Every Monday morning during my radio show on community radio 4ZzZ FM, I chat with Peter Black, a constitutional lawyer, follower of social and political issues and obsessive user of social media. I don’t normally put links to those chats on this blog, but given that our talk this morning was all about the federal election, I thought it was worth putting a link to it on this occasion.
You can have a listen to it by clicking on this link.
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Given I am now running as a Greens candidate, I suppose it is no surprise that I am indicating my agreement with a comment that Bob Brown made today. But I would also say that it isn’t any secret that I haven’t agreed with every public comment that Bob has made, and I would agree with the following comment about the schoolyard level nonsense regarding another possible leaders debate even if it had been made by Steve Fielding:
“What we’re seeing now between the two leaders is an absolute farce and people everywhere are rolling their eyes at Tony Abbott and Julia Gillard not having the maturity to get together to agree to the series of debates which would have enlightened the electorate,“
It is a joke and a sad reflection on the optic and image driven nature of political media coverage in Australia. A couple of weeks ago, there was a three way debate at the National Press Club on important ICT issues such as internet filtering, broadband and wider communications policy. More... ()
A couple of years ago I wrote a blog post about mountaintop mining in the USA. All mining has some impact, but the sheer destructiveness of this type of mining is astonishing – and that’s before you take into account the greenhouse impact of the coal.
This article in the New York Times details the potential impact of a similar project in West Virginia. The significance of this proposal is that there is the possibility it may be stopped, or seriously curtailed, by the Obama administration, which would be a signal of a positive shift on this issue.
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Following are links to a couple of recent radio interviews I’ve done, plus an online one
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As I noted in my previous post, this week’s Newspoll saw the Greens register 16% support – the highest that party has ever achieved, comparable to the Democrats best Newspoll result of 17% back in 1990. History suggests it is unlikely that this peak will be maintained right through to election day (or even the next Newspoll) but it is part of a continuing trend of solid Greens results. I’ve written a piece expanding on this, and how the party might approach the challenges ahead, at The Drum/Unleashed on the ABC’s site – which you can read by clicking on this link.
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Contention over Queensland’s Wild Rivers legislation has been bubbling along for quite a while now. Unfortunately, as with many issues which become polarised, each “side” is focused on defending their position, which has meant that some important underlying issues are not getting the attention they deserve.
I’ve just had a piece on this topic published at The Drum on the ABC’s website. It’s fairly long, so they published it in two parts – the first part is at this link and the second part is at this one. I should emphasise that the article reflects my personal views, and is not a formal view of the Greens, nor of ANTaR Queensland, who I am also involved with.
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Hip hop fans in Brisbane might be interested in tuning in to my radio show on 4ZZZ FM this Monday morning around 7:30am. I’ll be talking with the Gold Coast based duo Choose Mics, who are launching their debut full length album Beggars Can’t Be Choosers at the Step Inn in the Valley this coming Friday night as part of what will be a big night for fans of hip-hop/rap/urban sounds, with Brisbane’s The Optimen also launching their second album “The Out of Money Experience” as part of the same event.
Even though there is a steady stream of musical offerings in Brisbane, a double album launch of this magnitude doesn’t come along every day of the week, so I’ll dedicate a half hour or so to exploring not just the words and sounds of Choose Mics, but getting a broader overview from them of the hip hop related scenes locally and nationally.
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7 Comments, Comment or Ping
philip travers
So I left a opinion at their site[Greens]which no doubt Ruddock and his boys and girls will try to see if they have a right to invade my privacy more than they do now,to no doubt,before 6 am. raid the place,whilst I hide behind a can of Heinz Baked Beans.Howard has used up his baked bean quota as far as I am concerned,and he is more pornographic than Andy Warhol ever could be.On this issue,these pro nuke people are overpaid ,treacherous beings,whilst the Prime Minister uses the energy debate all the way to the accumulation of his superannuation.Why be polite,Tourette Syndrome is an option.
Jun 6th, 2007
Christina Macpherson
The article about Dr Carlson and proposed deals with Russia’s Sergei Kiriyenko appeared in the English version of Novosti.
