Webdiary - Founded and Inspired by Margo Kingston

The political landscape [in America] was fascinating last fall, intriguing on the Democratic Party side, on the Republican/GOP (Grand Old Party) side a congregation of rococo grotesques usually not seen outside a Sinclair Lewis novel or a Nick Cave murder ballad.

Rich-poor, Left-Right, black-white. You can profile a politician by ideology, colour, class, caste, religion, party or geography. But I’ve long preferred another form of profiling, one that transcends all of the above. It derives from a simple but dazzling insight of the British contrarian Tony Benn. (Phillip Adams)

These are times that cry out for leadership. But when you look around, you've got to ask: "Where have all the leaders gone?" Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where are the people of character, courage, conviction, competence, and common sense? (Lee Iacocca)

Being a carer may not be the most recognised job in the world, but it is by far the most rewarding. Now when people ask me what I do, I am proud to say that I am a carer, knowing that by doing this job I am giving Warren the greatest gift of all - a life worth living. (Tania Hayes)

The financial and economic crisis now upon us is by far the most menacing of the past century - even more so than the Great Depression of the 1930s. It is not just a "subprime" crisis; it is systemic - affecting the entire financial system. (James Cumes)

For a cops and robbers tabloid, the Herald Sun has been way off the pace in terms of the underworld connections to Opes Prime. The Age has been leading since day one and today’s front page story is perhaps the most significant contribution yet. (Stephen Mayne)

[The Australian-US] alliance is steeped in history. But it is also part of our framework for meeting the challenges of the future. The purpose of my remarks is to reflect on the continued importance of U.S. global leadership, to reflect on the new Australian government's foreign policy framework, and to make some observations on how we both might engage China in the future. (The Hon. Kevin Rudd)

It is through this wider process of continuing regional and global engagement that the new Australian Government is now determined to make its contribution to the future development of a robust international rules-based order that enhances the security and economic wellbeing of us all. (The Hon. Kevin Rudd)

Last year ... I said [the troop surge] is a new tactic used to achieve the same old strategic aim, political stability. And I foresaw no serious prospects for success. I see no reason to change my judgment now. (William E. Odom, LT General, USA, Ret.)

It is to be expected that a new government coming into office will take time to settle in, read the files and gradually get used to the idea of being in power. In doing that the Rudd Government is no different to the Howard government, which took the best part of 18 months to settle into the harness. However the Howard government was not bequeathed the administrative mess of a politicised public service and the moral and ethical conundrum that now constitutes Rudd's inheritance.

"When I was originally approached to speak to this audience, I was asked to give a Reserve Bank perspective on the economy. That was a fairly general brief. Given the current state of affairs, it makes sense to fulfil it by talking specifically about inflation and monetary policy." (Glenn Stevens)

To achieve success governments need a guiding philosophy; not a zealous ideology which is insensitive to political compromise, but a directional touchstone which provides overall consistency through the years. In other words, ultimately they must be ruled by values and ideas and not only by an instinct for political survival – necessary though that is. (John W. Howard)

For the pain, suffering and hurt of these Stolen Generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry. To the mothers and fathers, the brothers and sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry. And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry. (Kevin Rudd)

Why is it that in Greece and other European countries, being on the Left or supportive of the Left is not met with ridicule, disdain or horror? Why is it that PASOK leader George Papandreou can say at the end of his election speech: ‘I ask all Greeks of democratic persuasion to vote against the Right’? And why didn’t every newspaper in the country attack him or laugh at him for saying it? (Jeana Vithoulkas)

One of the insights of behavioural economics - which is the study of the way people actually think about economic issues, not the way they should think - is that, unlike economists, most people don't add pluses and minuses together to get a net result. (Ross Gittins)

There is a gulf in Australian society between Muslim and non-Muslim, fuelled by fear and ignorance but, more significantly, by arrogance, says Aly, a lecturer in politics at Monash University.

The question that needs to be posed today [about immigration] is not the conventional one, is it Left or is it Right? But rather, do we accept that there are Limits, or do we continue to persist in the fantasy that this country, and others, is a massive treasure trove of boundless resources waiting to be unlocked by an endless number of people who can exploit them without ecological consequences?

