in people rejecting this premise. This is obviously not true. For many on the left, in particular neo-Marxists, the same situation exists. There is a belief that it must be due to a political ideology that people identify with cultural and racial groups, have nations, family ties and compete with other groups. This ideology is more or less "right wing" or "fascist", the lines are blurred. There is no debate with what the US is doing and whether it is supportable or not, but in my opinion, and it is just my opinion, that calling it "Fascism" leads to the supposition that a specific ideology is causing this behaviour, and therefore the problem is solved by attacking those who may hold these ideological tenets. This then leads to people attacking absolutely everyone, to the point where even grassroots local political groups can get attacked. If you want to reduce immigration you might be a racist, and racism is a function of fascism. I probably have overreacted, but I consider choice of words, and how an argument or issue is framed critical. Subtle changes in language and in the manner in which events are portrayed can have a huge impact on the response to them. The media's complicity with the state isn't new, nor an invention of fascism. Institutions have always supported the ruling power since time immemorial. Priests supported the state. Academics support the dominant status quo. Even scientific institutions will go with what the powers that be require. Issues which they don't want discussed are met with silence. Twists and biases are given to stories which support the parties which have power. Putting this to 'fascism' or some collusion is I think a grave mistake, because it then leads to the conclusion that if you defeated fascist ideology for a free and open society this wouldn't happen. I believe that even if you did defeat the ideology, institutions and government would naturally gravitate towards a state where they become one monolithic, despotic power by sheer momentum, natural selection and the mechanics of how institutions work. This is what I believe actually has happened since WWII. Therefore, despite the fact it ostensibly looks like the rise or reemergence of a newish singular ideology (and therefore leads people to think a repeat of the fascism of the 30's), it actually is a recurrence of something which has happened all throughout history. I'll view the documentary. I don't mind Pilgers articles, and he does great work as a journalist, I just believe that accurate diagnosis of what has triggered the current political climate is critical to the changes of success in implementing positive change. 16 years ago I would have agreed with everything he said

Anonymous (not verified)

Wed, 2015-03-18 18:11

Andrew Kelly from the Yarra Riverkeepers Association has joined forces with Environment Justice Australia in an effort to pressure the Victorian Government to act quickly to protect the river and improve its quality. Of course, probably neither organisation have population policies, and accept as "inevitable" the doubling of our city's size by mid century! The groups have co-authored a report showing surface run-off from roads and riverside developments are a leading cause of pollution entering the river, overtaking the historic problem of industrial pollution. Mr Kelly said the conversion of riverside industrial sites to housing developments is pushing the river's health to the brink. Not only this, but converting sites that once added to our productivity and jobs, ends up in a dead end, due to the static natural of housing "developments"! The report, released on Tuesday, also revealed pollution, including sewage run-off, is still flowing into the Yarra despite decades of clean-up efforts. So, clean up efforts are failing to keep up with accelerating impacts from population growth. Mr Kelly said that "the Yarra is facing so many development pressures and its management is so fragmented that efforts to clean it up are at risk." These "development" pressures are thinly disguised population pressures, as the real estate industry has become a major Victorian industry, and needs human fillers to occupy them! "When there's a lot of rain, sewage backs up, and rather than backing up into our toilets it's released into the river," he said. Well, we can't have our "cake" of revenues from housing growth, and at the same time preserve our natural heritage! We may as well concede that the future of the Yarra is bleak, and to become a sewer of pollution and human-caused run-off. It's assumed that our population growth is inevitable, and not socially engineered, and the impacts must be "managed". On the contrary, housing growth is promoting population growth, and the destruction of our city. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-17/yarra-river-risk-overdevelopment-h...

Anonymous (not verified)

Tue, 2015-03-17 08:44

Education Minister Christopher Pyne has warned the Senate that 1700 research jobs will be scrapped if he doesn't get his way on uncapping university fees. We hear of bullying in the work place, but Pyne is now using bullying and threatening tactics towards research scientists to get his own way!

"Deregulate" university fees will mean costs will explode, and be determined by privatization and market forces. It's about "cuts" in fancy clothing.

As an "Education Minister", he is supposed to be supporting the future supply of researchers, professionals and scientists, not threatening their future. He is about dismantling tertiary eduation, not endorsing it!

