Exquisitely well said , thank you Joel . My disgust and contempt for the spineless , cowardly excuse for “leadership” from Albanese , Wong and Marles has no limit . Grovelling puppets of the US and Israel , they humiliate and betray this nation and all its people. Having won an election as merely the lesser of two evils they continue to demonstrate their unfitness for office.
When you watch Penny Wong’s speech, it could be the voice of Netanyahu. The words are like verbatim a press release from the Israeli Foreign Ministry.
Wong’s carefully crafted image of the ‘respectable’ foreign policy hand shows itself a hollowed out log with her endorsement of international crimes of aggression against foreign sovereign states. Do Indonesia, Malaysia and the Phillipines have reason to fear Australia will attack them without evidence to get its own way? This is what Australia’s ALP and LNP endorse.
To Marles, Wong and Albanese, the UN Charter is but a scrap of paper, to be referenced with the likes of Russia, Sudan or other Global South Countries.
brilliant analysis once again. it's difficult to understand why Albanese and Wong have done this; is it the fear of being forsaken by the US if we don't stand by it? is it our AUKUS commitment? who is lobbying so hard for this? it's horrifying and deeply disturbing that a Labor government has done this. now more than ever we need the good, moral and contrary voices to be counted. Larissa Waters and David Shoebridge are making excellent statements.
Spot on. Supporting Trump, or being too gutless to call him out, and initially saying that ‘Israel had a right to defend itself’ as thousands started being killed in Gaza, is sickening, and clearly demonstrates the government are simply another servant of the oligarchy who build the weapons and run the media.
What is the ALP afraid of. I think that Albanese and Wong are showing their inexperience in world affairs. But this could be managed if their moral compass wasn't broken. I think too that they are misreading the views of the voting public.
In his speech, Tony Benn quoted the following lines from the United Nations Charter that was drafted and signed at the formation of the UN in October 1945:
WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS DETERMINED
to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind,
The second part of that first sentence of the UN Charter reads as follows:
and to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small.
For over 600 days, this government has supported "Israel's right to defend itself" as the zionist nation destroyed the entire Gaza strip and every sign of life in it. The genocide permitted in Gaza followed 76 years of torment of the indigenous Palestinians at the hands of the zionists who were always determined to drive them from Palestine.
The ICJ declared in 2004 that Israel, the belligerent occupier of the Palestinian territories, has no right to self defence.
Albanese, Wong and Co have been complicit in the shredding of the UN Charter and every facet of international humanitarian law. There stance on these unlawful attacks on Iran and the aerial bombarding of nuclear facilities is unconscionable.
Albanese claimed that Iran had refused to comply with the reasonable demands of the USA at the negotiations on nuclear enrichment. US demands? I thought they were negotiations. The US demanded that Iran carried out no nuclear enrichment, and dismantled all its balistic missile systems.
There was nothing reasonable about the US demands. Iran was being ordered to surrender its sovereignty, a concept that Albanese understands because he gave Australias away without a fight.
The only nation in the region with a nuclear bomb, bombed Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, and Palestine in one day last week. And the world is supposed to fear Iran a nation that does not have a nuclear bomb.
It's pretty obvious that Iran's mebership of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation group has been of no advantage to Iran, it has actually been used to justify the Israeli and American attacks. Perhaps the North Korean attitude is the only certain deterrent, go nuclear.
The USA, Britain and their Australian satrap consistently refer to Iran's anti-America stance. I think a knowledge of Persian history and the survival of the Iranian language and culture through 5000 years, would provide some understanding of that nations resentment of those countries responsible for the ousting of the elected, and much loved Prime Minister Mossadegh, in Operation Ajax, an MI6 and CIA operation that resulted in the installation of the Shah, Pahlavi, a tyrant who ruled until the return of Ayatollah Kohmeini 1979.
Mossadegh was overthrown because he nationalised Iranian oil. The British demanded immense payments for the loss of future earnings and "those damned orientals" refused to negotiate like white men.
The Shah gave the Brits everything they wanted, for power and wealth, and BP was formed to handle the oil stolen from Iran.
The leader of the Australian delegation to the founding conference of the United Nations was H V (Doc) Evatt.
