YOU have to go back to 1829 to find the beginning of a presidential term as chaotic as the one this year. In 1829 Andrew Jackson entered the White House after a handsome electoral victory. He thereupon removed 919 government officials – about 10 per cent of the administration – so he could fulfill numerous promises made to people during the election campaign. And so began the “spoils” or patronage system in US politics which has ebbed and flowed ever since and is now flowing “bigly”. Continue reading “Isolationism the historic force in US politics”
Isolationism the historic force in US politics
YOU have to go back to 1829 to find the beginning of a presidential term as chaotic as the one this year. In 1829 Andrew Jackson entered the White House after a handsome electoral victory. He thereupon removed 919 government officials – about 10 per cent of the administration – so he could fulfill numerous promises made to people during the election campaign. And so began the “spoils” or patronage system in US politics which has ebbed and flowed ever since and is now flowing “bigly”.
IN THE past fortnight I have been reminded of Comical Ali, Iraq’s former information minister Mohammad Saeed al-Sahhaf , whose broadcasts and media conferences denied the presence of US troops and tanks in Baghdad even as they could be seen behind him. The delusional in denial. What reminded me of him, of course, were all the climate change deniers spouting their nonsense while high-temperature records were broken and bushfires raged across the country.
IN THE past fortnight I have been reminded of Comical Ali, Iraq’s former information minister Mohammad Saeed al-Sahhaf , whose broadcasts and media conferences denied the presence of US troops and tanks in Baghdad even as they could be seen behind him. The delusional in denial. What reminded me of him, of course, were all the climate change deniers spouting their nonsense while high-temperature records were broken and bushfires raged across the country. 
SENATOR Cory Bernardi’s statement that he wants to restore integrity and confidence in Australian politics as he ratted on the party under whose banner he was elected is about a credible as the assertion that Donald Trump will “never let you down” spoken by his third wife. And they are linked. 
FORMER prime minister Tony Abbott’s call for a referendum to change the constitution to reduce the power of the Senate is, at last, an admission from the conservative side that the Constitution is “broke”. Hitherto, conservatives have mouthed the platitude, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
FORMER prime minister Tony Abbott’s call for a referendum to change the constitution to reduce the power of the Senate is, at last, an admission from the conservative side that the Constitution is “broke”. Hitherto, conservatives have mouthed the platitude, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” 
New NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian is ignoring the two elephants in the housing-affordability argument. Ordinary people should be able to buy in Sydney, she said this week. Housing affordability was her number-one priority as Premier, she assured us. 
I USED to think that excess weight was caused by eating too much and/or not exercising enough. “There was no-one overweight on the Burma Railway,” I’d quip. Not any more. 
THE death of Michael Chamberlain makes me recall sitting in the High Court on the day that the decision on Lindy Chamberlain’s appeal against her conviction of the murder of her baby daughter Azaria came down. It was 22 February 1984. All five judges who heard the case were there so they stated their reasons one by one. 
THE republic debate has been trickling along at the same time as dissatisfaction with democracy and political elites grows and voters show a predilection for outsiders. Along with marriage equality, it is another example of political paralysis. A majority of people and parliamentarians favour both, but our politicians seems incapable of delivering either.