The World’s Great Big New Year’s Resolution

Steady on with all the cheering over the Paris Agreement adoption. Let’s just keep this in perspective. It is essentially an early New Year’s resolution. The good news is all the politicians of the world seem to be aligned.

In order to achieve that alignment they have issued lots of politically promises. We all know how solid political promises are. These promises don’t even have a deadline. They will be delivered “As soon as Possible”.

My New Year’s resolution is to go on a diet, become a vegan and lose half my weight “As soon as possible”. Which can also mean “When Hell Freezes over”.

The Australian ABC’s reporting of this historic event – like sadly much of the news media – is factually wrong, and if it was true to its Charter it would immediately issue a correction.

In its summary of the deal it states that:

 The Historic Climate Deal

• Deal to limit global warming to "well below" 2C, aiming for 1.5C (wrong. This is only a wish. The current international pledges go nowhere near this goal)
• Greenhouse gas emissions need to peak "as soon as possible", followed by rapid reduction (“as soon as possible” means “whenever”)
• Deal will eliminate use of coal, oil and gas for energy (This is just wrong. The agreement makes no mention of “coal”, “oil”, “gas” or “fossil fuels”)
• Fossil fuels to be replaced by solar, wind power (Again there is no mention of “solar” or “wind” power)
• Developed countries to provide $US100b a year from 2020 to help developing nations (this is a political promise. “Show me the money”)

The Paris Agreement is a great achievement, but it is the first step in a long journey. It is certainly not what the ABC and many “Green” organisations and news media are hailing it as.

If you want the reality, read the New York Times. 

Our return to the dark side

The so-called “Pacific Solution” to Australia’s refugee issue is a fraud and a national disgrace.

 The politicians on both sides may have deluded themselves into thinking that they really care about the refugees, but its crap.

Their objective has nothing to do with refugees – it’s all about getting re-elected. It’s all about opinion polls.

The whole issue hangs on two flawed assumptions:

1.  We are being inundated with boat people.
2.  The rest of the world wants to come and live in Australia.

Compared to refugees around the world, the boats coming to Australia are an issue only to the politicians and the journalists who feed on them. The numbers are just not significant that is la verita.

That the masses in Australia should be ignorant and parochial enough to think that “this is the best little bloody place on earth” and therefore we must protect it from being overrun by the hordes is only natural. For the politicians to join in this delusion and feed it is unforgivable.

Very few people in this world ever want to leave their home – that is la verita.  Australia is a great place, but so is Disneyland. They are great places to visit on holiday.  But if you ask people from anywhere on earth where they want to be, where they want to raise their children, you will soon realise “there’s no place like home”.

That’s where they were brought up, that’s where their parents were brought up and that’s where their grandparents were brought up.

So don’t worry Aussie’s, they are not all planning to come over here to steal your telly.

We have some of the most poverty stricken people on earth living just off our shores – almost within swimming distance – but they are not piling on to boats to get to “a better life” in Australia. They want to stay home.

Boat people do not come from our near neighbours, they come from war zones.

So, with respect, Mrs Prime Minister, Mr Abbott, here’s an idea – if you really want to stop “boat people” coming here, then why don’t you stop bombing their fuckin’ homes!

If you really want to stop refugees, focus your efforts and your resources on ending the wars, and achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals.

Now really, why the hell do I have to write this stuff? What has happened to our journalists?

I’m really busy right now. I left newspapers 15 years ago. I am just recovering from the flu and I was looking forward to having a nice easy day on the couch playing my son’s Xbox.

Then this morning, as our politicians are debating their “Pacific Solution” legislation in Canberra, I hear Richard Towle, UNHCR Regional Representative for Australia, New Zealand, PNG and the Pacific, reveal to Fran Kelly that he hasn’t yet been consulted.

Talk about ruin my day! I couldn’t fuckin’ believe it! What the fuck is going on!

Now the legislation has just passed the House of Representatives – well hoo-fuckin-ray!

And protesters have come out in the streets to object – well God bless them, but they haven’t got a chance. They don’t understand the political forces, the levels of delusion they are fighting against.

