Archive for December, 2005

Building freedom and democracy

Published
by
Mark
3 years ago
in Politics
. 33 Comments

Seems like the Iraqi elections are going to plan. A shining beacon for secular democracy in the Middle East?

With more than 60 per cent of votes tallied, Washington’s hopes that the former prime minister Iyad Allawi might pull enough support to build a secular administration have faded dramatically.

Instead, a religious alliance is in the box seat. These parties are already imposing a strict religious code on daily life across swathes of the country and are closely aligned with neighbouring Iran, one of George Bush’s “axis of evil” enemies.

The religious Shiites and the Kurdish parties have maintained their iron grip on the south and north respectively, but with 89 per cent of votes counted in the Baghdad melting pot, both Dr Allawi and his arch rival and one-time Pentagon darling, Ahmed Chalabi, face marginalisation.

I’m sure the Saudis, Jordanians and Israelis will be overjoyed at the prospect of four years of a Shi’ite controlled and Iranian influenced Iraqi regime. Still, I suppose there’s a certain irony in the fact that some US Republicans seem determined to turn the USA into a theocracy.

“a real understanding of business”

Published
by
Mark
3 years ago
in Politics
. 32 Comments

Is it remotely possible that the Howard government could find someone to appoint to a government board or tribunal who’s not under a cloud? It’s been revealed that Professor Ian Harper, chair of the Fair Pay Commission (under which minimum wages will fallrise - sorry, Treasury typo), was a director of a company that became insolvent and went into administration owing more than $700 000 to its employees. A spokesrobot for Kevin Andrews said that the government had done its due diligence this time, and knew all about it. In fact, this real world experience on the part of the ivory tower economist will be a positive boon:

The revelations did not cloud Prof Harper’s appointment in any way, the spokesman said, and only added to his qualifications for the position.

“What this shows is that Prof Harper has a real understanding of business and the operations of a company,” he said.

Perhaps it was all a cunning experiment to see how quickly unpaid workers would be incentivated to find low wage jobs to pay the rent and feed the kiddies?

What’s next - Jayant Patel for a medical board? Steve Vizard for ASIC? Sol Trujillo for the ACCC?

Stuntman Bob

Published
by
Laura
3 years ago
in Politics
. 15 Comments

In the Uni bookshop yesterday I picked this up from the free postcard stand:

Continue reading ‘Stuntman Bob’

Workers of the world, write…

Published
by
Anna Winter
3 years ago
in Miscellaneous
. 6 Comments

I thought LP readers (and writers) might be interested in this….

The Australian Government has just made the most significant changes to our Industrial Relations system in a hundred years.

Are we heading for a future of corporate peasantry, or a socialist utopia? Will the Union movement die slowly, or flourish anew? Will we work from home, or in hellish sweatshops? Does online gaming mean that our digital avatars could one day earn enough to feed our decaying bodies? What could have happened if the socialist experiment had not collapsed under the weight of Stalinist egos and the demands of the arms race?

Ticoderoga Publications has announced their latest venture: a collection of short speculative fiction entitled “The Workers’ Paradise”.

You’ll get paid if your work is accepted (but probably not award wages…), and there’s even an extra bonus for every Marxist joke that the editors find amusing.

Then there you were, lying in bed… but it wasn’t you. It looked like you, but it wasn’t.

Published
by
Mark
3 years ago
in Culture
. 6 Comments

It’s more than appropriate that there are separate film awards for soundtracks. A friend of mine was kind enough to lend me the soundtrack to Lost Highway. There’s a very good reason why Angelo Badalamenti has consistently been the composer for all of David Lynch’s films (and Twin Peaks) since Blue Velvet. Surely, it’s largely the music in Lost Highway, which is able to transform the visual image of a married couple making love into a scene of eerie menace?

Continue reading ‘Then there you were, lying in bed… but it wasn’t you. It looked like you, but it wasn’t.’

The wisdom of the Australian people….and one Cardinal

Published
by
Phil
3 years ago
in Politics and Religion
. 28 Comments

Ah yes, once again let’s all bask in another demonstration of our wisdom shall we.