Pyne is playing dirty politics and gambling with the professional futures of young Australians by telling the ABC the crossbenchers' decision to not deregulate university fees will cost Australian researchers their jobs, because their positions are to be funded by the money that will be saved! "Saved" at what cost? Already university fees are crippling academic studies and the future eduational opportunities of young Australians.

Education, research, scientific advancements, technological innovations and knowledge industries are the backbone of our nation's status as a first world nation, in the 21st century.

Present politicians, most of who enjoyed free tertiary education, or Scholarships from the Commonwealth, are now putting the screws on young people and leaving them in debt for tens of thousands of dollars, making it only the privilege of students with supportive parents, or who can juggle work and study.

Universitities are being deliberately starved so that they rely on a overseas students, whose fees should be subsidising our own education costs, not despite them!

Mr Pyne has failed to win over key crossbenchers despite backing away from a 20 per cent funding cut to universities and dumping a threat to link passage of his legislation to $150 million for scientific research.

The latest news is that Christopher Pyne withdrew his blackmail. See Christopher Pyne splits the bill but merely doubles the defeat in the SMH and Higher Education reforms: Pyne backs down on cuts threat in the Oz (on his occasion not behind a paywall). On this issue at least, the Labor opposition and the Senate cross-benchers should be given due credit. However, the government is still resolved to push ahead with it's education privatisation 'reforms'. It's curious that the Syrian govenment, so demonised by this government and by our newsmedia, provides free education all the way up to tertiary level to all of its citizens. - Ed

Sheila Newman

Tue, 2015-03-17 02:35

Reply to comment
Sat, 2015-03-14 12:48 — Dennis K
What is fascism?

Hi Denis,

You say that you think that the term "fascism" is thrown about too readily. But that is a point that John Pilger makes at the outset, that it is used all the time to a degree that strips it of meaning by powers that are in fact, as he says, creating a sort of 'modern fascism'.

"The recent 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz was a reminder of the great crime of fascism, whose Nazi iconography is embedded in our consciousness. Fascism is preserved as history, as flickering footage of goose-stepping blackshirts, their criminality terrible and clear. Yet in the same liberal societies, whose war-making elites urge us never to forget, the accelerating danger of a modern kind of fascism is suppressed; for it is their fascism."

Continuing this theme, he cites (as Western powers often do) how Hitler started the second world war by invading Europe, and then, for his modern fascism comparison, he argues that the United States also illegally invaded Iraq and ultimately gave rise to ISIS.

What is his definition of fascism? Is it simply to illegally invade a country? To start wars of aggression? To tell big lies by manipulating the press?

"Since 1945, more than a third of the membership of the United Nations - 69 countries - have suffered some or all of the following at the hands of America's modern fascism. They have been invaded, their governments overthrown, their popular movements suppressed, their elections subverted, their people bombed and their economies stripped of all protection, their societies subjected to a crippling siege known as "sanctions". The British historian Mark Curtis estimates the death toll in the millions. In every case, a big lie was deployed."

Of course he does not stop there. He gives a succinct run-down of the major post-WW2 debacles we are currently reaping the confusion of including Yugoslavia, Afghanisatan, Libya, Ukrain. Pilger is a real war correspondent, starting with Vietnam. He actually knows what he is talking about.

I don't think Pilger just wants to 'go after fascists'. I think his point is to go after lies - as a journalist.
I also think that "American Exceptionalism" based on the ideology of manifest destiny is like the Fascism of the 1920's; it is much stronger and runs more deeply than most kinds of nationalism. With regard to racism, after watching reports on the Ferguson riots and recent shootings, and knowing of the huge numbers of people in prison in America, the majority black, and of how the US elite aggressively endorse mass immigration whilst knowing that US blacks - who emerged into emancipation without any wealth to establish themselves with (like Australian aborigines) - remain very disadvantaged with regard to employment, housing, schooling etc. The United States is a country built on slavery on its own shores. This is also true of Europe, but most European countries did not have slaves in the mother-countries, did not enter the fossil-fuel revolution with that malignant demographic.

I was extremely impressed by an hour and a half long documentary Pilger has made about the media's role in war which is relevant to the idea of fascism as state violence and lies. It is about how dependent the media has become on state approved messages. Despite a somewhat cliched first minute or so, if you have seen the footage before, the documentary is actually quite extraordinary for the number of journalists he interviews who admit in front of the camera to towing a line that they knew was untrue. It also has remarkable footage of long-range targets and soldiers discussing their victims. And it is very relevant to today's NATO wars and America's role.

