Media, MPs, marketers and assorted other pundits are constantly telling us about what Australians think.
They puzzle over data and find significance in a 1% or 2 % shift in a survey in a way which would have statisticians shaking their heads.
Yet there is a source which would help clear the fog and replace it with some robust data.
There are possibly millions of people around the world today cheering former Vice President, Dick Cheney.
The man who sexed up the non-existent weapons of mass destruction; launched massive unrest and violence in the Middle East; and was probably the power behind the throne in the Bush White House has come out with a devastating condemnation of Donald Trump.
Peter Dutton is heading down a political path – belligerent and scare-mongering – which many other political leaders around the world are following.
His problem, like his counterparts around the world, is that it is having a significant impact on how women around the world vote and opening up a significant gender gap in voting behaviour.
In a week Victoria will once again foot the bill for an event- the grand prix – which has been promoted by successive governments despite the huge costs it inflicts on taxpayers. All justified by economic benefit claims which are massively exaggerated.
Peter and Joan Logan have been indefatigable campaigners against the event – exposing year after year the Grand Prix and Government’s transparently dodgy claims. Their latest expose has recently been published in Pearls and Irritations and is reproduced with permission.
The Liberal Party Deputy Leader, Sussan Ley, is a woman of strong and forthright views. Sadly, they don’t always seem to be well-considered, coherent or even close to being rational.
For instance, immediately after Albanese announced he would re-jig the Stage Three tax cuts she announced an incoming Liberal Government would repeal his changes.
If you go to court in the US on any issues to do with abortion or IVF you might end up confronting a judge who decides your case on his personal theocratic beliefs or one who relies on dodgy science.
Recently the Alabama chief justice, Tom Parker, who ruled that embryos are ‘extrauterine children’, gave a clear example of the theocratic foundation of his thinking when he said: “The people of Alabama have declared the public policy of this State to be that unborn human life is sacred. We believe that each human being, from the moment of conception, is made in the image of God, created by Him to reflect His likeness … [they] have required us to treat every human being in accordance with the fear of a holy God who made them in his image.”
When Twiggy Forrest, Private Eye, The Financial Times and Bloomberg all describe why nuclear power is not the answer you have to wonder why Peter Dutton can’t hear the message.
Why Dutton doesn’t was nailed by Forrest at a recent National Press Club address where he said: “If you think that nuclear came out of nowhere, no, it didn’t. It’s been pushed by the fossil fuel sector as a great way to delay the whole country for 20 years from switching over to fossil fuels forever.
Despite the belief of many Americans – and endless US propaganda – the US has never been a full democracy.
Putting aside the obvious fact that until the 1960s African Americans were disenfranchised, and murdered for campaigning for civil rights, America did make some progress from the 1960s onwards.
As sure as night follows day business leaders and media warn of the cataclysmic consequences of workers getting paid more, going on strike or even wanting to avoid being called at 2am over something which could have been left until after breakfast at least but occurred to the boss when he/she was in a hotel room in another time zone.
Reading the latest Scanlon Foundation social cohesion report makes you aware that there are two quite distinct images of Australia.
One – totally dark and doom laden – is depicted in the mass and social media and the other – clear-eyed about both serious problems and opportunities – is depicted in the 2023 Scanlon Foundation annual Mapping Social Cohesion report.