Former prime minister Paul Keating - architect of some of the most profound economic reforms in the country's history during the 1980s - has launched a surprise critique of the liberal economic philosophy he once championed, declaring it has "run into a dead end"...
Mr Keating made his remarks in response to a speech delivered by the new leader of the ACTU, Sally McManus, at the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday...Mr Keating's response will surprise many who have seen him as a hitherto staunch defender of open markets, and key force in modernising the Australian economy. He also presided over some of the federal government's earliest privatisations and the floating of the dollar.
His shift in rhetoric will be grist to union attacks on the government and the business community over growing job insecurity and flat-lining wages...
To The Age
So the Turnbull government, like the Abbott government before it, has been unable to return to Australians free speech on race and matters involving ethnicity.
I wonder if supporters of 18C are really aware of the intense ongoing attack on free speech that is happening around the world and which threatens to further limit debate here. Just two examples. The first is the currently showing film 'Denial' which is a political attack on British historian David Irving designed to stifle interest in his vast range of writings. 'Denial' visually distorts the truth by casting a screen goddess to play the very ordinary-looking Deborah Lipstadt and making a troll out of a male actor in order to show Irving as an inhuman ogre. That is only where the misrepresentation begins.
Second example: the London School of Economics where efforts are being made to censor American professor Richard Falk and Jewish writer Gilad Atzmon because of their defences of the Palestinians and negative assessments of Jewish activities. "Known fascists shouldn't be allowed on campus,' one Jewish activist stated.
The protection of free debate on momentous political and religious controversies is far more necessary for human welfare than Nanny-state laws to prevent hurt feelings.
NJ, Belgrave, Vic
To The Australian
Despite the federal government's failure to get its partial reform of the Racial Discrimination Act fully accepted by the Senate, political and religious censorship continues to be 'on the nose' in Australia. It is good that, recognising this, the government plans 'to keep the full reform plan as policy' so as to be able to deal quickly with future cases seriously threatening free and fair speech ('Brandis set to pull back on 18C', 30/3).
The government must also maintain a strong public stance in favour of free speech and make this a major aspect of its next election campaign; and free speech supporters, generally, should 'maintain their rage' loudly and noisily.
A careful study of the handling of the controversy in 'The Australian' (against 18C) and in Melbourne's 'The Age' (for 18C) suggests that the case for complete repeal has intellectually won the day. Some of the major arguments against 18C were largely or wholly ignored by its supporters and the repeated misrepresentation of free speech advocates as 'racists' was deplorable. Temporarily a combination of idealistic fanaticism and pandering to minorities for electoral advantage has won the day.
NJ, Belgrave, Vic
Gun owners may not be aware, but major changes are at foot. The thing to be aware of, and get active about quickly is the National Firearms Agreement: https://www.ag.gov.au/CrimeAndCorruption/Firearms/Documents/2017-national-firearms-agreement.pdf. If the name sounds familiar, then think back to the 1996 version of this, which devastated gun ownership in Australia, the responsibility of John Howard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Firearms_Agreement.
Those power groups supporting the changes are opposed to people being able to use a firearm for self-defence: https://ama.com.au/position-statement/firearms-2017. Basic rights which people in the past had will be gone.
Immigration and multiculturalism, we are told in a never-ending bombast of propaganda, enrich our culture. That means, at a minimum that this is a positive thing. Isn’t that so as a point of logic?
As another point of logic, does it not follow that there can therefore be negative aspects of immigration and multiculturalism? How could it be otherwise because if there are positive benefits, this opens up the possibility of negative ones as well. But, as we all know, the negative effects are ignored by the new class because they are, “inconvenient truths.”
We do not ignore them, and offer the photograph of “Linda,” a European victim of migrant crime, as something to consider: http://www.vdare.com/letters/a-reader-asks-about-the-fate-of-a-swedish-victim-of-immigrant-rape.
Italy has been complaining that if members of the EU, such as Hungary or Slovakia build walls to ensure border protection, then Italy will withhold it funding to the EU budget: https://www.rt.com/news/364227-italy-eu-migrants-money/. Ordinary Italians are battling migrants, as seen in the village of Gorino, where local residents barricaded entrances to the town. This led to the Italian government relocating the latest flood of migrants.
Italy should be building a migrant-proof fence, rather than just funnelling the migrants onto northern Europe. The ocean could be wired off with nets, like those used to hold back sharks, and the Italian navy could tow migrant vessels away, or just not let them land. Instead, the Italian navy brings the migrants in: http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/02/03/coastguard-brings-1700-migrants-italy-24-hours/; http://www.breitbart.com/london/2016/09/06/italy-brings-ashore-nearly-3000-african-migrants-day/; http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/751179/Italy-migrant-crisis-record-number-refugees-asylum-seekers-2016-Mediterranean-Libya-Egypt. It is effectively a migration agency!
