Andrew Klavan has received massive flack for claiming that TV shows like The Witcher, which has woman fighting and defeating men, and he rightly claims that women can’t defeat men using heavy medieval weaponry, like broad swords. Of course, he makes the mistake of saying no women can do this, and he gets the weight of the broad sword wrong, but the point remains, that most women would be defeated. What is interesting is that no-one on YouTube defends Klavan, and many sites with men who claim to be experts on blade issues, give the weakest of critiques, some differing little from the standard feminist bs. That would have been common sense not so long ago, but today, even truths like this one, of the physical superiority of men, has to be rejected. The replies go along the lines, that well, there are excellent women fencers, which there are, but fencing is a toy game. And, they argue that skill decides things, as an Olympic woman fencer would defeat a club fencer. So what? We are talking about wearing heavy plate armour, shield and a sword itself probably weighting in at 2 kg at a minimum, not playing with toothpick weapons. Why not put this to the test? That would be good. Anyway, what point is there arguing with the ever politically correct, for as the Rowling’s controversy indicates, even saying that the sexes exist today, is taboo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V56dVFBCQcc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKovHoBV730
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8jGTVSQTLU
The air of Canberra is foul; no, that is a vast understatement, corrected by quantitative data. The air of Canberra, in parts, is 20 times above the hazardous level.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6562383/air-quality-in-parts-of-canberra-20-times-above-hazardous-level/
“By midday on Wednesday, the air quality in Canberra's south reached a level more than 20 times above hazardous and the recorded index rating was higher than the world's most polluted cities. The dense smoke haze engulfed Canberra on Tuesday night from fires burning at the South Coast. Acting chief health officer Dr Paul Dugdale said on New Year's Day the capital experienced the worst air quality conditions since ratings began to be measured 15 years ago. Dr Dugdale said there were a dozen presentations to Canberra Hospital in the 24 hours to noon on Wednesday for smoke-related conditions. "It's a particularly difficult time for people with heart and lung conditions who are sensitive to smoke, our message to them is to follow your doctor's advice, take your medications and if you have got an asthma action plan, put that into effect," he said. All Canberrans were advised to avoid physical activity during the heavy periods of smoke. Emergency services fielded more than 150 calls to triple zero about the smoke and it set off more than 250 automatic smoke alarms across Canberra. ACT fire and rescue chief officer Mark Brown said crews responded to alarms at a range of premises including government buildings and hospitals. "Fire and rescue had to respond methodically to those buildings and investigate and reset all those alarms," he said. "It took a lot of resources and we actually didn't even finish the task until early this morning."”
One would have thought that if there were anything that was free from social constructionism, it would be something brutal like explosions. Black and white stuff; bottom line. But, apparently not:
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/01/05/swedish-govt-accused-of-reclassifying-explosions-to-distort-actual-figures/
“Authorities in Sweden have been accused of mislabelling explosions and bombings and classifying incidents as “damage” in order to distort the true extent of explosions across the country. Swedish Minister of Justice Morgan Johansson took to Twitter on Thursday to state that bombings in the multicultural city of Malmö had decreased by 40 per cent in the last two years despite other statistics showing a large rise in bombings across the country. But according to the alternative news website Samhallsnytt, several explosive incidents in Malmö over 2019 were classified by police as injuries or simply as damage. In January, an explosive that was detonated between two taxis in the city was declared to be “damage,” while in April an explosion at a school was logged as an “injury.” An explosion at a residential building in June was also considered an “injury.” Broadcaster SVT reported that the explosion was not counted on their list of 2019 explosions because the damage caused by the blast was too minor. Some Swedes reacted to Johansson’s Tweet with scepticism, including user Pater Ohman who accused Johansson of selecting a small portion of statistics on purpose rather than addressing the national trend. He said the minister was sweeping the situation “under the carpet.” The accusations of manipulating statistics come only weeks after employees of the Swedish Crime Prevention Council (Brå) claimed they had been pressured by members of management to manipulate crime figures for political reasons. “If results were not liked, then there was censorship, organisation of results, dimming of results, and highlighting other parts of a study that were not as sensitive or could show a positive result,” an employee told researchers at Linköping University.”
