Capitalism

The Face of Liberal Democracy’s Enemy Is White | The Smirking Chimp

It’s here that we get to the real meat of the issue – the real reason white people are prepared to abandon liberal democracy in order to protect their precious privileges built into our political system.

It’s not that they love their country. It’s not that they love the Constitution. Their opposition to liberal democracy, and all that it costs them politically, does not rest on positive principle.

It rests on laziness.

Most white people don’t want to compete.

Source: The Face of Liberal Democracy’s Enemy Is White | The Smirking Chimp

Informed Comment

The really big dirty secret at the heart of the budget: The media hate Labor

It’s budget time under a new Albanese Labor Government and never will there be a better time to gauge the media reset from pro to anti-government than now.

A few recent examples of the media gang – unfortunately all from the national broadcaster – going into mass hysteria with their “analysis” over Labor’s first budget include:

David Speers to Jim Chalmers: “You can’t keep blaming the Coalition.”

Andrew Probyn to Sarah Ferguson: ‘One clear winner … and millions of losers.’

And the current front-runner in baseless and nonsensical beat-ups, Stan Grant, to no one in particular:

‘The dirty secret at the heart of the Federal Budget…’

The latter is the title of an article by ABC’s Stan Grant, in which he discovers a sudden and most compelling urge to consider Australia’s poor and disadvantaged. It is a new and shocking experience that has clearly eluded Grant and most of his media mates for the past decade.

One of the key tasks of the media – for any younger readers who may never have experienced it – is to hold governments to account. But this, like the key function of governments being to govern, seems to have been AWOL for over nine, very long and dysfunctional years under Coalition reign.

Source: The really big dirty secret at the heart of the budget: The media hate Labor

Hacked

Medibank and Optus hacks spark warning over identity theft risks from former victims – ABC News

A hand passing another hand a driver's licence.

The first thing Sarah* knew about her identity being hacked was when a man turned up on her parents’ doorstep asking for the sexual services he’d paid for online.

Then, things got even crazier.

Source: Medibank and Optus hacks spark warning over identity theft risks from former victims – ABC News

Whistleblower

David McBride should be protected, not prosecuted

It seems the Americans aren’t the only ones who hated Julian and are proving this by attacking whistleblowers and denying any public interest needs. Revealing the disgusting truth it seems is too harmful than maintaining a disgusting lie

McBride blew the whistle on the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) alleged war crimes in Afghanistan in 2016. He disclosed classified information to journalists, which later led to the Brereton report and he remains the only person charged in relation to this inquiry.

Source: David McBride should be protected, not prosecuted

Australia

Australian voters were betrayed on energy prices, but not by Labor’s budget | Katharine Murphy | The Guardian

Leader of the opposition Peter Dutton during question time

Before things get totally hysterical over the next few days, let’s talk about what betrayal really looks like

Source: Australian voters were betrayed on energy prices, but not by Labor’s budget | Katharine Murphy | The Guardian

LNP Tactics

Dutton zeroes in on Labor broken promises – Michael West

.

With full knowledge of what they’d left behind after a decade of doing nothing but changing leaders and fighting among themselves, the LNP has landed with Peter Dutton as their leader. Dutton’s first step was to fly to the US to ask the Republicans what he should do and no doubt get Murdoch’s blessing.

He’s back and has still done nothing but told us to forget the past yet he is still talking about the $275 that we got but couldn’t notice because of the rolling storm of inflation they’d set loose.

The federal opposition leader said the forecast of a 56 per cent rise in power prices put paid to Labor’s promise of a $275 cut in bills.

Mr Dutton said Dr Chalmers had earned the nickname “Grim Jim”.

Source: Dutton zeroes in on Labor broken promises – Michael West

Uncategorized

Michael Pascoe: The budget without reply

budget reply

Next Thursday the Sydney Liberal Party faithful are being invited to pay $880 a seat for lunch and to listen to a budget reply by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and shadow treasurer Angus Taylor.

As a value proposition, it will need to be extremely fine food and wine as the opposition has no budget reply.

Oh, there will be words said, as there will be on Thursday night when Mr Dutton delivers his official speech in Parliament. But it is guaranteed to fit Macbeth’s view of life, “a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing”.

