Military Intelligence

Clearly no-one in our government or even our media actually understand what is going on in Afghanistan.  Or maybe they *pretend* not to understand - so our people won't find out anytime soon.

Our military haven't worked it out either - but no-one would be surprised by that.  Is military intelligence still an oxymoron?

So one of the main reasons why we are seeing these murders of our troops by Afghanistan soldiers or those who are impersonating them is because we Australians are identified as being part of the *American* problem.

Most Australian's won't know about it but the *American* problem arises because their current President spends part of Tuesday selecting names from his "kill list".  And then he  authorises some heavy duty *processing* of those names by the drone corps.

The effect is that sometime after Tuesday - a Predator drone explodes something ugly near a group of people - somewhere in the Afghanistan region and usually kills many of them.

Does it always - or even sometimes manage to nail the bad guys?  And when it doesn't, what do you reckon the survivors think about?

Yep - they think about revenge.  And then they plot to nail a few American troops and any colleagues who are nearby.

The only question is "Why is anyone surprised by this"?

The US will be in Afghanistan forever - because their troops are *bait* for the bad guys.  They can't take them home because that would mean the fighting would move to the US homeland.

And if that ever happened then their President would be toast.

So our troops end up being sacrificed as well.

All because of military intelligence.

Now it's 38

So 5 more young Australian's died today.  In a war with no meaning and no end.

This is a disgrace - our government has lost the plot.  The price of their "suck-up" to the US military is now at 38 dead young Australian's.  How many more will it take before "dear leader" starts to "listen and get the message"?

50 or maybe 100 - perhaps 1000?

The solution to the problem is to announce a full and complete withdrawal tomorrow and have them home in two weeks.  Send our top brass to Washington to negotiate if necessary.

Or just instruct Beasley to "tell them".

And then we start the "Royal Commission" to understand why we went to Iraq and to Afghanistan.  Followed by prosecution of all the politicians who engineered these nasty little adventures.

An earlier comment - here.

And some more - here.

Why would anyone want that?

The quality of our national debate is pretty awful.  Lots of reasons for that - from a broken education system to a completely farked media - all the way out to opinionated old blogistas roaming free without their medication ;-)

I notice that Fairfax is doing its bit to fix the second problem by sacking half its staff.  Uncle Rupert will be pleased.  The rest of us - not so much.

Now there are plenty of Australian bloggers who are more capable than this little black duck swan - so I will leave the analysis and commentary to them and their loyal band of commenteers.  That will keep everyone busy for a week.

But I do have one question - "What is it about our billionaires and millionaires and Bank CEO's and other far-too-rich people - that causes them to think that their free advice has value"?

I only ask because I was reading a blog post from *Gina from Perth* today and her theme was "work harder and cut down on drinking, smoking and socialising" if you want to become wealthy.

Fark - why would anyone want to do that?  Because if you become a wealthy Australian then you also become "fat" and "ugly" and "dumb".  I have seen the evidence.

There is one thing my mates and I already know and that is that Australian's much prefer to drink and smoke and socialise - because the alternative is to be like that modest-little woman from the West or that clown-like bloke from Queensland.

And none of us would want that - would we?

The Monkeywrench Wars

I have pinched a relevant paragraph from this post.  It's a must read.

At this point, very nearly the only thing that maintains US power, and the disproportionate share of the world’s wealth that is the payoff of that power, is our eagerness to pound the bejesus out of Third World nations at the drop of a hat.  If we lose that capacity, we could end up neck deep in kim chee very quickly indeed.

And they call themselves leaders

We seem to be treating our unemployed a bit like how we treat asylum seekers - very very badly.  And for similar reasons.

How on earth is the unemployment benefit of $35/day sufficient to sustain someone?  Everyone who knows anything about the facts of unemployment knows that this is a paltry and insufficient amount.  Especially if we expect unemployed people to both live *and* chase down a new job.

And anyone who has had any experience with CentreLink knows that the most humane thing we could do would be to close it down and euthanise it.  After we have built and staffed a modern social security service delivery organisation.  As if.

And yet anyone and everyone who could do anything about it - won't.  They are all too busy posing for photo's in fluoro vests while standing near unused shovels - and sucking up to warmongers ;-)

Both Abbott and Gillard are locked in a race to the bottom - all to demonstrate who is the meanest and harshest and most unworthy of our vote.  They think that we don't have any choice and will select one of them when next we use a pencil in a polling booth.

Bill Shorten the actual Minister won't support an increase - while telling all and sundry that he can't survive on his $330k per year.

