Posts by johnquiggin@aus.social
(DIR) Post #Atlotq986ymlWHxo5A by johnquiggin@aus.social
2025-05-05T02:23:42Z
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The kids like me who were indoctrinated then are now of pension age, and (from what I can tell) most of the people complaining about this stuff are even older. So, I'd say this is a lost cause for the right, unless the voting age is raised to 75.
(DIR) Post #Atloty6aWJVQCiptEO by johnquiggin@aus.social
2025-05-05T02:23:48Z
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* Later became Liberal leader in NSW, crushed in 1978 Wranslide
(DIR) Post #AtmDZbcwsgsRYIMLqa by johnquiggin@aus.social
2025-05-05T04:42:57Z
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The crushing defeat of the LNP and the exposure of Newscorp as a paper tiger means that Albanese can implement the policies he actually supports without worrying about political opposition. But what policies does he actually support? I'm hopeful, but not confident #auspol https://apcentre.substack.com/p/albanese-put-your-money-where-your?
(DIR) Post #Atrko3jJSfEH2idSjY by johnquiggin@aus.social
2025-05-07T22:20:37Z
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"Disunity is death" One more assumption of the political class discredited by the election. Dutton imposed unity at the cost of internal debate, leading to policy failure. Albo and Plibersek had a public falling out just before the election and no one cared. #auspol
(DIR) Post #AtwfWwDScFloptYLya by johnquiggin@aus.social
2025-05-10T05:59:21Z
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A question on which I have pondered. No one on the diminished LNP front bench could justify a place in the current Labor ministry, which is far from stellar https://substack.com/home/post/p-163256306?source=queue
(DIR) Post #AuH7lLxmF7azGisbL6 by johnquiggin@aus.social
2025-05-20T04:00:31Z
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Wrote most of this before the split was announced. Some last minute adjustments needed ! #auspol https://theconversation.com/david-littleproud-cites-nuclear-energy-disagreement-as-major-factor-in-coalition-split-256904
(DIR) Post #AuQrBUtftV7GrjRO7M by johnquiggin@aus.social
2025-05-24T21:41:07Z
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News.com piece on Australian 4am starts (I do sun greeting but without yoga stuff). Tabloid but fun, includes warning about morning coffee deprivation overseas. I am about to travel and have packed jug, plunger aeropress and ground coffee - should suffice.https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/wellbeing/why-a-photo-of-bondi-beach-at-6am-has-shocked-the-entire-world/news-story/2d8c4a15d00098be263931339d0b34e5
(DIR) Post #Aud7LOb8pRVTTasVSC by johnquiggin@aus.social
2025-05-30T10:03:50Z
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This article accepts a framing in which #Russia counts as a great power comparable to US and China. On any criterion other than possession of a huge stockpile of nuclear weapons, that's nonsense. Russia has a far smaller population and economy than China, US, EU, or the B+I+S bit of BRICS.
(DIR) Post #Aud7LYT08YwA5F999c by johnquiggin@aus.social
2025-05-30T10:03:56Z
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The stocks of conventional arms (tanks, artillery, etc) inherited from the Soviet Union has been dissipated in a futile and bloody attempt to reassert the claim that Ukraine is part of the Russian sphere of influence. https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/05/28/spheres-of-influence-great-powers/?
(DIR) Post #Av0gaGezz5JW3IJOKW by johnquiggin@aus.social
2025-06-11T02:29:32Z
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Seeing lots of military hawks claiming Australia can't defend itself without US support. Against who?Only remotely comparable power in our region is Indonesia, friendly for decades*. Militarily weaker and no capacity to mount any kind of invasion or serious attack on us. #auspol1/3
(DIR) Post #Av0gaHq1bZjBhmTi9g by johnquiggin@aus.social
2025-06-11T02:29:37Z
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Only contender is China. But our only conflict with China is due to US alliance. And despite demonstrated ability of PLA Navy to circumnavigate Australia (matching achievement of Matthew Flinders) no capability of mounting an invasion over huge distance, greater than China-Europe.2/3
(DIR) Post #Av0gdO84fgFU5MOpwe by johnquiggin@aus.social
2025-06-11T02:29:43Z
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Talk about vital shipping routes was always nonsense, but demonstrated inability of US to keep Suez canal open makes it irrelevant as an ally in this respect.3/3
(DIR) Post #Av0wx3C1otJwD9e9k8 by johnquiggin@aus.social
2025-06-11T07:31:11Z
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I'm riding 130km from Brisbane to the Bay (and back) to raise funds for #MSQueensland. Please help if you can #reposthttps://www.brissietothebay.com.au/fundraisers/johnquiggin19555
(DIR) Post #Av2OirkyXDlwYvyfKK by johnquiggin@aus.social
2025-06-12T00:00:23Z
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I'm riding 130km from Brisbane to the Bay (and back) to raise funds for #MSQueensland. Please help if you can #reposthttps://www.brissietothebay.com.au/fundraisers/johnquiggin19555
(DIR) Post #Av6xjZeTbjL7jFqn1E by johnquiggin@aus.social
2025-06-14T04:45:10Z
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Before Manuscript Central will let me see the paper I am doing the favour of reviewing, they want my physical address, areas of expertise and so on. As is now my standard practice, I've refused. I've emailed the editor to ask for a copy of the paper.
(DIR) Post #AvP6P2Dcb8gkg9qh0a by johnquiggin@aus.social
2025-06-22T23:04:47Z
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Not all that surprising. Unless tourists stop coming, the demand for beds is unchanged. No easy answer, but low-cost public/social housing needs expansionhttps://www.uq.edu.au/news/article/2025/06/holiday-rental-caps-not-solution-housing-crisis1/2
(DIR) Post #AvP6P3P0CJO0LkBIO0 by johnquiggin@aus.social
2025-06-22T23:04:53Z
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That entails addressing barriers that may raise cost of public provision https://www.ahuri.edu.au/sites/default/files/documents/2023-06/AHURI-Final-Report-401-Towards-a-Australian-Housing-and-Homelessness-Strategy.pdf2/2
(DIR) Post #AvVvNpOZginIbPjhmi by johnquiggin@aus.social
2025-06-26T04:42:32Z
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This might be a good time for the NY Times to recall that Ratcliffe's first nomination for the job in 2019 fell over because he had "embellished" his supposed experience, claiming to have put terrorists in jail and arrested hundreds of illegal aliens in a day. #uspolhttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/25/us/politics/trump-iran-nuclear.html1/2
(DIR) Post #AvVvNwTRN1qUYX4BqC by johnquiggin@aus.social
2025-06-26T04:42:37Z
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If I can look up Wikipedia, why can't Julian E. Barnes, Mark Mazzetti and Maggie Haberman? Does the NYT really need three highly-paid stenographers?https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ratcliffe2/2
(DIR) Post #AvdSWUx7ii2AOtMEhU by johnquiggin@aus.social
2025-06-29T20:50:24Z
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The end of US democracy #uspol #repost https://johnquigginblog.substack.com/p/the-end-of-us-democracy