I’ve been covering federal budgets closely for four decades of my near half-century in journalism. None of the preceding 39 has so quickly and comprehensively destroyed the previous government.

Quite simply, there is nobody on the opposition benches with the required credibility to be able to offer a meaningful critique…….

Source: Michael Pascoe: The budget without reply

Welfare & Disability

Office of the Public Trustee accused of overcharging vulnerable clients commissions own review proposing fee increase – ABC News

picture of a woman from behind holding a dog, standing next to the blinds

Source: Office of the Public Trustee accused of overcharging vulnerable clients commissions own review proposing fee increase – ABC News

Truth in Humor

Mr. Fish: What’s the Alternative? – scheerpost.com

“Never argue with stupid people. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.”  – Mark Twain

“This is where we are at right now, as a whole – no one is left out of the loop,” said Bill Hicks thirty years ago to an audience where only a few had come to think and the overwhelming majority sat staring at the stage, perplexed and disappointed at having paid for the opportunity to disappear for a time into the disorienting spectacle of dick jokes and the confectious escapism of folly while the world burned. “We are experiencing a reality based on a thin veneer of lies and illusions. A world where greed is our God and wisdom is sin, where division is key and unity is fantasy, where the ego-driven cleverness of the mind is praised, rather than the intelligence of the heart.” Then there came the pause that elucidated the significance wherein self-reflection is supposed to happen and didn’t. “This is the material, by the way,” Bill continued, “that has kept me virtually anonymous in America for the past 15 years. Gee, I wonder why we’re hated the world over?”

Then there was another pause. And lucky for us, it’s still with us, but just barely. And it won’t be around much longer.

Source: Mr. Fish: What’s the Alternative? – scheerpost.com

Socialism

Mike Davis Showed Us What “Old-School Socialism” Looked Like

Thinking beyond what you experience and simply take for granted might just help

The Marxist writer and activist Mike Davis died yesterday at the age of 76. His astonishing body of work will be impossible for anyone to replicate — but all of us can emulate his example of how to live and fight as an “old-school socialist.”

Source: Mike Davis Showed Us What “Old-School Socialism” Looked Like

Israel

Israel’s Racism Controversy over the “Problematic” “Arab Womb.” Should Palestinian-Israelis be fined for Having Children?

Sahar’s attitude could be compared to the far right “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory among white nationalists in the United States, which holds (falsely) that wealthy Jewish businessmen are bringing in brown and black immigrants to work cheaply in the U.S. and to replace white workers. In Sahar’s version, Palestinian Bedouin are using their women to out breed Israel’s Jews. In both versions of the theory, there is a Semitic villain– wealthy Jews in the US and poor Bedouin in Israel.

The Great Replacement theory, which has been adopted by many US Republicans, has its origins in French Nazism.

Source: Israel’s Racism Controversy over the “Problematic” “Arab Womb.” Should Palestinian-Israelis be fined for Having Children?

Jan 6th

Donald Trump must be indicted — and this time, I believe Merrick Garland will act | Salon.com

Former U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland | The House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol (Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images)

Following the final hearing of the congressional investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, the evidence is overwhelming: The Department of Justice must bring criminal charges against Donald Trump and many others for their culpability for the attack.

Source: Donald Trump must be indicted — and this time, I believe Merrick Garland will act | Salon.com

Fight against Fake News, Fighting Fake News

Old Dog Thought- The media really do hate the ALP but…

Fighting Fake News with REAL 27/10/22, The ALP Government Budget, LNP Opposition reply, John Lord, Fake News, Journalism Liberal Pride, Science Bolt and truth,

Australian Parliament

Rex Patrick: has the Australian Senate lost its mojo? – Michael West

 

Senate. Rex Patrick“Powerful” or “piss-weak”? The Senate has greater powers than a royal commission yet in recent years its authority has declined amid refusals by the likes of the Defence Department, the Tax Commissioner and the government itself to cooperate with Senate orders. Former senator Rex Patrick on responsible government.

Mojo lost

We often hear people call for a royal commission to get to the bottom of something. This is a strange call for two reasons. 