Mike Smith the ANZ CEO is earning $23,000/day but says that $35/day is far too much for the unemployed.

And on it goes as our leaders and the rich try to win brownie points with the nearly "one third of our population" who are - authoritarians.

Oh did you miss it too? The reason politicians do it is to capture every last vote from these people - with more here and here.

PS - Update here.

PS2 - Another update here.

National Security #natsecinquiry

There has been a bit of a buzz on Twitter around the submissions to the "Inquiry into potential reforms of National Security Legislation" that is underway in the House of Representatives.

I suspect that there are quite a few stories in this should any clever young journalist be at all curious - but I doubt that much will appear in our media.

And of 177 submissions 9 are confidential - Why?  I can imagine that ASIO and ASIS might not want to telegraph their punches - but what about the other 7.  OK - at least one is bound to be from the US Government - but do we now have another half dozen secret security organisations looking out for us?

I haven't yet read all the public submissions - but number 87 by Mark Newton impresses.  If you are going to wade through this stuff then you could do worse than start there.

Mark does a pretty good job of demolishing the arguments that have been put forward by the *Security Services* and related industry - but the thing that I really like are his closing remarks - reproduced below.

The other issue that seems clear to me in so many diverse areas of policy is that the Australian Government harbours a deep distrust of the Australian people.
In a democracy it should work the other way around: The Government should trust voters to make good decisions about the kinds of people they elect to represent them, and voters should have every expectation that the Government will mess it up, and demand strong and effective checks and balances to make sure they don’t.
In Australia the voters seem to be doing their job adequately, with levels of Government trust at near historic lows. But the Government is not doing its job: The Government is not trusting the electorate, and, at least in relation to our security services, it’s not carrying out its duty by implementing adequate checks and balances to protect the electorate’s interests.
How is it that we can have the AFP, ASIO, ASIS, and other agencies I’m probably not even authorized to know about, propose that I’m so mistrusted that I need to have the last two years of my communications logged in excruciating detail, just in case I one day commit a crime?
The Government needs to do better.
Stop being frightened of everything; replace fear with rational decision making, where we understand that we don’t need to panic just because the Americans are panicking on “24.”
And live up your side of the democratic social contract: You’re supposed to live within strict constraints, unavoidable checks and balances, and have faith that we voters will generally get it right.
Lowering the standards on search warrants, creating offence provisions for not decrypting data, and implementing data retention systems aren’t compatible with those principles.
As a Government, you were wrong to ever propose them in the first place. Now please, withdraw them, and help us enjoy our historically safe society by letting the pendulum swing the other way for a while.

I agree 100%.

The Losers

He's already lost one election - and it looks like he will lose the next - whenever it is called.

Mainly because the man has no substance and his main prop - The Murdoch press has become a laughing stock as well as an international corruption machine.

The few of us who follow Australian politics have detected a big change of vibe this week.

For the first time ever Mr Abbott has been exposed to his supporters as a person without substance.  Previously they took it at face value that he was a political genius - but now it's clear to everyone that he casts no shadow upon the planet.

Tony Windsor started it by getting stuck into him in the Parliament and that was followed by Leigh Sales on 7:30.  And all they actually did was ask him to elaborate.  But he couldn't because he is a one trick phony.

It's a very long time since I have seen an Australian politician exposed like he was this week.

Because our media usually papers over their character cracks.  They hide the flaws because they are in on the little deception game in joint venture with our politicians.  They all usually have a vested interest to keep voters in the dark and fed BS.

And Murdoch has so much invested in Mr Abbott that he can't afford for him to be a two time loser.  So his newspapers have gone ballistic - all because our actual Prime Minister is clawing her way back from the dungeon ;-)

That wasn't in your script was it Uncle Rupert?

Abbott has exposed himself as a dud - and Murdoch has dropped his dummy.

I can't wait for next week's episode.

Not Queensberry rules

I got a fairly serious lecture today about why it's important to be *nice* to the morons who are doing their best to destroy our government and insert their favourite conservative party in the big seats in Canberra.

I was told that it is important not to "lose one's dignity" when the other side is going bananas and telling lies all over the place.

Apparently *they* can behave in an undignified manner - but *we* must be civilised and dignified.

I was told to "smile and turn the other cheek" when Murdoch's cronies make stuff up in support of Abbott's mad agenda.  As they do every day.

The political game is really warfare by a different name.  The winner gets to impose their plan on the nation and its people for the next 3 years and often for 6 or 9 years.

