I’d like to begin the weekly wrap with a shout-out to George, an old acquaintance who contacted me last year after decades to tell me how disappointed he was that I had succumbed to TDS. As purveyors of conservative media will know, this stands for Trump Derangement Syndrome and is intended as an insult to the snowflakes among us who can’t cope with the thought of an (ahem) disrupter in the White House. If you’re still reading, George, how do you feel now?
Many others have the dubious pleasure of being proven correct. Forrmer political journalist Mark Kenny posted: “They told us endlessly that we were exaggerating, it’s worse. Far worse.” It was a plaintive cry from the cold depths of cyberspace, akin to anonymous scribbling on the cell walls of the damned.
We all make mistakes. But I suspect we won’t hear much from any right-wing commentators. Who among them would admit fault? No, they will, in fact, pour gasoline on the fire.
A contradiction in terms
The Trump normalisers point to the safeguard of his term being limited to four years. Call me a glass-half-empty kinda guy, but I just don’t see why someone who is bent on the destruction of democratic institutions would suddenly play nice come election time.
This week we covered not only the madness of King Donald with Malcolm Turnbull’s warnings and how conservative politicians, Peter Dutton among them, have embraced that madness, but also the red-alert effect of cyclone Alfred and the campaign against independent MP Zoe Daniel.
By Wednesday Trump mayhem had made landfall in Australia, creating shock in the hitherto supine political class, and then the week grew even weirder and more ominous when the administration cracked down on dissenters in true dictatorial fashion. The case of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, who was dragged off by Trump’s immigration officials over his involvement with pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University, should chill us all.
Playing with fire
In 2020, German magazine Der Spiegel featured a mocked-up photo of Trump at his desk holding a lit match. The caption said Trump was a president burning down his country. It captured a truth. Trump, the arsonist, has a pattern of setting fire to things, then standing back and watching the chaos while basking in the glow of the attention that comes with it.
This week it was Australia’s turn to be set on fire. Placing tariffs on Australian aluminium and steel is a light touch compared with what other countries have to put up with. Yet it has triggered a strong anti-American — or at least anti-Trump — backlash. The astute campaigners of the ALP have seen the opening for PM Anthony Albanese to reboot himself as a steely protector of Australia’s interests. It might just be his Tampa moment. Let’s see.
Hate breeds hate
Meanwhile, as we stew in resentment towards our once great ally, how must it feel to be utterly abandoned by the world superpower. Ukraine is the obvious example. Consider, though, the anger that must be building among the Palestinians of Gaza who Trump would scatter to other lands so he could build another golf resort.
If you thought the George W. Bush administration was a disaster for the Middle East, just imagine the entrenched hatred of America which is solidifying for generations to come. Bush’s calling card was the spread of democracy. Trump’s is no more than a grotesque money-making scheme.
Turning to Islamic fundamentalism will look like a very attractive option for Palestinians and other Arabs. It is, in every sense, a ticking timebomb of Trump’s making.
Is the present economic idiocy have another purpose? Could it possibly be a lead up to a major correction leading to a cancellation of debts both international and domestic?
Possibly, but that would suggest some capacity to think more than a brain fart ahead, which has never been a demonstrated attribute.
Although the Musk rat, who is probably pulling the strings can.
muskrat; he does not deserve a capital M.
Q: What Borders on Stupidity ?
A: Canada and Mexico
Maybe a Trump
Is deliberately weakening the stick
Market so he snd his billionaire mates can pick up
Shares in devalued stocks snd sell them
At huge profits when they bounce back
In a few weeks as they always do
There’s profit in chaos, controlled chaos.
I’m with you on that 💯..
Neither of these feral bastards can be trusted with anything other than their own agendas so it is quite possible, as you infer, that the real strategy is to manipulate the market for their own gain.
It will be interesting o see how this plays out, alhough the truth will certainly be kept well hidden
more likely it is to provoke another bailout printing of money given to banks then to stock market investors and to keep asset prices rising so that we get poorer and they get wealthier, there are no bounds for the morbidly wealthy enough is never enough
Peter Dutton is probably not Trump’s man, but he certainly is Rupert Murdoch’s man.
