Issue 27 – 14 January to 20 January 2021

January 21, 2021March 26, 2021 editor

America’s Donald Trump fever dream is over, but it almost wasn’t
Guy Rundle | Crikey
For four years the US and much of the world has endured and enjoyed a presidency that was all foreground, always in your face, an exhausting but enervating parade of chaos, given a keen edge by the fact that its perpetrator could have launched a new, all-involving war — nuclear or otherwise — something out of the reach of Rodrigo Duterte or Viktor Orban.

Which jobs and what growth?: We need to talk about the economy
Richard Denniss | The Monthly
When it comes to managing the economy, all we are promised is a bigger economy; never a better one or one that better suits our needs. Bizarrely, those who take responsibility for “managing our economy” never even ask what we would like from that economy. They just promise to grow some unspecified parts of it.

The biggest Coalition conspiracy theory is climate change denial
Greg Jericho | The Guardian
Remember the good old days when climate change deniers would proclaim that “the world has not warmed since 1998”? Since then there have been 16 years when it has been hotter – including nine of the past 10 years.

Deeper causes of America’s troubles are economic and social
Ross Gittins | Nine Newspapers
After allowing for inflation, the wages of US men without college degrees have fallen for 50 years, while college graduates’ earnings premium over those without a degree has risen by an “astonishing” 80 per cent.

Imperial America dies in parts as Washington surrenders to Trump’s chaos
Guy Rundle | Crikey
An extraordinary anti-achievement, Trump’s willingness to mobilise refusal of consent, based on phantasms of electoral fraud, so greatly assures him of the worst president ever status, that no one else comes close.

March for justice this Invasion Day
Marianne Mackay, Alex Bainbridge | Green Left Weekly
The federal government has taken no meaningful action to “close the gap”. It has committed with words — tokenism — while doing the exact opposite. Grassroots organisations have been stripped of funding, and the money has been given to mainstream First Nations organisations that do not properly consult.

What’s in your backyard?
Rachel Stringfellow | National Indigenous Times
Australia’s sordid past of forced dispossession, massacre, violent conflict, forced assimilation, racial vilification and the attempted decimation of one of the oldest living cultures known globally understandably brings with it an emotional charge. Yet some still wonder why the topic of ‘Australia Day’ is becoming increasingly divided.

Coles workers say ‘no’ to the non-union agreement
Jim McIlroy | Green Left Weekly
“For seven weeks, Coles has tried to starve us out. Now, they want to send us back to work with the same rotten deal we voted against seven weeks ago and have consistently rejected since we were locked out,”

‘Extremism’ in the centre
Allen Myers | Red Flag
If there’s going to be a campaign against extremism, the term needs to be defined more precisely. Surely, a willingness to let others suffer and/or die when one has the means to prevent it has to count as extremism. But the centrist politicians defend a system that allows it to happen every day, every hour.

The Morrison Government is throwing young Australians under the bus
Tarric Brooker | Independent Australia
In the final few weeks of the 2020 parliamentary calendar, two key policies emerged as focuses for the Morrison Government for the beginning of 2021: the removal of responsible lending standards legislation; and giving first home buyers the ability to access their superannuation so as to buy a home.

Citizens, Arise!
Bill Garner | Arena Quarterly
In a world in which democracy is in trouble, the Victorian government has opened the door on a reform that could see a revival of democracy at the grassroots level. But only if people seize the opportunity.

The gap between Australian house prices and incomes is only likely to grow
Greg Jericho | The Guardian
In November a record $23.96bn in new housing loans were taken out. This record reveals how weird this recession is – there is higher unemployment, but it is mostly driven by forces that have little to do with the underlying strength of the economy.

Invasion Day 2021: Here’s a list of protests and events happening on January 26
Kerry Smith | Green Left Weekly

Acting Prime Minister Michael McCormack latest ‘All Lives Matter’ fanatic
Rachael Knowles | National Indigenous Times

Symbols of hate: How to spot a pro-Trump extremist
Samantha Dick | The New Daily

The Capitol riot wasn’t a fringe ‘uprising’. It was enabled by very deep pockets
Brendan O’Connor | The Guardian

Is social media really just a marketplace of ideas — or has its power transformed society?
Guy Rundle | Crikey

Market logic can’t survive a pandemic
Richard Denniss | The Ethics Centre

Absence of abortion rights is depriving Latin America of agency and the right to thrive
Tamara Peterson | Green Left Weekly

‘We’re witnessing a fundamental political realignment’: Mike Davis on the crisis in the United States
Ben Hillier | Red Flag

Wage rises in Australia hit rock bottom as employers profit from the pandemic
Alan Austin | Independent Australia

Martial Arts in the Age of Trump
Kurt Hollander | Jacobin

Indonesia’s Repression Hasn’t Broken the West Papuan Freedom Struggle
Jason Macleod | Jacobin

Lobbyland: ten lobbyists for every MP has democracy on life support
Adam Lucas | Michael West Media