Firstly, a royal commission is established by letters patent issued by the governor-general on the advice of government. Royal commissions are always for investigations in which the government is interested, not the people.

Secondly, the Senate has greater powers than a royal commission.

People either subconsciously or consciously turn away from the Senate because they know it is weak. They know it has lost its mojo. And governments and bureaucrats know this better than anyone. So, it’s a vicious cycle in which the authority and power of the Senate continues to decline.

Its weakness is not the fault of the government and it’s not the fault of the Senate staff who do their best to support inquiries. It is exclusively the fault of senators.

The powers of the Senate have been established by convention. Unexercised, those conventions will turn into points of interest for historians. That would be a tragedy, because securing accountability of government is the very essence of responsible government.

Source: Rex Patrick: has the Australian Senate lost its mojo? – Michael West

Informed Opinion

Alan Kohler: A responsible budget, with no repair and no relief

The last time a new government brought down its first budget, in 2014, it was a disaster for all concerned.

Spending was cut by $14.2 billion over four years and receipts were increased by $3.2 billion – an extraction of $17.4 billion out of the economy – and the Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Treasurer Joe Hockey were extracted within 18 months.

Source: Alan Kohler: A responsible budget, with no repair and no relief

ALP Government,

Jim Chalmers’ ‘restraint’ budget the first stage of a marathon for the treasurer

Jim Chalmers’ inaugural budget plants its feet as solidly as possible in the shifting sands of difficult and unpredictable international and local conditions.

Chalmers promised the budget would be “workmanlike”, not “flashy”, and he’s kept his word. Almost all of it had been pre-issued by the government, including measures and numbers.

Source: Jim Chalmers’ ‘restraint’ budget the first stage of a marathon for the treasurer

Australia

The joys of capitalism ! – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Households will be hit by a 56 per cent surge in energy bills in the coming two years according to our Treasurer – this cost impact does not include the petrol or diesel for our vehicles but relates solely to the energy used in our homes and businesses. On most of mainland Australia we still…

Source: The joys of capitalism ! – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Informed Comment

Whose Pay Keeps Up With Inflation? | The Smirking Chimp

Most of us don’t have paychecks that automatically increase to cover the rapidly-increasing costs of just about everything. As a result, inflation is making most of us poorer.

Source: Whose Pay Keeps Up With Inflation? | The Smirking Chimp

Murdoch

Lachlan Murdoch and News Corp thrown under a bus by their barrister Sue ChrysanthouKangaroo Court of Australia

Lachlan Murdoch’s own barrister Sue Chrysanthou has thrown him and his company News Corp under a bus, not once but twice, in his defamation claim against news website Crikey.

Source: Lachlan Murdoch and News Corp thrown under a bus by their barrister Sue ChrysanthouKangaroo Court of Australia

Journalism

What if Journalism Disappeared? – scheerpost.com

 What if Journalism Disappeared? By examining how journalism is missing from many Americans’ lives, we can identify false paths and promising routes to its reinvention

Source: What if Journalism Disappeared? – scheerpost.com

Informed Comment

If you believe in God… – » The Australian Independent Media Network

I saw the following words on Facebook and noted that the author was unidentified. However, further perusal revealed that they were highly sage in content. As my enquiring mind would dictate, I decided to digest the words and see if they were sympathetic to my journey. I separated their thoughts and married them to quotations from my writing. My thoughts are in quotes and I haven’t attempted to expand on the person’s writing; instead, I have allowed my quotes to speak for themselves.

Source: If you believe in God… – » The Australian Independent Media Network

UK

Who is Rishi Sunak, the UK’s new prime minister?

Wealthier than the King

Former UK chancellor Rishi Sunak has become the United Kingdom’s third prime minister in seven weeks after his rival Penny Mordaunt withdrew from the Conservative Party leadership contention.

Sunak becomes PM during a period so fractious it has required Wikipedia to put together a disambiguation page for the phrase “2022 United Kingdom government crisis”, and with the Tories lagging more than 30 percentage points behind the Labour Party in the polls.

