Journalism and other writing
Forty-eight years ago, in another transition to a new and hopeful presidency, a prophetic and dire warning was given by a man who knew. His warning has not been heeded and America, and the world is the worse for it.
The question is whether Barack Obama can understand the threat — perhaps the greatest American faces — and resist it. Continue reading “Military-industrial complex still threatens”
Sorry to rain on the party, but covert racism appears to be still alive and well in America.
Yes, the Electoral College vote of about 340 to Barack Obama and about 160 to John McCain was apparently a huge victory for America’s first black president.
But it disguises some other facts and figures which suggest many US voters might have not voted for Obama because of race and others voted for him purely because of race. Continue reading “Figures show race played a part for Obama”
They are lining up on opposite sides. On one side, is the “we are all Keynesians now” mob who are delighting in saying: “We told you so; all this deregulation will end in tears.” Or, “Marx was right; capitalism is inherently unstable. On the other side we have those who say capitalism will rebound as it always does; capitalism is the least worst system; we should not re-regulate for that will sow the seeds of the next recession.
Neither is right. The seeds of this financial crisis lay not in too much de-regulation or too much regulation. Rather, in one poor piece of regulation and one poor piece of de-regulation. Both in the US in the late 1990s. Continue reading “Why did it happen and where did the $ go”
Joy Burch, welcome to the frontbench. Indeed, you may indeed be totality of Labor’s frontbench after the Assembly next meets.
Labor has only seven members. Take away the five ministers and a speaker and that you have a backbench of one. Presumably, that will be the newest member, Joy Burch. It is a bit silly. Continue reading “Pros and cons of Hare-Clark”
Opinion polls did reasonably well in the lead up to the ACT election, given the difficulty of translating votes to seats in the Hare-Clark system.
The Canberra Time-Patterson poll got the Labor vote in Ginninderra and the Liberal vote in Molonglo spot on. And was reasonably accurate with the major parties in all three electorates, except the Liberal vote in Ginninderra which it got spot on a week ago at 34 per cent but under-estimated by 8 per cent the day before the election. Continue reading “Polls got it right”
Non-performing or poorly performing MLAs look out. The electorate appears to be on to you.
In federal and state elections a candidate in a single-member seat can only be defeated by a candidate of the other major party. In the ACT’s multi-member system, major-party candidates can be defeated by a candidate from their own party. Continue reading “Watch out MLAs, voters are on to you”
On last night’s results Jon Stanhope is like a Christian in the Roman arena facing a choice of three doors. Continue reading “Stanhope in arena of dilemma”
The big spenders have been out in force recently: internationally, nationally, and locally – all with an eye to the ballot box.
A lot of the spending pledges have been questionable at best and foolish or immoral at worst. Continue reading “Big foolish spenders”
Canberra is full of well-educated, thoughtful people who do not care very much for ACT politics. However, come election time they scramble in the last few days to try to do the best to make the best of their vote.
Followers get the leaders they deserve. This is particularly true in the ACT. Our electoral system gives voters much greater power as to who is elected than in the federal system or in other states and territories bar Tasmania. Continue reading “Thoughtful voters’ guide to ACT”
The people of the ACT go to the polls this time next week to elect two things: a state-level government and the equivalent of a local council.
The ACT is the only place in Australia that does not have local councils. That function – gutters, garbage, rates and roads — is done by a Minister and department at the state level. Continue reading “Labor to lose two seats to Greens”