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Public policy journal

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Site URL: johnmenadue.com/

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Posts: 76

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UN Palestine vote: Australia shows it lacks a backbone

https://johnmenadue.com/un-palestine-vote-australia-shows-it-lacks-a-backbone/

Published: September 19, 2024 07:12

Why is it that successive Australian Governments cannot bring themselves to call out Israel for what it is? A state that constantly ignores international law, most recently in the current Gaza conflict where there can be no doubt that war crimes have been,…

Jewish Council disappointed at Australia’s UN abstention, calls for strong international action to prevent Israeli war crimes

https://johnmenadue.com/jewish-council-disappointed-at-australias-un-abstention-calls-for-strong-international-action-to-prevent-israeli-war-crimes/

Published: September 19, 2024 01:17

The Jewish Council of Australia says it is deeply disappointed at Australia’s abstention from a critical United Nations General Assembly resolution calling on Israel to end its occupation of the Palestinian territories within 12 months. The resolution…

United Nations General Assembly votes to demand Israel end Palestinian occupation, Australia abstains

https://johnmenadue.com/united-nations-general-assembly-votes-to-demand-israel-end-palestinian-occupation-australia-abstains/

Published: September 18, 2024 22:59

The United Nations General Assembly has overwhelmingly voted in favour of a Palestinian resolution demanding Israel end its “unlawful presence” in Gaza and the occupied West Bank within a year. The vote in the 193-member world body was 124-14, with…

UN vote: Newspaper raises irrelevant questions about an ICJ decision

https://johnmenadue.com/un-vote/

Published: September 18, 2024 19:00

The exclusive ‘US urges Australia over UN’s Israel vote’, published in Tuesday’s The Australian by Ben Packham, demands a response. The article addresses a draft UN resolution advanced by the Palestinian Authority to be voted on in the General Assembly on…

Why voters are deserting traditional parties

https://johnmenadue.com/why-voters-are-deserting-traditional-parties/

Published: September 18, 2024 18:59

The changes to, and challenges confronting, representative government as we know it have been canvassed by a number of journalists, most recently Niki Savva in the Nine Entertainment newspapers. Like others, Savva correctly identifies the “drift” away from…

The world’s chance to confront US-Israeli genocide

https://johnmenadue.com/the-worlds-chance-to-confront-us-israeli-genocide/

Published: September 18, 2024 18:58

The UN General Assembly is set to debate and vote on a resolution calling on Israel to end “its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory” within six months. Given that the General Assembly, unlike the exclusive 15-member Security Council,…

Pearls and Irritations awarded an Ink & Impact award

https://johnmenadue.com/pearls-and-irritations-awarded-an-ink-impact-award/

Published: September 18, 2024 18:58

At a lavish ceremony at the Highline Venue in Bankstown, NSW on Sunday, 15 September, the independent Australian Muslim Times newspaper celebrated its 10th anniversary. The celebration’s key theme concerned the invaluable role of independent media in…

Gaza officials publish list of those killed in Israeli assault. The first 14 pages are babies

https://johnmenadue.com/gaza-officials-publish-list-of-those-lilled-in-israeli-assault-the-first-14-pages-are-babies/

Published: September 18, 2024 18:57

“This is a genocide of children,” said Heba Gowayed, a sociology professor at the City University of New York’s Hunter College. Gaza’s Ministry of Health on Sunday released a document containing the names and ages of Palestinians killed by Israel’s assault…

Trump’s quick deal with Putin could reshape the global order

https://johnmenadue.com/trumps-quick-deal-with-putin-could-reshape-the-global-order/

Published: September 18, 2024 18:56

Did anyone pay attention? If he wins, Donald Trump says he will bring about the cessation of hostilities in Ukraine between his election and inauguration, a period of about eleven weeks. In so doing, Trump might just destabilise the West and reshape the…

Dependency or protectorate?

https://johnmenadue.com/dependency-or-protectorate/

Published: September 18, 2024 18:53

It is understandable that people around the world obsess about US elections given the cultural and political impact the country has on the rest of us. Some of them even try to support one or other candidate in presidential elections as US election law…

On green growth land, we meet each other

https://johnmenadue.com/on-green-growth-land-we-meet-each-other/

Published: September 18, 2024 18:50

As the curtain of the Paris Olympics fell, I was thinking of the first Olympics I had experienced and reported back in 2000 when I was a Chinese correspondent based in Canberra. That experience and those of many other people after the Sydney Olympics…