 

Rishi Sunak will be the first non-white, non-Christian prime minister of the United Kingdom. What else do we know about the man?

Source: Who is Rishi Sunak, the UK’s new prime minister?

Russia -Ukraine

SCOTT RITTER: Russia’s ‘Dirty Bomb’ Scare

All this is based on the premise that Putin has “Superior Military Intelligence”. For the past year, he’s proved he hasn’t. So why would Ritter go out of his way to prove as a commentator he hasn’t any superior information either and that he seems to merely be a Russian propagandist?

If a bomb does go off we can be assured it’s not Ukrainian’s. As nothing Russia has done to date and nothing Putin has ever said seems to stack up. His agents “don’t assassinate his enemies”. He didn’t “interfere in the last US election”. He hasn’t a “dirty bomb”.

Russia appears to be legitimately concerned about the possibility of Ukraine building and using a “dirty bomb,” so much so that it has taken the unprecedented step of reaching out to multiple senior Western defense authorities.

If, at the end of the day, the appropriate phone calls are made by the West, and Ukraine backs down, then Russia will have succeeded. And if it turns out that the Russian information is wrong, there was no harm from the effort. However, if Russia is correct, and Ukraine not only is preparing to use a “dirty bomb”, but detonates one, and the West did nothing to prevent it, then Russia is on the record for having provided the West with due warning.

Source: SCOTT RITTER: Russia’s ‘Dirty Bomb’ Scare

Israel

Zelensky Lambastes Israel for not Helping Ukraine, Warns of Russian Aid to Iran’s Nuclear Program

Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky lambasted Israel on Monday, saying that the latter’s refusal to provide Ukraine with anti-missile defenses and its neutrality on the war had permitted Iran and Russia to deepen their ties, with benefits for Iran’s nuclear enrichment program.

Source: Zelensky Lambastes Israel for not Helping Ukraine, Warns of Russian Aid to Iran’s Nuclear Program

Russia -Ukraine

Ukraine Alleges Russian Dirty Bomb Deception At Nuke Plant | HuffPost Latest News

Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is seen from around twenty kilometers away in an area in the Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine, Monday, Oct. 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Leo Correa, File)

Ukraine’s nuclear energy operator said Tuesday that Russian forces were performing secret work at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, activity that could shed light on Russia’s claims that the Ukrainian military is preparing a “provocation” involving a radioactive device.

Source: Ukraine Alleges Russian Dirty Bomb Deception At Nuke Plant | HuffPost Latest News

Fight against Fake News, Fighting Fake News

Old Dog Thought- Watch Costello Murdoch and Stokes go to town on the ALP’s First budget’s efforts to clean up the Liberal Mess. Then remember Abbotts and Hockey’s Dirty Bomb

May be a Twitter screenshot of 1 person and text that says 'Dr Peter van Onselen @vanOnselenP It tells you everything you need to know abon Angus Taylor's performance as shadow treasurer that the opposition are offering us the shadow finance spokesperson, Jane Hume, on budget night instead. First time a shadow treasurer hasn't agreed to come on... #underperformer'

REAL 26/10.22, A Decade of Democracy: China and Russia, The Budget, Angus Taylor, Russia and dirty bombs, Lachlan Murdoch,

LNP Tactics

Lidia Thorpe says she’s still friends with Dean Martin as committee investigates

Greens senator Lidia Thorpe addresses the Senate in response to her referral to the privileges committee.

Talk about double standards when it comes to media why is Lidia Thorpe targeted when Scott Morrison was left alone? When it was discovered he employed his best friend Tim Stewart and his son were QAnon members. The Stewarts were purportedly employed by Morrison’s wife. Was a parliamentary committee set up to investigate that relationship? Or his relationship with Brian Houston who he tried to take to the White House with him?  Did the media cry that it didn’t “pass the pub test”.

Scott Morrison even after 2 years has refused to reveal the text messages sent between he and his  “bestie” Tim Stewart.

Scott Morrison must reveal any text messages from QAnon 

https://www.theguardian.com › australia-news › mar › s…
30 Mar 2022 — After two-year freedom of information battle with Guardian Australia, the PM’s office has been told to search for any messages with QAnon …

A high-powered parliamentary committee will investigate Lidia Thorpe’s brief relationship with former Rebel bikies president Dean Martin after the Senate voted to refer the Greens senator.

