Tag: Part 1

USA

Political polarisation in the US – Part 1: How real is the problem? – Pearls and Irritations

Red arrow and blue arrow point in opposite directions.

There is no doubt that polarisation between Democrats and Republicans is real and increasing. Not since the 1930s has there been such a bitter divide. Pernicious polarisation has reached levels unseen in democracies in Europe, Asia, Oceania or in Canada since World War 2. This is already having consequences for the “governability” of America, its social cohesion and its ability sustainably to deliver Presidential programs. But the impacts don’t stop there – they also affect the attitudes of allies and competitors and influence views of the value of democracy versus strongman autocracy.

Source: Political polarisation in the US – Part 1: How real is the problem? – Pearls and Irritations

Informed Comment

Damming words and how to use them to tell the story of Morrison’s downfall (Part one) – » The Australian Independent Media Network

My thought for the day

The Coalition Government’s performance over its time in office had been like a daily shower of offensiveness raining down on society. Surely performance or lack of it must have meant something.(John Lord )

Damming words and how to use them to tell the story of Morrison’s downfall (Part one) – » The Australian Independent Media Network
Informed Comment

Pandora Papers: is the world’s biggest leak the world’s biggest cover-up? – Michael West Media

Pandora Papers, ICIJ

Where are the US billionaires, the Wall Streeters, the Big Four tax firms Deloitte, EY, KPMG, PwC? Michael West explores the mystery of the Pandora Papers in this first of a two-part series.

Source: Pandora Papers: is the world’s biggest leak the world’s biggest cover-up? – Michael West Media

Informed Comment

Scott Morrison’s coercive control of women (part 1) – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Tess Lawrence is not known for holding back when holding forth. In this first excerpt from a longer treatise she calls out Prime Minister Scott Morrison, accusing him of both implicit and complicit coercive control over women in Australia, including female cabinet ministers as well as complainants of alleged rape and other forms of sexual assault and harassment. Content warning: This article discusses rape and institutional political psychosexual violence. Scott Morrison’s coercive control of women

Source: Scott Morrison’s coercive control of women (part 1) – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Neoliberalism

The restoration of malpractice (part 1) – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Hawke provided Australia with the opportunities of the freshly imported economic neo-liberalism: the rule of the market, privatisation, re-regulation, cutting public expenditure for social services, the elimination of the concept of public good or the sense of community, and all that to be replaced by individual responsibility. Hawke had been captured by the simplistic mantra of Ronald Reagan: “In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.”

‘Privatisation’ – the selling of everything which stands or moves because ‘private management is better’ came around with Paul Keating. He added trade liberalisation, corporatisation and small government.

Neo-liberalism was more subtly, albeit quietly, redirected towards a particular organisation of capitalism; despite the slogan of the small government, the basic feature of such reorganisation was the use of the government and the facilities of the state to protect capital imposing market imperatives on society and by curbing the power of organised labour.

via The restoration of malpractice (part 1) – » The Australian Independent Media Network