Evatt battled hard for greater influence for small nations and a greater role for the General Assembly. He was the third President of the General assembly and chaired the Atomic Energy Commission.
Doc Evatt was a great Australian with a great vision for the post WWII world. He would be turning in his grave at the actions of this so called Labor Party government.
Standby for the possibility of a 'false flag' attack, designed and delivered by the two most reviled entities in the world today. You know, the ones that have Ant Boy by the 'mixed grill'.
At the centre of this cringing posture sits AUKUS.
Kiss the arse of the Mad King so the US Senate review of AUKUS is favourable (it doesn’t mean we get any boats, though).
The inevitable consequence of AUKUS is that we are ever more tightly bound to US interests at the expense of sovereignty. So the illegal war backing, genocide supporting and shrill insanity of US ‘tweet and bomb’ diplomacy is dictating our position regardless of morality or the will of Australians. The craven cowardice of our political class is shameful to observe. They will lead us into unnecessary wars of US imperial aggression again rather than develop the spine to stand up for Australia and all that is decent.
International law? It ain't nothing but a heart-breaker,
Good for no-one but the undertaker....
(apologies to Edwina Starr)
Why does Australia acknowledge international law, only to ignore it as soon as it suits us* to do so?
* Or our great friends in Washington. Even when they are clearly in breach of domestic law, as well as international law, and would surprise nobody if they decide to set fire to the Reichstag before mid-term elections can be held.
Exquisitely well said , thank you Joel . My disgust and contempt for the spineless , cowardly excuse for “leadership” from Albanese , Wong and Marles has no limit . Grovelling puppets of the US and Israel , they humiliate and betray this nation and all its people. Having won an election as merely the lesser of two evils they continue to demonstrate their unfitness for office.
Thank you Joel.
When you watch Penny Wong’s speech, it could be the voice of Netanyahu. The words are like verbatim a press release from the Israeli Foreign Ministry.
Wong’s carefully crafted image of the ‘respectable’ foreign policy hand shows itself a hollowed out log with her endorsement of international crimes of aggression against foreign sovereign states. Do Indonesia, Malaysia and the Phillipines have reason to fear Australia will attack them without evidence to get its own way? This is what Australia’s ALP and LNP endorse.
To Marles, Wong and Albanese, the UN Charter is but a scrap of paper, to be referenced with the likes of Russia, Sudan or other Global South Countries.
Snivelling liar Albanese knew this was going to happen, he evacuated the embassy.
He’s a servant of Israel and a disgrace.
Thank you for this splendid piece of writing, it helps me clarify my thoughts and explains my fury
brilliant analysis once again. it's difficult to understand why Albanese and Wong have done this; is it the fear of being forsaken by the US if we don't stand by it? is it our AUKUS commitment? who is lobbying so hard for this? it's horrifying and deeply disturbing that a Labor government has done this. now more than ever we need the good, moral and contrary voices to be counted. Larissa Waters and David Shoebridge are making excellent statements.
Spot on. Supporting Trump, or being too gutless to call him out, and initially saying that ‘Israel had a right to defend itself’ as thousands started being killed in Gaza, is sickening, and clearly demonstrates the government are simply another servant of the oligarchy who build the weapons and run the media.
What is the ALP afraid of. I think that Albanese and Wong are showing their inexperience in world affairs. But this could be managed if their moral compass wasn't broken. I think too that they are misreading the views of the voting public.
Embarrassed
Thank you Joel
Great analysis, if only there were more decent journalists asking these questions.
Thanks Joel.
I couldn't sit and watch Albanese and Wong at their presser today. The rank hypocrisy on display.
Words fail me.
I remember Albanese of old railing against the bosses and against Howard sending Australians off to fight for the yanks in Iraq.
The class traitor sold out didn't he.
I watched Tony Benn, a true socialist, making this speech opposing the Iraq war;
substack+anti+Iraq+war+speech+by+tony+Benn&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRiPAtIBCTI0MzgwajBqN6gCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:c3a5a161,vid:A7ciGW7h7PI,st:0
In his speech, Tony Benn quoted the following lines from the United Nations Charter that was drafted and signed at the formation of the UN in October 1945:
WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS DETERMINED
to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind,
The second part of that first sentence of the UN Charter reads as follows:
and to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small.
