Politics | Jotup

I wholeheartedly recommend The President: a brilliant revival of a play of decay, terror and revulsion

Retrieved on:

星期五, 四月 19, 2024

Red Army Faction, Torture, Hatred, World War II, The Holocaust, Paranoia, Sydney Theatre Company, History, Politics, Life, Imagination, Nazism, Disgust, Creed, Fear, Film industry

These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhard’s rarely performed play The President.

Key Points:

These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhard’s rarely performed play The President.
The Austrian is one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, best known in the English-speaking world as a novelist.
By the same token – and this is something Felski neglects to mention – his writing can be extremely funny.

A complex writer

Through childhood and adolescence he was unhappy and suffered from a host of life-threatening lung ailments.
Eventually, his tuberculous-damaged lungs put paid to his youthful musical aspirations of being an opera singer, so he turned to writing.
Throughout his career, Bernhard’s feelings about his homeland were complex and fraught.
He was repeatedly attacked for being a Nestbeschmutzer, which roughly translates as “one who fouls their own nest”.

The political landscape of 1975

The President was Bernhard’s response to the volatile political climate in Europe of the time. The president of Bernhard’s demanding play – a fascist dictator in all but name – has just survived an attempt on his life. Anarchists are responsible. There is a possibility the president’s son, who has disappeared, pulled the trigger.

It was no coincidence the original production opened at the Stuttgart State Theatre on May 21 1975: the same date and city where the key members of the Red Army Faction went on trial.
The Red Army Faction was also vocal and scathing about Germany’s unwillingness to properly confront its Nazi past.

‘Uncomfortable truths’

The creative team behind this version of The President clearly know their history. In his directorial program notes, Creed acknowledges the violent actions of the Red Army Faction would have loomed large in the imagination of audiences in 1975.

Similarly, Weaving has spoken approvingly of Bernhard’s willingness to speak “a lot of uncomfortable truths to his own country”.
In equal measure, however, both Creed and Weaving believe Bernhard’s historically timestamped play can tell us something about the here and now.

Alexander Howard does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Taylor’s clues and Ripley’s secrets – what you should see and listen to this week

Retrieved on:

星期五, 四月 19, 2024

Over the past few weeks, Taylor Swift has planted clues about her 11th album, The Tortured Poets Department, which is finally released today.

Key Points:

Over the past few weeks, Taylor Swift has planted clues about her 11th album, The Tortured Poets Department, which is finally released today.
The announcement of the album at this year’s Grammys took everyone, including her devoted Swifties, by surprise.
A popular theory among Swifties is that track five on her albums is where she really exposes her raw emotions.
Read more:
I've researched Clara Bow – it's no wonder the actress inspired Taylor Swift's new album

What lurks beneath

In the film Sometimes I Think About Dying, protagonist Fran also has a lot going on beneath her calm surface.
A shy and withdrawn office worker, her days are filled with menial tasks and painfully mundane experiences.
The monotony of it all allows for moments where her mind wanders into darkness, imagining the various ways she could die.

Welsh up-and-comers and Italian greats

Singing is deeply woven into Welsh culture and traditions and it’s home to many greats – Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones, Stereophonics, Super Furry Animals and Manic Street Preachers to name a few.
I’ve been listening to one of their recs, Cerys Hafana, whose minimalist electronic folk draws on traditional Welsh music to create hypnotic tracks.
Read more:
Enzo Mari at the Design Museum explores how the giant of Italian design saw his work as a political act

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How Trump is using courtroom machinations to his political advantage

Retrieved on:

星期五, 四月 19, 2024

Crime, Democracy, Felony, Freedom, Social media, Politics, Jews, OAN, Skin, Fox News, Colorado State University, Hearing, Democrat

Bakken: It seems like an ordinary trial, but it is an extraordinary trial underneath if we really look at some of the details.

Key Points:

Bakken: It seems like an ordinary trial, but it is an extraordinary trial underneath if we really look at some of the details.
The first thing that struck me was on Day 1, when Judge Juan Merchan questioned 96 jurors.
Fifty of them said they could not be fair to Trump.
That does not bode well for a defendant in a jurisdiction where Democrats outnumber Republicans 9 to 1.

Bakken: Merchan has told Trump he may not be able to attend his child’s high school graduation, scheduled for May 17.
I think the judge will let Trump attend the high school graduation, because otherwise he might seem to treat Trump a little bit differently than other defendants.
Trump has said the requirement to be in the courtroom every day is harming his ability to campaign.
… If Donald Trump is convicted then all of these principles are convicted and destroyed with him.” This sets up a catch-22.
Since much of the country is paying attention to that media space, that’s a really consequential campaign strategy.