Dennis, you write, "So this I think leads to paralysis, because we misidentify the causes of these actions, and think that somehow going after "fascists" will fix everything. They are paralysed by feelings of ressentiment."

I think this is often true, but I don't think it is true of Pilger - although I used to assume it must be because of his association with the Green Left, which is not a publication that I have much respect for.

I agree that, often, "This is why we aren't making any progress. ... Rather than tackle contemporary issues, activist politics is stuck with the tried and true, and very profitable, but rather static menu of political causes," but I don't agree that that is what John Pilger is doing here. In fact I am going to change the teaser on the article to another statement from the article that more accurately reflects the guts of his message.

But, to repeat, you are mistaken to think that Pilger is engaging in "constant references to events over a generation or two ago, as if nothing since then has meant anything,." He is in fact saying how these kinds of references are misused. In fact, he is implying that they are overused and emptied of meaning, and somehow put people off investigating what is actually happening.

So you and John Pilger seem to agree on this. I suggest you reread the article and that you definitely watch the film. Then maybe let us know what you think again. :-)

admin

Tue, 2015-03-17 01:27

The following were posted to a forum discussion on JohnQuiggin.com:

We should thank Julian Assange for setting up Wikileaks. As Professor Quiggin pointed out, by leaking the intellectual property and environment chapters of the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership), Wikileaks blew the whistle on the TPP scam.

Sadly, today marks the 1,000th day in which Julian Assange has been confined to the Ecuadorian embassy in London. He sought refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy on 19 June 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden to face trumped up charges for rape. Given that, until very recently, the Swedish prosecutor refused Assange's request to be interviewed about the charges inside the Ecuadorian embassy, the rape charges are clearly no more than a ploy to have Assange extradited from 'neutral' Sweden to the United States, where a fate similar to that of Iraq War whistleblower Chelsea Manning, locked away until 2048, awaits him.

Given the the Australian government's complicity in the TPP and its past complicity in the same illegal wars against Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria that Assange and Manning have blown the whistle on, it is hardly surprising that neither Prime Minister Tony Abbott nor Foreign Minister Julie Bishop have had anything to say about this outrageous treatment an Australian citizen by Britain and Sweden.

J-D wrote on March 16th, 2015 at 18:52:

If the US government were pursuing the objective of having Julian Assange extradited to the US, it would have been easier and simpler for them to have made a request for extradition by the UK directly to the US.

In Britain, unlike in Sweden, there is a large anti-war movement, including independent member of the House of Commons, George Galloway. Given that that anti-war movement prevented the United Kingdom joining the United States' planned military aggression against Syria in September 2014, thus preventing the planned invasion of Syria, I could well imagine there would be very serious domestic political repercussions for Prime Minister David Cameron had he attempted to extradite Julian Assange to the United States. Presumably that is one reason why the allegation that Julian Assange had raped two Swedish women in August 2010 was concocted. If he had been parcelled away to a country where fewer people spoke English and there is less public awareness of his case, he could have been far more easily extradited to the United States to face the same sort of 'justice' that Chelsea Manning is now receiving.

J-D continued:

Possibly there is a US plan to seek the extradition of Julian Assange ... but even if there is it is not a plausible explanation of Sweden's extradition request.

'Neutral' Sweden, like much of Eastern Europe, is, in fact clearly acting as an ally of the United States in its planned military aggression against Russia. The Swedish government has every interest in helping the United States to silence Julian Assange and Edward Snowden, who have revealed to the world, much damning evidence about the United States' government.

James Sinnamon

Mon, 2015-03-16 23:35

DennisK,

The above post adds nothing to the discussion. Yet again, you have repeated what you have already posted and, yet again, you have failed to respond to my posts.

Note the contradiction between one sentence and the next:

The application of Marxist ideology led to death and impoverishment pretty much everywhere it was applied (my emphasis).

The very next sentence is:

At BEST ... it resulted in a low grade authoritarian police state, which people still preferred to move away from.

So which of the above do you hold to be true, DennisK? Does communism cause death and impoverishment everywhere it is applied, or does it merely "[result in] in low grade authoritarian police state[s]" presumably like Cuba and Yugoslavia of which you, unlike the Cubans or the Yugoslavs, also disapprove. The Yugoslav government stayed in power until 1999 when it was overthrown by a NATO war of aggression (with the help of Kosovar Islamist terrorists, some of whom are now fighting the Syrian people). The Cuban government has withstood attempts by its far more powerful northern neighbour to overthrow it since the Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961. How do you explain the survival for over 55 years of a government, which by your own logic must be hated by its people?

