Starshark posted:

Bit hypocritical you being opposed to imperialism, don't you think, Xerxes?

BlitzkriegOfColour posted:

Have you considered that great power imperialism is only ever kept in check by other great power imperialism, and with the US being so much more insanely powerful (and also, insane and powerful) there is literally nothing to keep its imperialism in check? I mean, if you really assess the situation, you'd be willing to let the Russian/Chinese empires expand a little in order to check the US. Otherwise they're just going to continue to encircle everyone, as they do now.

BBJoey posted:

For real tho do the people who are subsumed by China and Russia 'expanding a little' get a say or are their needs secondary to ensuring the great video game that is international geopolitics is well balanced?

Cartoon posted:

Allow me to ask. Why do you think the first world war was really stupid? That was what I used as my comparison. I didn't just pluck it out of my arse for no reason. While you're pondering that.

This is not a case of all in and everyone not for me is agin' me. I can criticise the US for a ridiculously ham fisted piece of rhetoric which is reasonably clearly aimed at a domestic audience in an election year without having to also endorse China's actions in the South China Sea. There are an almost infinite number of steps that should be taken that fall short of military action (of any kind). So while you apparently disagree with me I am in agreement with your statement 'Belligerence should, and must, be countered where it appears.' Even when it is from the mouth of the US president. Imagine, if you will,words of that sort being applied to North Korea. What about Israel? This sort of belligerent talk never leads to good outcomes. The last time a US president used similar language (Axis of Evil) North Korea started production of nuclear weapons.

This will do nothing but raise the stakes with the Chinese hawks. Any difficulties that the central committee might have had with military procurement are now overcome. This is what starts arms races and eventually someone decides they have to make the first move.

cheese-cube posted:

if anyone is interested in the aus census stuff my buddy actually worked there for several years in an infosec role and still keeps in touch with the people working there so he's fed me some tidbits:

* the 2016 census program manager gave David Kalisch (head of the ABS) a no-go order months before commencement as they weren't ready. kalisch ignored this and went ahead anyway
* 90% of the ppl working at the ABS hate kalisch's guts
* the head of IT security at the ABS was replaced 2 months before the start of the census
* the infosec team at the ABS is almost entirely GRC people with like 2-3 actual infosec ppl. they are also completely swamped with work so nothing ever gets done well or at all
* for the 2011 census which was both paper and electronic the ABS did request DDoS protection from their upstream provider which at the time was Telstra. several months after the census the reps from Telstra gave a presentation to the ABS sec team which included data showing that they did mitigate several attacks and kept the site online

so yeah it's a shitshow top-to-bottom due to poor decisions that weren't based in reality and i wouldnt expect anything less

Anidav posted:

Prime Minister Hunt would be a coal miners wet dream.

Xerxes17 posted:

SynthOrange posted:

Also hey if I dont want my energy coming from one of the lovely major providers, what are my options in Victoria? Powershop's advertising is everywhere, who else is in the field that's decently renewable?

Jumpingmanjim posted:

WhiskeyWhiskers posted:

So do freedom of navigation exercises, don't recognise their claims and protect shipping. There's no need to call for war.

e:Still think appeasement over the waters and then standing firm if they try anything more is the more sensible option that lets both sides save face.

AgentF posted:

They claim areas that come practically to the coast of Malaysia and Brunei

WhiskeyWhiskers posted:

So do freedom of navigation exercises, don't recognise their claims and protect shipping. There's no need to call for war.

e:Still think appeasement over the waters and then standing firm if they try anything more is the more sensible option that lets both sides save face.

Gorilla Salad posted:

quote:

A critical examination of some of the hidden aspects demonstrates that WWII in the Pacific was much the same as all of the other wars: fought to consolidate Australian commercial and strategic interests. Rather than promoting human rights, it featured Australian military authorities extending white supremacist policies across the region.

Cleretic posted:

I'd participate in a Prime Minister Hunt.

WhiskeyWhiskers posted:

e:Still think appeasement over the waters and then standing firm if they try anything more is the more sensible option that lets both sides save face.

asio posted:

I thought this was the greens echo chamber. War is Bad, lest we forget?

http://www.solidarity.net.au/imperialism/australia’s-war-against-japan-the-myth-of-the-&%238216;good-war&%238217;/


Or is this a "broken clock" thing, where if Australia sucks at human rights domestically at least that means our military might be hard as balls?

WhiskeyWhiskers posted:

So do freedom of navigation exercises, don't recognise their claims and protect shipping. There's no need to call for war.

WhiskeyWhiskers posted:

I just really couldn't give a single gently caress about China taking some water and would prefer not to die in a nuclear holocaust over it.

WhiskeyWhiskers posted:

I honestly don't know enough about this stuff to bother continuing this argument, I just really couldn't give a single gently caress about China taking some water and would prefer not to die in a nuclear holocaust over it. It's as simple and as non-thought out as that.

