There’s a new world emerging from this conflict in Iran, and governments need to act before it ends up being too late to become a part of this new world.
Very well said. Unfortunately no politicians, as far as I know, have the foresight or intestinal fortitude to make the hard decisions and step back from the US and Israel in particular.
We as a country need to look elsewhere for alliances that benefit both, not just the one.
It could also be a case where it’s impossible to step back from the US and Israel, but countries need to be prepared for when that moment arrives, if that’s what they wish to do. The completely insane, vulgar and destructive behaviour of Donald Trump over the past year, as well as the genocide in Gaza, has provided many moments for Australia to step back from the US and Israel, but, if anything, they’ve engaged more deeply with them. Which suggests that they’re just not interested in disassociating – and that (IMO) is to Australia’s detriment.
Then the question becomes: why? Is it that we are so enmeshed militarily and culturally that political leadership cannot see any way of existing other than as a trapped satellite of the US? Is it because we’ve allowed US capital to own and control our mining, resources and financial services sectors, and therefore own our economy? Is it as straightforward as the 1975 formulation: act contrary to US interests and we’ll destroy you politically. Or is it just simple lack of courage and imagination… that we no longer have leaders with vision and courage to tell Australians a new and different story about the type of nation we could be if we wanted to? All of the above? Something has to change, because if we go on enmeshed in the crumbling US empire, and supporting a criminal and corrupt Israel, then we will surely end up falling fully into their vortex of chaos and misery.
What I think we also need to realise how deep and how invasive tentacles of both the US and Israel are in the Australian government. I have no doubt the Albo was 'allowed' to become leader of Labor and consequently PM, because they had already established that he will tow the US/Israel line. Which he is doing even through this war. I doubt any potential Labor leader that would do anything other than lick the feet of the US/Israel would have survived against a determined Murdoch press doing a witch hunt on behalf of the US and Israel and they could always do another 'constitutional crisis'.
With a majority, the Greens and most independents there is virtually nothing Albo couldn't do in parliament and while the US is literally falling apart and Israel is getting bombed into oblivion, now would be the time to get some meaningful distance between Australia and the US/Israel. But he hasn't and most likely won't. He refused to consider the 25% gas tax to protect US interest in Australian gas, brought in some horrendous hate speech legislation on the back of a national trauma on behalf of Israel and snuck in the latest ASIO powers to clamp down on dissent among the Australian public. All he is trying to do is not rock the boat so he can stay in his seat.
He seems more than aware of what he is doing as his invite to Mark Carney to visit Australia clearly demonstrates, but he's like a kid standing at the edge of the pool watching all the other kids play in the water but too scared to jump in case the water is too deep for him and his Daddy catches him playing with kids he shouldn't be playing with.
He needs to jump, or we need to replace him with someone that will, and like yesterday.
PS a big part of why the US is so immersed in Australia is because it cannot threaten China militarily without access to Australia's landmass and the US bases on it. (Which paints a massive target on our back, in the same way as the Gulf states got hit). I just hope that China and the other BRICS nations smash the US economy so badly they will have no choice but to abandon their attempts to threaten China and be forced to withdraw their troops in the bases around the world, including those in Australia.
Brilliantly well said 🎯John Howard famously said , “The times will suit me “, as they obviously did . ( See Amy Remeikis’ excellent survey , “Where it all went Wrong . The Case against John Howard” ). “The times” , on the other hand , do not suit
this PM Albanese , more suited as a middle manager . We are seriously ill-served by his ill-timed and appeasing policies to foreign powers at the dire cost to our own people and future generations.
Howard made the times suit him, he deliberately forced a lot of those neoliberalist issues through in the late 1990s. The times suit Albanese today, but he seems disinterested in doing the work required to make the change that’s so relevant today. Howard was a change agent, Albanese is not. That’s the big difference between the two.
Much I'd like it otherwise, but stepping back from the US isn’t a switch you flick. It’s a system you unwind. Intelligence, defence integration, procurement, all of it is built over decades. You can’t just decide to be “more independent” one Tuesday afternoon and get on with it.
That’s why the Howard versus Albanese thing isn't fair. Howard didn’t conjure “the times”, he operated in a far easier strategic environment and locked Australia more tightly into that system. Albanese is dealing with the hangover in a much messier world. You can dislike the bloke (and don't worry, I do) and still admit he’s not working with the same set of options.
None of that means we sit still. More independence is necessary. It will also be costly, slow, and full of trade-offs people don’t like once they’re spelt out. Capability gaps, economic exposure, diplomatic friction. You don’t get the upside without wearing some of that.
So yes, think about where Australia should be heading. I just reckon we can’t pretend it’s a clean break or a moral posture. It’s a long, awkward transition, if it happens at all.
Yes, it is true that you can’t flick a switch on the US alliance, but there’s no sign of even starting to raise a finger to reach out for that switch. Perhaps it’s not even an issue about changing the alliance or switching it off, but at least calling out the behaviour of the United States when it’s so out of order and inappropriate. Simon Crean’s response to George W. Bush in 2003 said it best, that friends can disagree, and it’s healthy to have those disagreements and call them out when they do wrong. Albanese was sitting in Parliament when Crean said those words to Bush – perhaps he wasn’t listening.
Australia is too closely tied to the USA. Our national interest requires us to be more independent of the USA. The USA only takes 10% of our exports. It is not very important to us. Asia and Europe are more important to us.
All criticism to Trump for his public rants and claims, but yet we then fuss because other governments do not do the same public display but steadily get on with undoing the dependence on the US. Read the non Australian substacks from Europe and elsewhere. They include Australia in the countries managing the walk away from the US - causing the presidential dismissal of Australia for not getting involved in his war.