Billionaire Michael Bloomberg is not doing to well in the opinion polls, but that does not matter; if the Deep State wants him as prezzie, then voting will not change anything, he will be their boy. And, what a globalist boy he will be:
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/01/07/mike-bloomberg-employers-should-hire-the-best-foreigners-instead-of-americans/
“Investor, CEO, and presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg says he would allow investors and employers to hire the “the best” workers from around the world instead of Americans. “This country needs more immigrants and we should be out looking for immigrants,” Bloomberg told the San Diego Union-Tribune on January 5.: For those who need an oboe player for a symphony, we want the best one. We need a striker for a soccer team, we want to get the best one. We want a farmworker, we want to get the best one. A computer programmer, we want to get the best one. So we should be out looking for more immigrants. The reporter did not ask Bloomberg to define “best.” But for cost-conscious shareholders and executives, “best” is a synonym for ‘cheaper than Americans.’ “If business were able to hire without restrictions from anywhere in the world, pretty much every [American’s] occupation would be foreignized,” said Mark Krikorian, director of the Center for Immigration Studies. He continued: Americans would have to accept dramatically lower earnings, whether they object or not. Not just landscapers and tomato pickers, [because] Indians and Chinese by the millions can do nursing and accounting.
We read about sex slavery occurring overseas, in other Western countries such as Europe, one part of the great replacement. But, it is happening right here in little old Oz too.
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/sa-riverland-backpackers-expected-to-perform-sexual-favours-to-get-enough-work-to-pay-bills/news-story/0b0d62b6c6ddcadf7d16f1746df92d39?type=curated&position=2&overallPos=2&utm_source=AdelaideNow&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=editorial
“Backpackers in the Riverland were expected to perform sexual favours to get enough hours to pay their bills, according to the National Union of Workers. NUW (which has since merged into the United Workers Union) says that last year eight female workers on 417 working holiday visas were trapped in debt bondage. The Taiwanese women’s boss was also their landlord. He was paying them $16 an hour but charging them so much for accommodation, transport, and the internet that they needed more hours to pay. They were expected to “perform sexual favours to get more hours”, according to the union. Often fruitpickers or farm workers in Australia use working hostels or working accommodation. They move to a region and into the accommodation, because the accommodation owner promises them work. This can leave people, particularly those with English as a second language, vulnerable to exploitation and far from help. The union says the eight women were put up in a three-bedroom house owned by the man (a subcontractor). It’s not clear how much money they ended up with each week. He charged them $120 a week rent, $20 a week for the internet, and $25 a week for transport.
Well, feminists should be happy, given that most have good jobs, plenty of food, and a roof over their heads. But, everyone knows that feminists are unhappy, not just professionally:
http://allnewspipeline.com/Feminism_Creating_Miserable_Angry_Perpetually_outraged_Women.php
“One of the most common Googled questions about feminists is "Why are feminists so angry?" According to feminists, the answer to that ranges from denial, "We're not always angry, we are just tired of being oppressed," to justification for the anger saying it is "a legitimate response to the oppression we’ve been subjected to for millennia." As a woman that believes in equality, just as I believe there are very real differences between men and women, which I celebrate, I call BS on both those answers. The first and second wave of feminism did address real oppression, and laws were changed and women obtained true equality, but the feminist movement, rather than celebrating those milestones, moved into another phase, where modern feminist display hatred, intolerance an disdain for men, calling masculinity "toxic." Modern day feminists still believe they are "oppressed" while at the same time, attempt to "oppress" their male counterparts. Their victimhood mentality of thinking they were automatically being oppressed because they were born with a vagina aside, we also note that modern day feminists spend all their time just looking for something to be angry about, are perpetually outraged and end up generally miserable all the time, while trying to make everyone around them just as miserable.”
Recently I have taken to eating a small bowl of blueberries, frozen, with coconut milk on them for dessert. It is delicious, and good for you, too:
https://www.naturalnews.com/2019-12-08-blueberries-reduce-heart-disease-risk.html
“Long considered one of the best superfoods on the planet, blueberries have been found to have another ability up its antioxidant-rich sleeve: the ability to reduce the risk of heart disease. In a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers found that daily consumption of one cup of blueberries for six months improves arterial function and cholesterol levels in adults with metabolic syndrome. The study, conducted by researchers from the U.K. and the U.S., involved 138 overweight and obese adults aged 50 and older. The subjects all had metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that includes high blood pressure, high triglycerides and high blood sugar, and raises the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. For the double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel study, the researchers randomly assigned the subjects into three groups: One group consumed one cup (150 grams) of blueberries daily. Another consumed the equivalent of half-a-cup (75 grams) of blueberries daily, while the last group consumed a placebo. Unsurprisingly, the group that consumed the greater amount of blueberries received the most number of improvements. “Our test showed that 1 cup of blueberries per day for six months generally improved the vascular environment by increasing the responsiveness of arteries to [produce] changes in blood flow, improving the flexibility of systemic arteries, and at the same time, increasing the concentration of good lipids and lipoproteins, like HDL, which removes potentially harmful fats from the bloodstream and arteries,” lead study author Peter Curtis said.”
