Politics is a dirty word

Burning of native vegetation in efforts to reduce fuel loads does not make Australia any safer from wildfires.The mantra of fuel reduction burns is used as an excuse to get rid of more native vegetation even though in some cases it restricts the spread of fire.Rather than focus on extinguishing fires as quickly as possible, fires are often left to develop into major burns as they present better photo and television opportunities. An issues paper published by the Federal Parliament in 2002 says: Fuel reduction burning should not be applied uniformly, in terms of frequency or extent, across Australia because of the diversity of forests, topography and climates in southern Australia as well as the different priorities that different land managers have in developing specific burning regimes. In order for fuel reduction burning programs to be effective they need to be designed to be applied to specific vegetation types and implemented by properly trained and resourced staff. Proper assessm...

It will be interesting to find out how much of Australia’s defence budget has been spent on this year’s Sydney to Hobart yacht race. The RoyaL Australian Navy has two entries, Navy1 and Naval Group and the army has one boat, Gun Runner.

Russia plans to sell its MiG-35 fighter jets to a number of countries in the Middle East, including Syria and Iran. The twin turbofan engined fighters may provide aerial superiority in the region.

Economist John Maynard Keynes is the man most responsible for the economic chaos in the world today. In 1941, Keynes developed a plan for the era following the Second World War, He advocated an International Clearing Union. Instead of countries clearing their external credits and debits with payments in gold and internationally accepted currency, such as sterling or the US dollar, He proposed an essentially cashless society Central Banks of member countries were to form the Clearing Union and to avoid running up excessive credit or debit balances, creditor countries would revalue their currencies, while debtor countries could devalue. Removing the gold standard, which had given money an underlying value, he sowed the seeds of economic chaos which has led to Central banks printing endless amounts of money and the current plan of "Quantitative Easing." World leaders regarded him as a hero and his philosophy was implemented. Britain and some other countries moved off the Gold S...

A coalition of former fire chiefs from around Australia have accused the Federal government of trying to gag debate on climate change rather than accepting some of the blame by acknowledging that their long term policies and procedures have made Australia more fire-prone. Burning practices in bushland, on the pretext of fuel reduction, has increased fire risks, and the practice of waiting for small fires to develop into large conflagrations to enhance photo opportunities has put communities at risk. So-called fuel reduction burns cut soil and vegetation moisture, leading to more catastrophic fires. Leaf litter, like mulching in a vegetable garden, retains soil moisture and can limit the spread of fire.

At last Britain may be able to leave the European Union as the exit poll after the UK general election demonstrates a clear decision. According to the poll, the Conservatives will have 368 seats in Parliament, a majority of 86. Many argue that the UK should never have tied itself to Europe. When Edward Heath made the decision to join the European Economic Community (known as the common market) it was a simple trading block, but over years it morphed into a separate government, imposing huge costs on member states with a duplicated bureaucratic structure. It was hard for British people to accept that after centuries of animosity and conflict with European countries, Britain’s government was made subservient to the European Parliament. Rule from Brussels was deeply resented, Many asked themselves “Why did we bother fighting the Spaniards, the French and the Germans. We may as well have let Hitler walk in during the Second World War”.

Julian HillLabor backbencher for Bruce, Victoria, is proposing a plan for state and federal MPs to change the constitution without a referendum and dump the monarchy. Mr Hill says the Australian public should not be responsible for changing the laws but it should be up to members of parliament. If the proposal is accepted Queen Elizabeth 11 will be Australia's last monarch. He believes an Australian should be head of state but inexplicably is pushing to retain the role of Governor-General. We don’t need a Governor General, that's a remnant of the colonial era. It makes more sense for our Prime Minister to be head of state.

North Korea has tested a new solid fuel rocket engine designed to enhance its arsenal of intercontinental ballistic missiles. The test was conducted at Sohae near the border with China and was the latest test of a high thrust engine which may be hypersonic. It sent the US military into a tailspin and the Pentagon Generals will encourage President Donald Trump to respond in his usual aggressive style.

It’s official, Australia is the dumb country. International comparisons show that Australian students lag behind students in China and elsewhere in mathematics, science and comprehension. It’s not something that’s suddenly happened, our education standards have been in decline for years. Language is not understood - so many people put a 'k' on the end of words supposed to end with ing. Somethink, nothink etc.and they say stupid things like 'could ov' instead of could have. In the Kennet era in Victoria, it was decided that schools should not teach the alphabet but then it became clear that people wouldn't be able to understand a dictionary or a telephone book. That problem has been partially solved by the rise of digital technology - but that has unleased a generation incapable of telling the time by looking at a clock unless it is in lcd display digital format.

It would be easy for the Australian Government to balance the budget if it got rid of fat-cat bureaucrats who are not worth their huge salaries. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has engaged forensic law firm Clayton Utz to investigate one of its senior officers Dr Julie Delforce who owns several websites which support farm invasions and denigrate farmers. She is still drawing her salary - much to the disgust of farmers and anyone concerned about honesty and integrity.She deserved to be sacked as soon as her nefarious activities were uncovered. It's scandalous that she wasn't dismissed instantly and now the Government is spending hundreds of thousands more dollars on legal consultants.

