Mood:  blue

With the news cycle in a very big spin re the latest terrorist attack in Britain, including a link here

Tuesday July 3, 2007 1200pm AEST

UK terror plot arrest in Brisbane

[bold added]

18/6/07

Neocons can't have it both ways on Arabs | The World | The Australian

including this

"....

As Ralph Peters, a former military intelligence officer, explained in the New York Post last Thursday: "We're stuck in Iraq, and it sucks. But were we to leave in haste, far more blood than oil would flow in the Persian Gulf. The disaster in Gaza's just a rehearsal for the Arab-suicide drama awaiting its opening night in Iraq."

But here, it seems to me, neoconservatism begins to devour itself. For the sake of argument, assume the premise about the violent dysfunctionality of Arab political culture.

Now ask yourself: if that's correct, how on earth did neoconservatives ever argue that we could produce a functioning democracy by force of arms in Iraq?

This is surely the self-contradiction at the heart of neoconservatism. [bold added] Even at the maximum surge strength, the US is helpless in the face of an Iraqi civil war that has only just begun, can be fuelled indefinitely by corrupt oil money, and is driven by centuries-old sectarian hatred between Shia and Sunni Muslims and decades of totalitarian trauma. And yet the neocons insist we should plough on, adding more troops, planning on permanent bases for indefinite occupation.

Well, you can't have it both ways. Either Arab culture without autocracy really is what we see in Gaza and Iraq or it isn't. If it is, then trying to build Western-style democracy during a brutal civil war in Iraq is a mug's game.

We have, I think, two options. We can withdraw from Iraq and play the grand regional Shia-Sunni war in the Middle East by proxy. Or we can enmesh ourselves much more deeply and irrevocably in a metastasising conflict. Such a conflict may well breed even more anti-Western terror and run the risk of inserting Americans into an ancient sectarian blood feud.

There are grave dangers in both options and no one should underestimate the risks of withdrawal from a power vacuum we created. But surely the lesson of Gaza and Iraq is that occupation will not transform Arab culture for the better either. It may, in fact, make things worse.

What I guess I'm saying is that if you take neoconservatism seriously as an analysis of Arab culture and the regional conflict in the Middle East, and you are primarily interested in the defence of the West, the case for cutting our losses in Iraq is a very strong one. [bold added]

But somehow the neocons are afraid to follow their argument to its logical and inexorable conclusion. We need to leave. Soon. Or reap a gathering whirlwind.

The Sunday Times"

........................................................................

Postscript #1

Sure enough the apparent phone link from Britain terrorists to a doctor here in Qld, which may or may not be significant, has the Big Media in a lather. Even to the extent of parody by crikey.com ezine today 4th July about lack of any real news value. What has got us puzzled is the really shallow lack of psychological insight in most of the gormless media coverage.

By this we mean the Big Media are taking the line of shock, horror that medical people are getting murderously violent. Yet the SAM editor was alive to this potential years ago based on this simple observation - with hundreds of thousands of gruesome deaths (eg Iraq whether from Gulf War #1, sanctions, Gulf War #2, The Occupation, or in Palestine from prison like conditions) who are the ones in society most exposed to the carnage, misery and indeed mass preventable fatalities? Who are most intellectually capable to generate a political analysis of the geo politics behind the blood and gore, at least in some fashion. The medicos obviously. How anyone can think this horror especially the broken bodies of children, won't take its psychological toll and indeed turn at least some from their hypocratic oath is the really bizarre thing, not that it happens.

Indeed it takes a determined ignorance akin to the role of the mainstream media in this disturbing movie, and in the current context ..... Israel's vicious cluster bomblets in the last days of the recent war in Lebanon; or the mass lethality of USA air strikes; or The Lancet report estimating hundreds of thousands of deaths in Iraq to think the doctors would be whistling while they work.

Hence last Monday night on 4 Corners Chris Masters asked a military man in Afghanistan 'will 10 locals killed in error result in 100 enemies?'. It's a straight forward multiplier well understood by the UN for instance. Not for nothing do people refer to 'the spiral' of violence.

By what blindness do our well paid, over indulged journalists/editors ignore such basic consequences of western geo politik foreign policy as a matter of basic human psychology? Is it some kind of willful blindness that the "other" is not also human in every way to ourselves in the West?

One might at least expect these dumb Big Media to have seen this fairly recent movie where the doctor character is positioned as an assassin by the CIA in the Robert Redford, Brad Pitt vehicle Spy Game - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia exploiting the doctor's desire for revenge. Script writers are obviously smarter than journalists.

Postscript #2 6.15 am 7th July 2007

A. Well, as the news breaks (from about 3pm July 6th) of more detention and interrogations of medical people here in Australia from ALP Premier press conferences in WA etc our analysis in postscript #1 has itself proven "prescient" (to quote oneself above).

(Why on earth our postscript #1  typeface today first appeared as 16 point when its supposed to be 12 point is just another small mystery of the internet and maybe the junior trainee spooks trawling such things. This has never happened before quite this way.)

