Tag Archives: politics

His solutions are wrong, but it’s a good sign when even Rupert Murdoch is worried about inequality

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Warwick Smith

It would be a mistake to dismiss Murdoch’s concerns about inequality as nothing more than self-interest. It’s a victory for advocates of regulated markets. By Warwick Smith First published at The Guardian, Tuesday 28 October 2014 16.00 AEST Rupert Murdoch … Continue reading →

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My tribute to Gough Whitlam

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Warwick Smith

We want Gough By Warwick Smith First published at Indepenent Australia. 22/10/2014 My earliest clear childhood memory is sitting on my dad’s shoulders in a huge crowd outside parliament house in Canberra chanting “we want Gough” over and over. I … Continue reading →

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Part 3 of three part series on democracy in The Guardian

Posted on September 18, 2014 by Warwick Smith

If democracy is broken, why should we vote? By Warwick Smith Originally published at theguardian.com, Thursday 18 September 2014 14.28 AEST Some argue that only by withdrawing our participation from the broken system can we hope to fix it or … Continue reading →

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The state of democracy – Part 2 of 3 in The Guardian

Posted on September 11, 2014 by Warwick Smith

Political donations corrupt democracy in ways you might not realise By Warwick Smith Originally published at The Guardian, Thursday 11 September 2014 10.37 AEST A consequence of a donation-driven approach to politics is that areas of political debate are in … Continue reading →

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Political donations in Australia 2012/13

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Warwick Smith

The below list is from AEC data (via the ABC who saved me the time of compiling a table) of donations to political parties during the 2012/13 fincial year sorted by donor. The objective of this post is to illustrate … Continue reading →

Posted in political economy | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

The Guardian – Why politicians must lie by Warwick Smith

Posted on August 27, 2014 by Warwick Smith

Why politicians must lie – and how selling ice creams is like an election campaign By Warwick Smith Originaly published at The Guardian. 27/8/2014 Politicians must choose to either stand up for what they believe or maximise their vote. To … Continue reading →

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Abbott achieves the impossible: unity among economists – The Guardian

Posted on July 23, 2014 by Warwick Smith

Originally published in The Guardian. Please go here to read the original. Economists are refuting the three big picture claims made by the government: 1) We have a budget emergency 2) We have a debt crisis and 3) The carbon … Continue reading →

Posted in Australian politics, Op-ed, political economy, Political philosophy | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Coal or bust: How Abbott is stranding Australia

Posted on July 6, 2014 by Warwick Smith

By Warwick Smith Originally published at Independent Australia The Abbott government appears intent on dismantling the small but vibrant renewable energy industry in Australia. At the very moment when the rest of the world is coming to their senses about … Continue reading →

Posted in Australian politics, climate change, Op-ed, Sustainability, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

War crimes in Iraq

Posted on June 23, 2014 by Warwick Smith

By Warwick Smith As the recent news from Iraq refocuses our attention on the basket case that we, the invaders, left behind, it’s an appropriate time to re-examine our decision to invade in 2003. In any kind of objective examination … Continue reading →

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Tony Abbot the conservationist

Posted on June 16, 2014 by Warwick Smith

By Warwick Smith Despite once infamously stating that the science behind human induced climate change was “absolute crap”, Tony Abbott has since publicly accepted that climate change really is happening and that he wants to do something about it. Last … Continue reading →

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