Politics is a dirty word

Australia’s Government is concerned at apparent international cyber attacks on Government departments and businesses which have caused intermittent shutdowns. But much of the work on cyber security has been outsourced to private businesses TheAustralian Cyber Security Centre is the Government’s agency for cybersecurity. It is based at theAustralian Security Intelligence Organisation headquarters in Canberra, but seems to have very limited capabilities.. The Centre is overseen by a Board, and the Minister for Defence.

Politicians throughout the world have been plunging their citizens into an economic morass in their naive belief that growth will solve all problems.But, their minhdless hopes have been dashed by a viral pandemic that swept over the world.zzthe depth of the problem has been highlighted by a former Australian Treasurer, Peter Costello who has forecast that this country's total debt could exceed a trillion dollars and is unlikely to ever be repaid. The inflationary monetary policies of the US, Europe, Australia and many other countries mean they are all chugging along on autopilot towards the permanent destruction of their currencies. Inflation and zero interest rates make money worthless. So protecting basic wealth which has often been built over many years presents a challenge. What are the options? Property and gold are two that spring to mind. Real estate always has an intrinsic value even in a declining market, whereas stocks and shares, which gamblers love to buy, are just...

The case for banning political parties has been strengthened now a Victorian Government Minister has been sackedafter claims of corruption were made on a television programme. Secret recordings were aired about the misuse of money and Labor Party branch stacking (rigging membership to manipulate votes). There is nothing really new in the allegations, it has been going on for years with politicians manipulating party members to ensure support for themselves. Stacking party branches has been more of a Labor practice over the years, but the Liberal party has often used slush funds to hide the identity of donors who finance election campaigns and rorting electorate funds for personal gain has been common.

An antique Australian-made tractor is being auctioned in the United States even though politicians and bureaucrats should never have approved its export. Provisions in the Cultural Heritage Act 1986 mean it should not have been allowed to leave the country, The failure was a clear breach of the legal obligations placed on Governments and their employees. But heads will not roll because no-one in Government cares. The tractor, a 1912 McDonald EB built by renowned engineer and industrialist A H McDonald, the leading pioneer of tractors and agricultural implements in this country. The tractor is of great historic importance.

The seemingly never-ending war in Syria appears most likely to result in victory for President al Assad. With the complete backing of Russia, the result seems only a matter of time.Capturing Idlib will bring a military solution to the Syrian crisis, which will render Russian support irrelevant. Economic turmoil resulting from the civil war and US pressure has created great hardship in the community. But the US has demonstrated its inability to deal with conflict in the Middle East and without direct US intervention Assad is almost certain to stay in power.

It seems to be only a matter of time before the world sees tanks rumbling down US streets to crush protesters - reminiscent of the Tianamen Square debacle against miltant Chinese students. Some of Trump's staff and probably some Generals in the Pentagon think that rhetoric about sending in troops is a step too far. But Trump is not renowned for listening skills!Steven Levitsky,Professor of Government at Harvard University has described Trumps actions as a threat to democracy. Riots appear to be worsening after the murder by police of an unarmed African-American. Continuing racial inequality is a hallmark of the US way of life. There is racial inequality in this country too but key differences between the US and Australia are that America is a far more violent society and civilians have significant numbers of guns, whereas our guns have largely been taken away by politicians. The fundamental problam began when Frsnce helped America win independence and then implement a flawed rep...