This one occurred before Christmas, showing the sheer absurdity of modern art.
https://www.zerohedge.com/economics/see-you-after-jail-guys-art-world-stunned-after-man-eats-120000-banana-duct-taped-wall
https://trad-news.blogspot.com/2019/12/a-true-artist-would-have-eaten-duct-tape.html
“On Friday, we reported on the latest bizarre milestone in the "art" world, when a banana duct-taped to a wall sold for $120,000 at that excess-liquidity conclave of ultra-rich and other wannabe poseurs known Art Basel Miami Beach. Worse, a second banana duct-taped to a wall also sold for $120,000. Yet even worse than that, a third banana duct-taped to a wall is expected to sell for $150,000 and so on. Then on Saturday, at around 1:45pm, the art world was shocked when a random man, allegedly a performance artist, ate said duct-taped banana that sold earlier this week for $120,000. New York-based performance artist David Datuna ate the banana early on Saturday afternoon in front of a stunned convention full of "art" lovers most of whom had no idea whether they were witnessing even more "art", of just some clueless rando eating the world's most discussed "art" exhibit, the gallery told the Miami Herald.”
As always, no nutritional advice given, only journalistic reporting of news. And on the anti-vegan front, the champions of red meat are fighting back, big time, with nutritionists saying that given the radical drop in nutritional value of our vegetables, red meat may be necessary, thus adding a new dimension to the debate:
https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/red-meat-vital-part-of-diets-claims-expert/
“A dip in nutrition levels in plants and fish have made it more important than ever to eat red meat for health reasons, a professor of cardiovascular pharmacology has claimed. As more people turn to a meat-free died, and with the increasing popularity of a vegan lifestyle, advocates of red meat will use the UK's biggest farming conference to begin a fightback against veganism. Professor Alice Stanton, who teaches cardiovascular pharmacology at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, will tell the Oxford Farming Conference key nutrients in some fruits, vegetables and grains have dipped by up to 50% over 50 years. The professor is expected to say this is a result of farmers trying to meet demands for cheap foods. “For plant-based foods, there’s been drops in vitamins and key electrolytes by up to 50% over the past 50 years because of the genetic selection for large volume and uniformity of shape and appearance, so the things look good on the shelves. There hasn’t been selection for nutrient content,” she told the Observer newspaper. “Absolutely, we need to address greenhouse gas emissions. But I’m concerned about the dramatic reduction in red meat consumption being regarded as the solution,” she said. Eating red meat in moderation – “twice to four times a week” – was “protective against heart attacks, strokes and cancer”, while nutrients in red meat were vital for children in the first three years of life, she added. “I’m not against vegetarianism or veganism,” Stanton said. “It is possible to have a balanced diet with vegetarianism. It’s a little bit more challenging but still possible with veganism. However, it requires a lot of knowledge and effort, which doesn’t happen in the majority of the population. People don’t have time to invest in getting a really balanced diet through a range of plant-based foods.” The growth of alternative diets saw a drop of around £185 million in sales of red meat in 2019 with figures showing hundreds of thousands of people in the UK gave up meat for Veganuary. According to polls quoted by the Vegan Society, the number of vegans in Britain has quadrupled since 2014, increasing from 150,000 to 600,000.”