Bakken: The New York district attorney decided to prosecute Trump in this case.
It seems unquestionable that Trump filed or made false business documents.
Donald Trump would not be in trouble for filing this paperwork if he hadn’t done it to allegedly illegally influence an election.
They could be the moderators, the good-faith, middle-minded people who can help bridge the gap between the political combatants.

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Domestic politics will be a key factor in how far things escalate between Israel and Iran

Retrieved on:

星期五, 四月 19, 2024

Hamas, Islam, Supreme, Natanz, Risk, Trauma, Policy, Politics, Sky News, Islamic republic, Empowerment, Government, F-35, Drug

Following Iran’s barrage of drone and missile attacks on April 13, Israel has retaliated and conducted a strike attack near the city of Isfahan in southern Iran.

Key Points:

Following Iran’s barrage of drone and missile attacks on April 13, Israel has retaliated and conducted a strike attack near the city of Isfahan in southern Iran.
Both sides have now matched each other in striking targets within each other’s national border.
However, details of the extent of any damage done by Israel’s strike are disputed and are being played down by Iran.

The politics of status

Domestic issues can play an important role here, in how the political and military elites of both states decide to react.
Despite the majority of the Israeli public being in favour of the campaign to eradicate Hamas in Gaza, he remains unpopular.
Hence there are good reasons for him to respond military to the challenge posed by Iran.

Regime forged in war

Historically, the trauma of war has been used by the Islamic Republic to foster nationalism among the population.
Following the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, the loss of Iranian life, which totalled in the hundreds of thousands, played a huge role in cementing “the formation and empowerment of the Islamic Republic”.
Militarily contesting Israel can be perceived as a means of solidifying the regime’s position internally and enhancing the country’s image within the region.
At present, neither side has the ability to send an expeditionary force into each other’s territory.

Ben Soodavar does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Israel hits back at Iran: How domestic politics is determining Israeli actions

Retrieved on:

星期五, 四月 19, 2024

Knesset, Hamas, Pressure, Quds Force, Benjamin Netanyahu, Politics, Hezbollah, National Unity, Ambiguity, Axis of Resistance, National security, Axis, Soil, Government, Human, Violence

Notably, Israel’s strike against Iran appears to have been more symbolic than substantive.

Key Points:

Notably, Israel’s strike against Iran appears to have been more symbolic than substantive.
Nevertheless, the overnight Israeli strike is the latest escalation in tensions between the two countries.

Reputations at stake

To do otherwise would have damaged the Iranian government’s reputation among both its allies and its citizens.
But the form that Iranian retaliation took is a key indication of Iran’s intentions.
Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system and U.S. military bases in the region made the likely impact of Iran’s attack minimal.

The proxy dilemma

Since the Iranian Revolution, Iran, through the Quds Force and its predecessors, has actively courted several proxy groups in the Middle East to increase its strategic influence.
Hezbollah came into existence in response to Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon in the 1980s, and received extensive support from Iran.
While these proxy groups have increased Iran’s political influence and strategic options in the Middle East, they can simultaneously be a burden for the country’s leadership because they aren’t under Iran’s complete control.
For Iran, this presents a strategic dilemma.

A coalition of many

The 2022 elections returned a fractured Knesset, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was only able to form a coalition government that included several far-right parties.
The small size of his majority meant that far-right partners were able to demand concessions to support his government.
The government’s inability to negotiate a release for the remaining hostages held by Hamas remains a festering wound in Israeli politics.
National Unity’s leader, Benny Gantz, formed a war cabinet with Netanyahu and Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant to direct the war effort.

Netanyahu’s hand forced?

The smaller far-right parties in Netanyahu’s coalition that are outside the war cabinet, however, likely forced the prime minister’s hand.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, leader of the ultra-nationalist Otzma Yehudit party, has stated that Israel needs to “go crazy” in its response.

What’s next?

It eliminated a leader of the Quds Force, and Iran’s retaliation did not manage to breach the defences of Israel or its allies.
Now, the world waits to see if Israel’s latest strike against Iran leads to a broader regional escalation.

James Horncastle does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Grattan on Friday: Ethnic tensions will complicate the Albanese government’s multicultural policy reform

Retrieved on:

星期四, 四月 18, 2024

“In 2024, threats to our way of life have surpassed terrorism as Australia’s principal security concern,” he said.