B. Another 'gratifying' aspect for SAM news site if such a term is possible in this sad, grim geo politik is that like our post of Sullivan above, both major parties here gave broad defence speeches here eg at the Lowy Institute on Thursday eg ALP's Kevin Rudd Future Challenges in Foreign Policy - MP3, and Defence Minister Nelson prefacing interview here on AM here with summary here

Defence battlelines drawn ahead of election | News | The Australian 

;

and both ended up highlighting the miserable failure in Iraq:

(1) The ALP intentionally by focusing on regional priorities for the future, barely mentioning Iraq except to say it was as bad a result as Vietnam.

(2) The Coalition not intentionally but as a result of the AM interview, where Defence Minister Nelson, having swatted all night and maybe all week for a broad policy, was forced into ducking and weaving a Lillee like bouncer first up about 'Why are we still in Iraq?".  You could hear his imperious annoyance at having to account yet again and use up precious oxygen he wanted for his giant defence Mecanno set of assets, ships, planes, tanks etc most of which are not deployed in said Iraq. So unsettled we would say that he defaulted to usual condescending truth that energy/oil security was the motivation for being there. A truth that must not speak its name. Within a few hours he was being repudiated by Treasurer, PM and Chris Uhlmann of ABC was referred to his squandered leadership potential. Ouchy ouch.

By next day Nelson was even repudiating himself!

And the Opposition were making hay.

But it was true, in world attention getting Syrianna (the movie) style that oil underpins the Occupation in Iraq, and for that we give Nelson some credit. Maybe as a medical doctor he was in angst over this whole violent doctors things - and his role in taking so much life as defence minister.

Further we wrote about this on the Matt Price blog story in The Australian yesterday (he pushing the line Nelson's words were an accident, and we were in Iraq for the US Alliance - which Matt is just a semantic way of saying oil again). His blog was fresh and unblotted when we got to it about 8 am yesterday -  our comment was censored off when checked last night (?) hence the time to write it here again. Or maybe it's hidden in the 400+ comments there now.

(3) As a result of all this attack on the main flaw in the Govt's broad defence policy re the disaster in Iraq, fiesty penetrating well resourced cyber group Get Up has run a glancing blow on the govt's security credibility: A terrorism victim calling for withdrawal from Iraq, which echoed onto the tv news bulletins last night. Ouch. Here it is:

"Dear GetUp members,
 
Two years ago I was on a bus that was blown up by terrorists. Three months in traction and six operations later, I'm asking for your help to prevent this from happening to any more Australians.

These recent attacks in the UK have not only brought back some really painful memories, they've prompted me to make a television ad - and we need your help to show it. Please watch my urgent plea here:
 
www.getup.org.au/campaign/PleaseMrHoward

I thought going to war in Iraq was supposed to make us safer, not put us in more danger. And now we're hearing it was for their oil. Some of you may have seen me ask John Howard from my hospital bed whether he thought what happened to me was a result of the war in Iraq.
 
I did not think then that two years later we would be still be in this position, where I feel compelled to ask Mr Howard the same question. Yet here we are - our military presence is not making the Iraqis any safer; it is not making Australians any safer. Why, exactly, are we there then?
 
www.getup.org.au/campaign/PleaseMrHoward
 
I want to help the Iraqi people, but not at the end of a gun. Our involvement in the violence in Iraq will only lead to more violence. Why can't we instead spend the money on reconstruction programs?
 
I'm no expert, but I do know something about the real cost of terrorism. Please, help me tell this to the Prime Minister.
 
Thank you,
 
Louise Barry
Survivor, 2005 London Bombings
GetUp member"

(4) We are pretty used to being censored by The Pompous/Big Media - even as we effectively scoop them on psychological insight into Arabic medical personnel reacting to a miserable history -

We were also censored off the Trioli talkback on Wednesday after being near first in the queue pre 9am and waiting 30 minutes. We wanted to address the land clearing vandals reported in the SMH -(see immediately preceding story) so we resorted to type back radio submissions

- she is "haughty" which is true, and

- that she is being "duchessed" having admitted a dinner in Government House by the National Trust which has always been a pseudo ALP Left qango;

- that the article below by SAM on the clearing issue is 'doing the ABC's work for them ....again'

Now we see Stateline last night here in NSW with Quentin Dempster pretty much running our story last night . But even he can't do a very good job though he knows the issues - dwelling on the views of the disastrous Jeff Angel dirctor of Total Environment Centre who was the peak 'green' representative on the state native vegetation committee from 1997 to 2003 and ongoing (?), when about a million hectares (of 80M ha state) was cleared and yet he still saw fit to pander to the ALP in 2002 in the SMH proximate to the next election that Carr was the 'greenest premier in the history of Australia'. Yeah right. Betrayal of duty and trust for those that know.

Angel over the same timeline also cut a deal with Lake Cowal cyanide gold mine to receive money for his group and cronies for greenwashing projects up to $6M direct from revenue of the gold mine to the outrage of the Green Party and independent groups like Rainforest Information Centre.

