Live life to the point of tears.
-Albert Camus
Labor risks losing its strong inner-west seat of Marrickville New South Wales by-elections
Rebel Nationals senator Barnaby Joyce has further fuelled the row within the Coalition by leaving open a threat to block other Government bills unless the Prime Minister meets his conditions for the sale of Telstra Bill-blocking senator puts wind up PM
Eye on Politics & Law Lords: Barnaby Joyce all on Do-or-Die Constitutional Strategies
David Humphries: Barnaby Joyce refuses to be drawn into an exchange of insults
Much has been made of the loneliness of Barnaby Joyce, now the National Party senator for Queensland has been elevated to the status of a David doing battle with the Goliath of Howard Government self-interest. Certainly, after just two days of official Senate membership but months after his utterances forged his reputation for dissent, Senator Joyce is finding relations inside Parliament House more chilled than yesterday's light snow outside.
• Numbers and power: tackling a Senate majority Rebel sidesteps enforcer and sticks to principle [A prominent Labor MP has criticised NSW Government plans to reshape large tracts of land on Sydney's fringes, saying he can understand the suspicions of residents who believe favouritism to political mates has determined potentially lucrative zoning changes Changes in zoning are slapdash, says MP ; Obeid sues over article]
• · Personal tax cuts passed by Federal Parliament yesterday will boost the average family's take-home income by as much as $60 a week and coax tens of thousands of new people into the workforce Tax cut jackpot for hard workers ; Families in NSW are much more likely to be racking up debts than the rest of Australia and are much less interested in investing any spare cash in property The state we're in: happily in debt ; Benjamin Barber reviews books on political fear Fear's not just a factor, it's a major player
• · · A team of Chinese maths enthusiasts have thrown NSW's speed cameras system into disarray by cracking the technology used to store data about errant motorists Motorist wins case after maths whizzes break speed camera code ; Truth and Truthmakers ; Workplace relations reforms: a chronology of business, community and Government responses
• · · · Iraq Redux: How Things Looked Then and How They Look Now ; The Cold War ended over 10 years ago, but the world is still enmeshed in a nuclear arms race Men will always fight
• · · · · Michael Lind on how terrorists will change us They Will Change Us ; The world keeps producing more guns and bombs
• · · · · · What is ‘political asylum’? Klaus Neumann explores the history and meaning of the term Political asylum and the case of Chen Yonglin; Chen Yonglin on defection and delay ; China has penetrated Australia and Canada to a stunning degree. Lin Chong and Yang Xiaomei: Li Youyuang (an alias), a former Chinese consulate worker in Eastern Europe talked with The Epoch Times about his views on Chinese defector and former diplomat, Chen Yonglin, and the attitudes of workers inside Chinese consulates. Thousands of “Chen Yonglins” Are Waiting to Escape to Freedom Former Eastern European Chinese Consulate Worker Suggests that Chen Yonglin’s Defection Is Part of a Greater Trend