The state also works to prevent the Working Class from organizing itself.
To sustain capitalism, otherwise competitive businesses have to do something unnatural: cooperate with each other. The state plays a crucial role in fostering this class discipline. We, on the other hand, have to build our own power.
Source: The State Organizes the Capitalist Class. The Working Class Will Have to Organize Itself.
Murdoch Media is a great influencer of racism no known as CRT the world over. In Australia, their media anchors are a simile of the head office of Fox News America. So much so, that they were taken off air for trying to broadcast NZ’s Christchurch massacre live. When accusations that they influenced the shooter’s actions Skye News anchors like Andrew Bolt ducked for cover and went to silence for a number of days. The racists they entertained on their programs like Bret Cotteral weren’t given the air time and were exchanged for others. When the going got heavy it’s not unexpected to see once convicted racial vilifier Andrew Bolt Bolt if he needs to face the consequences of his broadcasts.
They are reporting that this maniac uploaded a 106-page document that appears to be influenced by Tucker Carlson and other Fox News and right-wing personas promoting the despicable white supremacist Great Replacement Theory in their programs, often to attack immigration in America.
Source: Great Replacement Theory Reportedly Provoked Buffalo Shooter | Crooks and Liars
In Australia, we have Institutionalised racially motivated death principally in our police stations, jail and health systems having killed over 500 Indigenous Australians in and asylum seekers in custody all one by one.
According to police, the suspect—an 18-year-old white male—drove from “hours away” to carry out the attack, which he livestreamed on the internet. Police said the suspect was heavily armed and was wearing tactical gear. The shooter was taken into custody and was expected to be arraigned as early as Saturday evening.
Source: 10 People Killed in “Racially Motivated” Buffalo Shooting – Mother Jones
Australia’s own GOLUM…. Imagine what an Integrity Commission would discover investigating his past 15 years. Yes, Morrison plays cricket with sandpaper in his pocket
What’s his name asked Biden ” That guy down Under”? Yes, that guy who wanted all the glory for himself so risked jeopardizing the AUKUS. Only autocrats threaten a nation’s security by not doing what was agreed on with Morrison’s excuse “I thought they’d agree”.
Morrison took a punt for his own political glory and lied to everyone, which made him totally irresponsible, untrustworthy, and duplicitous. He lied to our American, British, French allies, and even us to get the deal done for his sake not ours. To say otherwise is to declare he was smarter and not reckless. He truley is “The Unbelievable One” second only to Trump and look what he did to America’s reputation. Morrison has trashed Australia in much the same way. Now the forever con man having been busted says he will change “that’s a promise”
By waiting four-and-a-half months, the prime minister made AUKUS into a high-stakes, last-minute political gambit.
Source: AUKUS: Biden demanded bipartisan support before signing defence pact. Labor was not told for months
The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age revealed on Saturday that four-and-half months before the announcement on September 16, senior members of the Biden administration insisted that it would only consider pursuing the landmark AUKUS project if it had solid support from both major Australian political parties.
Instead, the Morrison government waited until the day before the announcement to brief Albanese and senior members of the opposition about the plan to build nuclear submarines with the help of the US and Britain.
Source: AUKUS pact: Albanese slams Morrison for not briefing him for months before announcement
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has removed all images of Prime Minister Scott Morrison from his personal website.
Source: Frydenberg removes Morrison from his website – Michael West
Leaked internal Liberal Party polling has confirmed the worst fears for Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and his high-profile colleague Tim Wilson, just days before they face voters.
Source: Leaked poll reveals Coalition’s triple hit in blue-ribbon seats
Around this time in the 2019 campaign, the confidence that was bubbling throughout the Labor camp burst out into full hubristic glory.
One leading daily posed the ALP team in chiaroscuro, looking one part Sopranos cast, one part corporate raiders. Bristling with purpose, they looked. The new crew. The mean machine. The none-too subtle message: Bill Shorten’s team is ready, ready to rule.
Meanwhile Chris Bowen’s Facebook page featured himself and four sober-suited colleagues in an impersonation of a high-end law firm: himself, deputy leader Tanya Plibersek, a chin-stroking Shorten, Jim Chalmers and Penny Wong.
When the serious quintet’s big play went unstuck, one user commented: ”All dressed up and nowhere to go.”
Contrast all that with Campaign ’22. Yes, Albo has modeled some groovy threads to go with his trimmer physique. But the group photoshoot has gone the way of Shorten’s jibes about the big end of town. No more moody magnificence.