With no leadership in Canberra, most journalists out to lunch or out of a job, and both major parties now singing to the choir of xenophobia. the poor refugees haven’t got a fuckin’ chance.

Let’s be clear here, former Defence Force Chief Angus Houston may be an expert at creating refugees but he is not an expert at dealing with them -- Richard Towle is.

As Richard told Fran this morning he had “some concerns” with the Gillard Government’s “Pacific Solution”. Which is diplomatic speak for “it stinks”.

His idea of a regional solution would involve raising the standards of treatment in the region, not lowing Australia’s standards. That’s why he wasn’t consulted.

The fact is torturing refugees is not the way to solve the problem. Nor is it the way to thwart the people smugglers. The way you do that is make it safe for people to stay home.

And as for Tony Abbott singing the praises of the Howard solutions – and calling on the Prime Minister to apologise for criticising them – I would like him to explain to me why those responsible for implementing the Howard policies should not be charged under The Crimes Act with child abuse.

As Richard mentioned in passing this morning we are still trying to deal with the mental illnesses caused by the Howard policies.

I still shudder when I remember a child being returned to Wimmera Detention Centre against the medical advice (and protests) from the government phychiatrist, back in those dark days. Torturing refugees maybe a vote winner in this country, particularly in some marginal electorates, but it is also a crime against humanity.

I’m not a lawyer, and I’m frankly too busy to look it up right now, but I would like Tony to explain to me why members of the government can be exempt from child-abuse laws – particularly given that the Immigration Minister is the legal guardian of unaccompanied minors.

If this had happened in Bosnia in the ‘90s, we would be pursuing them to the ends of the earth. So why aren’t we charging all those who knowingly inflicted harm on refugees, and all those public servants who sadly “were only following orders”.

That’s enough, it’s time to start treating refugees like refugees. Don’t make me have to tell you again.

Letter to ABC's Mark Scott

Mr Mark Scott AO

Managing Director

The ABC

Dear Mark,

Please do not be too discouraged by the failure of the ABC’s first bold “data journalism project” looking at the coal seam gas industry – Coal Seam Gas: By The Numbers.

I think the ABC should be applauded for attempting this ambitious project. As the issues facing the human race become more complex we desperately need reputable news organisations like the ABC to guide us through the technical complexities and the noise of vested interests so that we, as a democratic society, can make informed decisions.

The intent of your data journalism project is just what we need. Its failure was due to problems plaguing journalism across the developed world.

I’m sure that Wendy Carlisle and her team are all excellent journalists. With your help and guidance I’m confident they will be able to learn from their mistakes and have another go and this topic.

But first, Mark, they will have to realise who they are. They are journalists, and all journalists – including you and I – are egotists. We are very good at talking to and about other egotists and this all makes very entertaining media and is the bread and butter of journalism.

Commercial media are forced to dance this dance. If a newspaper like The Age wants to talk about coal seam gas, it will seek a celebrity like Olivia Newton-John.

But Mark, the ABC is free from many of the commercial realities faced by other media. You can make a difference to this paradigm and you tried with this data journalism project.

However, in order to succeed in such a technically complex area, your egotists are going to have to speak to experts. It’s not good enough just to read the data put out by experts like Geoscience Australia, bureaucrats and energy companies. Egotists like us journalists do not understand the complexity – the algorithms – behind this data, as Wendy and her team, I’m sure, now realise.

As a daily newspaper egotist who wandered off into the energy industry about 20 years ago I can assure you, Wendy, and all the journalists at the ABC, that the experts aren’t so bad. In fact they are truly amazing and always more than willing to help. With issues like coal seam methane I strongly suggest you find an engineer to help you through the numbers. I always do this now and I wished I’d started 40 years ago.

I’m not involved with the coal seam gas business, but I am aware of the magnitude of what our Australian engineers are attempting here. They will be the first in the world to produce LNG from unconventional gas. This is a huge technical challenge, but if they succeed they will have achieved far more in the world’s efforts to combat climate change than any Canberra polices aimed at our domestic energy consumption.

This is a very important topic, Mark, and as a huge fan of the ABC I am looking forward to Wendy’s efforts to do it right. This will be a great milestone of modern journalism.

Yours sincerely

Leonard McDonnell