For over 600 days, this government has supported "Israel's right to defend itself" as the zionist nation destroyed the entire Gaza strip and every sign of life in it. The genocide permitted in Gaza followed 76 years of torment of the indigenous Palestinians at the hands of the zionists who were always determined to drive them from Palestine.
The ICJ declared in 2004 that Israel, the belligerent occupier of the Palestinian territories, has no right to self defence.
Albanese, Wong and Co have been complicit in the shredding of the UN Charter and every facet of international humanitarian law. There stance on these unlawful attacks on Iran and the aerial bombarding of nuclear facilities is unconscionable.
Albanese claimed that Iran had refused to comply with the reasonable demands of the USA at the negotiations on nuclear enrichment. US demands? I thought they were negotiations. The US demanded that Iran carried out no nuclear enrichment, and dismantled all its balistic missile systems.
There was nothing reasonable about the US demands. Iran was being ordered to surrender its sovereignty, a concept that Albanese understands because he gave Australias away without a fight.
The only nation in the region with a nuclear bomb, bombed Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, and Palestine in one day last week. And the world is supposed to fear Iran a nation that does not have a nuclear bomb.
It's pretty obvious that Iran's mebership of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation group has been of no advantage to Iran, it has actually been used to justify the Israeli and American attacks. Perhaps the North Korean attitude is the only certain deterrent, go nuclear.
The USA, Britain and their Australian satrap consistently refer to Iran's anti-America stance. I think a knowledge of Persian history and the survival of the Iranian language and culture through 5000 years, would provide some understanding of that nations resentment of those countries responsible for the ousting of the elected, and much loved Prime Minister Mossadegh, in Operation Ajax, an MI6 and CIA operation that resulted in the installation of the Shah, Pahlavi, a tyrant who ruled until the return of Ayatollah Kohmeini 1979.
Mossadegh was overthrown because he nationalised Iranian oil. The British demanded immense payments for the loss of future earnings and "those damned orientals" refused to negotiate like white men.
The Shah gave the Brits everything they wanted, for power and wealth, and BP was formed to handle the oil stolen from Iran.
The leader of the Australian delegation to the founding conference of the United Nations was H V (Doc) Evatt.
Evatt battled hard for greater influence for small nations and a greater role for the General Assembly. He was the third President of the General assembly and chaired the Atomic Energy Commission.
Doc Evatt was a great Australian with a great vision for the post WWII world. He would be turning in his grave at the actions of this so called Labor Party government.
Standby for the possibility of a 'false flag' attack, designed and delivered by the two most reviled entities in the world today. You know, the ones that have Ant Boy by the 'mixed grill'.
We are privileged to have your writing Joel.
Alex Krainer and Glen Diesen worth a peep - https://youtu.be/ASUeEhYLscg?si=PMt5JktZ5FLJXLXQ
Bravo
These “pragmatic progressives” will kill us all as the faithful chant “ at least it’s not Morrison” 🤦♀️
At the centre of this cringing posture sits AUKUS.
Kiss the arse of the Mad King so the US Senate review of AUKUS is favourable (it doesn’t mean we get any boats, though).
The inevitable consequence of AUKUS is that we are ever more tightly bound to US interests at the expense of sovereignty. So the illegal war backing, genocide supporting and shrill insanity of US ‘tweet and bomb’ diplomacy is dictating our position regardless of morality or the will of Australians. The craven cowardice of our political class is shameful to observe. They will lead us into unnecessary wars of US imperial aggression again rather than develop the spine to stand up for Australia and all that is decent.
International law? What is it good for?
International law? It ain't nothing but a heart-breaker,
Good for no-one but the undertaker....
(apologies to Edwina Starr)
Why does Australia acknowledge international law, only to ignore it as soon as it suits us* to do so?
* Or our great friends in Washington. Even when they are clearly in breach of domestic law, as well as international law, and would surprise nobody if they decide to set fire to the Reichstag before mid-term elections can be held.
Great work as always Joel. Analysis is on point.