Major General Greg Melick, a member of the Australian War Memorial Council, would be in a very interesting position in any public company committed to best practice corporate governance principles.
Melick is RSL President and a vocal opponent of any representation of the Frontier Wars in the Australian War Memorial. Only people who served in uniform should be honoured at the AWM he argues thereby allegedly ruling out Indigenous warriors.
Ten years ago Anthony King and Ivor Crewe published their book – The Blunders of Our Governments.
They ranged over the Millennium Dome; the 20 billion pounds wasted on a failed scheme to upgrade London’s Underground; punishing tens of thousands of single mothers into poverty; massive IT disaster’s such as the Blair Government’s NHS scheme; and an Assets Recovery scheme to claw back proceeds from organised crime which cost more to run than it raised.
One of the perplexing philosophical questions is what do the current generation of people owe to future generations?
Since 1945 the two existential versions of this question have been controlling the risk of nuclear annihilation and combatting climate change.
Yet there are many non-existential versions of the question. For instance, while no one would associate the City of Port Phillip with the risk of nuclear war it is arguable that its role in combating climate change is significant. Equally its role in planning for the security, amenity and lifestyle of future generations is also significant.
Kew Gardens personify much which is great about England. But, as the blog discovered on a recent garden tour, it is also a microcosm of some of the problems England faces.
Kew is exemplified by superb planting, massive trees, exotic plants, world class scientific research, young school students rushing from place to place to place to research assignments, colourful Indian wedding parties and amazing vistas.
Rewards for political grandstanding
An April 2023 article in PNAS looks at whether there are any rewards in political grandstanding. It’s based on analysis of US legislators and whether grandstanding designed to gain electoral rewards works or not.
Grandstanding usually takes the form of avoiding policy and focussing on political and symbolic statements in speeches. Increasing polarisation accentuates this behaviour. It is designed to shore up support and win votes…and guess what – it does.
The blog is taking a break. In the meantime some odds and sods. More tomorrow.
Business, the Voice and Dutton
There was some good news for the Voice Yes campaign when another of Australia’s most unpopular and distrusted political leaders, Tony Abbott – joined Peter Dutton in the No campaign.
Dutton has also got cross with the business community suggesting they should stay out of politics except for donating to the Liberals, campaigning against resources taxes and crying that they would all be rooned if workers got a living age.
The blog is taking a break and will be back in June. Meanwhile over the next few days it will publish some odds and sods of material collected over recent times.
The state of contemporary journalism
These days much media coverage of most issues is skewed by Pavlovian responses.
You get some of the detail, little of the context and a false sense of balance when the rational is contrasted with the ridiculous.
The French Government’s Research Minister, Silvie Retailleau, has announced a plan to shake up the country’s scientific research including investing an extra Euro26 billion (equivalent to A$42.5 billion.)
It is in stark contrast to the Australian situation where we spend $11.9 billion on research. To put that in perspective the French spend 2.3 % of GDP on science while in Australia it is 0.6%.
What would Australians, and much of the world, say if the Albanese Government arrested Peter Dutton and locked him up?
Well, that’s exactly the sort of political event which has just happened in what is supposedly one of our closest allies and the country called the world’s biggest democracy – India.
Australian Governments are always finding new ways to give new medals and new forms of recognition to veterans.
Some of them are welcome; some are essential such as DVA Gold Cards which allow veterans to access free health care at a time when their health needs are greatest; and some of them are more about trying to demonstrate that they care about and honour veterans than anything else.