What US Nobel Prize wins suggest for Australia’s future

For decades the US has dominated scientific research and discovery as a significant proxy measure of success – Nobel Prizes – indicates. But the situation is changing partly because other nations are catching up and partly because of changing political attitudes to science.

According to various polls barely 50% of Americans are supportive of scientific endeavours – and the doubters include many elected officials such as the many Republican climate denialists. read more

What do Age readers think?

There is a 1960s film – which sadly Google can’t seem to help find its title – which features a discussion between an FBI informant and an activist driving the truck they are both in.

With the degree of subtlety you would expect from an FBI informant he interrogates the driver about his readership of the New York Times. Back in the Hoover days that was probably enough to get you on an FBI list. read more

A guest blogger on the Australian War Memorial Council cosy club

David Stephens, the author of this post, is the founder of the Honest History website and the inspiration behind the Defending Country Memorial Project.  This article was published recently on the Defending Country Memorial website and is re-published by permission.

The Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Matt Keogh, should refresh the Council of the Australian War Memorial, which at present looks like a cosy club of well-connected conservatives and ex-military types. read more

A kick in the backside for Howard and Abbott?

Now what on earth will those staunch monarchists and climate denialists – John Howard and Tony Abbott – say about their new king, Charles III, and his very strongly held environmental views?

Charles may or may not be terribly bright (well smarter than his brother anyway) and rather pompous but that tends to go with the job. He has the requisite royal small talk – have you come far etc etc – but to the discomfort of UK PM, Rishi Sunak, he also has strong opinions on the environment at a time when Sunak is desperately trying to hold on to power by reversing his previous support for climate action and other environmental policies. read more

I wonder about our commemorations

Keen readers know how it works. You are in a bookshop. You see something you would like to read. You have a quick look at the introduction. Then you buy it, take it home and put it on a shelf in your library.

There it sits until…..

In this case the ‘until’ was the launch of the Defending Country Memorial Project which grew out of David Stephens long-running campaign to ensure the Frontier Wars were represented in the Australian War Memorial. read more

Evidence of rationality on US climate policy

Given the daily diet of extremism and irrationality demonstrated in US politics it is re-assuring to see research that, on the issue of global warming at least, the majority of Americans understand the problems and are supportive of action.

The latest report from the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication and the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication shows that 57% of US registered voters would prefer to vote for a candidate who supports action on global warning. read more