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Random Notes - Idle ThoughtsThe PNG Gravy Train — Spectator
As PNG is our nearest neighbour (in fact only five kilometres from the most northern part of Australia, Boigu Island) this does raise some very serious and interesting questions and it’s difficult not to conclude that PNG is simply Zimbabwe and South Africa with all the same, attendant economic and social problems and dysfunction right on our own doorstep in the South West Pacific, yet it NEVER makes the news.
“…It’s easy to understand why these failed states like PNG and others in the SW Pacific would find the lure of debt trap diplomacy offered by China so attractive.Foisting a Westminster-style system onto a subsistence economy where the four million people spoke over seven hundred languages was never going to work well. The population is now eight million and still increasing and it is hard to see how things can improve without a bit more honesty from political leaders within and without the country…”
Random Note — Weasel word of the year
In this age of offence taking for the most innocent social infraction, inappropriate, has become the Swiss Army Knife, the Wily Coyote, all purpose, ACME catch all, accusatory, linguistic tool of our time to be deployed on all and any occasion whether it’s fit for purpose or not and you can’t think of anything else
Random Note — Latham and Hanson — In politics as in life, it is all about the timing.
Latham hasn’t changed, Labor has. It’s quite apparent that Latham is the one that has remained true to Labor values and the neophytes and parvenus like Chris Bowen et al with their trendy inner city values are now the the LINOs. (Labor In Name Only)
Random Note — Turnbull’s demise. A primer for the slow learners
Just a reminder for the slow learners at the back of the class as to why Turnbull is no longer PM. For starters, in a ongoing display of his appalling lack of political judgement, his inability to read the room and in an act of dopey, MALadroit and ham-fisted political self harm, Turnbull called the initial spill himself.
Armistice Day — Pozie by Sara Storer and John Williamson
Today is the 11 of the 11th, Armistice Day. This is the song that I think best captures the essence, the mood and the spirit of an often forgotten element of war.— The aftermath of all wars in fact for those on the front line and that lives for decades after the guns...
Random Note — The truth is….
The corollary of destroying or reworking the basic and fundamental concept of truth is of course that without such a thing as truth, there can be no such thing as a lie. And that is exactly what this is all about.
Taken For Granted, Phillipa Martyr — Quadrant Online
A rather longish essay on academic research grants (or boondoggles). You may want to scroll down a bit and go straight to the meat and potatoes to see how you tax dollars are being sprayed around on the obscure
Random Note — Nauru
It’s not as if those kids and their parents on Nauru have ever set foot on, lived in, or have any emotional or psychological connection to Australia and therefore pining to be reunited with something they have never known or experienced. More to the point, where is the cri de coeur of these activists when it comes to the rape of two year old children in remote Aboriginal communities
Tasmania and the gender warriors
If gender is deleted from birth certificates in Tasmania, why not names. Generally, names are a dead set giveaway as to the gender of a child.
Random Note — Climate change — Science Or Theology
Ten years ago I read a very lengthy column by Ian McFadyen “Our New Established Religion” in Quadrant where he compared the climate cult with organised religion. Reading it again, it is a very dense essay but his overall concept and comparison is brilliant and...