Three out of every four voters disagree with the Prime Minister’s claim there is no underlying racism in Australia…….According to the poll, 75 per cent of respondents disagree with Mr Howard’s statement and 22 per cent agree. The proportion of people who believe there is an undercurrent of racism was highest among minor party and independent voters (84 per cent) and Labor voters (76 per cent). However, more than two-thirds of Coalition voters - 68 per cent - also disagreed with Mr Howard.

Just to refresh our memories, let’s have a look at the PM’s statement again.

“I do not accept there is underlying racism in this country.”

On the other hand, Cardinal George Pell, using some interesting logic agrees with……oh I dunno, you figure it out.

Australians are not inherently racist, says Sydney’s Catholic Archbishop George Pell. The cardinal says its an encouraging sign that a Fairfax newspoll has found three out of four Australians disagree with the Prime Minister John Howard’s claim there is not (not) racism in Australia because a racist society would never acknowledge being racist. “A deeply racist society would not admit to being racist,” Cardinal Pell told an ethnic media forum in Sydney today.

So, using Cardinal Pell’s logic what are we to to make of the PM’s refusal to admit that we are? Please explain?

Wounded vets vs. chicken hawks: early signs of interesting US mid-terms

Published
by
Kim
3 years ago
in Politics
. 29 Comments

As Bush continues to squirm in the face of accusations of apparently illegal surveillance of US citizens (an issue cs has been following here at LP), and unconvincing justifications are offered by his subordinates, commentary on the Republican prospects in the mid term elections next year has focussed on the weakness of the Democratic opposition. Despite the partisan nature of politics in the US, and its reflections in the blogosphere, it can often be inaccurate to characterise the US Democrats as a “left” party. “Liberal” - in the American sense of the word - is a better descriptor, and it’s worth noting that US parties are broad coalitions of different regional and ideological wings, which rarely present coherent programs and messages in Congressional races in the same way that parties in Westminster democracies do. This has to be born in mind when assessing the Demos’ message on Iraq. Nevertheless, recent electoral cycles have seen a greater centralisation of party messages, and as West Wing viewers would know, a tendency to pick particular candidates for particular races at the national level. One big strategic mistake the Bushies made recently was to impugn the patriotism of Democratic Congressman John Murtha of Pennsylvania, a decorated Vietnam veteran. Again, much of the Democrats’ message on the war has to be seen in the context of the martial traditions of the US, and the sense of national unity that develops around support for fighting troops and veterans. It’s for this reason that a very interesting development is significant. Demos have increasingly been selecting Iraq War veterans to run in tight congressional races for next year. Many of these veterans, like Tammy Duckworth are severely injured. Duckworth is contesting the district of Representative Henry Hyde, veteran Illinois Republican and orchestrator of the Clinton impeachment effort.

As Duckworth says:

“I had my legs blown off in Iraq, and because I had my legs blown off in Iraq people are listening to me,” said Ms. Duckworth, 37, who plans to announce her candidacy officially on Sunday, at a rally and in an appearance on the ABC News program “This Week.” “I’m not going to get my legs back, and that’s fine, but if that gives me a platform to talk about the things that are important to me, like education and jobs, that’s great.”

Recently, an Iraq vet scored 48% in a by-election for a normally heavily Republican district.

Political commentator Amy Cook explains the strategic logic:

What the Democratic leaders are looking for is “somebody who can deliver a message on Iraq but the messenger won’t be instantly discredited as a typically liberal Democrat - that’s the theory of the formula,” explained Amy Walter, who follows House races for The Cook Political Report, the quintessential Washington handicapper. The veterans, Ms. Walter added, “have an instant level of credibility to talk about that.”

It will be very difficult for Republicans to counter candidates like Duckworth. It’ll be interesting to see how the chicken hawks react.

Another blog awards plug

Published
by
Robert
3 years ago
in Culture
. 3 Comments

It’s time for The Urbs — Gridskipper’s 2005 Urban Blogging Awards. I want you all to go and vote for Australia’s own Boudist in the Best Urban Music Blog category — it’s currently got a narrow lead, but it’s still anyone’s contest.

