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. Continue reading “Coal-ition in delusional denial on electricity”
Coal-ition in delusional denial on electricity
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. 
LIBERAL democracy and the rules-based international order received the biggest set-back in 2016 in any year since before the Berlin Wall came down. The only year that comes close is 2003, the year of the illegal invasion of Iraq based on concocted intelligence.