World watch

 In Australia, there is a proposed media bargaining code to require search engines to pay certain news companies to link to their news. It has to be wondered what the public policy objective is in the proposal which would seemingly break the logic underpinning search engines. Usually companies pay for advertising, not the the other way around; yet this proposal would require the advertising company (the search engine) to pay the companies it is "advertising".  The Australian government needs to come clean with the Australian people and clearly articulate the public policy purpose for this change. Otherwise, the people have a a right to think that maybe it is the Australian Government getting further into bed with Murdoch's news conglomerate. Google has today, in Australia, made the first item of any search "Google Search is in the news" arguing that they are willing to pay to support journalism, just not the way the Australian Government wishes for it to do. (Go...

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is calling on Biden to declare climate change an emergency and then to use the emergency powers to by-pass Congress (and democracy!). [Bloomberg, SkyNews] Texas has applied to the court for an injunction against the Biden Executive Order preventing deportations for 100 days. This means, in effect, that Texas can continue to deport illegal immigrants until the court rules otherwise. The Trump appointed judge has placed a 14 day injunction on the Executive order. The Republicans moved a motion in the Senate arguing that Trump's impeachment was unconstitutional. Although they lost the vote 45 to 55, it raises the prospect that the Democrats may not have the votes for the 2/3 majority required to convict the former President. The trial is due to start on 8 February 2021. China has passed its Coast Guard Law authorising its Coast Guard to fire on foreign vessels, including with air support. The bill also allows dismantling of foreign structures ...

Texas demands Biden withdraw the freeze on deporting illegal aliens and threatens to sue if it is not withdrawn.  Any misconception that people may have had that Biden was going to be a moderate have firmly been dispelled in just two days in office with a raft of controversial Executive Orders and the call to codify Roe v Wade. The call to codify Roe v Wade is an attempt to circumvent the concern that the Supreme Court may overturn Roe v Wade. By codifying the case, the common law would no longer be the governing law and so overturning the case would not affect the legal status of abortion. Associated Press is reporting that the Trump impeachment is to go the Senate on Monday. Meanwhile, the National Guard who were protecting the capital for the inauguration have been forced to sleep in the carpark much to the outrage of many Americans. The Guardian is reporting that Biden helped create the Studen Loan crisis that he is now promising to fix. It is good to see the Guardian, a typic...

White House Press Conference: Dr Fauci discusses COVID. 7-day average looks like it is plateauing. Fauci argues that as the virus replicates it mutates. By vaccinating the population and reducing the ability of the virus to replicate, it also reduces the ability for it to mutate. When asked whether it would have been helpful if Amazon had offered its assistance prior to the Biden inauguration, Fauci refused to answer the question. Fauci said they are certainly not starting from scratch in the distribution of the vaccine as the Trump administration had already started the process. Fauci really did not want to buy into the demonisation of the previous administration, which is refreshing to see. Biden has signed an additional 10 executive orders particularly relating to COVID. For someone who argued against the use of Executive Orders under the Trump administration, he seems to have changed his opinion now that he is in power. For 100 days, the Department enforcing immigration will at lar...

Biden's Executive Orders continue to generate much discussion. To see for yourself the Executive Orders can be found at:  Presidential Actions | The White House In an interesting turn of events, Biden is reported to have fired the Surgeon General, a black man. It seems like skin colour alone will not protect someone in the Biden administration; which in, and of itself, is a good thing. Biden cancels proposed oil pipeline between Canada and the US costing many jobs and further impacting potential oil supply.  Australian media outlets (some) are reporting that the NSW Premier has been referred to ICAC. This is more click-bait from the fourth estate and further erodes any credibility they may claim to have. In reality, an investigation into the shredding of documents within the NSW Government found that there had been no wrong doing. As part of that investigation ICAC had made a submission. Not surprisingly, the investigation report is being provided to ICAC. This is a far ...