A five-minute scroll

https://johnmenadue.com/a-five-minute-scroll-7/

Published: September 18, 2024 01:11

Our five-minute scroll on X today uncovered Craig Murray speaking to the UN about the UK’s security laws to control the narrative, Saffine Duggan speaking to ABC Radio National about life after the US seized her assets, Peter Cronau questioning if the…

Independence too big a price for AUKUS fantasy

https://johnmenadue.com/independence-too-big-a-price-for-aukus-fantasy/

Published: September 17, 2024 18:59

Paul Keating, Bob Carr and I seem to have jangled a few security establishment nerves with our critique of the AUKUS submarine deal as having profound negative implications for Australia’s security and sovereignty. Our former colleagues and advisers Kim…

Would Trump or Harris keep the US out of new wars?

https://johnmenadue.com/would-trump-or-harris-keep-the-us-out-of-new-wars/

Published: September 17, 2024 18:58

Donald Trump wants to end the conflict in Ukraine, but would have fewer guardrails in office. However, Kamala Harris might take a harder line on China than we think. Last week’s debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris revealed crucial yet complicated…

Australia: a very fine example of the ultimate vassal state

https://johnmenadue.com/australia-a-very-fine-example-of-the-ultimate-vassal-state/

Published: September 17, 2024 18:58

Australia currently has a Labor-Coalition political class which is committed to serving the interests of the United States as its highest priority, and within that frame the most significant conflicts that exist internally between the main factions of that…

AUKUS: defending the indefensible

https://johnmenadue.com/aukus-defending-the-indefensible/

Published: September 17, 2024 18:57

The proponents of AUKUS appear to be rattled. Their defence of the worst deal of the century is threadbare. It is now three years since the announcement of AUKUS. As time progresses the criticisms are becoming ever more strident as the various risks that…

Universities: dead, buried and cremated?

https://johnmenadue.com/universities-dead-buried-and-cremated/

Published: September 17, 2024 18:56

Adelaide University’s move to eliminate face-to-face lectures removes another essential component of a proper university. On top of corporatisation and with AI rapidly intruding there will be very little of the essence of a university left. Continue…

Damned lies and school statistics… again

https://johnmenadue.com/damned-lies-and-school-statistics-again/

Published: September 17, 2024 18:53

The Australian Education Union has compared public funding going to private schools with amounts going to similar government schools. Its revelations are alarming and should be game-changing. One private school peak group has cried foul, but the union is…

The Russia-Ukraine war and NATO

https://johnmenadue.com/the-russo-ukraine-war-and-nato/

Published: September 17, 2024 18:52

The persistent debate about NATO’s role in the Ukraine conflict centres on Russia’s longstanding objection to the alliance’s expansion, which Moscow views as a threat. This historical stance is a crucial part of understanding the dynamics of the ongoing…

Vale Dr John Coulter

https://johnmenadue.com/vale-dr-john-coulter/

Published: September 17, 2024 18:51

Dr John Coulter, who has died aged 93, had been suffering for months from VEXAS syndrome, an adult-onset autoinflammatory disease caused by a mutation of a gene in blood stem cells. It is perhaps ironic that he had himself worked on mutagens — the agents…

A five-minute scroll

https://johnmenadue.com/a-five-minute-scroll-6/

Published: September 17, 2024 01:09

Pulling children out of rubble, witnessing ill-treatment of Palestinian civilians by Israeli soldiers, witnessing the displaced Gazan population work its way through destroyed streets. In Australia, the Senate debate on housing. These are the items we…

How to ensure a Gaza ceasefire

https://johnmenadue.com/how-to-get-a-gaza-ceasefire/

Published: September 16, 2024 18:59

We are all appalled by the scale of the deaths and destruction in Gaza. Every day brings more terrible news. That is why we all want, or at least say we want, a ceasefire in Gaza. Certainly, with the possible exception of Benjamin Netanyahu, almost all…

Kamala still facing electoral college hurdles

https://johnmenadue.com/kamala-still-facing-electoral-college-hurdles/

Published: September 16, 2024 18:58

Kamala Harris was, to my mind, a clear winner of the first debate between herself and Donald Trump. As things stand, however, I reckon that Trump must be still regarded as the favourite to win a majority of the state electoral college votes, and thus…

