Julian Assange has lost his UK Supreme Court appeal against extradition to Sweden on a European Arrest Warrant to face sexual assault allegations in Sweden.
READ MOREMay, 2012
“A tweet is sufficient?” Julia among the monomaniacs
This it the transcript of a media event held earlier today by the Prime Minister and Jenny Macklin here in Canberra. It was conducted in the wake of the latest “revelations” about Joel Fitzgibbon lobbying colleagues against the Prime Minister. For the record, I’ve been saying for a while I don’t think the PM will [...]
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A mini lecture from Treasury via the OECD
It is a very rare event for the OECD to make a comment about the economy of a member country that does not have at least a wink and a nod of approval from that country’s official representative. More often than not the commentary and forecasts are simply the work of the country’s Treasury/Finance department [...]
READ MORETheory, theatricality and Thomson without the “p”
Professor Biff Bondarchuk writes: Having been asked by joke news website Crikey and its fauxtrarian political typist “Bernard Keane” (note the sad attempt to purloin traditions of authentic Celtic transgressiveness) to cover the alleged Craig Thomson statement to Australia’s alleged parliament, I was ushered into the oddly-named “House of Representatives Press Gallery” today to witness [...]
READ MOREAnd it’s not just in Greece the depositors are getting edgy
Customers with large deposits have started withdrawing cash from Santander branches in the UK, the Spanish owned bank has admitted, as it tried to reassure concerned members of the public that their money is safe. London’s Daily Telegraph reports that the high street bank also saw an increase in enquiries by worried savers to its call [...]
READ MORENot talking about bank account withdrawals
Officialdom seems to have gone quiet in Europe about people withdrawing their savings from banks. At the start of the week there were stories about the rising extent of withdrawals by Greeks of their Euros prompted largely by President Karolos Papoulias. According to minutes of Papoulias’s comments to political leaders posted on the presidency’s website, savers [...]
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Waiting for an Irish verdict
Just a little something else to factor in when considering what’s happening with the Euro. In Ireland they are having a referendum on whether to approve the latest version of the fiscal treaty that commits countries to the policy of fiscal austerity. The latest opinion poll suggests there is considerable uncertainty. While there is a [...]
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Don’t blame us, blame Kevin.
I wonder what caused this change? Perhaps a call from the PM‘s press office to AAP journalist Paul Osborne? At 6.48 pm yesterday the news.com.au website carried this AAP story: By 7.48pm there was a minor but interesting change:
READ MORECharges laid against Rebekah Brooks – the daughter Rupert Murdoch wishes he’d had
Charging announcement in relation to offences of perverting the course of justice against Rebekah Brooks and others 15/05/2012 Alison Levitt, QC, Principal Legal Advisor to the Director of Public Prosecutions, oversees CPS decision making, and all potential prosecutions, in relation to the ongoing phone hacking investigations and other related matters. Miss Levitt said: “This statement [...]
READ MOREThe forgotten recommendations for the ethics of MPs
In 1995 a working group of Senators and Members of the House of Representatives produced these suggestions for a code of conduct: [DRAFT PROPOSED BY WORKING GROUP] A FRAMEWORK OF ETHICAL PRINCIPLES FOR MEMBERS AND SENATORS The principles which follow are intended to provide a framework of reference for Members and Senators in the discharge [...]
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