Ownership of Aust media-

[sbs.com.au]

As to whether the similar front pages are spoof or not I cannot say - I have not wasted my money on newspapers for getting on 40 years now. Large blocks of my life have also been lived without television.

The cost of the submarines is now touted to be $AU368 billion
[abc.net.au]

And we don't have properly functioning - education & schools, ban on proselytising evangelicals - particularly American, doctors & hospitals, transport, local government, environment protection & control, international relationships, housing nor uncorruptible national government!

@FrayedBear It must be a luxury to hide out in Australia so that you don't have to be concerned with the frightening state of global relations! Most of the voters in my country like to remain ignorant of what's happening, and that's why we get presidents like Donald Trump! As George Santayana said "those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it." Ignoring the present is tantamount to "forgetting the past".

@FrayedBear Nor do we! I guess we're all doomed to repeat the past, or maybe we don't have a future! Or in some cases, "watching from down under".

@fishline79 Sadly Australian federal governments tend to do what they are told to by USA, UK or big business.

@fishline79 In a submission to the federal parliament on traditional & folk music I told them that "Only a fool discards his heritage without first finding its function, purpose & value". As usual I wasn't listened to.
Similarly of late on here I have been ostracised because I don't accept the generally held view that USA has nothing to do with having instigated the Ukrainian conflict.

@fishline79 No it's not a luxury it's proof of our powerlessness & inability to influence a supposed ally from pursuing its madness of destroying Russia & China. What makes you think that we are any less concerned than Americans?

@FrayedBear Just the fact that you assert that the US is plotting to destroy Russia and China is very revealing. I guess you are also in favor of Putin's plan to restore the former Soviet Union by invading Ukraine and eventually the former Soviet countries which are now part of Europe and NATO. China is also "saber rattling" with regard to Taiwan and emboldening N.Korea to continue the dangerous practice of testing missiles in a southerly direction. I don't deny that the US has engaged in aggressive and hegemonic practices but our purpose there is to protect the NATO Alliance from Russian hegemony. Russia under the madman, Putin is causing worldwide inflation and economic disaster and threatening the world with mutually insured destruction. Now China, too, is emboldened to regain their former Maoist state. Shi Jin Ping is trying to remake himself into Mao Tse Tung, just as Putin wants to be Stalin. These are dangerous times and sticking your head in the sand gains you nothing. Obviously there is no good answer to all this, but I would not dump all the blame on the USA! I think the fault for all of this lies with computers and the advent and takeover of all systems by cyber technology and the "Worldwide Web and Social Media". In short, we may be once again on the cusp of "Armageddon". It is no coincidence that banks are beginning to fail, beginning with a Silicone Valley bank! The "Tech Industry" is beginning to crumble, and will take EVERYTHING that depends on it along.

@FrayedBear I'm sorry to say I agree with them. I that's what you think you had better hope Trump gets elected again because he will pull us out of NATO. Many of us "Liberals" believe he owes everything he has become to Putin and, like Putin, he is dedicated to destroying our "democratic" system. Our country is being run by a small faction of the erstwhile "Republican" party, international industrialists and "Christian Conservatism".

@FrayedBear At least your Prime Minister had the gonads to stop gun proliferation, but I guess you disagree with that. There are so many right-wingers in this country we could arm the world. (which we do!)

@FrayedBear I only said that because it seemed that was what you were implying. In this case I don't agree.

@fishline79 "Russia under the madman, Putin is causing worldwide inflation and economic disaster and threatening the world with mutually insured destruction."
Madman? He must be. Why else does he put up with US origined behaviour to occassion the economic downfall of Russia? Didn't the Clinton woman advocate that the ukrainian situation be created to destabilise Russia just as Americans instigated & provoked the Russian invasion of Afghanistan then Ukraine?

When will you understand that the Chinese in Taiwan are themselves johnny come lately colonisers who ousted FNP just as Americans ousted N.American FNP?

NATO is no longer an alliance of free thinking nations. It has become a bunch of US sychophants indoctrinated & conned by the US into fighting US proxy wars for the likes of Halliburton.

There are many who belief that Howard's gun control laws were the result of government conspiracy that saw the blame for the murder of many at a tourist resort laid at the feet of a retarded man used as a scapegoat. Personally I do not condone or see the necessity for gun ownership. If guns are needed and sufficient think like you the group will obtain them from army & police armouries around the country. The change in law merely removed guns from those who would never use them. The rest buried them. Yes we have fascist nuts in Australia also. We also have a lot of people who will say "she'll be right mate. Pass the bowl"

@fishline79 I hope that you have read & understood Professor Cipolla's 5 Basic Laws of Human Stupidity. If you have you will understand that there is no benefit from the US behavior toward the rest of the world.

@FrayedBear I'm afraid we'll never agree on this one. Maybe it's better to stick to music. I think you are doing too much conspiracy theorizing Social Media.

@FrayedBear If you insist on reverting to colonialization of one part of the world by another, why don't you go back to what England did to the indigenous peoples of Australia and New Zeeland. I'm talking twenty-first century here. Give me a break!