But wait, Rupert is now Trump’s man, isn’t he?
I thought that Trump was Rupe’s man.
Seems even Rupert has had enough of tRump and Fox starting to query the economics of tRumps regime
As for his Tampa moment, our Prime Minister seems to want to play the appeaser-in-chief, attempting to forestall His Highness the Fire Starter by offering to let him reign over our precious minerals to defray the costs of tariffs on exports of our metals and our meat. Brave move, indeed.
‘Tampa moment’… hmmm the choice between John Howard and Kym Beazley.
Albanese is Prime Minister, like Howard was… while being gutless, insipid and pathetic, like Beazley was!
You are spot on, when was there last a labour leader with balls? Problem is not their leaders, its the f party!
Gillard (metaphorical balls only). She governed effectively with a hung parliament until she was white-anted by the boys club on both sides.
Albo has puckered lips from sucking up to the seppos. He could have canned AUKUS, So all of a sudden he is outraged. Do not vote for he, or Potatohead. We need a third force in aussie politics, Greens, independents
Ron Renton, yep let’s go Green or even Teal! Are you the better half of Jane? Marilyn
Future USA elections will be corrupted by presidential edicts using National Security concerns. There is no return to a semblance of the past short of civil war.
Quite right. A high probability the mid-terms will be suspended due to some contrived national emergency… or will be blatantly rigged in Trump’s favour by either Musk’s teenage cadre or Putin’s army of hackers.
Right. There won’t even be midterm elections when due. There’ll be a national security ‘crisis’ to prevent such an election. Trump will be president-for-life, methinks. The autocracy will be well in place by then.
Trumps interests seem to begin and end with money. I wouldn’t be surprised if all this tariff stupidity was market manipulation on a grand scale. Drive fear into the markets, buy up cheap stocks and then remove the tariffs all while claiming he’s now fixed everything. Of course what he’ll probably achieve is just a world wide recession and depressed share prices for longer. I believe Trump has a degree in business or economics, I also believe he paid other people to sit his exams for him… if that’s what happened, it shows.
I think you over estimate their intelligence. A rich df is still a df, with lots of money
I seem to recall Dutton’s controller, Gina Rinehart, enthusing that Trump’s victory was the “Greatest Day of My Life”,
Say no more!
But we can piss on her grave
I have confidence that people in USA will gradually come to see through Trump and his presidency will collapse in on itself, like Trump university, Trump Casino, Trump Airways and such like. His defenders will become increasingly fevered and disconnected from reality and sooner or later there will be some organisation around sanity… maybe even humility and respect for others. Armed conflict, on a large scale, may be Trump’s last resort. Though his capacity to sustain intent and activities in such an environment is minimal. The other factor that will lead to his abandonment will be the inevitable environmental consequences of his failure.
What the hell is it about the bulk of the American public- closely followed by the idiot savants here that they seem not to undertand or want to take action against the damage being done by this nepotistic. lying oaf in the White House?
Albo is not much better than the others – he just wants to “play safe” If you want to remain Prime Minister, grow up stupid!
I am one of 6. As far as I can tell, all of my 5 siblings are trumpists, especially my brother, his wife, and their 15 year old mini-me son (sad). These 2 (3, as the son joins in) also complain about their taxes going to social security support and medicare (why can’t people take care of themselves? Why are they stealing my wealth?)
This despite them being “christians”, and my brother would never have survived his early adulthood if he hadn’t had the dole to fall back on.
The family xmas was a hoot, me being that awful uncle that is at every family gathering (sigh)
Haven’t spoken to them since xmas (I’m too horrible/socialist to have anything to do with, in fact I’ll be the ruin of humanity apparently), but I’m sure they think Trump is doing a wonderful job…
Anybody concerned about Trump going for (expropriating) our super fund investments in the US? $1T to shave of a bit of the US debt of $36T.
They say that underneath all of Trump’s manoeuvres, manipulations, and destruction lies a deep inner weakness. Australia shouldn’t kiss the ring, but until the cards are played I am backing Kevin Rudd as Australia’s diplomat to the US, who is a super smart guy, who got us through the GFC brilliantly. He will have been working on this and will know what path to advise.