Labor candidates emphasise how rare it is for their party to win from opposition. The years it has happened since the war are cited like bingo numbers: 72, 83, 07. It’s the talk of the poker player holding a straight flush.
Source: Labor tells a story without pictures: now that’s confidence – Michael West
My thought for the day You cannot possibly believe in democracy if at the same time you think your party is the only one that should ever win. ( John Lord )
Source: Counting down … – » The Australian Independent Media Network
Straight from HQ America
The state Liberal National party’s pursuit of conservative causes has contributed to it being all but banished from Brisbane
The state LNP – an organisation whose grassroots membership has become increasingly conservative, and influenced by a hardline Christian faction – on Wednesday voted in support of a motion from Robbie Katter opposing transgender women participating in women’s sport.
Deception, exploitation and cover-up are messages Australia is sending to our foreign neighbours, writes Dr Kyle Mervin.
Source: Australia’s treatment of whistleblowers will be its damnation
No one has been held to account in Israel for media deaths. That is bad for its democracy
Source: The Guardian view on Shireen Abu Aqleh: press freedom under attack | Editorial | The Guardian
She carried her belongings and went with the Press team into the field to begin the news coverage. She was ready to deliver her visual news report, as she had done for the past 25 years, but her last report made her the topic of the coverage, which was both shocking and bloody. The Israeli occupation army targeted her with a live bullet to the head during Press coverage from Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank and she fell to the ground, while her colleague, Press Producer, Ali Al-Samoudi, was wounded. Her colleagues rushed her in a car in a desperate attempt to rescue her, while the features of her exploded head changed, according to shocking clips documenting the incident. These were the last clips of Shireen Abu Akleh, who is renowned, as she is the Palestinian journalist who has always been present on Al-Jazeera TV and known by generations in every Arab home, present during the daily incidents and major events.
Source: Shireen Abu Akleh: A Quarter of a Century of Coverage ended with an Israeli Bullet to the Head
Putin will do anything he can to get the bastards back in power.
Fox News hosts and other right-wing media figures are complaining about the $39.8 billion bipartisan bill that would aid Ukraine as it fights against the Russian invasion. The bill — which includes funds for humanitarian, economic, and defense needs in the country — passed in the House earlier this week and is now being delayed in the Senate due to opposition from Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY).
Source: Right-wing media melt down over the United States sending aid to Ukraine | Media Matters for America
Just how original a genius is Scott Morrison? His Captain’s Pick of Katherine Deves, a carbon copy of America’s Republican far-Right. His Economic arguments weren’t cutting through so he turned to America’s culture wars and disguised it as a fight for “free speech and women”. But, Scott, “we aren’t America” where only 50% vote and we all do and too many just might see your lack of genius
the growing body of evidence that today’s culture-war issues present a major political opportunity for Republicans. Some key results from APP’s press release:
Labor expects its proposed national integrity commission will examine alleged misconduct from as far back as 15 years, with both former and current politicians eligible to be investigated under a broad definition of corruption.
Unlike the Coalition, Labor has promised to create an integrity body with retrospective powers, meaning it could examine decisions taken before the commission came into being.
Source: Election 2022: Labor integrity commission’s retrospective powers to stretch to 15 years
How many times did we hear this from Abbott and he never did. The LNP changed him at a time when only 51% of the numbers were needed to kick him out as their leader. Turnbull didn’t change that and Morrison stabbed him in the back insuring he didn’t have the numbers either. Morrison knew the culture of the party wouldn’t pick a woman as leader even if Julie Bishop had all the skills for the job so it was between Morrison and Dutton.
Morrison then guaranteed he wasn’t going down the same way by raising the numbers required to get rid of him. Nobody has said he wasn’t an operator but that’s all he is. Right at this moment, his intransigent support for Deves has put moderate Liberals under threat and Josh Frydenber is one who’s come out and said he didn’t agree with Morrison’s pick to attract the religious Right Morrison knows only too well. Sharma, Zimmerman and Archer as well can all rot as far as QAnon Morrison is concerned.
History has shown Morrison to be a “gunna” If he gets the job he’s gunna “get the sack”. Rest assured it’s a road well travelled by Scott Morrison whose mates number the likes of Trump, Brian Houston, and QAnon fruit cakes like his best mate Tim Stewart. Scott Morrison hasn’t changed in over 2 decades. He thinks he’s a smooth operator but we’ve all seen he’s not. He’s the very opposite and members of his own party have called him out for it.
