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paper map of australia placed on wall

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Australia has set the bar too low, when it comes to societal expectations around things like civic responsibility. Decades of neoliberalism infecting our governments on both sides of politics has seen a huge slide in respect for the role of government in managing our social contract. The late Kerry Packer was lionised for his tough talk to the senate on tax minimisation and its merits in Australian life. We now face an impending tax revenue crisis, as corporations continue to dodge their taxation responsibilities through clever accounting practices. Wealthy Australians think that it is OK to avoid paying tax wherever they can. Packer told his audience that smart people don’t pay tax where possible and that government’s waste their money anyway. This has become an established narrative in the Aussie cultural canon.Continue Reading

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hands holding an american flag

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Democracy has long been lauded in the United States of America – Home of the Free etc etc. The reality of the situation, however, has been revealed over the last 5 years during the Trump ascendancy. The American political framework is full of holes, which have been effectively exploited by the Russians and local vested interests. The idea of democracy endures as something wonderful but in practice falls way short. The real state of democracy in America is only partially subscribed to by the country’s population.Continue Reading

man standing on stage facing an american flag

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I spent some time listening to Rachel Maddow’s ULTRA podcast last week. This production was very well done and worth taking the time to engage with. The use of the original voices from the Library of Congress lent ULTRA some much needed gravitas, I think. This is aural entertainment on a grand scale and endowers this slice of American history with some creative buzz. The narrator has a great voice and Rachel Maddow takes the listener on a journey back in time firmly held in her vocal embrace. The podcast production tinkles with all the bells and whistles of a radio soap from yesteryear, which was the desired intention, I am sure.Continue Reading

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a kid protesting against the war in ukraine

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Many people have discovered Ukraine for the first time since the invasion by Russia at the beginning of this year 2022. In a perverted sense they could thank Mr Putin for the catalyst in making this so but this would not be entirely accurate. This is because the invasion of Ukraine really began in 2014 and this did not stop the World Cup being held in Russia in 2018. The world took little notice of the earlier incursions and annexations of Ukrainian territory, which obviously encouraged Mr Putin to go the whole hog, so to speak. This time, however, the USA freed from Trump and the European Union were galvanised to take action in the form of more far reaching sanctions and military aid to Ukraine. Still, Ukraine was for many a far flung place in the east of which little was known.Continue Reading