Don’t despair Peter West, and our other Catholic readers, there are still some high-ranking Catholics who are standing their grounds against the modern madness, attacking the new age religion of climate change:
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/01/07/polish-bishops-rally-behind-prelate-who-dissed-greta-thunberg/
https://dzienniklodzki.pl/abp-marek-jedraszewski-ostrzega-przed-ekologizmem-i-greta-thunberg/ar/c1-14681911
“The controversial archbishop Marek Jedraszewski from Krakow again raised controversy. This time he indignated the environmentalists with the interview he gave for Republika. He stated that environmentalism was a "very dangerous" phenomenon, and criticized Greta Thunberg's listen. "This activist becomes an oracle for all political and social forces. This is contrary to everything that is recorded in the Bible, beginning with the Book of Genesis, which explicitly mentions the miracle of God's creation of the world, "said Republika on Christmas Eve on Television. He also emphasized that according to the Bible, man was supposed to make his land a subject and he is someone who rules over the earth. The contradiction of the opinion of the former metropolitan of Lodz and fascinated by ecology of Pope Francis was noted by, among others priest Wojciech Leman-ski from Lódz "The Pope talks about ecological sin, and the archbishop talks about the heresy of ecologicalism. The Pope meets Greta Thunberg, and the Archbishop mocks Greta, "wrote Fr Facebook Lemanski. One of the boats didn't last. She wrote a private letter asking for papal intervention and sent it as a registered letter to the Vatican. Now waiting for an answer. Archbishop. Marek Jedraszewski managed the Lódz church in 2012-2016. Even then he became famous for his controversial statements. During a meeting with young people in Pabianice, he warned that in 2050 white people will be shown in Europe in reserves. However, it was only after moving to Krakow that he began to regularly attract media attention. On August 1, during the homily on the anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising, he warned of "rainbow plague" or LGBT ideology.”
China is beginning its movement south, and is now in confrontation with Indonesia. Will Australia simply dissolve in the New World Order that is fast approaching?
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-indonesia-china/indonesia-deploys-fighter-jets-in-stand-off-with-china-idUSKBN1Z61AM
“Indonesia’s air force deployed four fighter jets to the South China Sea on Tuesday in a stand-off with Beijing after Jakarta protested over a Chinese violation of its exclusive economic zone. The stand-off began in mid-December when a Chinese coast guard vessel, accompanying Chinese fishing boats, entered waters off the coast of Indonesia’s northern Natuna islands, prompting Jakarta to summon Beijing’s ambassador. The issue has soured Indonesia’s generally friendly relationship with China, its biggest trading partner and a major investor in Southeast Asia’s largest country. Fajar Adriyanto, the air force spokesman, said four F-16 jets had been conducting flights over the islands, though he also played down fears of any confrontation with Beijing. “They’re doing standard patrols to protect our sovereign area. It just so happened that they’re patrolling Natuna,” Adriyanto said. “We don’t have the order to start a war with China.” The South China Sea is a global trade route with rich fishing grounds and energy reserves and China claims most of it based on what it says is its historic activity. But Southeast Asian countries, supported by the United States and much of the rest of the world, say such claims have no legal basis. On Monday, Indonesia said it was mobilizing fishermen to the northern Natuna region and had deployed several naval ships.”
The Left are vocal against soft targets, such as what remains of the White West, over immigration and border defence issues, but when it comes to mother China, well, they are quiet like little mice, or is it rats, on issues such as organ harvesting?
https://quillette.com/2020/01/03/bloody-harvest-how-everyone-ignored-the-crime-of-the-century/
“In June of this year the China Tribunal delivered its Final Judgement and Summary Report. An independent committee composed of lawyers, human rights experts, and a transplant surgeon, the Tribunal was established to investigate forced organ harvesting on the Chinese mainland. These rumours have haunted the country for years—lurid tales of the fate suffered by members of the banned Falun Gong religion after being taken into police custody. Their organs, so the rumours go, are cut from their bodies while they are still alive, and then transplanted into waiting patients. The Tribunal examined these claims, extending the group of victims to include Uyghur Muslims (among others), and its findings were unambiguous. “On the basis of all direct and indirect evidence, the Tribunal concludes with certainty that forced organ harvesting has happened in multiple places in the PRC [People’s Republic of China] and on multiple occasions for a period of at least twenty years and continues to this day.” Further to this, “the PRC and its leaders actively incited the persecution, the imprisonment, murder, torture, and the humiliation of Falun Gong practitioners with the sole purpose of eliminating the practice of, and belief in, the value of Falun Gong.” The Tribunal was also able to conclude, “with certainty,” that the Communist Party has been responsible for acts of torture inflicted on Uyghurs. These acts were found to constitute crimes against humanity.