In around 1997 we attended a meeting of 6 or 7 green groups where Angel proposed to tradeoff land to be cleared by farmers in the Southern Mallee of NSW, land that had outstanding native title claim by Aboriginal traditional owners, not to mention intrinsic environmental values. (The native title case all the way to the High Court was eventually lost, but we didn't know that at the time.) Talk about racist. [Time permitting we will pull the file out soon.]

Over the same time line Angel's group with maybe 750 members gazumped all the much bigger groups like The Wilderness Society with maybe 5,000 NSW members to entrench 20 year logger 'resource security' in a "peace deal" with govt and industry paving the way for woodchippers in southern NSW that continues to kills 2-3000 trees every day including pristine areas of East Gippsland like Goolengook. Majestic Goolengook fed through the Eden chipper in NSW that Angel kept open in alliance with Bob Carr in breach of an election promise of 1995.

And Angel is hopeless at modern media presentation  - ugly to see on tv, and choked speaking voice so much so that Trioli recently told him on air to drink water (!) not realising (she from Victoria) it was his normal voice, Angel is the perfect ALP patsy to keep in his position with Iago's technical ability to talk out of both sides of his mouth. And that's why the NSW environment movement is broken and our natural environment is doomed under this ALP government - Jeff Angel's faustian deal by with corrupt ALP, probably the worst environmental leader in Australia's history.

So why did Dempster's show dwell on him next to Reece Turner of TWS on the panel last night on tv? Dempster is an acolyte of Angel's group TEC, and probably recognises this real politik power game, and has done several public events for him pushing him forward at the expense of the true independent environment movement like Chipstop in the south and the Green Party or The Wilderness Society. The corruption of the ALP infuses most aspects of NSW life even into the Establishment green groups desperate for grants and profile at the expense of the sacred environment they are honour bound to protect, and certainly the Big Media. 

Angel's real legacy - a choked, dishonest, hobbled green movement served on a platter to this 12 year old ALP Government, fiesty mid level campaigners cut off at the knees after a year or two, corrupt grants, mediocre pandering spiced with the odd criticism to cover his backside.

In short Milo Dunphy was right about Angel being a wholly unsuitable person to lead the green movement and the fact Dempster promotes him is shameless and immoral. 

Posted by editor at 1:51 PM NZT

Updated: Saturday, 7 July 2007 11:03 AM NZT

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Mood:  rushed

We responded to the rogue farmer clearing vandals here:

Posted by editor at 11:17 AM NZT

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Mood:  special

Quoting the Canberra Times today below, (and see also 4 Corners February 2006 interview in an episode called The Greenhouse Mafia ):

Posted by editor at 7:04 PM NZT

Updated: Monday, 2 July 2007 7:44 PM NZT

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Mood:  lyrical

Images of Australian Broadcasting Corporation open day for tragics yesterday 1st of July 07 in Sydney. We particularly liked the opera devil banner from Mozart's Don Giovanni. We rang ABC corporate affairs this morning and suggested an obscure picture (which had fallen down the back of a desk and visible to the public) of a certain disgraced modern pop artist might need to be removed ... pronto.

The image of broadcaster Trioli looking suitably haughty in Italian operatic style also revealed a character trait. The wan ABC science presenter, James Vallentine inspired poise with a swelling audience in his capable hands.

150,000? Well maybe on the churn. Maybe 50,000. In any case it was a buzz as shown by the long queue walking through the tv sets. "I love the ABC" wrote one old guy in the guest book. "But does it love you?" I asked rhetorically. "I'm a member of the Friends" came the rebuke, avoiding the question really.

We had a longish talk with ABC International display and very friendly they were too. They have a far bigger audience than the ABC within Australia.

Sad to say we didn't cycle in having a load of 2nd hand books to sell. But notice cycling fan Adam Spencer involved in this October 17th 2007 . For those indoors abc.net.au/rollermache.

Postscript #1

How ironic that editorialist at The Australian would be criticising anyone, let alone the ABC of "bias". How mediocre. How hypocritical. Here it is if you can be bothered. Truth is the ABC is fiercely centrist committed mainly to itself whatever the actual facts or truth are. A bland conflation of so called balance and compromise of political power and money. That's why the environmental radio show Earthbeat was cut, while agri industry has a full hour every day, and it's own tv show.

And The Australian has the impertinence to say the ABC is "deep green Left". This is the typical News Ltd 70% press national coverage bully pulpit that discredits that self aggrandising joke media organisation.

Posted by editor at 12:01 PM NZT

Updated: Tuesday, 3 July 2007 2:29 PM NZT

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Mood:  caffeinated

Author’s general introductory note (skip this if you know this regular weekly column):

This is not a well packaged story. It’s a contemporaneous traverse of the Sunday television free to air political talkies indicating the agenda of Establishment interests: Better to know ones rivals and allies  in Big Politics and Big Media.

Indeed it’s the tv version monitoring task similar to what Nelson

Mandela refers to here in his book Long Walk to Freedom (1994, Abacus) written in Robben Island prison (where he was meant to die like other African resister chiefs of history in the 19C), at page 208

“..newspapers are only a shadow of reality; their information is important to a freedom fighter not because it reveals the truth, but because it discloses the biases and perceptions of both those who produce the paper and those who read it.”

