By contrast, Russia and China are led by pragmatic governments guided by the concepts of profit and self-interest. They support and want to do business with existing governments and governing systems around the world. This has made them the 21st century’s major global powers of the right.

Cabinet Office proposals to expand the use of secret courts will create a "secret justice system straight from the pages of a Kafka novel", an Amnesty International report will warn on Monday.

Broadcaster Bill Deller discusses WikiLeaks, the CIA and the ALP, and why Australia won’t get a seat on the UN Security Council.

Physicists say they may have evidence that the universe is a computer simulation.

How? They made a computer simulation of the universe. And it looks sort of like us.

An open letter to Rob Oakeshott

Dear Rob

What I am writing here is between you, me and a defunct lamppost in a secret location. As you know in politics nothing is ever simple. 

from politicoz ….

The week reached peak silliness yesterday when it was declared that a function room should have been immediately evacuated when a comedian made a bad joke. It seems everyone has been caught up in the moveable feast of outrage and victimhood.

Federal Deputy Opposition Leader Julie Bishop has defended decade-old remarks about women made by the Opposition Leader Tony Abbott.

from politicoz ….

what they knew before ….

Julia Gillard's speech on Tuesday is the subject of much debate, and for good reason. It was an important moment in the life of this parliament.

Former Speaker Peter Slipper has already exercised his newfound power as an independent MP by voting with Labor to change standing orders against the wishes of the Coalition.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott suggested yesterday Mr Slipper should always side with the Coalition and that he would be happy to accept his vote.

On the same day it was reported that hundreds of Australian citizens were traveling to the Middle East to take part in jihadi-style terrorist attacks on Syria, Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr used national television to suggest that the ‘assassination’ of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad might be a way out of the Syrian crisis.