And a few of us know what Mr Murdoch and his cronies have in store for the nation after they manage to insert Mr Abbott into the big seats.

They won't tell you about it in advance - but all you have to do is check out what their friends "Cameron and Osborne" are doing to Britain, and what "Romney and Ryan" have in mind for the US after November.

Oh and what "Mr Newman" is currently doing to Queensland.

The tragedy is that our government are playing by "Queensberry Rules" - but Murdoch and the conservatives are street scrappers.

Private vs. Public Education

Are any actual *strategists* working for our Labor government?  Seriously.

Instead of letting Abbott wedge you on Education funding - do what a proper Labor government would do and demonstrate your strong *support* for the "public" education system.

It's the "public" education system that has been underfunded for decades - mainly because Labor governments of various persuasions have been wedged and intimidated and cornered by conservatives and their mates who are in awe of the "private" education system.

No-one has a problem with "private" education - it's possibly even a good system.  But it wouldn't be a "private" system if it was funded with government money - would it?

If Abbott has an ideological bent to favour the "private" education system then let him find the money to fund it from his mates in the "private" sector.  Simple as that Virginia.

Run the collection tray around to Clive and Gina and the Bank CEO's - they could probably fund the "private" education system with their beer money.

But that's the problem isn't it?  Abbott doesn't actually want any education system - what he wants is to starve the "public" education system of funds and redistribute the money in support of his ideological agenda.

Just like little Johnny did for a decade.  And most voters still don't know what happened.

And our timid Labor government just goes along with it.  They're piss weak and that's the main reason they have no future.

Who has the power?

The thing that Mark Textor was saying on ABC radio this morning is that voters aren't supportive of some *big* issues - because they haven't been involved in the processes that developed the *big* policies.  And they often don't agree with them.

Unfortunately we are seeing this with lots of current issues - Asylum seekers, US military bases, The Iraq and Afghanistan wars, WikiLeaks and Julian Assange  etc.

I am fairly sure that governments of all persuasions might once have done some very fine things ;-)

But they have not often taken the people with them on the difficult issues - because they have simply not engaged them.  Perhaps they don't know how?

Mark Textor was talking in particular about asylum seekers - about which many Australian's are poorly informed and fearful - because our various governments have *never* made the case to accept them.  And because many of us neither understand nor agree with the International treaties or conventions that bind us.

Doesn't that tell you something about the quality of our politicians and their leaders?

Usually because said politicians have imagined that they have the *power* when they get elected.

When in fact it's the people who always have the *power* and they allow politicians to use it on their behalf - but only until the political hubris gets out of control.  Which then often creates enormous animosity and anger.

Witness what happened to Howard when he turned on the people with his version of serfdom - WorkChoices.  Not only did he lose Government - but also lost his own seat.  Gillard is in a similar position for different reasons.

The message is simple - will anyone hear it?

Compliant little lap-dog

The single most disturbing thing about our polity - is the *illusion* that we are a democracy.

We aren't of course.  We used to be but we haven't been since around the time of the 9/11 attacks - after which our government decided to treat us all like suspected terrorists - without bothering to tell us.

But the punters don't know any of that because they don't pay attention to what our politicians and bureaucrats are up to.

Mostly, the punters don't even know what a democracy is and they certainly don't know what good governance would look and feel like.  That is one of the main effects of our decades of inattention to politics.  And that is how our current government likes it.

But we can't change that in 5 minutes or even 5 years.  It will take a serious and major adverse event to wake Australian's up - and even then I doubt that many will stand up and protest.

Instead we would try to sell our story to Channel 9 to make a quick buck ;-)

Because "not paying attention" to politics is baked into our culture.  And if we did manage to collectively discover something nasty about our politics and politicians - then we would drop our eyes and close our mouths - because we all know what happens to "whistleblowers" don't we?

And that's what is so dangerous about the present time - because we have a government;

*  That is encouraging the US to install their troops in *joint facilities* across our nation - in support of their regional sabre rattling.

*  Is resisting an inquiry into how we got to participate in the Iraq war - because they and their US friends fear the truth.

*  Is complicit in the US persecution of WikiLeaks and Assange - because they have been told to shut up.

And is doing these things *without* reference to what Australian's actually want.

Seriously, how can this be in Australia's democratic interests?

Friends - we stopped being a democracy when the US got to own us - now we are just a compliant little lap-dog.

Can't believe it

Dear Julia,

I can't believe that you have appointed the "Spin Meister"as our next "Australian High Commissioner to Britain".  Just can't believe it.

