Independent Australia

A false start for Maldivian democracy

Posted On Thursday, 23 Feb 2012 By admin. Under Democracy, International, Politics Tags: Abdul Gayoom, Arab democracy, Democracy, Islam, Jed Lea Henry, Male, Mohammed Nasheed, Mohammed Waheed Hassan, The Maldives

The Maldives is a fledgling democracy that is struggling to get off the ground. Jed Lea Henry reports.

Rudd should fade into obscurity

Posted On Thursday, 23 Feb 2012 By admin. Under Politics Tags: ALP leadership, Gillard Government, John Howard, Julia Gillard, Kevin Rudd, PM, Rudd team player, Simon Crean, Wayne Swan, Wil Wallace

Historian and ALP member Wil Wallace says the honourable thing for Kevin Rudd to do following his resignation is to fade into obscurity.

The young and the Ruddless

Posted On Thursday, 23 Feb 2012 By admin. Under Politics Tags: ALPleadership, Australian PM, Benjamin Thomas Jones, Corangamite, Darren Cheeseman, Julia Gillard, Kevin, Simon Crean, Tony Abbott, Wayne Swan

Provided he receives a “fair shake of the sauce bottle in caucus”, Kevin Rudd could win back the leadership of the ALP and the country, says Benjamin Thomas Jones.

The return of Rudd to stop Abbott

Posted On Wednesday, 22 Feb 2012 By admin. Under Politics Tags: Barry Everingham, Daniel Mannix, George Pell, Hugh Morgan, Julia Gillard, Kevin Rudd, Labor leadership, PM, politics, Tony Abbott

Senior correspondent Barry Everingham says Rudd will lose the vote next week, but win the one following.

The rise of the corporate feudalism

Posted On Wednesday, 22 Feb 2012 By admin. Under Business, International, War Tags: corporate personhood, Evaggelos Vallianatos, Greece, Greek bankruptcy, Iran, Iraq, Israel, military industrial complex, multinational corporations, petroleum wars, terrorism, United States, War on terror

The modern dominance of multinational corporations has created a new version of feudalism, says Evaggelos Vallianatos from Truthout.

The death of journalism and the victory of PR

Posted On Wednesday, 22 Feb 2012 By admin. Under Advertising and marketing, Democracy, Media Tags: concentrated media ownership, Convergence Review, cross media ownership, David Donovan, death of journalism, John Nichols, Journalism, marketing, media laws, PR, rise of PR, The Nation

The growth of independent media challenging the mainstream is massively overstated — in fact, more of our information than ever is coming from mainstream sources which, due to the decline of journalism, is almost entirely coming from the PR industry. Managing editor David Donovan reports.

Five living scientists you really should know

Posted On Tuesday, 21 Feb 2012 By admin. Under Education, Science Tags: Albert Einstein, astronomy, astrophysics, Bad Universe, Big Bang Theory, Bill Nighy, Bill Nye, Bill Nye the Science Guy, CERN, Christian Scientists, Colbert Report, cosmology, Creationism, Daily Show, Eugenie Scott, evolution, George Hrab, Intelligent Design, John Turnbull, MIT, Neil deGrasse Tyson, physics, Pluto, The bad astronomer, Tim Berners-Lee, UFOs, World Wide Web

Science buff John Turnbull lists five outstanding living scientists that everyone should know about.

Punishing protest and policing dissent

Posted On Tuesday, 21 Feb 2012 By admin. Under Human rights, International, Law Tags: Barack Obama, Erik Hoffner, Heidi Boghosian, Keystone XL, Lenco BearCat, National Lawyers Guild, NDAA, NYPD, Occupy Movement, OWS, stifling dissent, Tampa City Council, Terry Tempest Williams, Tim DeChristopher, US policing

In the US, the authorities are increasingly using the justice and legal systems to stifle dissent, says Erik Hoffner.

Documenting a new framework for a republic

Posted On Monday, 20 Feb 2012 By admin. Under Republic Tags: ARM, Australian republic, Copernican Republic, Deakin University, new Australian flag, Republican models, Robert Vose

The consensus framework for an Australian Republic, in which an Australian Head of State is to take the place of the Governor-General and the role of the monarch is discarded, has not been adequately examined and tested against all the alternatives, says Copernican Republican Robert Vose.