Webdiary - Founded and Inspired by Margo Kingston

America’s Tuesday, our Wednesday, will be about a different, two horse, race. McCain versus Obama. So what are some distinctive points about this race. Well, the first is that the vice presidential nominees matter a great deal more than they historically have.

Henson has done nothing wrong under the law and for lawmakers to be carrying in this manner is actually an appalling dereliction of their role in our political system. Indeed arguably undermining of it. They need to be called on this, every one of them.

As Bob Carr, Julie Bishop and Germaine Greer all proceeded to bring their prejudices to bear, backed up with stark and obvious ignorance, my interest turned to horrified fascination. Could decision makers in Australia really be so cocksure and stupid to boot?

There has been a complete clash between the Liberals' worldview and that of key members of the electorate living in the larger world. In the wake of this a new identity and modification of ideology may be essential for the Liberals to regain credibility and relevance. To stay in denial is to stay clinging to alienation from the electorate. But can they do this?

What Howard is trying to do is ... to keep the respectable working class, from whom the aspirationals of today’s marketing-speak are drawn, interested in middle and upper class welfare. To give enough of them enough of a titbit to give his government those key votes needed to get over the line.

"In an election campaign that has struggled to be the main story for most of its duration the fate of the minor parties has been one of the most interesting features. The new system of proportional representation in the Upper House gives independents and minors a better chance than they have ever had to gain representation in the parliament. Yet the implications are different for each.": Tony Phillips

"What the hell is happening to the ABC? Ten years of Liberal government of course. And was last Friday another step along the ABC’s road to compliance with the Tory worldview?": Tony Phillips

"With the Spring racing carnival finally out of the way Victorians are beginning to wake up to the fact that there is an election on November 25th. Only now have the two major parties held their election launches, despite having been in campaign mode for weeks. And it is now that I feel some obligation to provide a starting point for some Webdiary coverage of the event.": Tony Phillips

"The emerging result is not something to get overly excited about, since it does not of itself end the war in Iraq, change US policy on climate change, or even reverse the growing inequality of the country. However, it does raise a number of possibilities and scenarios for both the US and John Howard’s all the way with George W foreign policy.": Tony Phillips

"Currently good telecommunications policy would be about things such as: maintaining and intensifying competition where possible; extending and improving the range of services available as quickly as possible and; balancing the demands of international competitiveness with concerns of equity and level playing fields within Australia. It once would also have been about projecting Australia as an international frontrunner in this new and booming industry; however that prospect died with the competition and privatisation policies Howard introduced." Tony Phillips

"Last week we had the latest terror scare/media frenzy with the uncovering of the 'plot' in Britain to blow up multiple airliners over the United States. The lurid story told how, using a technique attempted in the 1990s but not previously on the radar in the post 9/11 media stories, well organised suicide bombers would breach airport security and simultaneously carry out their dreadful mission.": Tony Phillips

"The debates I heard yesterday around Telstra’s decision not to spend $4 billion providing fibre to the node infrastructure see-sawed around Telstra as the big baddie with big prices on the one hand versus Telstra as home to Mum and Dad shareholders on the other. Shareholders who shouldn’t be forced, through imposed price regulation, to donate their capital to the profits of the overseas multinationals that are Telstra’s competitors. On the whole I find myself more or less in agreement with the Telstra position.": Tony Phillips

"The biggest rally in Melbourne since last November, against the attacks on working conditions and pay rates in John Howard's 'Workchoices' legislation, took place yesterday morning. While the turnout was short of the mammoth 170,000 plus that turned up last time, a fair estimate would put the crowd well within the 100,000 range.": Tony Phillips

"With 2242 American soldiers killed in Iraq by the end of January 2006, and another 16,400 maimed in some way or another, with the Iraqi population suffering horribly and catastrophically, and all the while the affluence of America and Australia gliding along oblivious, one cannot help but feel a little bit of Vietnam coming back. Of course much is different but there is the pattern - of a floundering superpower, callous and crazy leaders, and a tragic morass of innocents killed from a distance, by men in offices making decisions in another language and with other priorities. It is all such that one can’t help but feel like a little bit of history repeating." Tony Phillips

"With the sentencing of members of the heroin trafficking conspiracy in Indonesia this week we are seeing a re-run, with variations, on what has become a familiar tune. One that began with Schapelle Corby in early 2005 and became full tragedy with the murder of Van Nguyan in Singapore in December last year. Namely the chorus of commentary around young Australians overseas and drugs." Tony Phillips