I enjoyed our conversation; most of all it was nice to be able to use a colloquialism without the other person looking at me strangely. All jokes aside, the questions were compelling and whenever I am forced to think to answer I find the discussion a learning experience in and of itself. I hope others gain something from it. Thanks again.
Albanese has the mandate for reform but tinkers around the edges. His legacy will be one of heroic reformer or self satisfied retired PM enjoying forever tales of his wipeout election that went wasted for lack of fortitude. Keating’s legacy will always be putting Australia first and placing us firmly in league with our pacific cousins. Australia needs an Adern not a Trump toady. China is definitely sounding far more rational than Trump. He clearly has no allegiance to America’s former allies so let’s move on to allies that will serve Australian interests. The msm and abc are now largely redundant being replaced increasingly by diverse Youtube channels and social media. Albanese would do well to employ more creative media strategies with an eye to boosting engagement and a following with these shifting trends(like Senator Nick Minchin playing fortnite during the election) and give msm the flick it deserves.
On the money (again!) Joel with this incisive and extremely well informed piece.
The 'Richard Marles personality type', a descriptor so acutely observed and perfectly tagged, brings to mind Catherine Liu's work on what she has coined as the 'Professional Managerial Class'. Apart from many You Tube long play interviews, her primary work on this 'type' is freely available as a PDF
Beware the binary: USA or China. Both these empires continue with their oppressions, destructions and genocides - why would we want to cosy up to either? Australia needs to build broad coalitions with nations focused on building a better world, not grinding it under an oligarchical jackboot. And Australia needs to improve its own record, so as to deserve belonging to such a coalition.
Joel, your optimism is encouraging but measured, which I think just about captures the tone of the zeitgeist.
Your key point that it will take something really seismic to give the political class the confidence (i.e. kick up the arse) to face reality is well made if depressingly reflective of the second rate, unimaginative and craven leadership we have had to endure for so long.
It’s grotesque that it should take such a crisis for the political elites to even contemplate the reality that security and prosperity are literally on our doorstep. For all his faults, Keating was right to place Australia’s strategic focus on Asia. The small minds of the Conservative Party under Howard, Abbott, Morrison and Dutton with the deeply reflexive deference of vassals has squandered decades of opportunity for Australia. Cheered on by an American propaganda mogul, greased by a gravy train of lucrative consultancy and think tank stipends and buoyed by the generational opportunity of a mining and financial boom, the LNP were made to appear competent when quite the opposite was true. Now that they have foundered upon the consequences of binding our fortunes to a grotesquely corrupt and failing empire, the Right in Australia has nothing to offer - and by the Right I include most of the ALP.
Time to walk away, hanging on shows Oz as weak and comedy US for no good reason, unless some idiots believes US propaganda as much as it does. Get the hell out and make aliances with other countries before we are shut out for shillyshalling instead of making a stand for Australia. The US will never come to our aid if we should need help, but they have made us a target to save them. Do Not Trust The US.
Gee I hope you're right Joel. This article has a positivity of outlook I haven't seen much in your recent work- or indeed that of any of the decent writers I subscribe to. An attack on Medicare/PBS would give the Albanese Government a way to win back some of those people (myself included) who have been so disappointed in its performance. I have secretly been hoping the timidity would be just for the first term; we live in hope Trump gives Albo his mojo back.
oh my, this piece has eclipsed all your others Joel. I've read it twice, laughed out loud and will read it again just to savour it. I so hope you are right that saving Medicare and the PBS will be a tipping point and Albanese and co. will finally call time.
I enjoyed our conversation; most of all it was nice to be able to use a colloquialism without the other person looking at me strangely. All jokes aside, the questions were compelling and whenever I am forced to think to answer I find the discussion a learning experience in and of itself. I hope others gain something from it. Thanks again.
Albanese has the mandate for reform but tinkers around the edges. His legacy will be one of heroic reformer or self satisfied retired PM enjoying forever tales of his wipeout election that went wasted for lack of fortitude. Keating’s legacy will always be putting Australia first and placing us firmly in league with our pacific cousins. Australia needs an Adern not a Trump toady. China is definitely sounding far more rational than Trump. He clearly has no allegiance to America’s former allies so let’s move on to allies that will serve Australian interests. The msm and abc are now largely redundant being replaced increasingly by diverse Youtube channels and social media. Albanese would do well to employ more creative media strategies with an eye to boosting engagement and a following with these shifting trends(like Senator Nick Minchin playing fortnite during the election) and give msm the flick it deserves.
Joel: you might enjoy this old essay, from a decade ago:
https://chinaheritage.net/journal/australias-unfinished-twentieth-century/
On the money (again!) Joel with this incisive and extremely well informed piece.
The 'Richard Marles personality type', a descriptor so acutely observed and perfectly tagged, brings to mind Catherine Liu's work on what she has coined as the 'Professional Managerial Class'. Apart from many You Tube long play interviews, her primary work on this 'type' is freely available as a PDF
VIRTUE HOARDERS https://muse.jhu.edu/book/82543
Jennifer Hewitt? Oversimplifying? Well I nevah!!
“..a glass so half full it’s spilling on
his pants..” 🤣🤣👏
Where would Albo been for Vietnam, Iraq?
Beware the binary: USA or China. Both these empires continue with their oppressions, destructions and genocides - why would we want to cosy up to either? Australia needs to build broad coalitions with nations focused on building a better world, not grinding it under an oligarchical jackboot. And Australia needs to improve its own record, so as to deserve belonging to such a coalition.
Joel, your optimism is encouraging but measured, which I think just about captures the tone of the zeitgeist.
Your key point that it will take something really seismic to give the political class the confidence (i.e. kick up the arse) to face reality is well made if depressingly reflective of the second rate, unimaginative and craven leadership we have had to endure for so long.
It’s grotesque that it should take such a crisis for the political elites to even contemplate the reality that security and prosperity are literally on our doorstep. For all his faults, Keating was right to place Australia’s strategic focus on Asia. The small minds of the Conservative Party under Howard, Abbott, Morrison and Dutton with the deeply reflexive deference of vassals has squandered decades of opportunity for Australia. Cheered on by an American propaganda mogul, greased by a gravy train of lucrative consultancy and think tank stipends and buoyed by the generational opportunity of a mining and financial boom, the LNP were made to appear competent when quite the opposite was true. Now that they have foundered upon the consequences of binding our fortunes to a grotesquely corrupt and failing empire, the Right in Australia has nothing to offer - and by the Right I include most of the ALP.
Time to walk away, hanging on shows Oz as weak and comedy US for no good reason, unless some idiots believes US propaganda as much as it does. Get the hell out and make aliances with other countries before we are shut out for shillyshalling instead of making a stand for Australia. The US will never come to our aid if we should need help, but they have made us a target to save them. Do Not Trust The US.
Gee I hope you're right Joel. This article has a positivity of outlook I haven't seen much in your recent work- or indeed that of any of the decent writers I subscribe to. An attack on Medicare/PBS would give the Albanese Government a way to win back some of those people (myself included) who have been so disappointed in its performance. I have secretly been hoping the timidity would be just for the first term; we live in hope Trump gives Albo his mojo back.
oh my, this piece has eclipsed all your others Joel. I've read it twice, laughed out loud and will read it again just to savour it. I so hope you are right that saving Medicare and the PBS will be a tipping point and Albanese and co. will finally call time.