Just substitute ‘Sunday tv political talkie shows’ for "newspapers" in the quote above.

For actual transcripts go to web sites quoted below except with Riley Diary on 7. And note transcripts don’t really give you the image content value.

Media backgrounder:

-          Costello chief of staff in serious hit and run. Whoa, that’s heavy.

-          Failed Errorism attacks in Britain will travel politically will feed into atmospherics of APEC with protesters the least of issues: Bus prisons pictured in recent SMH.

-          Attack as usual by $2 Tim Blair in Sydney Telegraph yesterday sounding in existential doubt

-         Radio National Saturday slot with Jacqui Katona was a zinger. She should be our Governor General if you ask me, wow talk about articulate Black woman, feisty independent, smart.

-         character issues for NSW Govt kicks on re Ab welfare failings front SMH Saturday.

10 Meet the Press 8-8.30 am

Hints in Sunday press of Howard Iraq exist policy? One wonders.

Mal Brough – Stephanie Peatling SMH, Mark Kenny Adelaide Advertiser

Child welfare detail 11,000 kids in NT remote areas, many thousands not attending school. Shortage of resourcing. Good probing questions in from both on panel re detail.

Workman like fairly mild interview.

USA ambassador ….. “fundamental” (twice), there is that word again, blather on climate change with credibility gap like a huge millstone as he drowns in words. But one thing resonates – grandstanding at APEC on this. Sounds shaky on ‘staying the course in Iraq.

Transcript in due course www.ten.com.au/meetthepress

7 Weekend Sunrise, 8.35-40 am Riley Diary  -

Teaser has protesters showing the PM overboard – very amusing image.

Light piece on Bennelong fete, electioneering. Dwells on “when it comes too” verbal artifice of Rudd speechmaking, but nothing turns on it – it’s the 15 sec electronic media grab which only runs …. Once. That’s the cross tv journos at pressers should bear.

Polls on Tuesday. Rudd lacking

Criminal convictions of 2 Herald Sun journalists Harvey and McManus – underspending on veteran entitlements by $1/2 billion.  Self described rant against conviction for just doing their job. Reflects “very poorly on our democracy”. [I can feel a Big media traverse coming on this week.]

Andrew OKeefe “didn’t work at Nuremberg but works here” throw away line. Ouchy. Referring to Public Servants must just follow orders as per Mike Cartlon view of Shergold chief of staff to PM “just follow orders”. Couldn’t agree more with the OKeefe Carlton view of morality in modern govt – fuck that.

http://www.seven.com.au/sunrise/weekend

Sunday 9

Cross to Glasgow news update on terrorism attack.

Sue Gordon former magistrate 18 years. Very top down views. Knows the players. Wants to attack alcohol abuse. Presents like a battle axe with a good heart.

[Hints at the humbugging issue – if selective with quarantining then stable functioning families will be humbugged for money for drugs from relatives. Stay tuned for a report coming up in the major foreign press.]

US Iraq militarized society feature story. Long long story shows Sunday is having to lean a lot on easy content?

Laurie Oakes interview with Tony Abbott health minister –  parlt recalled maybe by late July but complexity delays too.

22K indigenous kids in NT to be health tested. Oakes drilling into the detail. Compulsory or not?

Varies with conditionality like immunization. What level of compulsion?

Oakes says :sliding around on this” in the question and sounds like it.

Mal Brough said compulsory on the announcement. Skating around, says Laurie.

PM compulsory at Sydney Institute. Telling porkies. Abbott claims some grace on this for the difficulty of the situation.

Oakes drills in – in the week since AMA constitutes assault.

How much cost? Tens of millions PM talking through his hat says Oaks. Abbott again asks for grace – work in policy progress. Have to address this “terrible situation”. Will pay as the bills fall due.

Why not acted earlier. Says Herron as Ab minister in 1996 was active on this.

Reference to Duffy column. Abbott read it, and his biographer. Cynicism is not the right response here.

[Abbott had cut through here – A higher purpose. I feel a big big election funding package in gestation – on both sides.]

73% voted yes state premiers

DNA test story of HMAS Sydney.

NSW Workplace safety tv advert paid for by NSW Govt. Politics of a higher purpose.

[go the little buffalo in the footage, solidarity bro]

http://sunday.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/default.asp

Insiders 2

Opposition spokes Jenny Macklin on Aboriginal child welfare, strong rhetoric of unity, sidesteps ALP premiers critique, call for unity. Culture jams PM message with “will it make children safer”

Juxtapose persuasive Rex Wild QC and Noel Pearson similarly persuasive but quite different positions re NT at least.

English as a second language. 200 extra teachers.

Land issues. Why? Govt fudging.

Jim Middlton for Paul Kelly back from Iraq – late and heavy handed on Ab welfare but playing well for Howard. Problem in the detail unwinding. [Jim got a bitchy sledge from crikey.com that I don’t share – he seems very objective to me.]

Everyperson segment has cultural workers multiracial reflecting the various responses.

Tony Abbott footage: Style and emphasis – police in, social work out. More law and order.