If Gaza carnage continues, then nobody is safe

https://johnmenadue.com/arma-gazan/

Published: September 16, 2024 18:56

If the genocide in Gaza is not stopped we all face a very dark future Continue reading »

Why Netanyahu chooses war over peace

https://johnmenadue.com/why-netanyahu-chooses-war-over-peace/

Published: September 16, 2024 18:55

As protests grow, Benjamin Netanyahu clings to power in what appears to be a gambit to shape his own political and legal future, regardless of the cost. War-weary and angry, hundreds of thousands of Israelis are taking to the streets week after week,…

A new hope

https://johnmenadue.com/a-new-hope/

Published: September 16, 2024 18:53

Australia can graduate from a ‘dig it up and ship it out’ quarry to a leader in the global transition to clean energy. Our vast array of minerals-in-high-demand processed with our low-cost clean energy can secure prosperity for generations of Australians.…

Seal of approval for the Teals?

https://johnmenadue.com/seal-of-approval-for-the-teals/

Published: September 16, 2024 18:52

Peter Dutton has questioned the effectiveness and value of the Teals. I live in Mayo. This has always been a solid liberal seat. So why was Rebcca Sharkey successful? Although predating the Teals she has many features in common with them. Continue…

Five-minute scroll

https://johnmenadue.com/five-minute-scroll/

Published: September 16, 2024 03:16

We start the week with our five-minute scroll on X to bring you a sample of the world and local issues that may not be found in our mainstream media. Today the first posts we saw include the plea to educate yourself on the history of Israel’s actions in…

Sudan’s nightmare: 150,000 civilians killed

https://johnmenadue.com/sudans-nightmare-what-prospects-for-peace/

Published: September 15, 2024 18:58

UN estimates suggest 2.5 million people will die by the end of 2024 and six million by 2027. World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has called on the world to “wake up and help Sudan out of the nightmare it is living through”. That…

What we know about Australia’s arms exports: we’ve analysed the data

https://johnmenadue.com/what-we-know-about-australias-arms-exports-weve-analysed-the-data/

Published: September 15, 2024 18:57

Thousands of protesters have been out in force in Melbourne last week to disrupt the Land Forces International Land Defence Exposition, where defence companies from around the world are showcasing their latest designs in weapons and technology. The…

Conditioning Americans for war with Russia

https://johnmenadue.com/conditioning-americans-for-war-with-russia/

Published: September 15, 2024 18:57

With new US action against Moscow, Russiagate remains like a vampire, with noone able to drive a wooden stake into its heart and keep it there. Special to Consortium News As the drums beat louder and louder about alleged threats from Russia, the Biden…

Antisemitism tangle: Can ridicule depict reality?

https://johnmenadue.com/antisemitism-tangle-can-ridicule-depict-reality/

Published: September 15, 2024 18:57

Current responses to the Gaza “war” would seem to suggest that antisemitism is the priority issue, not the unending slaughter of Palestinians. That conclusion is confirmed by the law firm Levitt Robinson’s class action which charges that in contravention…

Aiding and abetting and war crimes

https://johnmenadue.com/aiding-and-abetting-and-war-crimes/

Published: September 15, 2024 18:56

The participation of four Israeli arms companies in the Land Forces International Land Defence Exposition in Melbourne is a clear instance of the Australian Government aiding and abetting the commission of an ongoing war crime in Gaza. Continue reading »

Was the housing crisis caused by government policy?

https://johnmenadue.com/was-the-housing-crisis-caused-by-government-policy/

Published: September 15, 2024 18:55

A crisis in house prices and availability has been raging for years, particularly the dearth of low cost housing to rent, or buy. Is this housing crisis really a result of market forces, or is it created by previous government tax policies? [read more]…

How do they sleep at night?

https://johnmenadue.com/how-do-they-sleep-at-night/

Published: September 15, 2024 18:52

The nature of human cruelty is vastly complex, so I am focusing on some valued insights that have enlightened my activism.   For years, like others, I was utterly baffled by the question: how do the perpetrators sleep at night? Continue reading »

Are America’s right and left converging on foreign policy?

https://johnmenadue.com/are-americas-right-and-left-converging-on-foreign-policy/