Key Points:

“In 2024, threats to our way of life have surpassed terrorism as Australia’s principal security concern,” he said.
Tensions, especially in western Sydney, are much elevated because of the Middle East conflict.
And the Wakeley attack came just two days after the Bondi Junction shopping centre stabbings, which killed six people.
While that atrocity did not fall under the definition of “terrorism”, inevitably the two incidents were conflated by an alarmed public.
The challenge for political leaders is not just dealing with the immediate increasing threats to cohesion, but with longer term policy.
Andrew Jakubowicz, emeritus professor of sociology at the University of Technology Sydney, highlights the three separate elements of multiculturalism.

“Settlement policy, which deals with arrival, survival and orientation, and the emergence of bonding within the group and finding employment, housing and education
"Multicultural policy, which ensures that institutions in society identify and respond to needs over the life course and in changing life circumstances, and
"Community Relations policy, which includes building skills in intercultural relations, engagement with the power hierarchies of society and the inclusion of diversity into the fabric of decision-making in society - from politics to education to health to the arts.”

The Albanese government last year commissioned an independent review of the present multicultural framework.
Although the review is not due for release until mid-year, the May budget is likely to see some initiatives.

Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

5 years after the Mueller report into Russian meddling in the 2016 US election on behalf of Trump: 4 essential reads

Retrieved on:

星期四, 四月 18, 2024

Impeach, Purdue University Northwest, Crime, Congress, MSNBC, Betrayal, Education, GOP, Politics, University, House, Mueller, Trump, Ouyang, Fox News, FBI, Obstruction, Democrat

But the nearly two-year investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election dominated headlines – and revealed what has become Trump’s trademark denial of any wrongdoing.

Key Points:

But the nearly two-year investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election dominated headlines – and revealed what has become Trump’s trademark denial of any wrongdoing.
For Trump, the Russia investigation was the first “ridiculous hoax” and “witch hunt.” Mueller didn’t help matters.
“While this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him,” the special counsel stated.

1. Obstruction of justice

But Orentlicher wrote that obstruction of justice is “a complicated matter.” According to federal law, obstruction occurs when a person tries to impede or influence a trial, investigation or other official proceeding with threats or corrupt intent.
But in a March 24, 2019, letter to Congress summarizing Mueller’s findings, then-Attorney General William Barr said he saw insufficient evidence to prove that Trump had obstructed justice.

So it was up to Congress to further a case against Trump on obstruction charges, but then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi declined, arguing that it would be too divisive for the nation and Trump “just wasn’t worth it.”

Read more:
Trump and obstruction of justice: An explainer

2. Why didn’t the full report become public?

Charles Tiefer is a professor of law at the University of Baltimore and expected that Trump and Barr would do “everything in their power to keep secret the full report and, equally important, the materials underlying the report.” Tiefer was right.
To keep Mueller’s report private, Barr invoked grand jury secrecy – the rule that attorneys, jurors and others “must not disclose a matter occurring before the grand jury.”

Trump and Barr also claimed executive privilege to further prevent the release of the report. Though it cannot be used to shield evidence of a crime, Tiefer explained, “that’s where Barr’s exoneration of Trump really helped the White House.”

Read more:
How Trump and Barr could stretch claims of executive privilege and grand jury secrecy

3. Alternative facts

Perhaps the most disappointing finding, they argued, is that there are no known fixes to this problem.
They found that fact-checking has little impact on changing individual beliefs, and more education only sharpens the divisions.
And with that, they wrote, “the U.S. continues to inch ever closer to a public square in which consensus perceptions are unavailable and facts are irrelevant.”
Read more:
From 'Total exoneration!'

4. Trump’s demand for loyalty

What sets Trump apart, Ouyang wrote, is his “exceptional emphasis on loyalty.” Trump expects personal loyalty from his staff – especially from his attorney general.
“Trump values loyalty over other critical qualities like competence and honesty.
Read more:
Why does a president demand loyalty from people who work for him?

South Africa’s electricity crisis: a series of failures over 30 years have left a dim legacy

Retrieved on:

星期四, 四月 18, 2024

Back then only 36% of all South Africans had electricity in their homes.

Key Points:

Back then only 36% of all South Africans had electricity in their homes.
The development programme promised to double that number by electrifying an additional 2.5 million homes by 2000.
This seemed achievable – during the 1980s, the state-owned power utility Eskom’s build programme was so aggressive it had surplus electricity.
By 1994, South Africa’s coal industry was generating high quality coal which was exported mainly to Europe.

What went wrong

Eskom tried to convince the government to allow it to build more power stations.
But under the macroeconomic policy, the government decided that new power stations must be built by Black empowered businesses.
For that to work, the prices of electricity needed to increase to make it financially viable for the businesses.
The White Paper was accurate in predicting when the country would run out of power.
If the Eskom CEOs had signed the power purchase agreements, it would have brought online 5GW of renewables.