Panel jumps into the land grab issue. Footage of PM – not the aim, can see a lot of double talk from Howard. Poisoning the initiative – just like the poisoned water holes of yesteryear?

Barry Cassidy leads double standards segment which is very very impressive. Tip our hat. Underage consensual sex by 16 and 14 year old versus miners immorality – highly differential. Religious orders footage of PM – highly differential.

[even so no excuse for action either]

Mal Farr argues my point about revenue cycle. Karen argues both revenue and electoral.

Karen does a stirling job hanging onto the land rights agenda in the face of huge emotional violence.

Emerging consensus we all share blame for this misery.

Talking pictures segment mostly about Ab welfare issues.

Talk of August election  possible. Footage of Howard very gingerly holding a baby. Rudd similarly folksy local radio.

Warren Mundine loose language. Criminal convictions of Harvy and McManus. Vic Govt pardon?

Humours Blair  footage [but as with all genuinely funny people this often a technique to mask genuinely flawed personality traits – read Iraq failure.]

Home page is http://www.abc.net.au/insiders/

Posted by editor at 12:02 PM NZT

Updated: Monday, 2 July 2007 10:05 AM NZT

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Mood:  irritated

When you read Noel Pearson in the Daily Telegraph today it flies along until the very last line where he reveals his hyperbole and indeed excess:

Here is the column here: Noel Pearson: We must all help to stop abuse

and the offending sentence here

"Those people will the protection of Aboriginal children to fail the same way and as vehemently as they will failure in Iraq."

The headline for Noel's Sydney Daily Telegraph piece 28th June calls for unity of purpose but the conclusion drives a dagger of emotional violence into the hearts of anyone who dares to vary not so much on goals, as methods. Lawyers like Noel Pearson, and this writer, are taught in law school this is known as 'blowing hot and cold'. It's a big no no in professional advocacy actually due to overt inconsistency.

The assertion by Pearson that some people in our political community actually will Iraq to fail in terms of the horrendously savage civil war  is plain wrong, and so much so it's actually a form of emotional violence on anyone daring to simply observe the truth that the Iraq Occupation has failed, past tense.

You are either for us or against us. Absolute truth. And this is our sophisticated Black leader?  It's surely a calculated form of rhetoric by Noel Pearson to pander to the Howard govt with the purse strings this side of the federal election. It is also a give away to Noel's limited objectivity let alone diplomacy.

A few weeks ago Noel was claiming in the pages of The Australian greens like this writer with a staunch commitment to Aboriginal social justice wanted billions of people to suffer and die. And there we were thinking we were trying to stop dangerous sea level rise to save millions of lives: Refer our website here for the details:

John Howard's betrayal of practical reconciliation with broken $40M 1996 election promise for Cape York Land Use Agreement
Mood:  sharp
Topic:  indigenous

including analysis there of a slippery provocative article, egregiously airbrushing the true history of the Cape York Land Use Agreement neutered by lack of funding despite its grand substance:

The ideal equilibrium | The Australian Your Say Blog 

 

We understand Noel's megaphone is fundamentally a federal govt funded operation there at the Cape York Institute as shown here in Cairns.   

We notice a Board member Ms. Lisa Paul is Secretary of a federal govt department who presents like another Howard loyalist Catherine Murphy at the head of the ultra political National Association of Forest Industries (read woodchippers like Gunns Ltd). And what an extremely political operation Murphy has run quite comfortable with overt industry violence on greens both physical and emotional.

As the old saying goes - he who pays the piper ....

Thus Greg Sheridan a keen right winger lauds Pearson today and eagerly joins in the emotional and psychological kicking of many experts who have very justified concerns over 11 long years of the Howard Govt to question not just motives but far more importantly capacity or mentality for change, as distinct from grandstanding.

Similarly the editorial  tub thumps about "shameful protest" when the shame can be liberally apportioned on this topic:

- the 11 year delay by the Coalition federal govt let alone National Country Party in the NT up to 2001

- the shameless opportunism of an election context

- the amateurish glossing of detail by Minister Brough on 7.30 last night

- the fierce 'ownership' of misery and the cures of same by the centre left parties of the ALP, whether successful or not, in an obvious form of territorial defence.

Only a fool would think this is an easy problem from any side of politics. Addictions in particular are never so easy as just "law and order" let alone a very big cultural divide. But the effort must be made too.

Everyone is holier than thou that the children should come first, as per the Sydney Morning Herald editorial 28th June. Well that's about the only thing I've heard so far that rings true: Actions and money speak a whole lot louder than anything else.

Thus Pearson reminds us of that other great articulate advocate Paul Keating in the great debate over the 'true' modern history of reform in the Australian economy, starting out on Lateline - 07/06/2007: Paul Keating on the lead-up to the federal ... which morphed into Q & A in federal Parliament and then grew like topsy including:

21/6 Wayne Swan: Howard, Costello in state of denial | Opinion |

22/6 Peter Costello: Productivity all Greek to Rudd | Opinion | The ...

23/6 Productivity should be a spin-free zone - Business - Business ...  

