2001_09_september_islam v christian

There is an historic and religious context to the horrific events in the United States.

Let us assume that it does not turn out to be an Oklahoma-style, anti-government attack by US nationals and that the attack was launched from the Islamic world.

For a trifling 50 years we have had the ideological battle between communism and capitalism. Bt it has been a secular battle. After the fall of the Wall, the main conflicts in the world have been a religious ones: between fundamentalist Islam and Christian-capitalist.
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2001_09_september_helm stands

This time three years ago excitement was generated by a high-profile challenge to ACT Liberal Senator Margaret Reid. Former National Farmers Federation chief Rick Farley was nominated by the Australian Democrats to run for the ACT Senate seat.

He did not make it, despite much commentary that the detestation of the Liberals and absentee Prime Minister John Howard in Canberra would cause Senator Reid grief.

Now high-profile wine-maker and former Yass Mayor Ken Helm is making as similar challenge, but as an independent.
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2001_09_september_hareclark forum

Just before every ACT election there are calls for a council-style government or some fundamental change to the system. Usually, it is someone making political capital out of what they think is a residual no-self-government feeling.

This time, Chief Minister Gary Humphries said he wanted a council system with a separate election for a mayor. And Independent MLA Paul Osborne called for an end to the formal recognition of the Opposition.
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2001_09_september_act poll

New York’s mayor, Rudy Giuliani, is not permitted to stand for a third term. So at the upcoming election the field is wide open. Despite many commentators in New York saying it is a dull election, there is active interest in the city. The newspapers, the air waves and the chatter in taxi cabs make constant references to it. For the people of New York it is an important election. Among the issues are whether an incoming mayor can maintain the law-and-order success of Giuliani without causing what are seen as major breaches of civil liberties.

New Yorkers are interested. They were also interested in the contest at the federal level, both in Hillary Clinton’s pursuit of a Senate seat and the major White House contest.

Similarly, there was an election last year in the City of London. Londoners were intensely interested, first as to whether Jeffrey Archer would be the Conservative candidate and secondly as to whether the endorsed Labour candidate would defeat the previous Labour head of local government, Red Ken Livingston. It was an exciting tussle. The issues included references to Livingston’s previous attempt to ban harmless children’s books because they were homophobic and his campaign to make London’s transport more accessible and affordable at the cost of high-income-earning Londoners.
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2001_09_september_act defo

Last week, the ACT Parliament, in the last sitting before the October election, did an extraordinary thing. The two major parties and most of the independents joined to pass the most radical reform of defamation law in Australian jurisdiction since 1788 – and I am not one for exaggeration.

When the law comes into effect on July 1, 2002, the ACT will be the only free-speech jurisdiction in Australia.

Maybe very few people are interested in defamation law, but indirectly the whole community is profoundly affected by what the media publish because that is fundamentally affected by defamation law.
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