It’s been inspirational watching Daniel Boud’s photography improve over the last few years, and it’s not surprising that his blog has taken him around the world snapping rock stars. Seriously, you should dig through his archive and visit his Flickr account; it’s awesome.

Go. Vote.

Lying or Incompetent. Take Your Pick.

Published
by
Shaun Cronin
3 years ago
in Politics
. 53 Comments

A politician was caught out misleading parliament again. Some seem to think this is not much ado about anything. Others seem to think that it is something when a major piece of legislation is rushed through parliament and it that the public was somehow misinformed.

Costello’s argument is that:

“A report was carried in The Australian on November 5, 2005, which said that there had been specially commissioned advice from the Treasury and … not me, but Treasury put out a statement saying that there hadn’t been specially commissioned advice from the Treasury in relation to that.

This is not the first time a department has taken the fall for the failings of a minister. Nor the first time a minister seems blissfully unaware of what is going on in his own department on important matters.

Christian Kerr in Crikey points out the obvious:

McKinnon and Lewis have another story:

According to the documents obtained, a Treasury executive minute on the workplace relations policy was sent to Mr Costello on October 6. It argued the “economic case for reform”, including expectations of higher employment growth, while claiming that productivity would initially be “suppressed.”

Treasury pointedly argued that wages growth would be slower under the new industrial relations system.
So… Does this mean Costello misled the House or isn’t doing his paperwork properly?

Either way it is pretty damning. If he misled the House on such an important issue he should resign. One aspect of the debate over the IR reform has been the distinct lack of economic evidence presented by the pro-side. The best argument seemed to be “Trust us. We know what we are doing.� Evidently any trust was misplaced. The IR reforms represent significant changes for the workplace and should have been debated with openness and honesty and not through deception or gagging debate.

On the other hand, if Costello’s paperwork or lack of knowledge regarding what his department it up is at fault then that is no excuse. I would very dubious of a Treasurer who, in the course of formulating major economic policy, fails to consult his department. If that is the case then the Treasury seems to have no purpose for the Treasurer in terms of advice.

Finally Costello (ignoring his department again)

….. questioned the accuracy of the Treasury documents, which show the workplace changes passed by Parliament in early December will deliver smaller wage rises for low income earners and cut productivity in the short term.

I wonder what economic papers the Costello did or did not read to arrive at such a conclusion? And would he tell us anyway?

Cross posted at The 52nd State

Wtf! I saw Missy w a grrl last night! Is Missy lesbian?

Published
by
Kim
3 years ago
in Culture
. 20 Comments

Liam reports that Morris Iemma and Ken Moroney might now know the answer!

How Do You Know, Mr. Clark?

Published
by
Paul Norton
3 years ago
in Culture, Politics and Religion
. 85 Comments

Victorian Liberal Shadow Treasurer Robert Clark is making sure Barnaby Joyce and Tony Abbott don’t have the race for the Coalition Gold Medal for Illiberal Religiose Idiocy to themselves, as evidenced by a report in today’s Age.

Mr Clark said he stood by 1995 comments to Parliament when he likened homosexual practices to smoking.

While emphasising that it would be “absolutely wrong” to attack or vilify people who engaged in homosexual practices, Mr Clark said at the time: “It is a foolish practice, it is destructive and it is harmful … I believe homosexual practices form a destructive way of life …

“I suppose it is most readily demonstrable at a physical level; it is a physical fact that the human body is not designed for many homosexual practices and it is clear that physical problems follow from those practices.”

I think Robert Clark owes it to the people of Victoria to elaborate on the latter statement and the source of his apparently detailed knowledge of homosexual practices and their effects. If, as is most likely, he is making an exhibition of his own ignorance, they (and we) can justly request that he shut up about the issue until he either knows more or has learned better manners.