With war with Iran becoming increasingly likely with each missile attack, the big question is whether this will escalate into World War III, with China and Russia jumping into the big brawl. Some think, maybe:
https://www.asiatimes.com/2020/01/article/could-china-take-irans-side-in-a-war-with-us/
“The next question is, how will regional powers react to a US-Iran war? China and Russia already seem to have answered that question via their war games in the Gulf of Oman last week, and the signal to the US is that Iran is not isolated and has powerful allies. Indeed, last year retired US Army Colonel Douglas Macgregor already warned that a war with Iran could draw in China and Russia. Currently, China’s reaction is to urge both Iran and the US to maintain calm and de-escalate tensions, and closely monitor the situation. Beijing does not want war and needs Mideast stability to pursue the Belt and Road Initiative Eurasian integration plan. It has large stakes in Iran’s stability: It is the largest buyer of Iranian oil, China is Iran’s largest trading partner, and Iran is a key geographic node for the BRI. Up to now, China has tried to balance its relationship with Saudi Arabia and Iran in the Middle East and set up a firewall between the two, although Iran is more significant in China’s strategic calculus given the fact Saudi Arabia and other Arab Gulf countries are still under the US security umbrella and host US military bases. China is also against further Western-sponsored regime change in the region, and Iran is an important partner in counterbalancing US hegemony and the drive toward a multipolar world. ‘It’s about China’
The arrogant sods from Hollywood sit back and fire away contempt for the deplorables who pay out their hard-earnt money for some crumbs of entertainment. But for once, one of trheir own has unloaded on them, while they were a captive audience, and it is delightful. Enjoy:
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-50983253
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ricky-gervais-golden-globes-monologue-gets-political-1266308
“From the moment Ricky Gervais walked on stage at the Golden Globes on Sunday night, it was clear he was taking no prisoners. "If you win an award tonight, don't use it as a platform to make a political speech," he advised the stars during his opening monologue. "You're in no position to lecture the public about anything, you know nothing about the real world. Most of you spent less time in school than Greta Thunberg." Several winners ignored his advice completely (more on their speeches in a sec), but that didn't stop the British comedian going all out as he fronted the ceremony for the fifth and apparently final time.”
The US version of 60 Minutes, has really put a mountain lion amongst the black pigeons with a TV special on the alleged suicide of Jeff Epstein, notorious elite paedophile who had a pleasure island where the elite could go an rape underaged girls, while he filmed it all for blackmail purposes. In the program Dr Michael Baden said: “I have never seen three fractures like this in a suicide hanging.” Numerous pieces of evidence did not fit the suicide hypothesis:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jeffrey-epstein-autopsy-a-closer-look-60-minutes-2020-01-05/
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/fake-noose-60-minutes-shreds-epstein-suicide-theory
“Among the injuries found on Epstein during the autopsy are contusions on both wrists, an abrasion on his left forearm, and deep muscle hemorrhaging in his left shoulder muscle. Photos 60 Minutes reviewed also show an injury to the back of his neck, a cut on his lip, and an injection mark in his arm, though it is unknown whether the latter injuries happened during an attempt to resuscitate Epstein at the hospital. Dr. Baden said small burst capillaries, known as petechiae, found on Epstein's face, mouth, and eyes are often an indication of strangulation. But it was injuries to Epstein's neck that make Dr. Baden call into question the official ruling of suicide. Autopsy photos show fractures of the left and right thyroid cartilage, which sits at the front of the neck, and the left hyoid bone, a u-shaped bone that sits under the jaw and acts as an anchor for the tongue. "I have never seen three fractures like this in a suicidal hanging," Dr. Baden tells Alfonsi on the broadcast. He added: "Going over a thousand jail hangings, suicides in the New York City state prisons over the past 40–50 years, no one had three fractures."
Marvel has announced that a trans character is coming very soon in a film … I can hardly wait. They have begun the woke, politically correct push with the Captain Marvel film, which did ok riding on Avengers: Endgame, but most other woke films have gone belly up, especially the no doubt final Terminator movie, Cats, and Charlie’s Angels, all with an over-the -top feminist ideology:
https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2019/12/31/video-marvel-studios-president-says-trans-character-coming-very-soon-in-upcoming-film/
https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2019/12/31/hollywoods-most-notable-flops-of-2019-schwarzenegger-charlies-angels-and-cats/
https://affirmativeright.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-long-goodbye-review-of-star-wars.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC-vExHeBII
“Unpopular social justice messages are to blame for some of the biggest failures as Hollywood continues to force feed left-wing ideology to audiences, who are catching wise to the game and rejecting it wholesale. Franchise fatigue was another factor, as creatively bankrupt studios continue to pump out sequels and reboots to diminishing returns. Hollywood is in panic mode. The domestic box office is expected to drop 3.6 percent in 2019 compared to last year, the largest percentage drop in five years. Audiences are shunning the cinemas in favor of at-home entertainment options, which include Netflix and a growing array of competitors. Here are some the year’s most notable box-office flops, and how much each stands to lose.