The current dilemma

This provided for a very large increase in the number of renewables and the closure of several coal-fired power stations.
But Mantashe later delayed the procurement of renewables, deepening the crisis at Eskom.
Dividing the utility up was approved in 2019 but the National Transmission Company was only set up in 2024.
Ramaphosa appointed an electricity minister, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, and released the Energy Action Plan to end power cuts.

Solutions

It dramatically increases the emphasis on gas – it is a gas infrastructure plan and South Africa doesn’t have much gas.
The country will have to import gas and pay in US dollars, thus increasing its dependence on the dollar.
Instead, South Africa needs to transition to renewable energy plus backup, which is batteries and a substantial gas reserve.

Mark Swilling is a Non-Executive Director of the Eskom National Transmission Company of South Africa. He writes in his academic capacity. He has received funding for his research from National Research Foundation, VW Foundation, Open Society Foundation and European Climate Fund.

‘We have thousands of Modis’: the secret behind the BJP’s enduring success in India

Retrieved on:

星期四, 四月 18, 2024

These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a likely third consecutive victory in the Indian general election, starting today.

Key Points:

These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a likely third consecutive victory in the Indian general election, starting today.
As part of my research on members of right-wing populist parties, I’ve conducted interviews with dozens of BJP party members and officials.
(They spoke to me on condition of anonymity, so are only represented by their first initial here).

A well-oiled campaign machine

Maintaining a large membership-based organisation provides the BJP with a campaign machine that has no equal in India.
The focus of this organisation is on the polling booth.
Each booth has ten women, and each woman is allotted 15 houses where they roam around for about three days [before election day].
The BJP is effectively engaging in micro-campaigning on a nationwide scale, and so gaining a significant advantage in mobilising voters.

Training members in Hindu nationalism

In addition, the BJP is the Indian party with the most well-defined ideological platform, which combines fervent Hindu nationalism with right-wing populism based on religious polarisation.
Its grassroots organisation enables the BJP to socialise and train its members in this ideology.
My research on both BJP party voters and members shows how these people hold right-wing populist attitudes and worldviews that closely match the party’s platform.
In the case of grassroots members, these ideologies are ingrained through an extensive training network.

Bringing welfare to the poor

Alongside Hindu nationalism, the expansion of welfare to hundreds of millions of low-income earners is another reason why Modi is so popular.
He always makes sure to put the words “prime minister” before the names of welfare programs and print his face on handouts.
When it comes to welfare program implementation, however, it is BJP party members who do the heavy lifting.
According to my interviews, this was the main activity of party members, whether in the form of cleaning the streets, distributing food or setting up bank accounts for the poor.

Party survival is a priority

Finally, the extensive grassroots party organisation enables the BJP to thrive by providing a steady source of candidates, officials and leaders.
Members affirmed that the BJP, contrary to other parties, is meritocratic when it comes to the distribution of offices.
As N., a Marathi car shop owner, explained:
The BJP is not dominated by one family.
Maintaining a large membership also facilitates the BJP’s survival in the long run.

Sofia Ammassari does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

It is industry, not government, that is getting in the way of a ‘just transition’ for oil and gas workers

Retrieved on:

星期四, 四月 18, 2024

Canada’s oil and gas sector is in the throes of profound change driven by shifting consumer demand and global commitments to dramatically lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Key Points:

Canada’s oil and gas sector is in the throes of profound change driven by shifting consumer demand and global commitments to dramatically lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
But are industry and politicians sincere in their affection for oil and gas workers?
Or, are energy workers merely a convenient vehicle to shield the industry from change that many Canadians believe is inevitable?

Picket lines

We found the company used expanding pipeline capacity and Canada’s emission reduction policies to justify its push to force workers to take concessions.
The lockout came to an end in June 2020 when Local 594 members ratified an agreement with FCL.

“Just” transition?

Just this month federal Conservatives, conservative provincial governments and protesters came out strong against the increase to the Trudeau government’s signature climate policy — the price on carbon.
The Liberal government has faced significant backlash against its other climate policies as well, including the oil and gas emissions cap.
Conservatives position themselves as the voice of fossil fuel workers, who they cast as victims of carbon pricing and other federal environmental policies.
Shuttered factories and their laid-off employees are victims of Liberal anti-oil policies, industry proponents insist.

Questions unanswered

Time and again governments, local police and courts advanced the interests of industry over those of unionized workers.
Or, will the inevitable winding down of extractive fossil fuel industries lead to acrimonious labour relations and social injustice?
The path designed by powerful oil and gas interests is not one that puts workers or communities first.

Emily Eaton receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
Andrew Stevens receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the University of Regina (U of R fund: Unifor Scholar in Labour Relations).