Don’t be ashamed of standing up to this dangerous and EXTREMELY POWERFUL IDIOT, WHICH DAFFY DONALD DUMP IS!!!!! The reactions by Daffy Donald Dump and his fellow minions of political thugs and gangsters in his attacks on Mr. Teflon, show the panic and aggression that all great empires go through as they enter an inevitable decline, plummeting, in flames as the Western Roman Empire did if we take into account that the Eastern Byzantine wing, lasted for 1000 years but died with a whimper. The American Empire, modelled on the Roman Republic, is no exception. That footnote to history in the longer term, and with a more sophisticated view of past history, will view him as a sawdust Caesar. Daffy Donald Dump may well be the Gilead Romulus Augustus and if she won the Presidential Election, Kamala Harris might have been the Gilead Constantine XI Dragases Palaiologos. In fact, if we take a determinist look into the future, it may end up being the Asian century, with the two superpowers, India and China, competing for world influence as both Gilead and the USSR once did. One point worth mentioning is an organization that is laughingly called. “National Endowment for Democracy”, has either ignored, or cosied up to repressive totalitarian US client states from Franco’s Spain, right up to the Thai military regime, still in power, and the current rightwing Central and South American dictatorships and military regimes. GILEAD NEEDS TO SEE THE EMERGENCE OF A STRONGLY PRO-WORKING CLASS MASS DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST PARTY NOW!!!!!!!!!
I like the Rome comparison. What will Daffy Donny Duck play while America burns? Certainly not a fiddle, as he would be incapable of learning how to play. I know, he’ll play golf.
All those who said America will never abandon us should be having a quiet re-think about now.
Trumpty-Dumpty talked of a wall
Then Trumpty-Dumpty suffered a fall
And nothing the White House invaders could do
Could ‘fix’ the election to bring on Trump 2.0
But Trumpty-Dumpty was not fazed at all
With Republican High Court judges on call
With Fox and Murdoch both praising his name
Trumpty was back at the top of his game
Trumpty-Dumpty is buddies with Vlad
Annexing Canada will MAGA them glad
And Greenland as well, it’s just snow and ice
And plenty of oil; yeah, that might be nice
Trumpty-Dumpty thinks NATO is fucked
Paying for Europe’s defense? That just sucked
It’s good business and best for Volodimir’s health
To shake down Ukraine for its mineral wealth
Trumpty-Dumpty has crowned himself king
America First, all must kiss the ring
The rest of us can only breathe easy when
Trumpty falls down and lies broken again
interesting comments,. Australia continuing to rely on the U.S. for “security” is a farce. We’ve followed them into war after war to suit their agenda. Not ours. We have no enemies of our own making. We need to be good citizens in our part of the world…. trade with everyone, and as pacific nations say “friend to all; enemy to none”
Malcolm Turnbull’s upcoming gathering should produce some feisty discussions. I hope that AUKUS gets the treatment it deserves (like cancel it; back out!) and that the Force Posture Agreement (Tony Abbott, 2014) gets more coverage than it’s been getting. It allows the U.S. military “unfettered access” to designated Australian military bases, and there are lots of them – not only the more obvious ones like Tindal Airforce Base, North-West Capte, Learmonth (recently added) Stirling naval base, Darwin (marines in and out) and of course, the big one, Pine Gap, which assists the U.S military and the Israeli Defence Force with extremely accurate targetting of opponents.
Jo Vallentine – you are right. We have given away so much of our sovereignty for questionable military ‘security’ that we are nothing more than the USA’s “deputy sheriff”.
I agree with the commentators who state that Australia is leaderless with the job beyond anyone in the two major parties. The best Commentators to date are Rudd, Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten. The best politician is the Independant Senator from the ACT. We need far more decent Independant humans in Parliament and if there is to be some sort of Coalition Government the Prime minister should be an Independant.
And by the way remember he has said that was the last election his maga crazies would have to vote in – think he has plans to steal and steal again?
Well he is certainly working towards that with the 25 recruiting for all govt positions and now we see Dutton wants areferendum to allow governments (his) to override judges when he wants to send people he doesnt want out of the country – exactly as trump is doing currently!