The magazine Christianity Today featured a December article arguing that Trump should be removed from office because he is .. well something, immoral I guess.
https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2019/december-web-only/trump-should-be-removed-from-office.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/12/21/christianity-todays-op-ed-isnt-attacking-trump-its-defending-christianity/
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/20/us/politics/christianity-today-trump-evangelicals.html
https://www.breitbart.com/2020-election/2019/12/23/christianity-today-doubles-down-in-call-for-trump-impeachment/
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/12/23/franklin-graham-again-slams-christianity-today-for-anti-trump-stance/
“The CEO of the evangelical journal Christianity Today (CT) published an editorial Sunday defending the magazine’s call for the impeachment of President Donald Trump. In his essay, CT president and CEO Timothy Dalrymple defends the magazine’s decision to side with those demanding Trump’s removal, saying that CT has received “countless notes of encouragement from readers who were profoundly moved” by its editorial and insisting that the journal is beholden to God alone and not the Democrat party. “Out of love for Jesus and his church, not for political partisanship or intellectual elitism, this is why we feel compelled to say that the alliance of American evangelicalism with this presidency has wrought enormous damage to Christian witness,” Dalrymple writes. “It has alienated many of our children and grandchildren. It has harmed African American, Hispanic American, and Asian American brothers and sisters.” Mr. Dalrymple suggests that the perceived alliance between the president and evangelical Christians in the U.S. has hurt the credibility of Christians across the globe. “While the Trump administration may be well regarded in some countries, in many more the perception of wholesale evangelical support for the administration has made toxic the reputation of the Bride of Christ,” Dalrymple writes. As evangelicals we are “associated with President Trump’s rampant immorality, greed, and corruption; his divisiveness and race-baiting; his cruelty and hostility to immigrants and refugees; and more,” he states.
Of course, over the last months we have all been involved, (in one way, or another) in the drought and subsequent fires. Some have lost everything, homes, relatives, farms, stock, friends, others have suffered from the smoke, hero’s have fought the fires, whilst other brave people have raised money, or traveled across our continent to deliver food and supplies.
Farmers and related business if not critically damaged have suffered and we still have another few months of hot weather to look forward too. Its all very sad, but as we know it’s Australia, this has all happened before, little of the money donations will get to those who deserve it and nothing that the government promises to help with will be forth coming. Even the insurance companies have historically been very slow to pay out in fire disasters such as in the Marysville disaster.
To The Australian Nadia Schadlow quotes Thomas Mann ("Come the hour, come the Mann", 15/1) as having believed that "democratic nations were at risk of separating their lofty ideals from inescapable realities", by which he presumably meant the self-interested machinations of the powerful and ruthless. She should have added to the demons of fascism and communism the current ongoing tyranny of the super-rich. She is right, of course, to champion the dignity of man, the open society and political freedom for the individual; but where both she and Mann may be in error is in their conviction that democracy is the best form of political order. "Rule of the people" is not so very attractive when you look at the behaviour of lots and lots of people! Perhaps aristocracy ("rule of the best") is superior, but how to transition to it in an age of globalisation, digital infrastructure, excessive surveillance and loss of autonomy is a question not easy to answer. However, the West's uncertainty and depleted confidence in democracy suggest that the effort should be made.
Nigel Jackson, Belgrave, Vic
To The Australian The death of Roger Scruton invites us to consider the nature of conservatism and the role it might play in the coming life of our own nation ("Life of a contrary don", 14/1). Scruton's horror of mob violence witnessed in France in 1968 alerted him to the need to oppose the revolutionary doctrine (it is nonsense) of human equality. He soon grasped that high culture was a vital bulwark in the defence of the ways of the elders. You are right ("Roger Scruton's brilliant mind") to applaud this life lived in devotion to "beauty, reason and tradition". However, the essence of conservatism is the honouring of the sacred, of the mystery of the holy; and Scruton does not seem to have been strong enough on this. Australians also tend at present to adopt a cavalier attitude to this source of truth, hence the current confusion generally in our intellectual forums. We can learn from Scruton, but we can learn more from the world's great sacred traditions and their wisest exponents.
Nigel Jackson, Belgrave, Vic