A group of former fire and emergency chiefs from multiple states and territories say Australia is unprepared for worsening natural disasters from climate change and governments are putting lives at risk. They say they are frustrated to hear lip service being paid to climate change when politicians make every effort to rubbish any suggestions designed to take action. The current spate of fires highlights the problem and past experience shows the need for better training. Fires at Grantville last February exemplifies some of the problems. Here’s part of a brief report we sent to the CFA at the time. 'On Friday February 1, my wife rang 000 at 11034 reporting a small fire in the Grantville Nature Conservation Reserve towards Glen Forbes. She was advised that it had already been reported. At that stage the fire could easily have been handled by two people with shovels and a knapsack with 25 litres of water. My son, Bryan, walked into the reserve to find the exact location of the fire a...

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) was to be a deal with the 10 South-East Asian members of the ASEAN alliance, and Japan, China, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia and India. But in battling domestic concerns, the RCEP would undermine its economy, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi refused to agree the terms. If India had been party to the deal, it would have covered 32 per cent of global economic production. Australia already has individual trade agreements with ASEAN and a number of other countries in the deal, so it is hard to see what extra benefits may flow to Australia. Past political decisions have caused the loss of virtually all jobs in manufacturing industries so the only possible benefits for Australia are mineral and agricultural exports, so we are likely to even more play the role of Asia's quarry and foodbowl.

Boeing could be facing financial oblivion after massive problems with its 737 passenger jets. First there were two catastrophic crashes of 737 Max 8's as a result of on board computer problems. Now cracks has been found indicating metal fatigue in some 737 airframes. It was metal fatigue which crippled the British aircraft industry in the 1950's when two de Havilland Comet passenger jets fell out of the sky, killing everyone on board. If Boeing doesn't recover from this, the US defence industry will be in deep trouble as it plays a critical role in aircraft and weapons systems development and production.

Russia's defence ministry has released video of a missile being launched from the nuclear-powered submarine Prince Vladimir. The test launch from the northern White Sea hit a target 3,500 miles away in Kamchatka on the Russia's Pacific coast, Test firing of a new hypersonic missile are expected to start within months. North Korea recently tested a shorter range submarine-launched missile. Rocket development in North Korea has included large scale production of hypergolic propellants to fuel the missiles. China has developed a hypersonic glide vehicle said to be capable of delivering multiple warheads anywhere in the world.

US President Donald Trump released a picture of the dog that chased leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and caused him to blow himself up, rather than be captured. The dog was said to be slightly injured in the blast.

Politicians spend their lives perfecting ways to con the public. One of the most blatant recent examples has been claims that Australia’s financial deficit is being reigned in and that the economy will soon be in surplus. It’s not just our Federal politicians, the States are just as expert as operating massive deception programs against taxpayers.NEW South Wales is spending big after forecasting a $3.9 billion surplus, but few are convinced that things are as good as they appear. Combined infrastructure spending across state and federal governments is so large that the international ratings agency Moodys says rising debt levels are a challenge for the state. Most other States are in similar financial trouble.

Freedom of the press is a vital part of any democracy. People have a right to know what is happening in the country – especially if politicians and bureaucrats try to hide decisions from public scrutiny. That’s why it’s so good to see newspapers in this country publishing pages demonstrating the threat of censorship. We all need to pressure the Government to relax aspects of its security laws which do not relate to specific security issues. I am reminded of the stand taken by the Rhodesia Herald after the 1975 Unilateral Declaration of Independence by Ian Smith and the Rhodesian Front Government. In defiance of censorships laws, the newspaper left blank spaces where articles had been banned. Allowing criticism of Government actions is an indication of political maturity. Banning dissent is an indication of dictatorship. The time may be right for revolution in this country. Our Government needs to be big enough to accept criticism and stand up for what is right. It could start by pushin...

The kurds in Syria have turned to the Syrian Governnent for protection from Turkish attacks following the decision by Presidernt Trump to pull US troops out of the country. The Kurds are the largest ethnic minority in Syria, and they have created difficulties for authorities in Syria as well as in neighbouring countries. In Turkey, the Kurds set up a terrorist group, the PKK, to attack government forces. Following the American withdrawal, Russia took the opportunity to broker a deal with the Syrian Government with provided a lifeline for the Kurdish militia. Basshar al-Assad has been president of Syria since 2000 and is commander in chief of the Syrian armed forces, he qualified as a doctor and is a specialist ophthalmologist.

The latest conflict in Syria, with Turkish forces fighting Kurdish terrorists is simply the latest example of chaos in the Middle East caused by interference from Western countries. It goes back to the Crusades - and probably even further as the West tried to re-shape history. After the second world War, the Allies drew lines on maps and cobbled together disparate areas in a vain attempt to create viable countries. The results have been plain for decades!