Source: Lidia Thorpe says she’s still friends with Dean Martin as committee investigates

American Politics

Accusations in a mirror: US warnings for Australian civil discourse – » The Australian Independent Media Network

shouting Peter Dutton

As soon as they’d lost the election Peter Dutton flew to America to seek advice

 The New York Times has just released a study into the language used by a group of Republicans it labels “the objectors.” This is the radical posse that most stridently fights the fact that Biden won the election. Together with partisan media, this group of congressmen and women have done incalculable damage to the civic space in America, and may have broken it altogether. We have the same forces at work in Australia, battling to destroy our own democracy. The movement here is nascent, but so was the American version once.

Source: Accusations in a mirror: US warnings for Australian civil discourse – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Murdochville

Michael Pascoe: What’s with the Murdoch empire re-merger?

 

.

Nothing like Murdoch family business machinations to fuel speculation about motives and outcomes and so it is with the news that, nine years after splitting the empire in two, the Murdochs want to re-merge them.

Cue references to Lachlan’s ambitions and succession planning and Succession – the TV show about a Machiavellian media mogul who is not based on Rupert Murdoch. (I don’t think the script writers ever suggested Logan Roy was backing Donald Trump and embedding climate denialism in Australian conservative politics.)

Source: Michael Pascoe: What’s with the Murdoch empire re-merger?

Universities

Academics strike as wage theft spreads, uni executive salaries soar – Michael West

Education Strike in Brisbane October 2022

Academics at five Queensland universities walked off the job last week and held a rally in Brisbane to protest against casualisation, reduced work security and dozens of cases of wage theft. Michael Sainsbury reports as concerns rise in Australia’s universities over the billowing schism between academic and VC pay.

Source: Academics strike as wage theft spreads, uni executive salaries soar – Michael West

Democratic Socialism

Kim Stanley Robinson: We Need Democratic Socialism

Utopian thinking gets a pretty bad name. But for author Kim Stanley Robinson, we should resist the idea we’re simply doomed to climate disaster — and insist that there is a world beyond capitalism.

Source: Kim Stanley Robinson: We Need Democratic Socialism

Informed Opinion

Chris Hedges: Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb – scheerpost.com

 Chris Hedges: Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

The longer the proxy war in Ukraine continues, the closer we come to a direct confrontation with Russia. Once that happens, the Dr. Strangeloves running the show will reach for the nukes.

Source: Chris Hedges: Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb – scheerpost.com

Informed Comment

Trump Redux: He Looms Over the 2022 Midterm Elections. He Cannot Be Ignored or Wished Away. | The Smirking Chimp

Rather than ignore him, we must demand that Trump be prosecuted. Instead of pretending the poison he released into the American system is behind us, we must acknowledge that it is spreading.

As opposed to dismissing him, we must deal with him and the lawmakers who are enabling him head-on — and stop him, and them, through every non-violent means possible.

Source: Trump Redux: He Looms Over the 2022 Midterm Elections. He Cannot Be Ignored or Wished Away. | The Smirking Chimp

Trump

Trump Now Plotting To Overthrow Midterm Results In Philadelphia | Crooks and Liars

Trump Now Plotting To Overthrow Midterm Results In Philadelphia

I just watched a focus group of Pennsylvania Trump voters on MSNBC, and I felt my blood pressure going through the roof. Because none of them believed the 2020 election was legitimate, citing the fact that the results changed overnight.

Of course they did! Because Trump backers in the PA state legislature passed a law that prevented local election officials from counting mail-in ballots until after the election was over. They did it to make it easier for Trump to claim the election was rigged! Everyone who was paying attention knew this.

It’s not some magic “secret” information. It was in the local and national newspapers! It was on the news, warning people to be prepared for a different result the next day because the mail-in ballots weren’t counted yet!