Asked about the Prime Minister’s comments during his own press conference in Far North Queensland, Albanese said if Australians wanted change “then change the government.”
“Scott Morrison today said he is a bulldozer. A bulldozer wrecks, a bulldozer knocks things down. I’m a builder, that’s what I am, and If I’m elected Prime Minister, I’ll build things in this country … I’ll build the skills capacity of this nation up … I’ll build people’s living standards up,” he said.
Source: Election 2022: Scott Morrison concedes he must change approach towards Australian voters
Striving for mediocrity in a world of excellence.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has slammed Labor leader Anthony Albanese today over his ‘extreme communist’ proposal to have people’s wages keep up with inflation.
The tiny pay stabilization of $1 has been slammed by Morrison, who dubbed the move as reckless. “It’s just not good economic management,” explained Morrison, “You can’t just hand money out to people that aren’t close mates of the Liberal Party front bench.”
In the final analysis the economy makes so much wealth; and the question is one of distribution, as well as higher productivity; and industry policy encouraging high wage industries. Increasing the size of the cake is good – but does not solve all problems. At some point we need to confront the question of who gets what share of the cake; and this will require redistribution. Sometimes it’s possible to have ‘win-win’ – but not always. We cannot become a US style economy where workers are disciplined by fear of destitution; and where the living standards of a so-called ‘middle-class’ depend on the exploitation of the working poor.
Australia is at a critical point. A government that would cling to power to impose unpopular policy threatens the very nature of our democracy.
It is common to refer to countries that were “consolidated democracies” as corroding to “illiberal democracies”. Hungary is the most notable example. If, however, the term “competitive authoritarianism” is employed to describe regimes instead, it becomes clear that the danger for Australia is just as strong as it is for the USA and the UK, as well as for Hungary.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has repeatedly shown a lack of commitment to ensuring respect, safety and equity for all women in the workplace.
It’s shown in large ways and small: “We both respect females in the workplace …” Morrison said at a forum – not only a jarring reference to “females in the workforce”, as if working women are some form of rare species, but also creating another falsehood by wrongly co-opting Albanese, who, based on my experience and that of countless others who have either met or worked with both men, is a decent and respectful man.
I‘d never met Gillard, so I lined up in the queue after the unveiling.
The cameras were clicking furiously, and I knew the microphones would be on. So, when it came my turn, I whispered quietly so that only she could hear, and thanked her for ‘everything she had done for women’.
Obviously aware it had been a stressful time for me, she warmly whispered back while we were still shaking hands, “you know how to get my number – if you want a confidential chat”.
Despite the difference in our political status – and our politics – I saw it as a shared connection of mutual respect. And it was such a warm and embracing gesture – one which I shall never forget – from a former prime minister for whom I shall have enduring respect.
Morrison has managed to TRUMP the LNP
“Look at the Republican Party, the party of Lincoln, the party that has abolished slavery – has now become the party of Trump, the party of Putin sympathisers and anti-vaxxers. “That is not in the Liberal Party’s interests.”
“Any lingering doubts moderate Liberals might have had that Scott Morrison was prepared to sacrifice heartland seats, including Kooyong held by his Treasurer and deputy Josh Frydenberg, to harvest votes in the regions and outer suburbs have been dispelled.
They smelled a rat on Sunday when he pledged to proceed with religious discrimination legislation without simultaneously protecting the rights of LGBTQ students.
Confirmation followed with another, even more robust defence … See more
smh.com.au
Morrison’s strategy a political masterstroke or moral failure
Moderate Liberals are furious over Scott Morrison’s transphobic foray. It’s a dangerous gambit: burn their seats to win others.
After nine years of corruption, economic ruin and misogyny, the time has come to vote the Coalition out, writes Geoff Dyer.
ON SATURDAY 21 May 2022, Australians will be put to the test. Anything less than a landslide in favour of Labor and integrity-minded Independents would not do justice to the nation.
For nine years, the L-NP Government has dismantled, corrupted, outsourced or sold off the public institutions we rely on.
The L-NP has also purposefully fostered divisions within Australian society. It has promoted misleading media content, made false accusations, stirred up moral outrage wherever it can, regardless of whether it is dealing with genuine issues, and with no care who it damages along the way.
Whether it be gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, place of birth, wealth, or lack of it, the L-NP is eager to weaponise an issue to appeal to the worst in human nature and garner a few votes. Unity, forward planning, addressing community needs and good governance mean nothing when a desperately incompetent political party is willing to sink so low.