Private health insurance companies are lobbying the Federal Government to prop up their falling profits by giving extra tax breaks to businesses which pay for private cover for their employees. Companies are already able to write-off such payments as a fringe benefit if they include health cover in any salary package. A better use of taxpayer dollars will be to improve Medicare, making private health cover even more unnecessary.

Reports show the United States has spent nearly $6 trillion on war and killed over half a million people since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University looked at the total cost of military operations in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and elsewhere. There may be some decent people in the United states, but as a nation, Americans are a blight on humanity.It's a pity they don't confine their violence to killing each other, surely the regularity of mass shootings all over the country should be enough to satisfy their blood lust?

The fuss over Australian sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates is a bit of the fizzer. The parent company of Electro Optic Systems is EOS Defence Systems USA whose president is former General Phil Cocker - so of course it will sell arms in the Middle East.

The Australian Government may be considering developing electronic warfare technology to boost the county’s defence capabilities. Electronic systems are expected to be more cost effective than building or buying sophisticated weapons for the air force, army and navy. India is developing its electronics industry to bolster its defence forces and Australia could do the same.Australia could become a world leader in developing an electronic weapons and defence industry to meet most future defence requirements rather than relying on expensive military hardware from the US or Europe.Russia has been perfecting electronic equipment to disrupt guidance and navigation GPS systems. It is believed to have been broadcasting a combination of jamming and spoofing signals from Syria known as “smart jamming.” The signals have disrupted civilian and military GPS systems in the Middle East.

Iran is preparing for a violent confrontation with the US. It lacks intercontinental ballistic missiles, but it has a variety of short and medium range missiles capable of reaching any target in the Middle East. It has developed a version of the US MQ1 Predator drone or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, able to carry four air-to air or air to ground missiles plus two laser guided bombs. The US manufacturer, General Atomics sold Predators to saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Morocco sand Italy.The US has a history of supplying arms to the Middle East. It sold fighter jets and Hawk missiles to Iran when the Shah was in charge. It sold missiles and chemical weapons to Sadam Hussein in Iraq, plus weapons to the Taliban when they were fighting the Russians.Generals in the Pentagon are incensed that Iran managed to shoot down a high flying spy drone - especially with a home-built missile. But the US only has itself to blame. The Sayyad 3 missile system is a clone of the US Hawk missile sold to Iran. Conf...

It's time for revolution, Australians need to protect the freedom of journalists and whistleblowers to inform the public when wrongdoing is uncovered. Federal Police raided ABC offices to seize documents relating to a 2017 investigation into allegations of Australian soldiers unlawfully killing Afghan civilians. This followed a Federal Police raid on the home of News Corporation journalist Annika Smethurstabout a story she wrote a year ago exposing government plans to spy on its own citizens using military technology.

North Korea is said to have launched a 3000 ton submarine capable of carrying ballistic missiles. If confirmed, the launch demonstrates the country's strike capabilities and the futility of US President Donald Trump's rhetoric against North Korea.

There’s nothing strange about a comedian leading the vote in presidential elections in Ukraine – after all, Australia has been run by clowns for a couple of decades – it’s time we shared the chaos.

It's odd that the ABC would run an Al Jazeera program about the One Nation Party. Did they (or some other entity) commission the program an d provide a script to ensure the result they wanted? Al Jazeera is known as a supporter of various terrorist groups, so what is the agenda here?

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Craig Lapsley should not have been replaced as Emergency Management Commissioner. The position was created in 2014 and did nothing to improve the delivery of emergency services. It simply imposed another level of expensive bureaucracy. There was already (and still is), a full army of bureaucrats and politicians responsible for the administration of the various emergency services. The Minister is paid to take responsibility for overall administration so the position of Commissioner was never justified.Craig Lapsley resigned in August and was immediately replaced by Andrew Crisp. The performance of emergency management services in Victoria needs a complete review. The fragmentation of responsibilities probably led to the debacle and high cost of dealing with a scrub fire at Grantville on February 1 this year. The State has a Minister and full department of bureaucrats dealing with emergency services, so why has another tier been imposed, apart from creating more jobs for bureaucr...

Australians try to maintain an illusion that we are a ‘lucky country’ despite the reality that we have the infrastructure of a third world country. Every time the weather gets hot, the trains shut down. When an electrical storm hits, tens of thousands of us lose power or internet connections – or both. We need to have the guts to tell our politicians that we have had enough. All payment s to former senior politicians ( especially prime ministers) should be withheld until the country’s infrastructure has been fixed and the national debt has been repaid. At the next election, vote for anyone who is not a member of a political party. In particular don’t vote for any member of the coalition or the ALP.

It’s hard to understand why Australians are so gullible and gutless when it comes to politicians and Government. Throughout much of the world, people are marching in the streets, protesting against the unfairness of the system. France and the UK are just two examples. But here, we just meekly accept the crap thrown at us by politicians.

Arguments about funding the US-Mexico border wall would be quick to resolve if funding was removed from the Senate, Congress and the White House. Those parasites would soon find a solution rather than work without being paid.