“This is a revolution. We are at a juncture in history where the tide has turned. Forty years of ideology of markets and experiments in many countries has failed. The last straw was COVID-19.”
thenewdaily.com.au/finance/2022/0… “By which he meant, among other things, that America’s market-based economy was unable to supply its citizens with masks and they had to get them from China. And the mRNA vaccine breakthrough was the result of government money, not private enterprise.”

“New South Wales’ powerful club lobby sent a legal letter telling YouTuber Friendlyjordies to immediately remove an interview with whistleblower and cancer sufferer Troy Stolz, warning of the potential for “imprisonment and fines” and” theguardian.com/australia-news… “and saying any refusal to delete the video would only make “matters worse for Mr Stolz”.

“Whichever contender succeeds the worst prime minister in living memory will have to come to terms with two fundamental consequences of Brexit.” theguardian.com/business/2022/… “One is that the Office for Budget Responsibility’s estimate of a 4% annual loss to gross domestic product not only makes the country poorer but severely limits their tax-cutting ambitions – hers now, his later.”

Holy Dooley, Catholic clubs make a killing from poker machines michaelwest.com.au/holy-dooley-ca… via @MichaelWestBiz “DOOLEYS Lidcombe Catholic Club has raked in more than half a billion dollars of revenue from poker machines over the past ten years. That’s $511 million of customer losses from just one club.”

“Peter Dutton is calling for “civilised debate” in Australia. On Sky News he complained that the current standard of public debate is “reprehensible” and “unacceptable”. The opposition leader blames social media for the decline. I do not.”
thesaturdaypaper.com.au/opinion/topic/… “Dutton’s public conduct, over two decades, shows little commitment to civility in debate. He is either a hypocrite or his new-found commitment hides something more disturbing than the need for good manners. The latter should be the main concern.”

“President of Timor-Leste, José Ramos-Horta, accused former foreign affairs minister Alexander Downer of “avoiding & distorting” the issues around the 2004 bugging scandal, saying recent comments ignored the fact that Australia had spied,” theguardian.com/world/2022/may… “on behalf of oil companies & using the cover of Australia’s supposedly altruistic foreign aid program”.

“As the results rolled in it was difficult to grasp: the Liberals of the 2020s, eerily like the Soviet communists of the 1980s, were suddenly an anachronism.” smh.com.au/national/morri… “Like the Politburo, they too had become entrapped within their fervent ideologies and grown so distant from reality that they lost the moral legitimacy to govern. Power was now haemorrhaging away in a death agony of lost seats.”

“Apple, in its own submission published earlier this month, said it was puzzled that the competition regulator would consider forcing the company to loosen its grip over the app store and the information it holds, and” theguardian.com/australia-news… “and share it with developers looking to compete against Apple’s own apps. The company said it would lead to a huge rise in malware on iOS.”

“The new federal MP for the Queensland seat of Flynn was a founding member of a club formed to promote climate science denial, and was a signatory to an international statement claiming “there is no climate emergency”.
theguardian.com/australia-news… “Colin Boyce did not respond to questions as to whether he is still a member of the Saltbush Club, a group which published commentary during the election campaign that said the climate crisis is “a fraud”.

“Former Liberal leader John Hewson has joined Labor veteran Barry Jones to endorse a social media-focused advocacy campaign targeting Scott Morrison’s record on integrity matters and climate action in the lead-up to the federal election.”
theguardian.com/australia-news… “Hewson says the voluntary not-for-profit organisation, the Truth and Integrity project, has some crossover with Climate 200 – an organisation supporting independent candidates focused on the climate crisis to challenge Liberal incumbents in their urban heartland –“,,,,

“Does the government’s projection of a 35% emissions reduction “support the Paris agreement goals” as Taylor claims?”
theguardian.com/environment/20… “Absolutely not,” says Bill Hare, the chief executive of Climate Analytics – a respected group of analysts that helps produce the global Climate Action Tracker.”

“The Secret Service is sending officers to ramp up protection for Joe Biden, the Washington Post reports:

The Secret Service is sending reinforcements to Wilmington, Del., starting Friday to help protect former vice president Joe Biden as his campaign,” theguardian.com/us-news/live/2… “prepares for the possibility he may soon claim victory in his bid for the White House, according to two people familiar with the plans.”

“It seemed like a desperate last stand from a fearful strongman who can feel power slipping inexorably away.”
theguardian.com/us-news/2020/n… “The US president on Thursday returned to the White House briefing room, scene of past triumphs such as that time he proposed bleach as a cure for coronavirus and that other time he condemned QAnon with the words “They like me”.

Jim McDowell michaelwest.com.au/jim-mcdowell/ via @MichaelWestBiz “Jim McDowell
Military | Revolving Doors
After 37 years in military industry, Jim McDowell moved straight from BAE Systems Saudi Arabia onto the board of the Australian Nuclear Science Technology Organisation as Deputy Chair; soon after he was made Chair.”

“Pentecostalism – The decline, infiltration & fall of Australian Democracy. There is a strong sentiment that there’s something not right with the Morrison Government. There is also a sentiment something is not right with PM Morrison’s leadership.”

theaimn.com/pentecostalism… “These sentiments and concerns have gradually increased since Morrison’s “miracle” election win in 2019. Broadly speaking, that increase is due to the aggressive and arrogant manner in which this government has pursued its agenda.”

“An international observer mission has reported that the US elections have been “tarnished” by legal uncertainty and Donald Trump’s “unprecedented attempts to undermine public trust”.
theguardian.com/us-news/2020/n… “A preliminary report by Organisation for Security & Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) pointed to systemic weaknesses in US elections, as well as stress imposed by the coronavirus pandemic & Trump’s calls for an end to vote counting in certain states based on false claims of fraud.”

“In a widely anticipated move, the RBA announced on Tuesday afternoon that it would trim the official cash rate by 15 basis points to 0.1 per cent and buy $100 billion of government bonds (quantitative easing) to encourage more spending and investment.”
thenewdaily.com.au/finance/financ… “Shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers said the “unprecedented steps” showed “the Reserve Bank has obviously concluded that the Morrison government has not done enough in their budget to support the economy and to support jobs during this very difficult period”.

“Fortescue Metals Group allegedly withholding $1.9m royalty payments from Aboriginal people in the Pilbara because owners “asked for information about their plans” for several mining leases before signing them, a fed parliamentary inquiry has been told”
theguardian.com/australia-news… “FMG is withholding $1.9m in royalties it owes to the Wintawari Guruma Aboriginal Corporation (WGAC), which was due to be paid on 31 January.”

‘Culture of Cosiness’: colossal conflicts of interest in Defence spending blitz michaelwest.com.au/culture-of-cos… via @MichaelWestBiz “In Part 1 of her three-part investigation, Michelle Fahy investigates the corporate influence on government policy and how weapons makers cultivate relationships with politicians and top officials in the public service.”

Michael Pascoe: The honeypot ensnaring Australia's politicians thenewdaily.com.au/finance/proper… “What’s amazing is how little property developers give politicians when politicians are so incredibly generous to developers, gifting them some $11 billion a year.”

LNP Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington campaign in crisis after being referred by own party to election watchdog - ABC News abc.net.au/news/2020-10-1… “Deb Frecklington insisted it was not a fundraiser.
Key points:

Queensland Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington has been referred to the state election watchdog by her own party”