Have you no shame?

I reckon this little fantasy is going to result in another 2-3 points removed from the Labor primary vote in South Australia at the next Federal election.  Appoint Foley to something significant and you could drop another 5-6 points.  Hell - go the whole hog and give the prior ministry all a new job - and wipe out your entire primary vote ;-)

But don't just listen to my rant.  Go here - and search for "Mike Rann" in the little box to the top left - to see what a great job he did when Premier of SA.

And check out what Peter Martin has to say here.

And then tell me why you will be appointing him to this important post?

Something a Bit Suss Here

I wonder if anyone thinks that it's a bit suss to have an Opposition Leader - who has no policies of his own but who is adamant that every policy of our actual Government is wrong.

Mr Abbott and his team have put zero effort into developing and discussing what they would actually do if they happened to find themselves running the place - but they use every opportunity to tell us that our Government is doing it wrong.

And I agree that our actual government's inability to set the record straight - just re-enforces his argument.

And his mentor - Uncle Rupert usually sets our daily political agenda with his "fact-filled" newspapers each morning, while the rest of our world-class media get their riding instructions from them and from his websites - after publication.

I mean if we are stupid enough to think that anything in our commercial media has any relationship to actual news then we "deserve" to have our pockets raided.  And we frequently do.

I think there is even a segment on ABC morning radio called - "what the papers say" - as if Murdoch's 70% domination of our print media isn't bad enough we then have to talk about it on public radio.

It's all just spakfilla - designed to gap-fill and to obfuscate.  And it does both particularly well.

Now it has been said that Australian's aren't very bright.  Or that is what some of my New Zealand friends say - but I am here to defend the intellect of the Aussie battler ;-)

Ok, we might pay too much for houses and 4wd's and let big business and politicians screw us over, obsess about celebrity and sport and think we are the 51st state of the Union.

But we are just *so* determined to elect a screwball as our leader when next we get to vote. Ok.

Yeah - that'll teach youse elites to mess with us - won't it?

Education and Skills

I know that every Australian who is aged between 18 and 80 is an expert on *house prices* - so I thought that I would make a small contribution.

Because unusually, I am one of those people who thinks that a house is something you live in - and if you are after a "get-rich-quick" scheme then you would be better off looking elsewhere.

Like perhaps investing in your education and developing some skills and then parlaying those into some *clever* ideas for the benefit of our society.  Unconventional I know.

If you were old enough and lucky enough to be in on the "home ownership" gig prior to the start of this century - then you were indeed fortunate.  Demand and prices soared as banks shovelled someone else's cash out the door as fast as they could.  The effect was to create the mother of all housing bubbles.

Many of these people are counting on the bubble staying inflated - just long enough to sell their house(s) - and capture the windfall - as they head off into retirement.

If you weren't quite so old or so lucky then you could still get into the "home ownership" gig - the only problem is that you now have to pay *huge* percentages of your income in support of "the mortgage".  Now you have your nose to the grindstone - permanently.

But that's not so bad because there are usually two of you earning a good income and you can always put off the decision to have kids until after your home has been established - right?

But it wouldn't take much for the economy to go pear shaped - given what's happening in Europe and elsewhere.  And that's the biggest worry for those of us who are paying attention.

Demand has already collapsed.  If prices collapse then the older folks who haven't yet managed to sell will endure a frugal retirement.  And the younger folks who own "the mortgage" will have lost their equity and blown a large slice of their income.

All of which explains why Uncle Glenn and his little helpers are doing their best to keep the bubble from bursting.

Because the OZ housing market is a Ponzi scheme - pure and simple.

Ayn Rand

Dave Winer has a *great* post here about Ayn Rand.

Interestingly his experience is similar to mine.  I read a few of Ayn Rand's books when I was a young bloke - in my 20's.  They were passed to me by my father-in-law. I still don't know if he was serious about "The Fountainhead" or not.  And it's too late to ask him ;-)

Anyway I got over it soon enough - and went on to recognise it for the twaddle that it is.

As Dave says - snowstorms and sickness are socialist.

I suspect that the only people who think Rand was onto something are those who don't get out much - and/or those who don't read or understand what goes on in the world.

They seem to be nostalgia buffs.  As in things were better back when ...

Up In Arms

I have just finished listening to Robert Manne give his "Climate Change Denial" lecture and outline all the ugly things that the right wing think tanks and their hangers-on have done and are doing - to stop any real action on Climate Change.

