- …without drastic cuts in global greenhouse gas emissions–more drastic than any being discussed ahead of the critical climate meeting in Paris later this year—a rise of 20 metres will soon be unavoidable.
Stripping citizenship “happens automatically by action of law”
Tomy Abbott told Radio National’s PM program that there are two ways of removing citizenship of people engaged in terrorism: Continue reading Stripping citizenship “happens automatically by action of law”
Climate clippings 144
1. Hazelwood owner issues ‘call to arms’ against coal
- The French company that owns the Hazelwood brown coal generator in Victoria – the dirtiest power station in Australia – has issued a “call to arms against coal.” Continue reading Climate clippings 144
Papal encyclical: it’s now obligatory for Catholics to be green
The full title of Pope Francis’s encyclical is Encyclical Letter Laudati Si’ of the Holy Father Francis on Care for our Common Home. In the first of 246 paragraphs he quotes a beautiful canticle, from Saint Francis of Assisi:
- “Praise be to you, my Lord, through our Sister, Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, and who produces various fruit with coloured flowers and herbs”.
Then in paragraph two:
- This sister now cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her. We have come to see ourselves as her lords and masters, entitled to plunder her at will. The violence present in our hearts, wounded by sin, is also reflected in the symptoms of sickness evident in the soil, in the water, in the air and in all forms of life. This is why the earth herself, burdened and laid waste, is among the most abandoned and maltreated of our poor; she “groans in travail” (Rom 8:22).
Continue reading Papal encyclical: it’s now obligatory for Catholics to be green
Saturday salon 20/6: late edition
1. Paying people smugglers
The story of the week was perhaps The Abbott Government’s paying people smugglers to turn back a boatload of asylum seekers to Indonesia.
Indonesia’s foreign ministry says it believes the payments were made. It seems pretty obvious that they were. Continue reading Saturday salon 20/6: late edition
The Killing Season continues
Mark forecast that participating in the program The Killing Season would diminish both Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd. He was right – Gillard more than Rudd.
Anthony Albanese was also right when he said that you shouldn’t change a first term prime minister on the basis of a newspaper story and again when he said that on that night the Labor Party killed two prime ministers. Continue reading The Killing Season continues
Australia’s Future Workforce: up to five million jobs to go
There is a vague feeling of unease abroad about Australia’s economic future, as the mining industry peaks, the car manufacturing industry evaporates and now Woolworths announces yet another job bloodletting – this time 1200 staff to go. This unease was picked up in the Lowy Institute Poll 2015, where our economic optimism rose from 2005 to 2009, then fell from 2010 to 2015: Continue reading Australia’s Future Workforce: up to five million jobs to go
Poll stuff 17/6: Lowy Institute edition
The Oz headlines Bill Shorten in its Newspoll report, and not in a good way. 54% are dissatisfied with his performance, only two less than Tony Abbott. But surprisingly 34% now think Abbott is doing a good job, compared to only 28% for Shorten. This gives Shorto a net satisfaction rating of -26 to Abbott’s -22. Continue reading Poll stuff 17/6: Lowy Institute edition
Climate clippings 143
1. Greater trust engendered in UN climate meetings
A week of UN climate meetings in preparation for the Paris Conference of Parties in December has just taken place in Bonn. The main outcome was trust, in the Conference co-chairs of the various subgroups established and in the procedures adopted. Continue reading Climate clippings 143
Remembering the Magna Carta
Miriam Webster defines the Magna Carta as “a charter of liberties to which the English barons forced King John to give his assent in June 1215 at Runnymede”.
June 15, in fact, 800 years ago today. Lord Denning describes it as “the greatest constitutional document of all times – the foundation of the freedom of the individual against the arbitrary authority of the despot”. Continue reading Remembering the Magna Carta
What is Stopping Low Cost Housing?
In the comments on Hockey Does it Again Jumpy commented that
first home buyers should start at the lower end and work up.
However, this is easier said than done. This post looks at some of the things that are stopping people from doing this and some of the innovative things that might help people start at the low end if they were allowed to. Continue reading What is Stopping Low Cost Housing?
Saturday salon 13/6
1. G7 meets in Scloss Elmau in the Bavarian Alps
As you can see from this lovely picture, there are actually nine of them.