Until you address my arguments, this debate can't proceed.

Dennis K

Mon, 2015-03-16 20:14

The application of Marxist ideology led to death and impoverishment pretty much everywhere it was applied. At BEST, I repeat, at BEST it resulted in a low grade authoritarian police state, which people still preferred to move away from. In Eastern Europe, Marxism is a joke. Only in the West is this ideology taken seriously. Only here can we seriously believe the propaganda that Putin wants to bring back the Soviet Union. Only in the West are there still academics who think that the only problem was that they were 'too idealistic'. The Nazis had the same arguments for their totalitarianism. They had the same argument that they were under threat from Communism usurpation and threats. ALL tyrants have good arguments. It's precisely because they come up with good arguments that they can seize and maintain power. It's precisely because they can use a crisis to gain power that they get power in the first place. Lenin took advantage of the politics of the time, as anyone seeking power would do. Then they don't let go. The emergency situation becomes permanent, and then applies to everything.

Sheila Newman

Sun, 2015-03-15 21:40

Whitehorse Council is holding an information session on living with possums. Picture: Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife.

POSSUMS are seen as pests by countless Melburnians, but Whitehorse Council wants to show you how to live in harmony with them.

The council will host a living with possums workshop on Monday, March 23, in Blackburn North.

Whitehorse Mayor Andrew Munroe said the session was a great chance for residents to learn how to live with possums without losing their trees.

“This information evening aims to educate residents on how to protect their trees by preventing possums from reaching the tree canopy,” Cr Munroe said.

Cr Munroe said the council had found the increasing possum population was damaging residents’ trees due to overgrazing.

“Possums have adapted very well to the urban environment and as a result of that we need to implement measures to protect our trees without harming the possum population,” he said.

The Department of Environment and Primary Industries will present information on safe possum repellents, issues with possum relocation and the laws around trapping possums.

Blackburn resident Peter Baker will also share information on how he and his family saved a large tree in their backyard from near death through trial and error.

The session will be held at the North Blackburn Community Room, North Blackburn Shopping Centre, 66-104 Springfield Rd, Blackburn North on March 23 from 6.30pm — 7.30pm.

For more details, phone 9262 7671.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/east/learn-to-live-with-possums-at-workshop-in-blackburn-north/story-fngnvlxu-1227261223420

Dennis K

Sun, 2015-03-15 21:24

The assertion being made, which is made very often, is that somehow Fascism today is a continuation, or reemergence of Italian/German Fascism of the 1920's and 1930's. We must remember, that not only where these regimes thoroughly defeated, but that they, in particular Germany, but also all of Europe which was not under Communist control, went through a significant ideological changes, which not only pushed European nations away from the ideals of Fascism, but in fact introduced another form of fanaticism, including fanaticism about race, which is just as fervently pushed and propagandised as the Nazi's pushed their ideals. In short, we've reacted to one form of extremism with another, which still exists today. So if someone is going to be accusing another nation of being Fascist, we have to be very careful with our accusations. I don't believe Pilger was. Throwing out references to Nazis and Hitler which very loose to no connection to the subject, and just saying the USA is Fascist doesn't make it so. The USA still has free elections (sort of), freedom of speech, freedom of movement, freedom to leave, and is open to ethnic minorities to a degree that few of any nations in history have been. Hardly like Hitler's Germany... He says that the belief in American Exceptionalism is like the Fascism of the 1920's, despite the fact that this sentiment has existed in empires since time immemorial. There still is freedom to disseminate information. Murdoch may own a lot of press, but he CAN'T stop you speaking. The USA is still a free country, but with exceptions, and those exceptions are growing. It MAY be moving towards authoritarianism, but to say it is Fascist now is insulting to those who actually lived under Fascism. John Pilger is selling to an audience who have a demand for this type of narrative. This audience unfortunately comprises a large portion of politically active people against the mainstream, and they largely conflate issues because they WAN'T to believe they are fighting Fascists. So they see the conflict and political intrigue and put their own narrative on it. They see the rise of the far right parties in Europe, the loss of democracy and freedom and the increase in surveillance, and foriegn wars and put it in context of the previous war. Because they miss the differences, they then try to apply the wrong solutions to the wrong problems, and go nowhere.