Source: Trump Now Plotting To Overthrow Midterm Results In Philadelphia | Crooks and Liars

Meet the Trumps

Mary Trump: The Secret Service ‘Knew’ About January 6th and Uncle Donald Is a Mass Murderer | The Smirking Chimp

Uncle Donald has never got rid of Mary

Psychologist and podcaster Mary Trump, who is former President Donald Trump’s niece, blasted the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Secret Service on Saturday’s edition of The Mary Trump Show over the revelations that the agencies were aware of the threats against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) [as well as then-Vice President Mike Pence] in advance of the January 6th, 2021 Capitol insurrection. The House Select Committee investigating the attack broke that news during its public hearing last week.

Source: Mary Trump: The Secret Service ‘Knew’ About January 6th and Uncle Donald Is a Mass Murderer | The Smirking Chimp

Fight against Fake News, Fighting Fake News

Old Dog Thought-Capitalism is the dirty bomb that’s destabilised the planet’s natural health and systemic balance

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, pictured with President Vladimir Putin, has raised the unlikely prospect of Ukraine detonating a nuclear dirty bomb within its own borders.

Fighting Fake News with REAL 25/10/22, Putin and his dirty bomb, Michael Moore predicts, Corporatisation of America’s Press,

Australia's Shame

The lucky country? – Pearls and Irritations

Large group of people forming Australia map and national flag in social media and communication

Australia is the spoilt offspring of an ultra-rich empire who gained wealth through exploitative, brutal means.

Just as the United States perpetuates its own destructive national myths, of exceptionalism and manifest destiny, Australia has its own. “The lucky country,”

Australians repeat to themselves. This book-title-turned-national-narrative is just as worthy of examination.

Source: The lucky country? – Pearls and Irritations

Socialism

Socialism Won’t Get Rid of Work. But It Will Allow Us to Work Less Under Better Conditions.

Some leftists imagine a postcapitalist society will free everyone from the need to work. But the only realistic and fair way to manage production under socialism is to democratically distribute and share in the burdens of labor.

Source: Socialism Won’t Get Rid of Work. But It Will Allow Us to Work Less Under Better Conditions.

ALP Government,

Takes the plunge: Tanya Plibersek releases roadmap to fix Australia’s water trading wreck – Michael West

Water Minister Tanya Plibersek has released the “Roadmap” document accepting Australia’s water trading markets are “a market-design car-crash” and backed the findings of the long-awaited ACCC report. Authors of Sold Down the River, Stuart Kells and Scott Hamilton, report.

Source: Takes the plunge: Tanya Plibersek releases roadmap to fix Australia’s water trading wreck – Michael West

Murdoch

The excruciating irony of Lachlan Murdoch’s Crikey lawsuit

Lachlan Murdoch’s defamation case against Crikey could come back to bite his media empire.

One Tel, Ch 10, Crickey.  Lachlan certainly hasn’t shown dad he deserves his big boy pants has he? The Advocate of Speech Freedom wants to prove money talks and make Crikey walk but they’re not going away. So now he wants to change the rules of the challenge to punish and rid himself of them by sending them broke.But the umpire said “No Way”. Now dad wants to change the company structure will he put little Lachie in charge?

It is difficult to reconcile Murdoch’s submission when NewsCorp Australia will, in all likelihood in future defamation cases, rely on and even hope to expand the application of the very defence that its heir-apparent has just labelled as worthless. If Murdoch’s argument succeeds at trial, he may win this battle against Crikey, but his stable could lose many major wars in the future.

Source: The excruciating irony of Lachlan Murdoch’s Crikey lawsuit

Informed Comment

Informed Comment- Human Rights- Julian Assange

A Political Solution for Assange: Jennifer Robinson at the National Press Club

Informed Opinion

‘I’m deadly serious’: why film-maker Michael Moore is confident of a Democratic midterm win | US midterm elections 2022 | The Guardian

Close-up shot of filmmaker Michael Moore

 

Edward Helmore Sun 23 Oct 2022 18.00 AEDT Last modified on Mon 24 Oct 2022 07.17 AEDT For the past month, Academy Award-winning documentary maker Michael Moore has been emailing out a daily missive “Mike’s Midterm Tsunami of Truth” on why he believes Democrats will win big in America’s midterm elections next month.

