A Clear and Present Danger

Dec 20

A Clear and Present Danger

Posted by: George Grundy

As parliament closes out 2021, Scott Morrison’s government is taking steps to set the agenda for next year’s federal election. Morrison will be hoping for no major bushfires this summer and a return to pre-Covid normality, so the battle can be fought around perceived LNP strengths such as the economy, national security and culture war issues like social media trolling. To that end, Morrison continues to champion the reopening of international borders and an end to lockdowns and travel restrictions…

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Nov 08

A State of Chaos

Posted by: George Grundy

Washington’s Capitol halls are abuzz this autumn as Joe Biden attempts to enact his legislative agenda, in the face of a Republican opposition hell-bent on political vandalism and chaos. Agreeing to raise the federal debt ceiling has been delayed until December 3rd, and may still require revising the filibuster in order to avert financial catastrophe. The multi-trillion dollar ‘Build Back Better’ social policies reform bill, which reflects the issues on which Biden campaigned and won in 2020, is steadily being…

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Sep 23

Sub-Standard

Posted by: George Grundy

This cannot stand. Even by the catastrophically low standards set by the current government, the announcement that Australia is to spend $90 billion on a fleet of nuclear submarines plumbs, if you will excuse me, new depths. France, which immediately recalled its ambassadors to the US and Australia, has every right to feel furiously aggrieved and humiliated. Just a few months ago, Scott Morrison visited Emmanuel Macron in Paris and was warmly embraced by France’s President. Yet we now know…

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Sep 16

20 Years On

Posted by: George Grundy

I tried, but I failed. Twenty years on from 9/11, I thought I could write a nuanced retrospective on the worst terrorist attack in history, without focusing on the contradictions and inconsistencies that plague the story. I couldn’t do it. I’m not alone. Just last month, Spike Lee was forced to re-edit his new documentary series on New York and 9/11. HBO didn’t like the final episode, which featured interviews with scientists who have publicly voiced doubts that the twin…

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Sep 14

9/11

Posted by: George Grundy

Some time around 1998, Richard Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld decided to pursue an idea they had discussed for a long time, that of using a domestic American crisis to reshape the world and the Middle East in particular, in a way they felt would be in America’s best interests. Cheney and Rumsfeld resolved to take control of the crisis as well as the response, ensuring that their goals were precisely met. As such, a plan was developed to mount a…

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