freedom

October 11 is firming as the date people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in NSW will come out of lockdown, although Premier Gladys Berejiklian says she is reluctant to use the phrase "freedom day".

stinker

Much has been said about Scott Morrison’s practice of leadership: both his strengths as a campaigner (witness the “miracle” 2019 election) and, increasingly, the worrying dysfunctionality of his government and its governance.

peace

Although Washington announced the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan and Iraq with pomp and circumstance, in reality it is just a splashy move intended to showcase “America’s commitment to peace”.

The US is withdrawing indeed, but in such a manner that it is leaving behind a greater number of unresolved problems created by America itself and its “muscle-flexing” on the world chessboard. “The US military rule” basically never managed to resolve vital social problems of the local population. It failed to rebuild the social and economic structure destroyed by hostilities, while local residents who lost their homes, farms and breadwinners as a result of military actions or “erroneous airstrikes” never received any financial compensation from Washington. And those woes still haunt Afghanistan even after the US withdrawal.

sub2

France’s decision to call back its ambassadors from the US and Australia over the latter’s decision to cancel its deal with France and buy nuclear-powered submarines from the US has triggered a crisis in NATO. French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian called the turn of events a stab in the back.

occupy

This is only a quick foray into the backwards history of this corner of the planet. These are small portions chosen during which our Western leaders have shat on our lap — as seen by Gus Leonisky and John Richardson — in their own words or helped by borrowing the thoughts of heavy thinkers of the past few years…

god

Scott Morrison’s momentous national security announcement last week should have been a turning point for him and the government. Instead, because he delayed making one tough call, leaving himself open to accusations of backstabbing and deception from a great friend and ally, he robbed himself of a much-needed reset.

wong

Labor has fired a warning shot at the Morrison government over its nuclear-powered submarine plans, demanding assurances that Australia will maintain its freedom to make different decisions from the US on military engagements.

The senior opposition frontbencher Penny Wong will pose the question in a speech on Thursday, saying maintaining autonomy is important for Australia’s sovereignty as the country becomes more technologically dependent on the US.

fix

US President Joe Biden and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron will meet next month as the countries work to repair relations following a diplomatic brouhaha that broke out over a security pact with Australia.

In a joint statement on Wednesday, France and the United States said the two leaders spoke by phone and agreed to meet in Europe at the end of October.

The French ambassador to the US will also return to Washington next week, the countries said, after Paris recalled its envoy in anger about the security partnership between the US, UK and Australia.

names

In 2016, the Turnbull government agreed to purchase a dozen Shortfin Barracuda class submarines to replace Australia’s six ageing Collins class submarines1. The Collins class were launched between 1993 and 2001 and were commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy between July, 1996, and March, 20032. The Shortfin Barracuda beat Germany’s Type 216 and Japan’s Soryu class offerings, and it was Australia’s biggest ever defence procurement deal. The Shortfin Barracuda submarines for Australia are a diesel-electric derivative of the French Barracuda class nuclear attack submarine3.

lockstep

New York: US President Joe Biden has declared Australia is America’s closest and most reliable ally during his first one-on-one meeting with Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Biden and Morrison sat down in New York for their much-anticipated meeting as European leaders intensified their criticisms of Australia and the US for breaking the $90 billion contract with France to build a fleet of submarines.

stoker

Ten days after Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana as a Category 4 storm, Wilkie Declouet, a former law enforcement officer, and lifelong resident of Ironton, posted photos to social media of coffins and tombs scattered around his neighborhood. 

Earlier that day, local officials were telling residents that the town was still inaccessible, but Declouet knew better than to take what they said on face value and checked for himself — and found a way back in. Like the rest of the community, he evacuated before the storm hit. 

Read more:

https://www.desmog.com/2021/09/14/hurricane-ida-ironton-louisiana-scattered-coffins-floodwaters-environmental-justice/

repute

Media organisations, including News Corporation and Nine Newspapers, have been blocked from publishing any of the ABC's un-redacted defence in its defamation battle with former federal attorney-general Christian Porter.

sub

Australian officials have stood by their decision to turn to the new AUKUS deal to build submarines, citing documents going back several years that highlighted Canberra’s concerns about delays, cost overruns and suitability of the vessels made by France.

porter

Christian Porter should be given “another chance” at being a minister in future, according to acting prime minister Barnaby Joyce, because there was “nothing illegal” about his blind trust donations scandal.

But Mr Joyce has conceded a federal parliament oversight committee may further probe Mr Porter’s anonymous benefactors, as Labor and the Greens demand further answers on where the money came from.

“He has had a bad day at the wicket, no doubt about that, and that issue has been dealt with,” Mr Joyce told a Canberra press conference on Monday.

trust

Australia has defended its decision to scrap a multi-billion dollar submarine purchase from France in favour of a new security pact with the US and UK. 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison rejected accusations that Australia had lied, saying France should have been aware it was prepared to break the deal.