Very well said. Unfortunately no politicians, as far as I know, have the foresight or intestinal fortitude to make the hard decisions and step back from the US and Israel in particular.
We as a country need to look elsewhere for alliances that benefit both, not just the one.
It could also be a case where it’s impossible to step back from the US and Israel, but countries need to be prepared for when that moment arrives, if that’s what they wish to do. The completely insane, vulgar and destructive behaviour of Donald Trump over the past year, as well as the genocide in Gaza, has provided many moments for Australia to step back from the US and Israel, but, if anything, they’ve engaged more deeply with them. Which suggests that they’re just not interested in disassociating – and that (IMO) is to Australia’s detriment.
Then the question becomes: why? Is it that we are so enmeshed militarily and culturally that political leadership cannot see any way of existing other than as a trapped satellite of the US? Is it because we’ve allowed US capital to own and control our mining, resources and financial services sectors, and therefore own our economy? Is it as straightforward as the 1975 formulation: act contrary to US interests and we’ll destroy you politically. Or is it just simple lack of courage and imagination… that we no longer have leaders with vision and courage to tell Australians a new and different story about the type of nation we could be if we wanted to? All of the above? Something has to change, because if we go on enmeshed in the crumbling US empire, and supporting a criminal and corrupt Israel, then we will surely end up falling fully into their vortex of chaos and misery.
What I think we also need to realise how deep and how invasive tentacles of both the US and Israel are in the Australian government. I have no doubt the Albo was 'allowed' to become leader of Labor and consequently PM, because they had already established that he will tow the US/Israel line. Which he is doing even through this war. I doubt any potential Labor leader that would do anything other than lick the feet of the US/Israel would have survived against a determined Murdoch press doing a witch hunt on behalf of the US and Israel and they could always do another 'constitutional crisis'.
With a majority, the Greens and most independents there is virtually nothing Albo couldn't do in parliament and while the US is literally falling apart and Israel is getting bombed into oblivion, now would be the time to get some meaningful distance between Australia and the US/Israel. But he hasn't and most likely won't. He refused to consider the 25% gas tax to protect US interest in Australian gas, brought in some horrendous hate speech legislation on the back of a national trauma on behalf of Israel and snuck in the latest ASIO powers to clamp down on dissent among the Australian public. All he is trying to do is not rock the boat so he can stay in his seat.
He seems more than aware of what he is doing as his invite to Mark Carney to visit Australia clearly demonstrates, but he's like a kid standing at the edge of the pool watching all the other kids play in the water but too scared to jump in case the water is too deep for him and his Daddy catches him playing with kids he shouldn't be playing with.
He needs to jump, or we need to replace him with someone that will, and like yesterday.
PS a big part of why the US is so immersed in Australia is because it cannot threaten China militarily without access to Australia's landmass and the US bases on it. (Which paints a massive target on our back, in the same way as the Gulf states got hit). I just hope that China and the other BRICS nations smash the US economy so badly they will have no choice but to abandon their attempts to threaten China and be forced to withdraw their troops in the bases around the world, including those in Australia.
Brilliantly well said 🎯John Howard famously said , “The times will suit me “, as they obviously did . ( See Amy Remeikis’ excellent survey , “Where it all went Wrong . The Case against John Howard” ). “The times” , on the other hand , do not suit
this PM Albanese , more suited as a middle manager . We are seriously ill-served by his ill-timed and appeasing policies to foreign powers at the dire cost to our own people and future generations.
Howard made the times suit him, he deliberately forced a lot of those neoliberalist issues through in the late 1990s. The times suit Albanese today, but he seems disinterested in doing the work required to make the change that’s so relevant today. Howard was a change agent, Albanese is not. That’s the big difference between the two.
And his deputy Marles, is even worse.
Much I'd like it otherwise, but stepping back from the US isn’t a switch you flick. It’s a system you unwind. Intelligence, defence integration, procurement, all of it is built over decades. You can’t just decide to be “more independent” one Tuesday afternoon and get on with it.
That’s why the Howard versus Albanese thing isn't fair. Howard didn’t conjure “the times”, he operated in a far easier strategic environment and locked Australia more tightly into that system. Albanese is dealing with the hangover in a much messier world. You can dislike the bloke (and don't worry, I do) and still admit he’s not working with the same set of options.
None of that means we sit still. More independence is necessary. It will also be costly, slow, and full of trade-offs people don’t like once they’re spelt out. Capability gaps, economic exposure, diplomatic friction. You don’t get the upside without wearing some of that.
So yes, think about where Australia should be heading. I just reckon we can’t pretend it’s a clean break or a moral posture. It’s a long, awkward transition, if it happens at all.
Yes, it is true that you can’t flick a switch on the US alliance, but there’s no sign of even starting to raise a finger to reach out for that switch. Perhaps it’s not even an issue about changing the alliance or switching it off, but at least calling out the behaviour of the United States when it’s so out of order and inappropriate. Simon Crean’s response to George W. Bush in 2003 said it best, that friends can disagree, and it’s healthy to have those disagreements and call them out when they do wrong. Albanese was sitting in Parliament when Crean said those words to Bush – perhaps he wasn’t listening.
Australia is too closely tied to the USA. Our national interest requires us to be more independent of the USA. The USA only takes 10% of our exports. It is not very important to us. Asia and Europe are more important to us.
All criticism to Trump for his public rants and claims, but yet we then fuss because other governments do not do the same public display but steadily get on with undoing the dependence on the US. Read the non Australian substacks from Europe and elsewhere. They include Australia in the countries managing the walk away from the US - causing the presidential dismissal of Australia for not getting involved in his war.
This bastard PM is a lying piece of Zionist Dig Shit.