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Category: opinions and journalism

Word power: not-blind Fred on ‘22 election

 

It is worth remembering that these are the observations of a former senior Federal Government Minister, also – in Opposition – a Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party, and that he departed Parliament at a time of his own choosing, as one of its more widely-respected members.

A government that must deal with sensible independent centrists is better than a government that must rely on the support of the most eccentric ends of its party spectrum.

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Word Power: pertinent/impertinent observations on ‘22 Election

This is #1 in a temporary series of not many episodes!

Utterly underwhelming as Australian vote-seekers’ performances have been, a few observers of “Scomo”, “Albo”, “Clive” et al – and of us, their target – have delivered choice, pithy observations…

We have inertia because we have arrived at the era of personal greed and the major parties feel obliged to pander to that greed.

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Word power: on Putin’s nigh-inevitable but Pyrrhic “victory”

Combine Putin’s utter lack of scruples/decency/humanity with Russia’s overwhelming military superiority, and the result of the  invasion of Ukraine is almost inevitable: Russia “wins”.

However, ultimately, Russia loses; almost as inevitable as its initial “success” is Russia’s eventual failure – an inability to rule Ukraine, the collapse of Russia’s economy, and a decline in the “greatness” of Russia as a “world” power.

This post links to two of the better articles that seek to explain the nature of Putin’s miscalculation, and how “success” can be just another word for failure.

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Word Power: “Is Old Music Killing New Music?”

 

This post’s headline is the name of an excellent, albeit US-centric & Western “pop”-centric, article by Ted Gioia.

As he notes:

The song catalogs in most demand are by musicians who are in their 70s or 80s (Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen) or already dead (David Bowie, James Brown).

This post’s photo is a reminder that in 2022 the “Music Biz” also resolutely ignores much of the world’s remarkable “old” music…

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Word power: the folly of further-advantaging the already-fine-feathered

 

 

How did Australia come to adopt such an unusual, infantile, and palpably unfair approach to inherited wealth?

How can Australian taxpayers/non-payers – and Australia’s remarkably craven/spineless governments – be persuaded to change it?

Peter Browne attempts to answer those questions in his essay, Syd Negus, the forgotten tax-slayer.

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The “aw shucks, us too” taxation policy now adopted by the ALP strains beyond breaking point any reasonable definition of “alternative government”…or “Opposition”…or “Labor”…or “progressive”. Alas, many fewer words than those in this verbose header are more than enough to say everything that needs to be said about it…

…as Jon Kudelka has demonstrated in today’s edition of The Saturday Paper:

 

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Word power: Kathryn Schulz on “the Misanthropocene”

 

 

Kathryn Schulz’s superb essay is called What Do We Hope to Find When We Look for a Snow Leopard?

Although not primarily about snow leopards, it particularly refers to a 1978 “classic” – Peter Matthiessen’s The Snow Leopard – and to a recently-published book by a Parisian who also pursued an ardent desire to encounter a snow leopard, on “the roof of the world”.

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