James Sinnamon

Sun, 2015-03-15 02:20

Dennis K wrote on 25/1/15:

If the Russians laughed at Marxism in the beginning, the tragedy could have been avoided.

The First World in which over 15 million, including over 3 million Russians, died, and which drove Russia to revolution in 1917, is not a tragedy?

Dennis K wrote on 1/2/15:

The repression began before Stalin.

The Soviet Union faced, as well as domestic counter-revolutionaries, an invasion of 13 foreign armies at the time. Had the Soviet government not resorted to harsh measures against its enemies a far more terrible bloodbath would have ensued.

Dennis K continued:

Stalin just amplified it.

Perhaps, you should explain yourself more clearly.

Of the 16 members of the 25 members of the 1917 Central committee of the Bolshevik Party (later renamed the "Communist Party") still left alive in 1927 after the civil war and famine, 12 were to be subsequently murdered on Stalin's orders.

How is Stalin's murder of the same people you condemn for acting harshly against domestic counter-revolutionaries just an 'amplification' of those actions?

James Sinnamon

Sun, 2015-03-15 01:09

DennisK wrote,

If the Fascists had won the war, the terminology would be different, no doubt.

I think you need to read a little more history. Try All Hell Let Loose: The World At War, 1939–1945. (2011) by Max Hastings.

If the Nazis had won the war, as well as completing their extermination of the Jews and the Romani, they would have "ethnically cleansed" 25 million people from Eastern Europe and Western Russia in order to create lebensraum for the 'master race'.

The Japanese actions against China and their plans, should they have won the war, were barely less barbaric. Had Australia been conquered, it is not likely that they would have been any kinder to us.

Had the Axis powers won the last war, humanity would have descended into an age of mass extermination and savagery from which we would not have emerged for many decades at least. We should thank the Soviet Union and, even more so, American President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) that they did not.

DennisK wrote,

The political opposition to 'fascism' is keeping the Western world in a state of paralysis and political uselessness.

It seems to me that you need to better inform yourself about current geopolitical issues as well as history. Could I suggest you read articles in our Ukraine section as well as other non-msm sources – Global Research, Voltaire Net, RT, PressTV, Land Destroyer and Paul Craig Roberts?

It's clear to me – and it should be clear to you – that far from being 'paralysed' by the emergence of the anti-Semite neo-nazi regime in Ukraine, the West actually facilitated the coup which brought it to power.

Apart from that, your comment above fails to address anything in John Pilger's article. When you do, we can continue the discussion.

Dennis K

Sat, 2015-03-14 13:48

I think the term "fascism" is thrown about too readily. Used in the pejorative sense, it strips the word of all meaning and is basically then nothing more than a ploy to associate regimes that one doesn't agree with with some universally agreed evil regime. If the Fascists had won the war, the terminology would be different, no doubt. But it is particularly troubling, because Fascism, as a specific political ideology is new (though it borrows heavily from previous ideas), but these events that John Pilger is describing are not. So the issues are then conflated as being caused by some ideology which was implemented in early 20th century Italy, and not the much longer power play between groups and empires and nations, which has been going on since we can record. So this I think leads to paralysis, because we misidentify the causes of these actions, and think that somehow going after "fascists" will fix everything. They are paralysed by feelings of ressentiment. This is why we aren't making any progress. The political opposition to 'fascism' is keeping the Western world in a state of paralysis and political uselessness. In short, they are fighting the war they want to fight, and not the one we need to fight. And as a result, I greatly fear that young people who are made politically active and motivated, will completely and utterly miss the mark, miss the point and miss the opportunity for change, which is precisely what I think is happening. Rather than tackle contemporary issues, activist politics is stuck with the tried and true, and very profitable, but rather static menu of political causes. There are the causes that the Left, as Kelvin Thompson as correctly stated as being a failing movement, is fixated with. One must adapt to change, and the world today, is vastly different to the world nearly 100 years ago, which is where the circumstances which created the political movement Fascism originated. The constant references to events over a generation or two ago, as if nothing since then has meant anything, is to me the sign of a geriatric and ossified society.

