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Politics

June, 2018

Inside Australia’s surreal and secret diplomatic history with North Korea

, Jun 14, 2018

6
Australia didn't officially have diplomatic ties to North Korea from 1975-2000. What we had instead is much stranger.

How 2014 ushered in the new police state era in Australia

, Jun 14, 2018

18
A confluence of factors has meant that the past four years have seen the development of a police state in Australia aimed at punishing dissent. But ultimate responsibility lies with voters.

Reserve Bank confirms wage stagnation dragging down economy

and , Jun 14, 2018

34
"Don't mention industrial relations" appears to be the mantra for policymakers as they try to explain why wage stagnation is weighing down the economy so heavily.

Is Malaysia spying on its students in Australia?

, Jun 13, 2018

1
Malaysian student activists in Australia have accused Malaysia's Special Branch of monitoring them — and not for the first time.

The faceless bureaucracy that’s pushing us down the road to a police state

, Jun 13, 2018

37
Australia's transition to an anti-dissent police state reflects a bureaucratic system intent of extending itself, and politicians who have an interest in allowing it to.

Now the real game begins between the US and North Korea

, Jun 13, 2018

7
The flag-waving of the Trump-Kim summit may suggest the fateful proposition of peace in our time, but the list of unknowns is too great to bank on any one outcome.

Inside the scandal dividing Beijing’s foreign media community

, Jun 12, 2018

7
A sexual misconduct scandal in the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China has polarised Western journalists working in Beijing, with claims that the fallout is fatally undermining the FCCC's role as an arbiter for press freedom.

Home Affairs admits involvement in ‘good Muslims’ recruitment scheme

, Jun 12, 2018

9
How does a post-doctoral sociologist end up in a swish Sydney conference centre listening to what she soon recognised as horseshit promoted by Peter Dutton's Home Affairs Department?

Bye bye, Dover: time to properly license financial planners

, Jun 12, 2018

3
The closure of Dover Financial illustrates that only tough regulatory decisions lie ahead for financial planning.

What would success look like for Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un?

, Jun 12, 2018

6
The hard work of the meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un is already complete; now we just wait to see if the two play nicely.

An incomplete list of evidence that Australia is becoming a police state

, Jun 12, 2018

34
The government is taking Australia down the road to a police state where criticism or embarrassment of the government is punished. This is how.

Meet the group that defends Israel by condemning it

, Jun 08, 2018

7
An organisation of Israeli Defence Force veterans is attempting to bring to light the reality of life in occupied Palestine. But they are far from anti-Zionists.

Ramsay Centre shows a government focused on the far right, not voters

, Jun 08, 2018

35
When voters want politicians to focus on real-world issues, the government getting hooked on far-right obsessions is a poor look.

It’s not about ‘foreign interference’. It’s about curbing transparency.

, Jun 08, 2018

18
The foreign interference laws are a cover for a dramatic expansion in secrecy laws — one that has only partly been thwarted.

Businesses kowtowing to Beijing is nothing new

, Jun 08, 2018

9
Qantas' recent concession to the Chinese government reminds us that if you want to do business with Beijing, you put up or you piss off.

Coming up, on the next episode of Ramsay (Centre) Street …

, Jun 07, 2018

8
When last you tuned in, Harold (John Howard) was trying to set up a Methodist Information Centre in the high school. But not everyone's happy about it.

The Crikey Awards for Best Blunders and Backfires in political interviews

, Jun 07, 2018

We've scoured back through the archives to hand out some overdue awards. The top prize should not come as a surprise.

Qatar Airways misogyny is nothing new

, Jun 07, 2018

5
Not merely does the head of Qatar Airways have a history of sexist comments, his airline is the most misogynist in the world.

Introducing the Crikey Awards for Excellence and Hilarity in Political Interviews

, Jun 06, 2018

12
We've scoured our memories and the archives to hand out some overdue awards to the best, worst, most embarrassing and just generally funny political interviews.

Manafort scandal exposes the real motives of Trump’s presidency

, Jun 06, 2018

12
The moment when the genuine, actual, honest-to-God smoking gun appears – an email offering influence for financial favours, a lessening of the Trump organisation’s enormous debts – is getting closer.