As we already know, the US Republican Party, the Murdoch press and our very own Liberal party are up to their ears in the Climate Change *denial* industry.  They helped create it and they own it.  And I for one don't plan to let them forget it.

But why aren't we all "Up In Arms" about it?

The scariest thing for me is that nobody seems to be brave enough to take them on.  I suspect that few of us will even bother to listen to Robert's story - no doubt we all have much better things to do - probably chasing about after *celebrity* and *sport*.

If we aren't sheep then we are doing a pretty good impersonation, because;

* We allow the US military to trample about the place and install their troops wherever they like.

* We let Murdoch ride roughshod over truth and facts whilst campaigning to remove our elected government.

* We let Abbott lie about the carbon price - and then we promise to elect him so he and his mates can continue with the rape and pillage.

There is a serious price to be paid for not being properly engaged with politics - and we are going to pay it *big time* over the next several years.

I hope you are prepared.

Joint Facilities my A*se

Both our Defence Minister - Stephen Smith and some over decorated US General - are at pains to point out via our very reliable and high quality media that there are "No US Military Bases in Australia".  No siree.

They said that there might be a few joint facilities and that we might be looking to establish a few dozen more - but there are no actual US Military Bases here.

Mainly because both the US and Australian governments know that anything that is called a "US Military Base" would not gain the approval of the Australian people.  So they call them something else - *joint facilities* is the current terminology.  But when that wears thin they will use other more obscure words.

The real test of these *joint facilities* is "Could they exist without the US Military presence"?

And the short answer is no.  Clearly these *joint facilities* exist because the US wants and needs them to pursue their regional ambition.

Is *empire* too strong a word?  Maybe the International Diplomat has a view?

Dare I say it?  The US want *joint facilities* on Australian soil to demonstrate to China's leadership that Australia and The United States are united in the quest to exert *control* over the Asia-Pacific Region.

Pity that this issue has never been discussed with the Australian people - or debated in our Parliament.

Perpetual Opposition

What do you suppose it is that causes political timidity - and its resulting by-product - perpetual opposition?

I only ask because there appears to be no shortage of "political timidity" in the Labor government.  And I reckon that will lead them to "perpetual opposition".

It's only when they get there that they will regret going down that path.

I suspect it's what happens when you install a leader who has limited ability to lead. And when the party disciplinarians have been coached to not tolerate any independent thinking.  Can't stand that can we - MP's who think for themselves?

So the vast bulk of the party MP's are all sitting about being "timid" while their future turns to sh*t in front of their very eyes.

It reminds me of the Beasley years.  Perhaps those times were *normal* for the party and the interventions of Latham and Rudd were aberrations.

For those who don't recall or who weren't paying attention, Beasley was the *architect* of the *small target* strategy.  He thought that the opposition shouldn't say or do anything that would alert anyone to their existence. And he didn't.  And they didn't.

His view was that he would wait for the conservatives to perform their usual overreach and that would generate sufficient voter backlash to waltz him and his crew back into government.  And anyway, he was much more interested in playing with the military hardware and other toys provided by his best friends in the US Military/Industrial complex.

The only tragedy is that his colleagues thought so much of him that they made him leader - twice.

And the tradition continues - the current government has installed him as our Ambassador to the United States.

There are some good people in the party who can and will stand up for the people and the nation - they just need a leader who knows what the game is and knows how to play it.

Is history repeating?

Entitlement and an Angry Nation

Laura Tingle's Monthly Essay - "Great Expectations" has been in my Kindle queue for weeks -  It's subtitled "Government Entitlement and an Angry Nation".   And it was only yesterday that I finished reading it.

That is probably the only good thing about being encapsulated with a couple of hundred other folks in a flying sardine can for a few hours ;-)

Anyway, I think Laura has nailed her subject pretty well - there are a few bits to debate but nothing worth getting niggly about.  So if you want to understand the new political dynamic then go read it.

But there are a few things that I do want to mention.

Firstly, Laura accurately describes the "governing actions and style" of our Prime Ministers from Hawke, through Keating, Howard, Rudd and now to Gillard.  In particular, she shows how ideology drove Howard to frequently "say one thing and do quite the other".  Particularly his attempts to defund the health and education systems and his overreach with WorkChoices.

It's just a pity that Laura and her colleagues weren't able to write more about those things at the time - because if they had then the Australian people would have been better informed.  And a better informed electorate usually makes better choices.