Here is what the global financial tyranny has in store as punishment for the people failing to follow their globalist agenda: http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/these-haunting-photos-of-the-retail-apocalypse-reveal-a-new-normal-in-america/ss-BByFpjX?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=spartandhp.
The news is from the United States, but it is important for us to keep an eye on trends there which soon will sweep to our shores. A third of all US shopping malls are projected to close in 2017. “Space Available” signs are appearing all over America, like poison toadstools: http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/a-third-of-all-u-s-shopping-malls-are-projected-to-close-as-space-available-signs-go-up-all-over-america.
According to a recent article (The Australian, March 27, 2017, p. 6), Nick Xenophon says that the wording of section 18 C is “non-negotiable.” The NXT are opposed to reform of section 18 C, but support an overhaul of the Human Rights Commission.
Already, there is a movement to water down changes to see if the NXT allow it through. Why does a so-called pragmatic group suddenly have such a strong position, which is beyond negotiation? Say it again Pauline, “please explain.”
I was as alarmed, as no doubt as you were, to read that US General Vincent K. Brooks, told foreign Minister Julie Bishop last month, that North Korea’s Unha-3 missile is now capable of lopping a nuclear bomb on Australia. The Australian, March 27, 2017, p. 1. It is nice that the Americans tell us such things, because this was apparently the first time that the Minister had heard this, indicating that our security spooks, are just not in the international loop.
How might this all be played out? I have bad news for Australia. Under one of my strategic scenarios, manic Kim Jong-un may decide to drop a nuke on Australia rather than America to show that he means business. We all know it; in world terms, we mean little and could very well be made to take one for the team.
Every day some green energy promoter or a battery salesman tells us how green energy with battery backup will supply Australia’s future electricity needs.
A battery stores energy. Energy can be stored using lead-acid, nickel/cadmium, lithium, molten salt, pumped hydro, hydrogen, flywheels, compressed air or some other smart gizmo. But NOT ONE battery produces new energy – they simply store and discharge energy produced by other means. They all deliver less energy than they consume. Moreover, to manufacture, charge, use and dispose of batteries consumes energy and resources.
The idea of producing reliable grid power from intermittent green energy backed up by batteries looks possible in green doodle-diagrams, but would be absurdly inefficient and expensive.
To The Australian
Peter Waterhouse rightly warns against ‘an endarkenment of cultural common sense’ in today’s Australia (28/3) and calls for ‘public leaders who can speak a grounding prophetic word’ to us. What would such leaders say?
They would begin by calling for a rediscovery of the sacred - of metaphysical truth and its nature as the indispensable basis for any programme of political action that is truly ethical. This in 2017 requires a far-reaching reappraisal of our Christian tradition and a readjustment of its theological doctrines more drastic than the Reformation of the 15th and 16th centuries.
Secondly, such leaders would emphasise that social restoration can only occur if sufficient ordinary people base their lives on genuine truth-seeking and unselfishness. The current consumerist ethos and leftist fanaticism are equally incompatible with this ideal.
NJ, Belgrave, Vic
To The Age
The Fairfax Ipsos Poll on section 18C (‘Most oppose PM’s weaker race-hate law’, 28/3) was too simplistic to be useful. How many of the respondents (a mere 1400 out of our millions) were adequately informed on the various ramifications of the proposed changes?
One can admire Australian of the Year finalist Deng Adut for achieving professional success here after starting as a refugee, but at the same time doubt his impartiality on this issue because of his background.
NJ, Belgrave, Vic
Attacks on Jewish cemeteries were, according to reports, not due to crazed white nationalists: http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2017/03/05/toppled-headstones-midwood/: “The NYPD says after consultation with the management of the Washington Cemetery in Brooklyn, it was determined the 42 tombstones came down as a result of a number of factors. Those include long-term neglect or lack of maintenance, as well as environmental factors such as soil erosion.”
Here is a bit of older news: “Man Arrested for Jewish Center Bomb Threat is Black, Anti-Trump, Communist”: http://www.patdollard.com/man-arrested-for-jewish-center-bomb-threats-is-black-anti-trump-communist/.
No, I am not making this all up. Again, the horrible Alt Right Nazi thugs did not do it.
On the subject of “whodunit,” it looks like Don Trump was not insane and deserving of impeachment on the grounds of insanity and not doing exactly what the global conspiracy wants: Obama may have tapped his phone, or as they put it “Trump’s personal communications may have been collected’: http://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/22/politics/devin-nunes-trump-communications/.
However, the real issue is not whether this happened in the past, but whether the shadow government is still doing this. After all, no matter what evidence is dropped in Trump’s lap, he is impotent to act against his supposed enemies, and always takes it on the chin. So much for all the “god emperor” memes put out by enthusiastic lads on the net, searching for a father figure: http://www.jack-donovan.com/axis/2016/07/no-one-will-ever-make-america-great-again/.