The Fiberal Party of Australia – Lies & Misdemeanours
PM’s claim Tudge not linked to $500,000 payout to Rachelle Miller proved false in letter
“Education Minister Alan Tudge is named multiple times in legal correspondence exchanged between lawyers acting for his former press secretary Rachelle Miller and the Department of Finance in relation to a secret $500,000 settlement.
Despite the Prime Minister’s claim that he “would have been told” if the negotiations involved a cabinet minister, news.com.au has confirmed the correspondence names not only Mr Tudge but another former employer Attorney-General Michaelia Cash and former Liberal staffers
Both ministers have categorically denied bullying Ms Miller during her employment.”
news.com.au
Why are we supporting this?
Israeli snipers murdered prominent American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh on Wednesday in an attempt to prevent the veteran Al Jazeera correspondent and her camera crew from filming an Israeli military attack on the Jenin refugee camp in the Occupied Palestinian West Bank. The Israeli army has killed 50 Palestinian journalists in the past two decades. During the Great March of Return protests in Gaza, Israeli snipers routinely shot unarmed protesters, as well as journalists and medics. In 2018 alone they killed 180 and wounded 6,000 innocent civilian protesters.
Australia has it’s faults too. How is it a Democratic majority system of rule can be so dominated by a minority of interests?
Washington: In a nation where states can make it difficult to vote and every result may be contested, some Americans are asking again: why can’t the US electoral system be more like Australia’s? They envy our centrally organised, independently run system replete with democracy sausages.
Source: Why Australia’s voting system is the envy of Americans
One might well ask ” What is the sound of Surrender” “KEEP JOSH”
Treasurer distances himself from PM over Katherine Deves
Staying with the federal treasurer for a moment, and Josh Frydenberg has distanced himself from the prime minister’s handling of the controversy surrounding hand-picked Liberal candidate for Warringah, Katherine Deves.
Undecided voters in marginal seats have named Anthony Albanese the clear winner of the third and final leaders’ debate which was a more sedate affair than the previous ‘shouty’ match.
The Final Showdown on Channel 7 on Wednesday night included a ‘pub test’ of 160 voters who scored Mr Albanese 50 per cent and Mr Morrison 34 per cent while 16 per cent remained undecided.
Meanwhile A YouGov poll of 19,000 voters commissioned by The Australian shows the Coalition heading for defeat, with Labor winning 80 seats and the Coalition reduced to 63. Seven seats would go to independents and one to the Greens.
Source: Undecided voters award Albanese victory in third and final leaders’ debate
Frydenberg says Morrison government won’t state minimum wage figure
Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has refused to say what his government believes the minimum wage should be, saying it “has not been our practice and that is not our policy”.
Frydenberg, who is in danger of losing his Melbourne seat of Kooyong next Saturday to “teal” independent Monique Ryan, told ABC radio this morning that the government’s strategy was to drive higher wages with a tighter labour market.
Morrison, when told rent was unaffordable said “buy a house”. Now when the cost of living is unaffordable he’s saying “get a 2nd or 3rd job we have got jobs jobs jobs for sale” or simply ” have a meal every other day”. Has anyone noticed the number of Beemers and Porches out there? “We did that”. Has he noticed the number of homeless,underemployed, and increasingly Covid ridden people?
Scott Morrison is advocating for a real wage cut to make a political point. Perhaps that’s why Seven’s undecided voters gave the final debate to the Labor leader
After an explosive NY Times series detailed Carlson’s racist propaganda, Murdoch declined to mention Carlson – while praising other Fox personalities
Scott Morrison, in Australia, is following the path of the Republicans because he has nothing better to do than win at all cost, and the cost is a great disservice to Australia. His RDA Religious Discrimination Act is purely political to appease the small minority of Christian and other religious fundamentalists who have never forgiven the referendum that brought about Marriage Equality in Australia. His intransigent support of Katherine Deves has alienated him from members of his own party in particular his treasurer Josh Frydenberg who is battling to survive in his seat of Kooyong with no help from Morrison.
The Supreme Court will send us down that slippery slope if it rules to end the court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade opinion granting women a right to abortion. Opponents of the potential reversal warn that right-wingers will next go after contraception and same-sex marriage. I can imagine that happening.
Source: The Path Back to Cultural Suppression | The Smirking Chimp
If the LNP in Australia continue down the road of the Republican Party a Nope Nope Nope in opposition will they cease to exist?
America will still be America. But it is fast becoming two versions of itself. The open question is: how will the two be civil toward each other?