And the other quite amazing thing is how none of the Prime Ministers mentioned have actually engaged with the people directly and explained the big picture.   With the possible exception of Paul Keating.  The major changes in our society have all been made *without* the agreement of the people - almost as though politicians think citizens aren't smart enough to be exposed to the *truth and the facts*.

To my mind this is the biggest failure of our polity.  Politicians would probably be surprised by the reaction if they took the people into their confidence and explained what they can and can't do - and what our options are.

Almost without exception - Australian politicians prefer to discuss the *little* things with the people and make the *big* decisions in secret behind closed doors.

If they haven't yet worked out that this little game is well and truly over - then they soon will.

Are Federal Police Investigating?

You would think the man who is desperate to become our Prime Minister would demonstrate a little bit of class?  And a little bit of understanding of history.

Not possible it seems.  Today he rails against our government, the Finklestein enquiry and his imagined and made-up threats to "Freedom of Speech".  I won't link to his rubbish but you can find the text of his speech on his website.  The few smart Liberals who can read and are awake will be cringing.

Apparently Tony and News Limited editors are the only people in our nation who can see the *serious and absolute danger* of any form of media regulation.  News Limited has been campaigning against Finklestein for months now - I think we all know why.

And Tony goes into bat for Uncle Rupert and his cronies - when everyone else in the Western World wants to close them down for the corrupt behaviour of their newspapers and management and staff.   All exposed by Lord Leveson and well documented in "Dial M for Murdoch".

Our Tony has conveniently forgotten about all that and has developed a new found passion for "Freedom of Speech" - all based on Uncle Rupert's urging.

The only amazing thing about all of this is that they are so blatant about it.  Shouldn't the Federal Police be investigating?

The lame and the limp wristed

What fascinates me are politicians who think that voters are stupid.  And it's not just our politicians.

President Obama is struggling to get much traction in the lead up to the US election in November - just 3 or so months away.  He is behind his opponent with fundraising and could easily get trounced by Romney the clown.  The Republicans are playing hardball with the US economy and are working hard to make it look like Obama is to blame for the place stagnating.  Things are so bad that even rusted on Democrats are thinking of voting for Romney - just to get Congress to fire the place up again.  I am not kidding.

Plus Obama is nuts to think that he can continue to pursue those on his "Kill List" each Tuesday and persecute Wikileaks and Assange and Bradley Manning on Wednesdays and then expect that "progressives" will vote for him at election time.  Instead of changing Washington as he promised - he has been sucked into its orbit.  He may well get blown out of its orifice come November.

But then the Democratic Party was never able to compete - a bit like our Labor Party.  They don't know how to.  Both of them rely on overreach by the conservatives to generate the backlash that gets them into government.  They're piss weak.

The simple reality is that conservatives do crazy things - they start wars and look after their mates at the top end of town and screw the workers - whether they are in government or not.  And the progressives usually just sit back and watch.

We need a progressive party that knows how to stand up for the people and the nation - and knows how to fight conservatives and win elections.

Instead we usually get the lame and the limp wristed running the place - who lack the ideas, the brains and the balls to do a real job.

Progressive political parties have become a huge disappointment - and that's why many of their MP's will be enjoying retirement after the next election.

Dial M for Murdoch

If you read "Dial M for Murdoch" by Tom Watson and Martin Hickman - as I just have - then you will be shocked by what the Murdoch's and their cronies and their various newspapers have been up to in Britain - over many years.  It's subtitle is "News Corporation and the corruption of Britain".

This is a very sad tale of corruption and cover-up involving the top levels of British society.

And anyone who has even a remote interest in Murdoch's Australian operations will already know about the bias and distortion that so infects their Australian newspapers.

Even Dick Smith has been motivated by their local bad behaviour to send this very critical letter to their local leader.

One of the things that strikes me about the book is how the Murdoch's and their cronies invested so much time and effort in the criminal cover-up - and that it succeeded for years.  They even had the police - the famous "Scotland Yard" in their pocket.  It was only the dogged determination of a few key individuals and a bit of luck that led to them being found out.

Now I am not suggesting that the same level of corruption and cover-up exists in Australia. Who knows? But you can see the Murdoch intimidation and bullying and bias on display almost every day across the pages of their local newspapers - if you choose to look.

It’s very sad for Australia that Rupert has spent his lifetime parlaying his inheritance - the Adelaide Advertiser - into a huge international corruption machine.

Surely it's time to close the Murdoch's down and kick them out.  Has anyone got the balls to tell them they are no-longer welcome here?

Good on you Dick

A fantastic effort by Dick Smith here.  Good on you Dick.