Solemn Sloth posted:

I've actually never heard anyone claim that the war in the pacific was a war to protect/promote human rights, the war of self defence/against an existential threat thing seems far more common.

open24hours posted:

Surely that's only ever been mentioned as an incidental benefit?

quote:

Malcolm Turnbull challenges Labor to back $6.5 billion budget cuts By political reporter Francis Keany Updated about 2 hours ago

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is set to use his first keynote speech since the election to challenge the Federal Opposition to support more than $6.5 billion in budget savings when Parliament resumes. Mr Turnbull will today promise to "reach across the aisle", and vow to "work constructively" with Labor and the crossbenchers to get budget cuts through the Senate. An omnibus bill will be introduced once Parliament resumes on August 30, containing a number of budget proposals the Coalition believes Labor indicated it would support during the federal election campaign. "We are ready to reach across the aisle. But Labor must be prepared to bring an open mind and some fiscal rationality to any discussions, as well as a commitment to support spending reductions they have already said they will back," Mr Turnbull will say. "The budget bottom line that Labor outlined during the campaign relied on over $6 billion in Coalition savings that they have not reversed, including $3 billion in measures that they previously opposed. "The time for posturing is over. The reform challenges for Australia are significant."

PM to warn protectionism could 'destabilise' growth

Extracts of Mr Turnbull's speech, provided by his office, show he will also use the address at the Committee for Economic Development of Australia conference in Melbourne to warn that protectionism is "starting to gain a foothold". The Prime Minister will caution against stoking anger with those who feel they have missed out from the benefits of globalisation and economic growth (Well they aren't alone Malform, the list of globalisation beneficiaries gets smaller by the day and economist have had to invest in electron microscopes to find signs of growth MUPPET). "Political divisions in advanced economies — particularly where there is high unemployment or a high risk of unemployment — are feeding on a sense of disenfranchisement among many people who feel the rapid economic changes of our time have left them behind," he will say. "Political responses to this mood of disaffection can have the potential to destabilise global growth, perhaps even reversing some of the spectacular gains we have made over recent decades through open markets and free trade." (The peasants are revolting! Don't they know this is for my own good?)

Mr Turnbull will also pledge that business tax cuts remain high on the Government's agenda going into the new Parliament, as well as reintroducing the Australian Building and Construction Commission.(Jesus loving wept) Treasurer Scott Morrison earlier this month said Labor indicated its support for $6.5 billion worth of measures, after the Opposition included them in its pre-election costings. It is unclear how many of those budget cuts will end up being included in the Coalition's proposed bill when it is introduced to Parliament.

quote:

NSW records first Indigenous death in police cell since 2000, Aboriginal Legal Service says By state political reporter Sarah Gerathy Updated yesterday at 5:13pm

New South Wales has suffered its first Indigenous death in a police cell in 16 years, the Aboriginal Legal Service says. The ABC reported on the death of Rebecca Maher, 36, at the Maitland Police Station on July 19, but police did not reveal at the time that she was Aboriginal. Police said she was found dead in a cell less than six hours after she was arrested walking along a road in Cessnock while appearing intoxicated. The Aboriginal Legal Service's chief executive, Gary Oliver, has accused police of failing to follow proper protocols, which dictate officers must alert the Custody Notification Service (CNS) whenever an Indigenous person is arrested. "There wasn't any notification that Ms Maher was being held by police," Mr Oliver said. "We're very concerned that there's been a procedural failure this time. If the CNS had been used by police when they detained Ms Maher, there may have been a different outcome."

He also criticised police for not notifying the Aboriginal Legal Service of Ms Maher's death until August 12. The ABC has sought comment from NSW Police about whether officers were aware Ms Maher was Aboriginal, and why they did not alert the custody notification service of her arrest. "A critical incident investigation is underway with all information to be provided to the coroner. It would be inappropriate to comment further," a police spokesperson said. Mr Oliver said the custody notification service ensured Aboriginal people who were arrested have access to a lawyer and a health check. "Even if a person is seen to be intoxicated, the police still ring us and let us know they've got a person in custody, and NSW Police ensure that person in custody is made safe," he said. Mr Oliver said it was the first Indigenous death in a police cell since the notification service was introduced in 2000. Police launched a critical incident investigation immediately following the woman's death, which will also be examined by a coronial inquest. The custody notification service was one of the key recommendations of the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. The notification service was recently thrown a lifeline after a funding stoush between the Federal and State governments.

Recoome posted:

shut the gently caress up

thatbastardken posted:

i'm not super keen on the idea of war with china.

nor am i real keen on the idea of just letting china take whatever territory it wants.

diplomatic options seem to be running out fast or being ignored by the potential belligerents.

it's not a simple situation and trying to guess at potential outcomes is probably unhelpful.

china really are coming across as the aggressor though.

otoh duterte is a loving madman

Jumpingmanjim posted:

Yeah the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.