The business leaders of 150 global companies have today published a communiqué to world leaders calling for a comprehensive, legally binding United Nations framework to tackle climate change. The initiative represents an unprecedented coming together of the international business community and includes some of the biggest companies and brands from around the world. The leaders hope that the initiative is likely to have a significant impact on the UN climate negotiations starting next week in Bali, Indonesia.

The main reason for the rise of democracy and social-welfare with its old age pensions, public hospitals, public housing, and universal education after the Great Depression of the 1930s was that the beneficiaries of the robber-baron culture which had dominated until then were aware that if people were kept sufficiently miserable, they would turn to communism and socialism. (Naomi Klein)

Recently, Andrew Hewett, Executive Director of Oxfam Australia was asked to address a joint meeting of the Uniting Church and Rotary on the business ethics of climate change in, of all places, the La Trobe Valley. This is what he said.

Kerryn Higgs: "As the campaign rolls on, we will hear the government’s specious arguments over and over again. Guy Pearse’s book provides a very useful antidote to the overblown claims of “world leadership” which will surely lace the rhetoric." Sally Woodward: "This book should be on the ‘must read’ list for all Australians, but none more so than those who believe or hope the Howard Government will come around on climate change if re-elected."

"For me this tour of duty is almost done. It is time to hang up these boots, but I am not yet ready to hand in my uniform. My passion to serve this nation burns stronger than before whatever opportunities might arise. I love this country and I believe in its future. I will look for new fields of endeavour and new battles to join in the years to come. There is so much ground for our nation to cover, some territory to win back and so much to do if Australia is to become the nation it can be." Kim Beazley.

The giving and receiving of alms is a profound act of adherence to the teachings of Gautama Buddha and among the most meritorious of acts. Only under the most compelling moral circumstances will a monk refuse the alms that have been offered, as to do so is to refuse to acknowledge the alms-giver as a part of the religious community. However, the view of monks in Burma today is that such an extraordinary moment has arrived.

Temporary material prosperity is in danger of distracting us from the real and urgent challenge of putting our economy and environment on a secure, sustainable footing. It is time for a profound change in the way public policy is generated in Australia. We need to move from top-down, short-term ad-hoc ‘reforms’ to long-term, systemic renewal based on consistent principles, widespread citizen participation and a realistic understanding of how we live now. (Centre for Policy Development)

Australians should be ashamed of August 2007. That is when our Federal Parliament created its own national emergency by betraying its own people and its own legal and political heritage. It consciously re-embraced legislative racism. In less than a month our fellow citizens have lost their homes, their towns, and their businesses. They have lost their right to free and private assembly. They have lost their right to appeal the decisions of public servants. They have been collectively defamed and condemned as evil, corrupt, ignorant savages! Enough of this nonsense! (Barrister Pat McIntyre speaking at a rally in Darwin on Saturday 15 September 2007).

In this address to the Commonwealth Law Conference, The Hon. Justice Michael Kirby examines problems presented to the law by advances in biotechnology and biomedicine with particular reference to demands for (1) intellectual property law protection over genetic data and its applications; (2) the right to procure, and conduct experiments using, embryonic stem cells; (3) access to pre-implantation genetic diagnosis to identify in embryos serious hereditary diseases; and (4)  access to new anti-retroviral therapies essential in treating HIV/AIDS.

The Federal Court’s decision that the Australian Government can not cancel a person’s visa on the basis of an innocent association should be the end of the matter, according to the Law Council.

The Government's priority is to tackle climate change without damaging Australian jobs and living standards. Nuclear power could make a significant contribution to this challenge.

[F]ederal Labor in Australia, following Nicholas Stern, has unofficially adopted the three-degree target in a climate change policy devoid of specifics and a world away from what Australia would need to do if we are to pull our weight in a global effort to avoid climate calamity. How should climate activists respond?

'David Hicks aside, it must be said that Australian governments do generally observe the rule of law, in the sense that they are careful to ensure they are covered by appropriate legislation before deliberately taking an action that is disadvantageous to any particular individual. It may then fairly be said that Australia is a country governed in accordance with the rule of law. However, it does not necessarily follow that individual rights are well protected in Australia.': The Hon. Murray Wilcox, QC, former judge of the Federal Court of Australia