Imagine for a moment what would happen if an Australian politician had said about our veterans what Donald Trump had said about US veterans. To borrow an American colloquial political comment – they wouldn’t get elected as a dog-catcher.

Trump’s most astonishing comment about military service came when he awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to the widow of the late Sheldon Adelson, Miriam. “That’s the highest award you can get as a civilian, it’s the equivalent of the Congressional Medal of Honor”, he said. read more

It is sometimes difficult to believe that the US is not headed irretrievably towards a new civil war. But a host of recent research suggests that among the massive problems and sheer insanity of many of its citizens – let alone that of one of the Presidential candidates – the situation is much more complex. read more

Australia has come up with some absolute shockers when advertising agencies have been tasked with promoting the country around the world.

Laura Bingle’s “Where the Bloody Hell are you?” (thank you Scott Morrison) was one of the worst but “put a shrimp on the barbie’ with Paul Hogan was not much better. read more

What’s the point of the Albanese Government? You might argue that at least it’s not a Morrison or Dutton Government but when it comes to achievements, crafting a cohesive narrative and acting on the many urgent national needs Australia faces there is not much evidence that it is capable of dealing with them and much evidence that it is timid and fatally risk adverse. read more

The latest Reuters Institute and University of Oxford report on media in Australia and the world has been published – and it’s bad news for almost all the media – and to some extent the reading public.

In a comment on the Australian part of the report Sora Park of the University of Canberra said: “it is a critical time when audiences are in need of quality news, yet the news ecosystem continues to shrink. Australia now has 29 local government areas with no local news publishers, TV or radio servicing the local community. read more

A friend, after reading the most recent blog about US politics, sent me some quotes which he thought were apposite for the current Trump situation. 

The first was a quote from a great US journalist and the other a moment from a Leoncavallo opera. 

HL Menken: “As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day, the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.” (Written 1956; proven 2016, reinforced 2024.)   Ho hum. read more

There are moments when events in the US generate a deep visceral response and prompt conspiratorial thoughts and deep questions.

The attempted Trump assassination is one. For instance, did you briefly think it was a pity the assassin had missed? Did you wonder if the whole thing was set up to make him a martyr? read more

One oft-proven way to make money is to pick up a few gems among a pile of discarded mining rubble.

In the case of the UK, an investment fund is offering a similar opportunity – this time to pick up some profits from investing in a few companies in the disaster that is the English water industry.

Since its privatisation the industry has avoided investing in infrastructure; pumped pollution on to beaches and into rivers and streams; sucked out huge dividends; and, saddled water companies with huge debts. read more

It’s not known if Peter Dutton reads The Economist but if he does, he must probably think from time to time that it is sometimes dangerously left wing.

In the 22 June issue it had a special essay on solar power – headlined ‘The Sun Machine’. The sub-head was “An energy source which gets cheaper the more you use it marks a turning-point in industrial history’. read more

This is something that is almost certainly not going to happen – but  wouldn’t it be great if it did? Although a lot of people in the US are talking about it.

Instead of Biden battling on why not persuade him step down for ‘health reasons’ and be replaced by the Vice President. read more