Source: The second American civil war is already happening | Robert Reich | The Guardian
Earlier today, Israeli forces killed Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in cold blood. Tragically, it’s nothing new for Israel, which has made a regular practice of killing reporters.
The biggest poll of 16,000 has the ALP with a majority of 12 seats and an increased number of Independents
My thought for the day I find it impossible to imagine that the Australian people could be so gullible as to elect for a fourth term a government that has performed so miserably in the first three. Especially when it has amongst its members some of the most devious, suspicious and corrupt men and women, but they could.( John Lord )
Source: Let’s hope the polls are right this time – » The Australian Independent Media Network
I used to think climate change was our most urgent problem. Now I think it is integrity – in government particularly.
If you don’t think integrity is important, then it’s easy to lie.
It’s easy to use your position to dole out rewards to supporters who will keep you in power.
It’s easy to transfer public money to mates.
It’s easy to cover up what you are doing.
It’s easy to attack and undermine those who would hold you to account.
It’s easy to claim credit for things you didn’t do and point blame at others for things you should have done.
It’s easy to gloss over corruption.
In trying to suggest that Anthony Albanese is too weak to lead, Scott Morrison said being in government isn’t easy.
I dunno. I think it’s been pretty easy for him.
Source: If integrity doesn’t matter, nothing does – » The Australian Independent Media Network
Continued from Part 3: Why an Albanese Government should be elected.
(In Part 1 of these articles I provided a link to the ALP’s 2022 policy agenda, and I ask that you take time to read those items of policy (if you haven’t done so as yet), before reading the matters I raise here-on-in.)
The Coalition like to say a lot about the ALP, but they have too many skeltons in their closet. An Albanese Government will breathe a breath of fresh air into our democracy.
If a Coalition person makes a comment about Albanese personally to you, tell them these facts in response.
Have a nice day or evening, and remember, we are at the crossroads of history at this 2022 Federal Election, so please vote 1 for Labor.
Source: A once in a century chance (part 4) – » The Australian Independent Media Network
What lessons have been learnt in the wake of the funding rorts that have embroiled the Morrison government? Rosie Williams finds that the problem is worse than the most pessimistic assumptions.
Source: A matter of discretion: politicians make their own rules on funding – Michael West
Morrison’s Minister for Education- doing a great job “Teaching us a lot”
The covering up of corruption and scandals by the mainstream media is highlighting the importance of independent journalism more than ever, writes Paul Begley.
Source: Self-censorship of mainstream media underlines need for truth
How polite is Kevin Rudd? In simply calling this an “overcorrection” when It’s been a slow assassination by stealth to the tune of $1bn. In the LNP decade, the ABC’s budget has been reduced in real terms to that of 1984 when Australia’s population was only 15-16 million.
Under the Coalition, the national broadcaster has been domesticated to the point of overcorrecting for perceived partisanship
When it comes to secrets, the size of a city depends not on the number of people inhabiting it but in the velocity with which secrets flow. By this measure, Washington D.C. is one of America’s tiniest villages with a main street running about a block. Every juicy secret will get out. Every hot memorandum will leak. Every intoxicating paper marked “confidential” will leak even faster.
Source: Psst: Wanna Know the Real Reason Washington Leaks? | The Smirking Chimp
The Pew Research Center has a poll out on views about abortion of American religious groups. It shows that in most American religious groups, as well as religious “nones” (people without strong religious beliefs, including agnostics and atheists), the majority believes that abortion should be legal in “all or most circumstances.”
This finding puts the leaked draft opinion of Judge Samuel Alito into stark relief as an outlier and raises questions of whether the conservative majority on the US Supreme Court is Establishing religion in taking a stance against any constitutional right to abortion. The religions in question are Catholicism and Evangelicalism, both of which, along with Mormonism, contain a majority or plurality that opposes abortion. About 30% of Americans are religiously unaffiliated, up from 8% in 1990. They overwhelmingly believe abortion should be legal (73%). So Alito and the Republican Party are imposing their religious beliefs on these secular Americans who see no secular purpose in an abortion ban. This is nearly 100 million Americans we are talking about.
Trump will abandon his own failed site and it’s shareholders
Ads account for 90% of Twitter’s revenue, and now that advertisers know exactly what Twitter would look like under Elon Musk’s leadership — they should be terrified
Source: Elon Musk says he would reverse Twitter’s ban on Donald Trump. | Media Matters for America
olddogthoughts 
You must be logged in to post a comment.