In fact, all the information I have been able to find, in recent months, about the Australia-Russia deals, – has appeared in Russian news services only, not Australian.
Sergei Kiriyenko was to visit Australia in February this year, However this visit was cancelled, and instead, Chip Goodyear of BHPBilliton went to Moscow to talk with Sergei. It’s a poor thing that we have to rely on the Russian media, to know what’s going on!
Christina Macpherson http://www.antinuclearasutralia.com
Jun 7th, 2007
Anne
Why don’t the government listen to the people,it has been made very clear certain states don’t want a reactor or a dump?The main comment I hear from government is how much they will make,they should be looking at all aspects,the cost of building or dismantling most importantly SAFETY.
Jun 7th, 2007
Robert Merkel
Just some background about uranium enrichment:
Uranium comes in several different varieties (isotopes). The two main ones are uranium-235 and uranium-238. Natural uranium contains about 0.7% uranium-235, with virtually all the rest uranium-238. Uranium-235 is the stuff that you “burn” in a nuclear reactor, and can be used in a nuclear weapon.
To run most nuclear reactors, you need to increase the fraction of uranium-235 in the fuel from about 0.7% to somewhere round 3 to 5%. To make a nuclear weapon out of uranium, you generally want at least 80% and prefereably above 90% u-235 (you can also make a nuclear weapon out of plutonium, a byproduct produced from u-238 when in a reactor, but that’s another issue).
The process of filtering out some of the excess u-238, thus concentrating the useful u-235, is called enrichment. There are a number of methods to do this, including one developed by an Australian company, Silex Systems.
The trouble with uranium enrichment is that if you can get a sufficient quantity of bomb-grade uranium, just about any idiot -including terrorists – can make a nuclear weapon, and do so within a few months.
Furthermore, any facility that does uranium enrichment to make the low-enriched fuel for nuclear reactors can also make the bomb-grade stuff.
Uranium enrichment is closely monitored by the IAEA, and while they’re keeping an eye on things nobody’s going to cheat the system. But if a country booted the IAEA out and set to work enriching bomb-grade uranium, they could have a bomb right quick. That’s why the world is going gaga over Iran’s enrichment program.
The further implication is that if Australia feels that it’s ok to have an enrichment plant, how can we argue that it’s not ok for our neighbours to have one?
Jun 7th, 2007
red crab
motion supporting an international nuclear waste dump was recently passed by the Liberal Party’s Federal Council.
i seem to remember saying in this blog site that was the reason that i would not support nuclear power because of the real objective of some ppl in this govt and this country is to cash in on the opotunity to turn some parts of australia into a waist dump for the rest otf the world
the money that would be involved would be way too mutch for some ppl to say no to.
the fortune is not in the power its in the waist storage.
Jun 11th, 2007
David
Andrew.
When I sighted the ABC’s 7.30 Report’s transcript early Friday morning from its previous nights show, I wasn’t impressed and it didn’t take some Australian media outlets long to run with the story re the establishment of enrichment plants at both Redcliffe, South Australia and somewhere in the Caboolture district.
The mayor of the Caboolture shire provided her strong opposition as carried via 4BC Brisbane.
It is unacceptable that whilst the federal government continues to side-line many other outstanding issues, the silence from the government over its nuclear policy is of concern.
On Friday afternoon during the 4BC’s Drive Time program, Minister Mal Brough was interviewed re the possiblity of a plant within his electorate and attempted to down play the ABC story. It also appears that the minister had some words with the Industry Minister seeing he had already held discussions with a couple of businesses.
If we are to consider whether this country goes ahead with a nuclear industry, whilst I share your comments/position, Australians must have all facts before it.
I wonder if those Australians who see no problems with nuclear power – have seen the affects on a human body from being exposed to radiation? Radiation can remain un-detected in a human body for up to 50 years.
Then we must also consider the radiation incident at the Army’s Bulimba Barracks and to which the government remains silent. Perhaps the Australian Democrats should be looking at this issue?
Jun 18th, 2007
Ed
Hi Andrew.
I thought I’d pass on an interesting read from Haydon Manning of Flinders University.
Things certainly are beginning to accelerate.
Jun 19th, 2007