The World is a Business

This is a powerful scene from the 1970's movie "The Network".  Its ever more poignant today as it was back when the film was made. "...You get up on your little twenty-one inch screen, and howl about America and democracy. There is no America. There is no democracy. There is only IBM and ITT and AT&T and Dupont, Dow, Union Carbide and Exxon. Those are the nations of the world today."

Dollars or Democracy?

The U.S. Supreme Court claims that money is the same thing as speech And now because of the 2010 Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling, huge corporations can spend unlimited amounts of money to influence elections. This decision opened the floodgates for corporate money to drown out the voices of real people in politics. Just because we don't have grandstanding presidential campaigning don't think we're immune to the same erosion of democracy in Australia.

What They Don't Teach You in Economics

I’m an Economist. There I said it. Don’t hate me, well maybe you should. I have a piece of paper from a University which says that I am.   I did my time in the capitalist soldier factory during the Keating/Hawke years of Australian financial systems deregulation.  I was believer of these “reforms” and their supposed benefits for the greater good of our economy.  I was a capitalist free market clone. As time has passed as I've worked in financial services I'm struggling to deal with the real evils of our free market systems and stop feeling like a hypocrite.

How "Foreign Policy" Really Works

This is the monologue from a scene in the movie "Good Will Hunting" 1997. It pretty much summarises western government foreign policy over the last 70 years.

Lest We Remember?

What do you think about on ANZAC day?  Lest we forget.. what exactly? The glory of war? The sacrifice of thousands of soldiers? Do you just trump out government propaganda and perpetuate the conditioning with statements like "they died so we can be free" ? Do you just vacuously chant "Lest we forget".  For one day of the year I say yes we should not forget about those whose lives were lost or destroyed in our name. But I also say we always remember to question why we go to war.

The Last Dream: Other People's War from John Pilger on Vimeo.

Buy Australian?

I'm not gonna rant to you about buying Aussie lamb on Australia Day like that bonehead Sam Kekovich. However, this Australia Day please don't go to Red Dot or the $2 Shop and buy cheap arse Australiana gear made in China to publicly proclaim your patriotism.  Love our country just that little bit more than $2.99 for tacky car flags and spend ooo maybe $10 instead on a flag made here if you feel the need - better still, a donation to the one of the many QLD flood appeals.