EndThePonziScheme (not verified)

Sat, 2015-03-14 13:20

It's naively assumed that the workforce can be increased, and the dependency ratio of taxpayers to those dependant on them, can be swifty manipulated by simply adding more people! In fact, "just add more people" seems to be the default method of addressing any economic challenges we have! The reality is that young people are not acting as dependents, with a high rate of unemployment, especially among youth. We have an over-supply of workers, and skills not being utilized. Schools are being forced to cope with unprecedented social fallouts, rather than fine-tuning careers and promoting educational opportunities. The latest Intergenerational Report (IGR) claims that we have an "ageing population", and we need more workers to sustain their health care and pensions in the future. On the contrary, there is a demographic imbalance of young people who are dependant on families and welfare, who've hit a dead-end in our economy. Rather than an "ageing population" crisis, we should be concerned about the dependency rate of our present young people - and how we'll raise taxes for their welfare into the future. There needs to be economic activities for our human resources to actually labour in, and be productive. All indications are that Australia is not gaining prosperity and wealth by our rapid population growth! Our budgets are failing to provide the surpluses needed for basic services and welfare. All Ponzi schemes need a never-ending supply of new participants, but eventually collapse as the costs of maintaining them eventually dwindle and they are exposed!

anon (not verified)

Fri, 2015-03-13 19:03

By 2050, about five per cent of Australia's population will be over the age of 85. There is a lot of fear being raised about the terrible threat of an ageing population, with an escalation of all these "leaners" being added to our economy! They are being treated as unwanted burdens, and thus each of us in the future will have to work more! Many older people in other societies are treasured and respected, and honoured for their contribution to society and help for families and communities. Now, they are being vilified and blamed for the all our economic woes. The whole Ponzi nature of our economy is winding down, and depends on "new" people - so now we must have bit immigration to dilute their numbers. It's about an irrational fear of ageing and using the older people as a scapegoat for justifying "growth" and further downward spiralling of living conditions in Australia.

quark

Fri, 2015-03-13 12:38

In one of Bernard Salt's public speeches a few years ago under the auspices of one of the councils Salt ridiculed elderly widows alone "rattling around" in their 3 bedroom houses. He strongly urged them to move out and make way for young families as though they no longer had the right to stay put. A friend's mother came home from this meeting, very upset as she really thought that she would have to move house. Old age as with any age or stage of the human life span has its challenges both physical and emotional and there is a loss of power. It requires adjustment and effort to accept changes and to remain happy. The constant undermining of older people and the criticism they get (either overt or implied) in the media for leading their lives as best they can, especially when they are doing something enjoyable like playing sport or traveling, is a very damaging judgement on them. Just as with teenagers adjusting to adulthood and with all the insecurities that this brings, the last thing either age group needs is rubbishing from the media and from mouth pieces of the growth lobby like Bernard Salt.

Sheila Newman

Thu, 2015-03-12 22:23

Karen Hitchcock, see below, sounds like a woman that the population movement would be wise to support by repeating her words, linking to her interviews and promoting her work.

She just interviewed most effectively on the 7.30 Report in Victoria tonight on how she, as a doctor working with the elderly in a major hospital, perceives that the attitude [such as that purveyed by the growth lobby] against the elderly is having a terrible effect on elderly people. She was advocating treating elderly people in a positive way, both practically and ethically. She was a typhoon of fresh air.

She did not say that the way the elderly are discussed involves hate speech but I think it does and I think that that is what the growth lobby exploits and encourages. I have ordered her essay and hope to read and cite more.

https://www.quarterlyessay.com/essay/2015/03/dear-life

"The elderly, the frail are our society. They are our parents and grandparents, our carers and neighbours, and they are every one of us in the not-too-distant future … They are not a growing cost to be managed or a burden to be shifted or a horror to be hidden away, but people whose needs require us to change …"

—Karen Hitchcock , Dear Life

Sheila Newman

Thu, 2015-03-12 22:14

Yes, it is interesting isn't it. It's kind of like the Ignorance Matrix. I also question the child mortality. If the child mortality was much lower than popularly assumed (based mostly on agricultural and displaced and hierarchical populations) then the number of people living, like Da Vinci and Socrates to 71 and Plato to 80, would turn out to be all the higher. Also, with cooperative breeding often meaning that many men and women neither married nor had children, it's quite likely as well that many women did not even risk dying in childbirth (that hoary old life-expectancy reducer) and characteristically lived even longer than the men.

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