Biden's new press secretary conducts her first press conference and highlights the fact that there will often be disagreements between members of the press core and that is OK. Biden's executive orders include: * 100-day mask mandate - federal buildings, etcetera * Reversed Trump's order to withdraw from WHO * COVID 19 response co-ordinator * Extend pause on student loan payments * Rejoined Paris climate change agreement * Rollback Trump regulatory environmental and health orders * Advance racial equity and root out racism from Federal institutions * DACA to be reinforced for Dreamers * Ended Muslim travel ban * Halting funding or construction of the border wall * Immigration Bill sent to Congress Press secretary then opened the floor for questions expressing her goal is to share accurate, transparent information. First foreign leader call will be with Canada. Biden said he had received a generous letter from Trump but says that it is private and will not be disclosed. Pres...

Biden inauguration  Executive orders Saudi’s Arabia Iran testing

 It is being reported that China is threatening to invade Taiwan. Meanwhile, China continues to attempt to economically block Australian trade. Protests in Russia as the opposition leader is arrested. Reports continue of BLM/Antifa clashing with police in NYC and other locations. Preparations continue for the Biden inauguration. Biden, although a critic of Trump’s use of executive orders, states that he is planning a number of executive orders in his first day in office to, inter alia, undo some of Trump’s orders. Meanwhile, the Pentagon appears to be attempting to purge from its ranks anyone with any affiliation to the President. In line with the new administration, a caravan of asylum seekers is making its way towards the US/Mexico border.  Trump makes his final speech and indicates that his movement, whatever that may entail, will continue. Trumpism, the absurd hstyeria by the left against anyone who has any association with Trump, raises its head in Australia with the oppo...

 The Australian Open quarantine issues continue to create controversy with the tennis players not happy with their quarantine conditions. At this point, the organisers are refusing to agree to delay the start of the tournament. Those players who are not in quarantine seem to have a significant advantage in their preparation in the lead up to the tournament. On the other hand, Oksana Kalshnikova, was interviewed on the ABC stating that she had no concerns with having to go into quarantine lockdown. A poll has indicated that the current Federal Opposition Leader, Albanese, is not popular with the electorate and would lose key seats if an election were held today. There does not appear to be push for a spill in the  Australian Labour Party (ALP) at this stage. Tanya Plibersek is one name that is being floated as a possible alternative. It is being reported that the Victorian government is going to drop most of the fines that have been issued against people for violating COVID re...

 The Victorian government has proceeded with the organisation of the Australian Open (tennis), however, in the process two players from overseas have tested positive to the event causing players on either plane to be put into compulsory quarantine lockdown which is preventing them from practicing for the tournament. 10 News is reporting that a broadcast worker from the US has now also tested positive. 9 News is reporting that they have confirmation that some of the players are breaching their quarantine requirements. Meanwhile, Victorian residents who failed to return to the state from within Australia by the deadline are refused entry. Update, there are now four people testing positive involving three separate planes and 25 players have now been placed in strict 14 day quarantine. Additionally, in the name of COVID, photos are beginning to surface on Twitter of a sign allegedly from Woolworths advising that in some stores they will no longer accept cash nor provide cash from ...

 It is being reported that Biden is proposing to offer 11 million illegal immigrants citizenship, which is likely to significantly shift future voting in favour of the Democrats, not to mention potential financial implications and ongoing border control issues. Planned executive actions also include undoing the Trump travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries. Biden has also put forward a $1.9 Trillion debt-financed package. Given that US debt is currently approximately $23 Trillion, an additional $1.9 Trillion badged as a COVID rescue package is not significant. Biden is also seeking the increase of the minimum wage to $15/week. According to CNN, Biden has also elevated the White House science post to a cabinet-level position. The reality is that on most modern areas of scientific discovery there are almost as many opinions as scientists. As such, it appears that Biden is intending to use Science as a bludgeon, whereby he selects the Scientists who support his political approac...