The Australian papers have spilt much ink pushing the line that the London terrorist attack was an attack on the west, as The Australian put it on page one, splashed right across the paper, “Attack on Democracy.” The Australian, March 24, 2017, p. 1 While I was going to comment on some of the numerous articles published on that day on that theme, upon reflection, it is probably a waste of our space.
It is utterly obvious that an attack at Westminster is an attack on Western civilisation, but also all of the other terrorist attacks, and the mass rapes of White British children at Rotherham (covered up for years by the Establishment: http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/697583/Rotherham-abuse-scandal-child-grooming-gangs-industrial-scale-victims-CSE; http://www.theoccidentalobserver.net/2016/03/the-riddle-of-rotherham-mad-ash-white-trash-and-the-hostile-elite/) and mass immigration in general.
Once upon a time, I was Len the Cleaner, someone who knows all there was to know about rubbish bins. Someone who people showed respect to, by directly spitting in my face, not ignoring me. I was important enough to be abused.
Then my luxurious position was replaced by Asians. After that I developed, not a racial hatred for Asians, because I love the entire human race, but a hatred of bins. Yes bins. I blamed innate plastic for my downfall, and people thought that I was insane. And, I was, or indeed, am. But, that does not mean that I am necessarily wrong, for even the mad can be right about some things.
Consider: https://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/councils-are-rolling-out-wheelie-bins-bugged-rfid-/3159192/, and say that I am crazy for my phobia about bins. The article says, in sparkling prose:
Here is Angel Merkel’s latest award. It is best to view the comments on this at Jewish social critic Pamela Geller’s site, given how terribly nervous I am, at times quivering in my Ugg boots. And, her comments sound a lot like what many of the stronger writers at this site say: http://pamelageller.com/2017/03/us-holocaust-museum-award-angela-merkel-top-honor-named-elie-wiesel.html/. You be the judge.
Talk about a “cold war alert” – China’s premier Li Keqiang, has warned Australia not to take sides in what is emerging as a new Cold War. The Australian, March 24, 2017, p. 1. As I have written before, Australia’s Asianising elite want Australia to move away from the US alliance, especially since the election of Trump. They do not explicitly put it this crudely, but they want Australia to be a part of the emerging Chinese empire, and no doubt hope that they will be richly rewarded for their good work, for above all else, our elite love money and power. In any case, trade with China is worth $ 150 billion a year, and trade with the US, only $69 billion, and bottom-line economics dominates a country ruled by bottom feeders.
The writing is on the wall that Australia is defecting from the West, and will merge with China. That means that if there is a US/China war – and this is always one possible result of a Cold War, a hot, shooting war – Australia will be a legitimate target for US attack if it feels Australia is aiding the Chinese war effort, even by flogging off its minerals and keeping the Chinese war machine going. Thus, Canberra, Brisbane, maybe Perth, Sydney and Melbourne might disappear in about three minutes in any battle, and it will be game over for this nation. Adelaide, Hobart and Darwin probably would not be worth a missile.
Even if I die in a nuclear or conventional weapon holocaust, in Melbourne, I will not blame the Americans – at least if I have a moment of reflection before dying; otherwise I will just die.
How has it come to this?
Today, digitally-literate children are growing up not knowing how to hold a pen correctly or even with the hand strength to hold a pen for any length of time: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-03/touch-screens-impacting-on-kids-writing-skills-therapist-says/7683054. This means that they will be unable to cope with exams. While many hope that kids could simply use laptops, this would make cheating-checking impossible for scrutiny in exam conditions, because the very purpose of an exam is to do work which can be scrutinised by those retired folk who like to throw their weight around.
Not to worry though, the economy will be fine because there is an infinite sea of migrants only too happy to come in and replace your children. Ask folk like so-called nationalist Jared Taylor: the migrants probably have higher IQs too, so they deserve the jobs in a libertarian free market meritocracy: https://www.amren.com/commentary/2012/07/those-unmentionable-asians/. And don’t complain: that’s racist, racist, more racist.
Am I joking? Australian big business has jumped onto the Social Justice Warrior wagon big time, first embracing the same-sex marriage campaign, and now the great diversity push: The Weekend Australian, March 25-26, 2017, pp, 1, 8.
The latest turn in the section 18 C debate has come from the leak that the Labor Party is keen to pursue a unified discrimination package, as was tried under Gillard. You may recall that this proposal, which explicitly involved reversal of the onus of proof, was attacked solidly by even establishment legal figures. Gillard backed down, but her champions remained in the party, ever keen to push this proposal.
The attempt to consolidate the five anti-discrimination packages will result in section 18 C style challenges on disability, gender, and who knows how many other politically correct attributes. The Gillard laws had a whole shopping list of 18 qualities, such as pregnancy, breastfeeding, sexual orientation, political opinion, nationality, citizenship, religion, gender identity, immigrant status, family responsibilities, and I cannot remember the rest. What a list! Imagine the lawsuits!