23/6 The latest jobs blarney comes out in the wash - Opinion - smh.com.au

23/6 Both sides belabour a skills issue | Features | The Australian

25/6 We gave Keating free ride, says PM | The Nation | The Australian

25/6 Editorial: Reform is key to economic growth | Opinion | The Australian

back to Keating again with

26/6 Paul Keating: Libs are making it up | Opinion | The Australian

The ex PM makes some fantastic instructive points while periodically trashing his credibility with throw away hyperbole as if the bike has got the wobbles at high intellectual speed sommersaulting over the handlebars - saying for instance at one point interest rates were not an issue in the 1996 federal election. Err fraid so Paul. Just like they must have been for Howard in 1983. Whether Keating wins in the end on points I don't know, though I suspect he does actually.

This big economics debate is about who did what, when, did it work and who gets the credit, and the brickbats just like failure of welfare for Aboriginal children. There is plenty of blame and maybe praise to go around in my book. 

The issue of chronic poverty and cyclical abuse is intrinsically tricky, and when the debate is paralysed with confusion and emotion you can be pretty sure we are in the realms of power struggles rather than fact or truth. It's as old as human nature and group dynamics.

The timing of this latest govt action perhaps results from another more subtle influence - the embarrassment of budget surplus where no politician can with any moral sense ignore this festering problem with an excuse of too busy on something else.

As always the truth is a synthesis of many different angles and perspectives which is what democracy actually is. So we would recommend more listening and less emotional violence directed at political rivals. And more honest transparency about vested interests.

And listening doesn't mean suspending disbelief either. That's not realistic or honest.

As always it's mostly about the money and how it's managed, which is how those poor Aboriginal People got in this terrible mess in the first place. With economic sovereignty annexed by the Empire in their born to rule arrogance, then the stolen wages, then racial denial of citizens rights, and now hugely disproportionate life opportunities and welfare services, in a non English speaking remote culture. ESL programmes anyone?

It's all about the money for the Cape York Institute, to the major party spoils of the next federal election, to the funding not provided this last 11 years (eg $40m for CYLUA, 1996 broken election promise by John Howard, 1998 broken election promise by Robert Hill), to election promise$ up to Nov. 2007, to the free media the Howard leadership craves. How much indeed for the life of an anonymous child of different race and language who won't ever speak for themself or complain or cause embarrassment. Who effectively dies silently. The South in our North. And answer that honestly.

Up untill recently that black kid's life has not been worth very much at all. And everyone knows it. That's what Australia really is stripped back to the fundamentals. Pretty ugly isn't it? It's our character test and we've been failing it a long time now.

"Bininj culture really strong. You have to look after country. For your grandfather country, like mother country, take care." Yvonne Margarula, Mirarr Senior Traditional Owner.

The land rights were long overdue, hard fought for and won by Aboriginal people, but they are about to be critically undermined, not just by the politics of military-style interventions in problematic Aboriginal communities, but by a more insidious, as yet unrecognised agenda -- mining and nuclear waste on Aboriginal land.

The ALRA gives legitimate powers such as access permits for entry to Aboriginal freehold lands, a veto over exploration and mining and other activities. As noted by the 1974 Woodward Land Rights Inquiry, to deny Aboriginal people the right to prevent mining on their land is to deny the reality of their land rights.

Since gaining control of the Senate, the Howard Government has finally had the parliamentary power to gut the ALRA, which they are doing, but have needed a massive diversion before they introduce the most controversial reforms: radically altering the mining royalty regimes, and potentially remove the veto provision for exploration and mining.

It is no coincidence that many of the communities targeted for “military style intervention” are also areas that are heavily targeted for minerals exploration, particularly uranium, as well as for potential nuclear waste dumps. This includes Western Arnhem Land and Central Australia, where numerous known uranium deposits are being actively investigated by various wanna-be uranium producers.

I have personally visited numerous Aboriginal communities, including some with major social dysfunction and others which have escaped the tyranny of petrol sniffing, grog and domestic violence. This was achieved by the communities and took hard yakka over a decade (or more). Now, they are vibrant, positive and functional communities proud to be truly sustainable. Mining has rarely aided this process.

The use of “social issues” as a diversion to hide the gutting of Aboriginal land rights is malicious and cold-hearted. As with almost everything Howard does, there is clearly more at play -- perhaps it’s time to have a real debate about problems, true partnerships and the future.

As noted by Yvonne Margarula, Senior Traditional Owner of the Mirarr-Gundjeihmi clan of Kakadu and on whose lands the Ranger uranium mine and Jabiluka project lie, “None of the promises last, but the problems always do!” "

The editor met Yvonne Margarula of the Mirarr and Goldman Award winner (and beware the faulty link there to the Mirarr site which could be cyber squatting) in 1997, and at Jabiru going to court in 1998 (she faced a charge of 'trespassing' on her own traditional land for time immemorial!), and we hold her in the highest esteem here at SAM news site. We understand her family have been victims of mining industry culture in the past in the most extreme and fatal ways.