 Hysteria continues to reign in the United States. It turns out that AOC was seeking to prevent Republican politicians who support insurrection being seated in Congress as far back as Mid-December. Twitter has now decided to delete a tweet from the Chinese government referring to women as 'baby making factories'. Twitter does not need to be the internet police. There is a place in national and international discourse for the contents of what people have said to be made public so that they can be opposed, reported or commented on. Meanwhile, back in Australia, the ABC is reporting that the Northern Territory government systems are in a three-week shutdown due to a ransomware attack. There is also controversy over the Australia v India cricket match, where the Indians have accused fans of racial slurs, only the local press is reporting that nearby spectators are consistently reporting there was no racial abuse; police are investigating.

Democrats are discussing whether to try and remove Trump through the 25th Amendment or to impeach him, or both, even with the possibility of impeaching Trump after he has left office. They continue to try and pressure him to resign immediately. Pelosi is trying to agitate that Trump is unhinged and dangerously in possession of the nuclear codes. Twitter has cancelled prominent conservative voices leading to a mass exodus to Parler and Gab et al. Andriod store had banned Parler app. Apple store has now also banned Parler. Amazon, who hosted the Parler servers, has now also banned Parler. It will be unavailable until they find a new hosting service. This prohibition on trade of conservatives is concerning. Where will it end? Will it get to the point where you can only engage in trade (including consumer purchasing) if you subscribe to the appropriate #left ideological statement? Republicans do not seem to know who they want to support with a number siding with the Democrats and others si...

The US Capitol stormed, Israel attacks Syria and China continues to lock up the opposition in Hong Kong all admit a world-wide pandemic. There is certainly a rapidly changing and volatile dynamic to current world affairs. Australian COVID measures continue in place with hard borders in WA, QLD, TAS, VIC, SA and NT restricting who can travel into their state. Greater Sydney along with some surrounding areas continues to have tight restrictions on the number of people in a residence and yet the Sydney cricket match has been allowed to proceed with ever-changing restrictions. Whether or not the SCG match should proceed with a crowd is a deeper question, however, it seems to be at odds with the other decisions that are being made. The US Capitol has been stormed, allegedly by MAGA supporters, although there are some reports that ANTIFA were actually the initial intruders. The media on the whole is outraged at the violation of the Capitol building, but yet on the whole fails to consider tha...

 President Trump's account has been permanently suspended from Twitter, following a permanent ban from Facebook et al, due to the risk of the account inciting violence. This comes along with the suspension of a number of other key conservative accounts and corresponds with a drop in the Twitter shareprice. As many of the conservatives flee Twitter to new applications such as Parler, AOC is demanding that Apple and Andriod ban Parler from their sites. Apple is reported to be threatening to do just that.

 Biden has been certified (no pun intended) as the president-elect due to be inaugurated on 20 January 2021. Over the last four years we have seen a steady politicisation of the press and of business, and that was without a Democrat majority. In Democrat run states we have already seen destructive BLM protests (riots?) and autonomous zones operate with seeming impunity. A number of Democrat members have clearly advocated over the last four years for policies that will ensure Democrat rule for perpetuity along with the destruction of the classical liberal foundation of the United States. Only time will tell how ‘progressive’ the Biden administration will last, or how long it will last before a transition to Harris. Could we be documenting the fall of the West?

 One of the great travesties of modern politics is the failure of the fourth estate (the media) to objectively provide information which informs the reader who can then determine their own perspective. This failure by the fourth estate has significantly escalated the tensions around the election result and, when combined with the partisan coverage of the earlier BLM protests and exclusion zones, has significantly contributed to the inflamed tensions within the American people. Although it is easy to blame Trump, for today's invasion of the Capitol building, like most things, it is never that straight forward and the fourth estate has a lot to answer for.  Biden has demanded Trump appear on national television demanding the mob leave the capital. Trump appeared on national television and told the protestors to leave peacefully. Simultaneously, it appears that the Democrats have won the Georgia Senate run-off. Unfortunately, there appear to be similar 'shadows of doubt' aro...