Published: September 14, 2024 18:58

The interview of Jeffrey Sachs, a Social Progressive, by Tucker Carlson, a Social Conservative, makes riveting viewing since its an insight to where the polar enemies of American politics may be converging on their big picture view of US foreign policy.…

Giving Medicare teeth is a chance to fix its flaws

https://johnmenadue.com/giving-medicare-teeth-is-a-chance-to-fix-its-flaws/

Published: September 14, 2024 18:56

Doctors tried to stop it at first, but half a century later Medicare is an untouchable brand in Australian healthcare and politics. While we’re lucky to have it, Medicare isn’t perfect. Expanding it to cover dental care is long overdue, but that shouldn’t…

Environment: Optimistic predictions for the energy transition

https://johnmenadue.com/environment-optimistic-predictions-for-the-energy-transition/

Published: September 14, 2024 18:55

Renewable energy and its applications are pushing fossil fuels out of business – but will it be fast enough? Climate scientists are encouraged to be more vocal to stave off a ghastly future. I’m not sure if P&I has many readers who consider themselves to…

Lock ’em up, or maybe not

https://johnmenadue.com/lock-em-up-or-maybe-not/

Published: September 14, 2024 18:54

Incarceration is widely seen as the ultimate penalty (short of execution), and so, serious, and not-so-serious, offences are measured by the extent of the jail term. The question is, does that achieve the aims of the criminal justice system? Is…

The mistaken conventional wisdom about nuclear energy

https://johnmenadue.com/the-mistaken-conventional-wisdom-about-nuclear-energy/

Published: September 14, 2024 18:53

Recently, three articles have appeared in P&I about nuclear energy, one by Richard Broinowski on 29 August, one by Jim Coombs on 2 September, and a third by Joseph G. Davis on 3 September. All of them are negative about nuclear energy. The negativity in…

Collaboration across government levels is essential to progress

https://johnmenadue.com/collaboration-across-government-levels-is-essential-to-progress/

Published: September 14, 2024 18:51

John Menadue’s suggestion that Greens and Independents need to start thinking about their “bottom line” in preparation for a minority Labor Government is excellent. A key area for progress is collaboration across government levels. Despite talk for years…

Albanese has a second chance with AUKUS

https://johnmenadue.com/albanese-has-a-second-chance-with-aukus/

Published: September 13, 2024 18:59

Australia is to spend mind-boggling money to weaken its own security. Minister RIchard Marles has released a National Defence Strategy which centres on what he calls “projection”. That is, Australian forces threatening China from China’s surrounding…

A wave of censorship – Israel is the last collapsing rampart of ‘Western civilisation’

https://johnmenadue.com/a-wave-of-censorship-israel-is-the-last-collapsing-rampart-of-western-civilisation/

Published: September 13, 2024 18:58

Israel was created as a rampart of “Western civilisation” in the barbarous east, but now the rampart is at risk of being overwhelmed. A wave of censorship in the “Western” world might be said to be turning “liberal democracies” into authoritarian states…

ABC’s belated reporting on 7 Oct helps justify genocide

https://johnmenadue.com/abcs-belated-reporting-on-7-oct-helps-justify-genocide/

Published: September 13, 2024 18:58

Mick Hall analyses an Australian Broadcasting Corporation story — 11 months into a genocide — on the Israeli military’s use of the Hannibal Directive to kill its own citizens. Special to Consortium News At the weekend Australia’s national broadcaster, the…

Private equity bares its tactics in private healthcare shakedown

https://johnmenadue.com/private-equity-bares-its-tactics-in-private-healthcare-shake-down/

Published: September 13, 2024 18:56

An article published in the Medical Journal of Australia earlier this year points to increased private equity (PE) activity in Australian healthcare, conservatively estimating A$4.5 billion in acquisitions across general practice and selected specialties…

A foul formula: Zionism x Appeasement = Genocide

https://johnmenadue.com/a-foul-formula-zionism-x-appeasement-genocide/

Published: September 13, 2024 18:55

The capitulation by seemingly intelligent and decent-minded national leaders to the Holocaust Industry’s relentless campaign to validate any action by Israel in the current conflict in Palestine is seriously affecting the political landscape. It seems that…

