Now that, third time lucky, the Carbon Tax Repeal legislation, suitably amended, has passed the House of Representatives, and god and Clive Palmer and Bob Day and David Leyonhjelm willing, will pass the Senate in the next day or two, I have been reading some of the propaganda from the Liberal and National Parties before the September election about the impact of the carbon tax on the cost of living.

Of the 298 murdered on Malaysian Airways Flight MH17, 36 were from Australia. The outpouring of grief and support from ordinary people here in Australia has been overwhelming. It restores hope for the future, a future in which we working people, compassionate and caring, run society.

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman has apologised to the people of Queensland as he announced a reversal of several controversial policy positions.

A group of five countries has launched its own development bank to challenge the US -dominated World Bank and International Monetary Fund. Leaders from the so-called BRICS countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - unveiled the New Development Bank at a summit in the Brazilian city of Fortaleza. The bank will be headquartered in Shanghai.

From Chris Floyd

The reality is that much of Australia’s corporate landscape is owned by faceless people hiding behind big nominee companies that are virtually impossible to research. The same is for global investment banks, insurance companies and the Commonwealth public servant superannuation scheme. Many companies have directors who are involved in media, banking, and politics, with many ex-politicians coming onto boards when they leave Parliament.

Nestlé’s chair has claimed that the issue of water scarcity is “much more urgent” than climate change.

It is likely that this summer (2014) is going to be a scorcher... And my advice to all the spruiking denialists who own a piece of land in the country  — like the Alan Jones — and the merchants of whatever  — like the Gerry Harveys — is to make sure you have plenty of water in reserve and an escape route... or a bunker.

Facing Senate resistance to the majority of his budget savings measures, the treasurer, Joe Hockey, said the government would have no choice but to find the savings from other programs if senators carried out threats to block large parts of the budget.

“It’s not retribution if the choices made by other political parties are so flawed,” he told the ABC. “We are not going to step away from the fact that the budget needs to be repaired.

“It is something a lot of the senators need to think carefully about … we have got to deal with reality, the budget must be repaired.”

The Palmer-Abbott double cross has shafted the Australian public. If you have one ounce of understanding how this system of deception works you would know how you've been conned..

the measure of success of a secret double-cross is not in how it's done but in the result...