However, it is possible that his knowledge of homosexual practices is not only very detailed, but accurate. If so, this could only be the result of (a) first-hand experience or (b) a morbidly prurient interest in literature about homosexuality and homoerotic imagery. If it is the former, his public statements amount to living a lie. If it is the latter, he is displaying the sort of affectedly indignant and conspicuous homophobia which is the classic symptom of repressed homosexuality.

Where Do Correct Ideas Come From? Not From Interlibrary Loan, That’s For Sure

Published
by
Laura
3 years ago
in Politics
. 37 Comments

Just a quick pointer to this jawdropping news story about a college student in the USA who was visited - actually visited - by agents from the Department of Homeland Security, for requesting Mao’s Little Red Book on interlibrary loan.

The unnamed student is a senior at the University of Massachussetts, and he requested the book for an assignment on communism for a History class, according to the press report. (There is a second level of interest in the fact that the article takes care to mention this ‘legitimate’ academic reason for interest in a particular book, presumably more fundamental freedoms aren’t important enough to be worth defending.) It seems the story came out because the student’s professor was asked for comment on this National Security Agency business.

If you think this is a trival case of over-zealous bureaucracy with no real consequences, consider that one of the professors involved is reconsidering teaching a planned course on terrorism because of the possible effect of government monitoring and data collection on his students.

Self-Analysis In Verse

Published
by
Paul Norton
3 years ago
in Life
. 0 Comments

Over the fold is a poem I conceived and partially composed on the bus and train ride home from Tweed Heads the Saturday before last, and completed on my laptop when I got home. It was inspired by a significant emotional episode which was the subject and source of much reflection during a long walk in the Sunshine Coast hinterland three Sundays ago.
Continue reading ‘Self-Analysis In Verse’

Shrill elites denounce po/mo curricula, mention Cronulla in passing

Published
by
Mark
3 years ago
in Politics
. 5 Comments

Continuing the theme of riding your pet hobbyhorse on the back of the Cronulla riots, today Kevin Donnelly looks for answers to its causes, and to everyone’s enormous surprise, finds it’s evil po/mo secondary curricula that have exacerbated racial tensions.

Consider this:

The 1993 Australian Education Union’s curriculum policy argued that children must be taught that they “are living in a multicultural and class-based society that is diverse and characterised by inequality and social conflict”.

No signs of social conflict in Sydney, I guess?

And this:

Much of the way history and politics is now taught also centres on the rights of the individual. Instead of emphasising responsibilities and giving allegiance to what we hold in common, individuals are free to define themselves how they will and to act as they wish.

Well, we can’t have people thinking they should have rights, can we? I guess if citizens realised they had a responsibility to bow down to the wisdom of newspaper based cultural elites, shock jocks and pollies, and conducted themselves as if they lived in an authoritarian, monocultural society, all tensions would immediately evaporate.

I’d be really interested to know if Dr Donnelly thinks that logic and an understanding of causality have any place in education. Perhaps more emphasis on these would improve the quality of arguments in op/eds. The education wars might be aiming at the wrong target.

Elsewhere: Heath at Catallaxy is concerned by the total silence on civil liberties.

King George

Published
by
cs
3 years ago
in Politics
. 59 Comments

For those who had too good a weekend, the breaking story on the Bush presidency goes something like this. For years the administration has apparently been illegally tapping citizens’ phones on order of Bush. The official reason is national security. The weird thing is that the US has a special secret court to approve wiretapping, with provisions for retrospectivity for emergencies etc in cases of national security etc. Why break the law for no reason? After refusing to comment on Friday, Bush made a dramatic u-turn on Saturday, admitting and defending his domestic spying, and scheduling an address to the nation for Sunday night. There, dear readers, the story is intriguingly poised, with the pressure on a president already polling under 40 points. As the wingnuts are edgy on this one, in trying to follow the story, I’m not predicting, or even salivating. Nor am I overlooking the killing and torturing and mangling of syntax under the Bush administration. In following the story, I’m, err, just following the story, wondering if this is a big or little trip, and what difference, if any, having a constitution with a bill of rights makes.

Update: Tim has a fresh post on the story (also, some links have been added to this post, for your convenience).