In a wheel chair to the peripheries

https://johnmenadue.com/in-a-wheel-chair-to-the-peripheries/

Published: September 13, 2024 18:53

Eighty-seven-year-old Pope Francis’ trip to Indonesia, Papua-New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Singapore shows he’s not slowing up. One thing you can say about Pope Francis is that he walks the walk, even if it’s in a wheelchair. The recent visit to Indonesia…

Desperate junta even more brutal – Asian Media Report

https://johnmenadue.com/desperate-junta-even-more-brutal-asian-media-report/

Published: September 13, 2024 18:53

In Asia media this week: Myanmar recalls retired veterans. Plus: Race starts for Japan’s new PM; US Gaza stance an obstacle for AUKUS; Kolkata protests over gruesome rape-murder; China-Africa summit strengthens South-South ties; Pope’s Indonesia visit…

Population growth, capitalism, the environment and context

https://johnmenadue.com/population-growth-capitalism-the-environment-and-context/

Published: September 13, 2024 18:52

As Andrew Taylor and Supriya Mathew point out in a recent article in P&I, the current indications regarding population growth are that it will shortly begin to decline in the majority of countries during this century and has already done so in the…

The cursed stone resists return

https://johnmenadue.com/the-cursed-stone-resists-return/

Published: September 13, 2024 18:51

In an age of logic and evidence-based reasoning, modern research has revealed a thousand-year curse. It could be stopping the superstitious and spiritually-conscious Javanese from vigorously striving to return a thieved “emblem of Indonesian cultural…

A five-minute scroll

https://johnmenadue.com/a-five-minute-scroll-5/

Published: September 13, 2024 03:34

On X today: US Politicians launch a bill against China’s world leading genomics team and Andrew Wilkie addresses arms trade with Israel. Witness the devastation for a 13-year old in Palestine while Palestine takes its permanent seat in the UN General…

When should we expect interest rates to fall?

https://johnmenadue.com/when-should-we-expect-interest-rates-to-fall/

Published: September 12, 2024 18:59

The Reserve Bank has explicitly warned against any expectation that interest rates will start to fall soon. On the other hand, the Treasurer recently claimed that the Reserve Bank is smashing the economy, implying that interest rates should fall soon. Who…

Antisemitism and our universities

https://johnmenadue.com/antisemitism-and-our-universities/

Published: September 12, 2024 18:58

In today’s papers the Education Minister Jason Clare announced the decision to appoint a new National Student Ombudsman who will combat anti-Semitism at Australia Universities. He explained that Jewish students “don’t feel safe at university” and that it…

Palestine defines us

https://johnmenadue.com/palestine-defines-us/

Published: September 12, 2024 18:58

The citizenry of past nations engaged in genocide woke up each morning focused on their challenges of everyday life, not those of the people their rulers were butchering. The victims may have been across continents or within the same population, and so…

‘The Bibi Files’: Documentary reveals the police interrogations behind Netanyahu’s graft trial

https://johnmenadue.com/the-bibi-files-documentary-the-police-interrogations-behind-netanyahus-graft-trial/

Published: September 12, 2024 18:56

FRANCE 24 reviews “The Bibi Files”, a new documentary by filmmakers Alexis Bloom and Alex Gibney, which features never-before-seen footage of Israeli police interrogating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his family and his inner circle on corruption…

Why we’re still at war with terror

https://johnmenadue.com/why-were-still-at-war-with-terror/

Published: September 12, 2024 18:54

The talented comic song-writer Tom Lehrer, from a family of secular Jewish New Yorkers, complained during the Vietnam war that nothing was funny any more. He would agree now about the war in Gaza. Continue reading »

Young people no longer see Labor as the party of protest

https://johnmenadue.com/young-people-no-longer-see-labor-as-the-party-of-protest/

Published: September 12, 2024 18:52

The response to a piece I wrote for the SMH/Age recently has been very interesting in a number of ways. It has also been very revealing. I have been called a “dog”, been accused of rewriting history and of “letting the side down”. Every one of the…

Look at who is running Israel

https://johnmenadue.com/look-at-who-is-running-israel/

Published: September 12, 2024 18:51

In a recent significant article in the US journal, Foreign Policy, David E Rosenberg, the economics editor of Haaretz, clarifies how a minority of religious extremists have come to wield so much power in Israel today. It is a chilling, informative read.…