Source: ‘I’m deadly serious’: why film-maker Michael Moore is confident of a Democratic midterm win | US midterm elections 2022 | The Guardian

America

More than half of all daily Papers in America are owned by just 10 Syndicates, most of which don’t care about Journalism.

This has rapidly become the standard business model for American newspapering. Today, more than half of all daily papers in America are in the grip of just 10 of these money syndicates. That’s why our “local” papers are dying. It’s not a failure of journalism.

It’s a plunder of journalism by absentee corporate owners.

Source: More than half of all daily Papers in America are owned by just 10 Syndicates, most of which don’t care about Journalism.

UK

Brits facing ever-worsening poverty can be mightily thankful Liz Truss is going

The sudden departure of Britain’s new Prime Minister has valuable messages for the watching world, as Alan Austin reports.

Source: Brits facing ever-worsening poverty can be mightily thankful Liz Truss is going

Putin

Russia warns of ‘dirty bomb’ provocation in calls with West

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, pictured with President Vladimir Putin, has raised the unlikely prospect of Ukraine detonating a nuclear dirty bomb within its own borders.

All Russia is doing now is making announcements for its domestic interests. This isn’t a warning it’s a threat on what it is they are prepared to unleash

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asserted the international community was unlikely to believe Shoigu’s claims, and implied that Moscow was setting the stage for deploying a radioactive device on Ukrainian soil.

Source: Russia warns of ‘dirty bomb’ provocation in calls with West

Fight against Fake News, Fighting Fake News

Old Dog Thought- Truss will get $205K for life Morrison will get X 2 with perks and the media gasp at Truss’s bounty.

May be an image of 1 person and text that says 'Liz Truss: 19th October: "I'm a fighter not a quitter." 20th October: I quit.'

Fighting Fake News with REAL, 24/10/22, Scott Morrison Register, News Corp Normalising Fascist Politics, Australia’s Humanity, BOM Meteorology, Murdoch & Crikey, Gina Rinehart,

ALP Government,

Victoria’s Labor Government aims for 95% renewables by 2035

Now that’s a PLAN

Victoria’s Labor Government jacked up its targets for clean energy and emissions reduction, setting the State on course to reach a 95% share of renewables on its electricity grid by 2035 and a 75-80% reduction in emissions by that date.

Source: Victoria’s Labor Government aims for 95% renewables by 2035

Debt

The Second Hand Car – Credit Card Sharks and the Ordinary Consumer – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Money cannot disappear; it moves from one account to another. There is no money eating monster that digests huge amounts of liquid cash turning it into thin, bad smelling air. Indeed, no one can tell where these other accounts are but had I been in charge of financial policy and governance I would have applied the old saying “Follow the money trail” with vigour.

Where does this leave the person that requires cash at short notice and unable to buy such funds from a bank? Well, the answer is simple: being regarded as a higher risk, the borrower is forced to obtain funds from legal loan sharks in Australia. The cheerful franchises that offer money at incredibly high rates and would sell your children into prostitution or coal mines if the proponents of neoliberal free market trickledown theory had their way .

Next time I might carefully examine the many wonderful money laundering services that have become part of the Australian financial scene.

Source: The Second Hand Car – Credit Card Sharks and the Ordinary Consumer – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Uncategorized

‘Political forces’ in Lehrmann rape trial – Michael West

Reynolds, Democracy, and the Separation of Powers be buggered. Self-Serving Interest reigns above all in the LNP.

A senior politician has been accused of trying to interfere in a criminal trial in the dramatic final days of the Brittany Higgins rape case.

Source: ‘Political forces’ in Lehrmann rape trial – Michael West

Uncategorized

Australian media companies want to be exempt from being investigated for corruption by the National Anti-Corruption CommissionKangaroo Court of Australia

Beyond Scrutiny

Australia’s TV media companies have told the National Anti-Corruption Commission committee that they should be exempt from being investigated for corruption by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC). I captured it on video, as per below, and it is amazing how brazen the media companies are thinking they can publicly demand to be above the law.

Source: Australian media companies want to be exempt from being investigated for corruption by the National Anti-Corruption CommissionKangaroo Court of Australia