While the Murdoch media – and most of the pontificators writing op eds for the rest of our news outlets – are having conniptions about whether and when Albanese might get a meeting with Trump is all happening at a time when the Australian public have little trust in the US and even less in Donald Trump. read more

The massive almost universal support nations have provided Israel since the Hamas attacks is eroding around the world and new research indicates that most people surveyed over 24 countries now have negative views of Israel and Netanyahu.

The Pew Research Center (3/6) found that in 20 of the 24 countries surveyed around half of adults or more have an unfavourable view of Israel. read more

It’s early days on what the world thinks of Trump and his war on Iran and then his ceasefire agreement – although as would be expected Israel and Australia have leapt to say they agree with it.

Trump is probably hoping this will be enough to ensure his long-yearned for Nobel Peace Prize but the judges will probably wait a little while given his unpredictability and whether the ceasefire is real and enduring. read more

Donald Trump is definitely exceptional – so exceptional that he is now the most unpopular President in the history of Presidential polling.

When asked in a Quinnipiac poll if they approved or disapproved of the way Trump was handling his job as President, a majority (52%) said they disapproved while just 38% approved and 8% said they didn’t know. read more

For some time I’ve been contemplating writing something on whether Trump was a fascist or not. Part of the problem is that fascist has become such an over-used term of abuse that it has become almost meaningless. But a group of Nobel Prize winners and scholars of fascism have produced a joint letter about Trump’s fascist threat to the US. They single out for comparison with Trump not Hitler but Mussolini. Mussolini is a good comparison in one way because Trump’s posture is very reminiscent of Mussolini – particularly the way Trump holds his head. Compare photos of both of them and the similarity is striking. Trump will not end hanged upside down by partisans as Mussolini was but history will probably judge him as being a fascist and wannabe dictator.  This is what they said. read more

Jacqui Lambie is no Cameron Diaz but the title of one of Diaz’s most loved films, There’s Something about Mary, might be a useful way of thinking about her. There is, after all, definitely something about Jacqui.

The political parties she’s been a member of include the Liberal Party and The Palmer United Party. She worked for Tamanian Labor Senator Nick Sherry; had to resign over the dual citizenship problem which caught many MPs and Senators; and, has been most recently narrowly elected Tasmanian Senator for the Jacqui Lambie Network. The last after a very tight race. read more

Class is a word used in many, many contexts and with many, many meanings – from social stratification to categorisation of many things. The phrase – a class of their own signifies this expansion of meaning.

In Britain from time immemorial to today it has has a mainly social application dating back from when the aristocracy placed themselves above all the other classes – exemplified by the creation of the House of Lords. The fact that some of those who have sat in the Lords over the centuries were descended from thugs, marauders and murderers was irrelevant. read more

Australia has an historic opportunity to expand its scientific research and reap significant benefits.

Sadly, while the Albanese Government is celebrating the acquisition of a controversial former Greens Senator and even compromising its timid superannuation change, much of the rest of the world is gearing up to attract US scientists being deprived of funding by the Trump Government. read more

Profound changes in both public and elite opinion are often slow to occur but – once they start – they can shift dramatically and quickly

That’s what appears to be happening with attitudes to Israel, the Gaza War and Netanyahu.

It should be emphasised, however, that since the war began there have been many anti-Semitic outrages (including murders in the US) throughout the world and in Australia which shaped the narrative about the war. Equally it should be said that some Jewish groups have weaponised accusations of anti-Semitism against those who have been critical of Israel’s prosecution of the war by equating any criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism. read more

The Financial Times has reported that Macquarie (also known in Britain as the Vampire Kangaroo) has told investors it was “very proud’ of its record as the owner of Thames Water – the company it sold seven years ago.

Well, it was no doubt proud of the money they made out of it – 2.7 billion pounds in dividends to Macquarie and offshore pension funds. Today the latest Thames Water owners are close to insolvency and are seeking a Government bail out with a 3 billion pound loan. But the new owners want to preserve the Macquarie culture by spending part of the bail out money on hundreds of thousands of pounds in bonuses. read more