Postscript #2 This brutal, damaging article on the economics debate ran on June 28th a day after the first roughly drafted, and now much better edited, version of this article, to add to my list of a flurry of articles:

Michael Costello: History backs Keating's claim on economy

Posted by editor at 4:09 PM NZT

Updated: Monday, 2 July 2007 6:25 PM NZT

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Mood:  down

The news coverage today reinforces the dirty nature of NSW politics in this "good government".

The Greens are railing against this alleged pay off here:

MEDIA RELEASE
28 June 2007


Is Fred Nile waiting in the wings to be new Asst Deputy Upper House
President?

Greens MP Lee Rhiannon says the NSW government*s plan today to create
a new position of Assistant Deputy President in the Upper House is
unnecessary.

*The Labor government has given no justification for creating a new
position of Assistant Deputy President. This move seems to be designed
to assist Labor politically rather than improve the running of the NSW
Upper House,* Ms Rhiannon said.

*The NSW Upper House is already well served with a President, a
Deputy President, and seven Chairs of Committees who assist the
President on a daily basis.

*This new position will be filled tomorrow and at this stage it
appears Reverend Fred Nile is the only nominee.

*The new position is most likely to attract extra pay and perks. The
NSW Parliamentary Remuneration Tribunal in the past has ruled that way.


*If Rev Fred Nile does take this position Premier Iemma should be
embarrassed as quite recently Rev Nile advocated a moratorium on Islamic
immigration and for decades has bred hostility against the gay and
lesbian community and manoeuvred to dismantle a woman*s right to an
abortion.

*Apart from the *moral* issues that the Christian Democrats back
Reverend Nile has consistently supported the government of the day in
promoting a conservative agenda.

*He voted with the government when they weakened workers*
compensation laws; watered down community consultation in the planning
process; dismantled public ownership of Sydney*s water supply;
restricted the availability of public housing; and made it harder to
stop land clearing.

*As Labor does not have the numbers in the Upper House Rev Nile*s
vote has been crucial on many government bills.

A motion to appoint an Assistant Deputy President was put to the NSW
Upper House today. Tomorrow the Upper House will vote on who fills the
position.


For more information:  Lee Rhiannon - 9230 3551 or 0427 861 568

...........................................advertisement...........................................

 The Bower for recycling, reuse and repair 142 Addison Rd Marrickville, see our website here 

............................................................................................................

Today we corresponded briefly with a radio jock curious at my oblique sleding in these terms about the dirty water in Warragamba as follows:

Well without getting too deep just a spontaneous response I suppose based on
 
1. I just had coffee and was a little fiesty
 
2. ....I find the whole Warragamba plume story a 
false diversion from Nathan Rees culpability for Breaking the Silence 
failure by him and Orkopoulous, that Stoner was thrown out of the parliament
for yesterday. Notice Koperberg says - there is no problem. It's classic PR
management.
 
And the crypto trauma etc of 1998 is why they won't go water recycling now,
but its so cocky to jam the Aboriginal child abuse problem with a Warragamba
non threat. I mean get real. It's been raining for 2 weeks and they only now
have a worry about turbidity? [Polluted dam may see shift to reservoir ]

Rees is the real fear. He worked for Iemma. Almost certainly breifed against 
Bryce Gaudry - deselected.
 
My thesis is Iemma knew all about Orkopoulos scandal well before his press
conference in 2006 getting in front of the curve ball. That's the point.
 
3. Minister for 'Callan Park' Verity Firth - ...- when she is a demonstrated sleaze on broken election promises
 
a. dry boat store in Rozelle Bay
b. M5 East
c. Anvill Hill opposition.
 
As MP for Balmain she should be slam dunked for selling off mental health 
services for a university campus ...... let me guess which one.
...

Yours truly, Tom
...................................................................

Today we also have this story of inquiry into dirty election donations for the duopoly gerrymander up there in the dirt pit:

Coalition wins vote for donations inquiry THE Coalition has won a battle to establish an upper house committee to examine the issue of political donations, as the ALP advertises "business dialogue" packages costing $102,000 for business people to meet State Government ministers.

Here are the Greens again:

MEDIA RELEASE - 27 June 2007

Upper House backs Greens call for inquiry into donations

Greens MP and donations spokesperson Lee Rhiannon today welcomed the decision of the NSW Upper House to establish an inquiry into donations to political parties and candidates.

"This Inquiry is long overdue. There is growing public disquiet about the millions of dollars political parties receive to run their election campaigns", Ms Rhiannon said.

"I will ask that the Inquiry request that key political figures including Paul Keating, Carmen Lawrence and Bob Carr who have spoken publicly about the political party donation process give evidence to this Inquiry.

"The Greens campaigned for this Inquiry in the recent state election campaign so we are very pleased that we won the support of all MPs to undertake this important work.

"The Inquiry will be undertaken by a select committee of six Upper House MPs", said Ms Rhiannon.

The terms of reference for the Inquiry requires that the committee investigate -
·all matters associated with electoral funding and disclosure,
·the advantages and disadvantages of banning all donations from corporations, unions and organizations to parties and candidates,
·the advantages and disadvantages of introducing limits upon expenditure in election campaigns,
·the impact of political donations on the democratic process, and any related matters.

