Issue 40: 15 – 21 April 2021

April 22, 2021April 23, 2021 editor

Chauvin’s conviction is a victory for the movement. Winning justice will require a revolution
Daniel Taylor | Red Flag
Derek Chauvin has been convicted of the murder of George Floyd. How much should we celebrate?

Dismantling the justice pipeline: built for us, not by us
Dorinda Cox | National Indigenous Times
Globally, the Black Lives Matter movement has sparked discussion and initiated real change. It is well past time for this country to have these same painful conversations and face the impact that colonisation and the ongoing dispossession is having on First Nations people.

Death by design: Systemic racism and police brutality in the US and Australia
Rashad Seedeen | Independent Australia

Australia has coped fairly well with the pandemic. With climate change? It’s a different story
Greg Jericho | The Guardian
Our economy remains one of the most highly dependent upon greenhouse gases.

How can NSW allow new coalmines while committing to net zero emissions? It’s bizarre
Richard Denniss | The Guardian
Australia is the third-largest exporter of fossil fuels, behind only Saudi Arabia and Russia. But because of the way that international accounting rules for greenhouse gas emissions work, the emissions from burning the enormous amounts of coal and gas we export do not “count” towards Australia’s emissions.

Two Faced Facebook: how the digital giant lets Exxon, US companies, talk out both sides of their mouths
Jeremy Merrill | Michael West Media
Australia’s premier tax cheat Exxon is one of several companies in the US using conflicting Facebook ads to target both liberals and conservatives, writes Jeremy B Merrill. The left wing sees narratives extolling Exxon tackling climate change while right wing Facebook users see ads asking for support to stop regulation.

Viva the pink wave! Political left stages an unexpected comeback in South America
Guy Rundle | Crikey
For a while it looked like the old guard was back, running the joint for the shadowy old wealth with the blessing and connivance of the United States. Now it appears to be turning back, faster than most of us dared hope, becoming a pink wave.

Conservatives like Adam Creighton whinge over the ‘death’ of liberalism
Guy Rundle | Crikey
The trouble with the Germans is they’ve got no word for schadenfreude. No, but seriously, the other day I was thinking about how we need a word that denotes the particular combination of schadenfreude and genuine pity. The occasion of that was of course the strangled tweet by The Australian’s Adam Creighton.

Yes, interest rates are low. But that doesn’t mean Australian housing is getting more affordable
Greg Jericho | The Guardian
While inflation might be incredibly low, the same cannot be said for house prices. And despite record low interest rates, housing remains as unaffordable as ever.

Christine Holgate’s status no protection against PM’s bullying
Jennifer Wilson | Independent Australia
The misogynistic bullying of former Australia Post CEO Christine Holgate by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, last week, presented some on the Left with a considerable moral challenge.
Holgate is a privileged woman and, like many male high achievers in the business world, has a history of decisions and actions that some find questionable.

Australians in residential disability care have been abandoned on vaccines. Why?
Bernard Keane | Crikey
The federal government has managed to meet only 6.6% of its target in the sector — three weeks after it was supposed to be finished.

Joe Biden, zeitgeist president
John Quiggin | Inside Story

Australia Post CEO sacking a vain attempt to deflect from privatisation plan
Jim McIlroy | Green Left Weekly

Proboscises Unbound: The psychopathology of Silicon Valley
Mark Furlong | Arena Online

Apocalypse Wow!: The thing about conspiracies
Robert DiNapoli | Arena Online

Accenture was paid $8m to track the vaccine rollout. What did taxpayers get back? An infographic
Georgia Wilkins | Crikey

The pandemic is getting worse, yet governments still refuse to act decisively
Eric LeRoy | Red Flag

Australian Conservatives Are Using Religious Faith as a Cover for Misogyny
Lyndal Rowlands | Jacobin

The MUA dispute and lessons for May Day
Sue Bull | Green Left Weekly

New report confirms toxicity of coal-fired power stations
Margaret Gleeson | Green Left Weekly

The Government Can Build Quality Housing for Everyone
Alex North | Jacobin

Australia’s Government Is Refusing to Support Myanmar’s Anti-Coup Movement
Rory Anderson | Jacobin

“Scientifically Indefensible”: how a $13 billion political fix is killing the Murray Darling Basin
Richard Beasley | Michael West Media