Happy New Year, hopefully.
The first piece (of two) this month argues the West is continuing to futz around while Trump continues his destructive rampage both inside and outside America. Australia, so far, has also been too timid to caution this Administration for fear of attracting the President’s wrath.
Lying low, however, is not the way to advance our Country’s best interests……….
The second piece asks you to score Beyond the Spin’s predictions made last January for 2025. It’s rare to have the chance to review year-ago forecasts here’s your opportunity to do so……….
As always your feedback is welcome.
(Note: past, living US Presidents not already at the barricades need not apply)
The three wise men of Biblical fame paid homage to baby Jesus at Christmas because his birth presaged a new age of love and peace. They brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The three mad men of 2026 bring no gifts to the world. They promise nothing but chaos, the probability of war, impoverishment and death.
America, under Trump, has switched sides. No longer is the US the shining light on the hill – the champion of democracy. It just joined the gang of marauders and latter-day imperialists by attacking Venezuela to secure that country’s oil reserves.
Trump threatens to embark on similar mafia like adventures in Greenland ,Panama, Colombia, Cuba and (maybe) Mexico. Trump’s rationale? He says it’s in America’s interests (meaning his and super rich acolytes’ interests) to do so.
In other words, if you have the military power and want it, take it. That attitude not only highlights the President’s moral vacuity it demonstrates his blindingly psychotic narcissism. He seeks nothing beyond his never-ending desire for self-aggrandisement .
Unfortunately Trump’s behaviour also has frightening real world consequences. Amongst the most important of those consequences is his megalomaniacal behaviour serves to legitimise Putin’s attack on Ukraine, Xi’s promise to annex Taiwan and Netanyahu’s occupation and de-Arabisation of Gaza and the West Bank.
Trump has now become the pin up boy of the authoritarian set of bullies who seek to dominate the world. As an ally of America Australia has to accept the fact this President is mad, bad and dangerous to know. He is making the world a place that is dismissive of countries like ours.
It is not in Australia’s long-term interest to ‘hide’ in an attempt to avoid attracting his wrath by saying anything that might upset him, hoping that the next US President will reverse the suicidal course Trump is on. Such a tactic is not only likely to fail it is also cowardly in that it leaves our European and Asian allies to do the fightback work for us.
This is one time in history when Australia should be brave enough to tell America and Americans where we stand, that we stand with our other allies in defence of democratic values and a peaceful international order, that we do not support the proposition those with the biggest weaponry are at liberty to act without constraint in their own interests even if it means denying others the rights they insist on for themselves……that we believe in the opening lines of the American Declaration of Independence (1776), to wit “we believe these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal”.
If we fail to stand for what we believe in, we will lose the right to determine our own future as a nation. As Edmund Burke long ago reminded us ‘all it takes for bad men to succeed is for good men to say nothing’.
Prediction 1.
“Israel wins its war but loses the peace”.
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan looks at notes as he delivers remarks during a United Nations Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East.
Prediction 2.
“No matter which party wins the next election Australians are in for hard times”.
Prediction 3.
“Trump will fail to end the Russian-Ukraine war within a year, yet alone (as boasted) on the first day of his second term as US President”.
Prediction 4.
“If you expect currently high, inflationary prices are going to retreat to what they were a few years ago, you’re in for a big disappointment”.
Prediction 5.
“There are few signs the many tribes of our human family are getting any better at living together over time. We are always in conflict with each other. All of us should turning our minds to thinking why this is so ….before it’s too late .