Contact:  Lee Rhiannon  0427 861 568

...............................................

Yesterday ICAC wrote back to us in these terms about the dirty way a litigant who could have really damaged, but didn't, the Iemma govt in the lead up to the State election magically obtained a favourable affidavit from Treasurer Costa, police minister at the relevant times, and reportedly a six figure payout. Get it? Evidence volunteered, not put to the proof via subpoena, or via cross examination. How convenient. As a former litigation lawyer for a big firm here in Sydney I would have loved to have affidavits from the opponents like that.  ICAC wash their hands, as I imagine the Auditor General would too if flicked there. They should know it's not just 1 in ten burglaries that are being solved: One burglary in 10 is solved, reveals auditor

"MORE than 90 per cent of all household burglaries in NSW are left unsolved, making it the second worst-performing state in Australia, according to a report by the state's Auditor-General."

I would say its one in ten corrupt govt activities as well. Just look at the regular "investigations" with no convictions for wanton land clearing in regional areas, all too hard or what? Corruption by inaction is our accusation.

"[27th June 2007]

Thank you for the information you provided to the ICAC on 21 May and 14 June 2007 regarding the NSW Government.

The ICAC understands your concerns to be that:

• Government Minister Michael Costa provided evidence by way of affidavit, and not by subpoena, in support of Mr Tim Priest’s court action against the NSW Government.  You state that Minister Costa should have withheld any such affidavit until he was compelled by legal process.  This would have avoided any conflict of interest and the Minister’s duty to protect the public revenue.
• Minister Costa may have offered an inducement to Mr Priest to self censor any role in the NSW election period in order to obtain a favourable affidavit of evidence enabling a substantial payout to satisfy the $2.5M claim by Mr Priest.  Minister Costa has wasted substantial public revenue for failing to adequately support the legal defence to Mr Priest’s legal claim.

The ICAC Act 1988 sets out the ICAC’s functions, which include investigating and educating the NSW public sector and the community about corrupt conduct and how to combat it. 

The ICAC can only deal with corrupt conduct as it is defined in the ICAC Act. In simple terms, conduct is corrupt when it:

·        Results or could result in a public official or agency exercising their functions or authority in a partial or dishonest way, breaching the public trust or misusing information or resources, OR

·        Adversely affects or could adversely affect the way a public official's duties are exercised and which could involve any of the matters set out in s.8(2) of the ICAC Act, AND

·        Is serious enough to constitute a criminal or disciplinary offence, or reasonable grounds for dismissing the services of a NSW public official. 

The ICAC does not investigate all matters received and, even if a matter involves corrupt conduct, the ICAC Act requires the ICAC to focus its attention on serious and systemic corrupt conduct.

Your matter has been carefully considered by the ICAC's Assessment Panel. The Assessment Panel is a committee made up of senior ICAC officers, and is responsible for determining what action the ICAC should take on each matter received. The Assessment Panel has determined that the matter should not be made the subject of a formal ICAC investigation.   

In making its decision, the Assessment Panel took into account a number of issues, including that the information that would be provided by way of affidavit compared to by subpoena is likely to be similar.  It would be difficult to prove that the motive for Minister Costa’s affidavit was for reciprocal assurances from Mr Priest to “self censor” during the lead up to the State election.  There do not appear to be any lines of enquiry to support the allegation that the Minister acted corruptly in providing the affidavit.  There is also no information to indicate that Minister Costa unduly influenced the decision by the Police Commissioner and the Police Minister for a financial settlement with Mr Priest.  The allegations do not indicate the occurrence of systemic corrupt conduct by Minister Costa or any other NSW Government official.

Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. Although we are unable to investigate every matter we receive, your information is important to us as it can help us improve our understanding of corruption risks and trends in the NSW public sector. While the information you have provided may not on its own be sufficient for us to commence an investigation at this time, it will be retained and may well assist in future matters. The information you have provided may also be used to inform our corruption prevention and education work.

For more information about the ICAC’s decision?uro;‘making processes, please read the enclosed Information Sheet or visit our website at www.icac.nsw.gov.au.

In any further correspondence to the ICAC please quote the reference number provided."

...........................

The bear pit is a dirty dangerous place based on any of the above.It reminds us tangentially of a particularly revolting tv advert prominent at the moment. It's for a financial company in a corporate workshop scene where a coloured guy is dressed as a bear and gets an arrow in his head and dies. All on prime time tv. Laugh? It's revolting.

What kind of a sad rotten society is this exactly as violence is condemned in Aboriginal communities, and this advert runs on prime time under the cover of satire. Meanwhile NSW governance actually is, no satire, such a demonstrably dirty game run by meglomaniacs like Treasurer Michael Costa?

You can complain about that tv advert  too at www.advertisingstandardsbureau.com.au but I wouldn't expect any change there just like NSW politics. Apparently it's all voluntary standards of behaviour. Do you think children would wash everyday to avoid sickness if it was voluntary, or wallow in dirt and ignorance? Just asking.

Posted by editor at 1:15 PM NZT

Updated: Friday, 29 June 2007 11:04 AM NZT

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