Tag: Today

The Ghost of Stalin Still Hasn’t Been Laid to Rest

Joseph Stalin died 70 years ago today, having stamped his indelible mark upon the Soviet system. Stalin’s legacy continues to haunt the post-Soviet landscape, right up to the present war with Ukraine.

Source: The Ghost of Stalin Still Hasn’t Been Laid to Rest

Labor on the brink of learning if can govern without independents

ALBO HAS HIS MAJORITY IN THE LOWER HOUSE!!!

The long wait to learn if the Albanese government has the lower house numbers to govern without the support of independents could end as early as Monday.

There was no fresh counting in the three seats that remain in doubt after the election just over a week ago, according to respected ABC election analyst Anthony Green.

“Staff will be processing declaration envelopes to be ready for a big count on Monday. That should clarify the final result – unless the three seats remain ultra-close,” he tweeted on Sunday.

Source: Labor on the brink of learning if can govern without independents

The decade of News Corp’s demise

A Year Ago and Today

Can a world without the influence of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp be imagined? Alan Austin, it seems, has such a vivid imagination. AT THE BEGINNING of the decade there is optimism for renewal of the media landscape in several countries as support for News Corp appears to be dwindling.

Source:

The decade of News Corp’s demise

and

 Van Onselen and the decline of journalism

A dog’s Brexit: Johnson’s missteps about to send weary voters to another election as the EU divorce gets ugly

In fact, Brexit is a misnomer in three ways: it is driven by a sense of English – rather than British – malaise. It’s transnational support from the Trump administration suggests the international and domestic agendas that come with the no-deal project. It is not just about “exit”, but comes with a program for domestic change of a radically conservative variety.

While Brexit has spilled over into US politics, Ireland’s supporters in the US Congress could scupper plans for a post-Brexit free trade agreement between the UK and the USA. Such an agreement is a key part of Johnson’s hard-Brexit strategy that underscores the transnational dimension to the politics of Brexit.

Whatever the drivers of Brexit, it is ultimately for the electorates in an increasingly divided UK to decide. It’s quite possible the forthcoming election will not alter the parliamentary arithmetic in any significant way.

But it’s the only way this arithmetic can change and so it must be embraced by a politics-weary electorate throughout the four nations of the UK.

via A dog’s Brexit: Johnson’s missteps about to send weary voters to another election as the EU divorce gets ugly

Even inside Israel, colonialism is far from over | +972 Magazine

Kibbutz members march in a 1951 ceremony. (photo: אביבה שני בית חרות/CC BY 2.5)

The attempt to bar Arabs from buying land in one of the wealthiest, more liberal towns in Israel is a disturbing reminder of Israel’s colonial past — and present.

 

Even inside Israel, colonialism is far from over | +972 Magazine

What’s Cuba *Really* Like?

H. Patricia Hynes | (Informed Comment) | – – What is Cuba like? Since visiting there recently, I have been …

Source: What’s Cuba *Really* Like?

#CloseTheCamps rallies across Australia call for Nauru and Manus centres to shut | Australia news | The Guardian

Protesters in Melbourne on Saturday 27 August 2016 calling for immigration detention centres on Nauru and Manus Island to close. Thousands of protesters gathered in cities across Australia calling for an end to Australia’s offshore detention regime in the wake of the publication of the Nauru files.

Refugees and asylum seekers held on Nauru and Manus Island should be brought to Australia, say activists who organised nationwide protests

Source: #CloseTheCamps rallies across Australia call for Nauru and Manus centres to shut | Australia news | The Guardian