politicalowl

A sense of destiny inspires China’s maritime claims  – “China’s creeping occupation of the South China Sea is not primarily motivated by oil, let alone by its diminishing stock of fish. It is about two things: strategic position, and what the nationalists running the country today view as its ‘manifest destiny’, to borrow a phrase from American history.The sense that China is entitled to possession of this sea lies deep in the nation’s history of viewing its neighbours, especially those untouched by Chinese culture, as inferiors. Teenagers and the news game  – “Let’s not be too depressed about teenagers and news because they are getting plenty of it, just via different means than their parents. But the challenge for journalists is to find new ways of reaching them while building a reputation as trusted guides to what is happening in the world. And, as we know, ‘trust’ and ‘journalist’ is not an obvious piece of word association for many people these days.” I watched the m...

Tuesday’s paper: But where has that sovereign risk gone? Today’s front page:

Goongerah Wombat Orphanage: Nigel showing off his new tartan pouches made by the amazing Allison Sudholz. Tough punishment wanted as wombats are ‘buried alive’  – “A far South Coast environmentalist says wombats are being ‘buried alive’ by logging activities that cover wombat tunnels in the Glenbog State Forest at the top of Brown Mountain. Wildlife carer Marie Wynan says two more clogged wombat tunnels were found at the weekend, despite her organisation Wombat Protection Society marking active tunnels with yellow tape and paint.”The wombat is a protected species but not a threatened species, and because of that they [loggers] don’t feel like they need to do anything,” she says. Indonesia prepares for Isis backlash from returning jihadis Small Chinese cities steer away from GDP as measure of success  – “More than 70 Chinese smaller cities and counties have dropped gross domestic product as a performance metric for government officials, in an effort to shift the f...

Has the ‘Libertarian Moment’ Finally Arrived?  – “Libertarians, who long have relished their role as acerbic sideline critics of American political theater, now find themselves and their movement thrust into the middle of it. … the age group most responsible for delivering Obama his two terms may well become a political wild card over time, in large part because of its libertarian leanings. Raised on the ad hoc communalism of the Internet, disenchanted by the Iraq War, reflexively tolerant of other lifestyles, appalled by government intrusion into their private affairs and increasingly convinced that the Obama economy is rigged against them, the millennials can no longer be regarded as faithful Democrats — and a recent poll confirmed that fully half of voters between ages 18 and 29 are unwedded to either party.” Libertarian Fantasies  – “… libertarianism is a crusade against problems we don’t have, or at least not to the extent the libertarians want to imagine.” ‘...

Prime Minister Tony Abbott is clearly more worried about his standing with the Australian public, and that of his government, than I thought he would be. Flying off to the Netherlands to say a few thank-yous has all the signs of a gesture motivated by panic. The government is clearly stunned at how unpopular it has become since introducing its budget but encouraged by the response to the Prime Minister’s reaction to the deaths of Australians on the Malaysian aircraft shot down over Ukraine. Let’s keep milking that favourable sentiment appears to be the motivation for the hurried decision to fly away. My guess is that the mob will see it as the shallow gesture it undoubtedly is and that there will be no further revival in approval for the way the Prime Minister is performing his job.

The columnist is dead so long live the columnist. John Birmingham filled the Mike Carlton space in the Sydney Morning Herald  this morning and the opposition tabloid gave him a welcome. Noted the  Daily Telegraph  on its editorial page: Veteran Sydney Morning Herald columnist Mike Carlton resigned this week rather than face suspension for his abusive and obscene online comments. The SMH is reportedly considering replacing Carlton with John Birmingham (pictured), who lives in the remote northern Sydney suburb of Brisbane, Queensland. But is Birmingham any less abusive or obscene? Let’s see how Carlton’s possible replacement conducts himself online: “F… off.” “(The Prime Minister) is such a c….” “ASIO arse softc..ks.” “Poor fellow my f…… country indeed.” “I’d wager a blowjob from a toothless crackwhore hurts more.” “F… the CIA.” “F… you is more than a policy.” “Australia’s most f…witted sportscasters.” “Soft ricotta cheese c..k.” “F… that old prize s...

Insult all young people in the morning when the unemployment figures come out. Then in the evening upset the vast majority of Australians with frightening nonsense about the consequences of abortion. I can but repeat what I wrote about Eric Abetz  earlier this month : I must have spent too much time behind that one way glass. I can’t help thinking when I see a politician on television how those ordinary swinging voters will be reacting. Not to the words coming out of the mouth. They don’t really count. But to the look and the sound of the person uttering them. And if there is one thing this old political adviser is certain of it is that Eric Abetz is doing his team great harm every time he appears on the screen or is heard on the radio. The Minister for Employment is a Liberal disability of the highest order. He just looks and sounds frightening whether or not you agree with his work for the dole message. A guaranteed vote loser who Labor must be hoping is kept in his ro...