Dr Maybe comments

3 downvotes already? Are you seriously disputing that corruption & the LDP go hand in hand??

@Bertie

Don't forget that Kishida is at the top of the LDP. He's going down and taking the rest of the party with him.

I thought you'd been in this country for a number of years... No? Corruption and the LDP go hand in hand. This has been widely known for decades, but because of the advanced state of apathy, disinterest, cluelessness etc. in the general population this is a story that's set to be repeated ad infinitum. Change the face of the "contrite" soon-to-be-outgoing PM, and put the next set of corrupt fossils into place. Nothing changes. Surely Jeeves must have mentioned that once or twice while leaving your breakfast tray.

Yeah, you don't ask the drug dealer to stop dealing drugs. Just find a way to make them less relevant.

Exactly. This is the point.

Finding ways (there's not going to be one way, in my opinion) is the challenge. There are quite a few promising, embryonic and not-so-embryonic ideas out there. (Don't ask me to write an essay.) EV cars as we currently know them are probably not a major part of the answer. Different parts of the planet are going to come up with solutions that best match the conditions they have to work with. Parts of Australia (South Australia, for example), are having significant success with solar power these days.

Cities like Copenhagen are already doing brilliantly well with bicycles as the major source of commuter transport. That wouldn't work everywhere (although it would be nice to see a more serious effort made in that direction by those developed cities who could, in theory, move more positively in that direction... batteries that last for 2 years and make bicycles super easy to pedal have to be promoted more vigorously.) That would require MacDonalds junkies to rethink their lifestyles, get their massive a...s into some physical activity, etc. A big ask.

I really believe that there should be some discussion about the distinction between travel within & between cities. Most likely, public transport should eventually become the only option for city to city travel, with loads of cheap privately owned and rental options (not only bicycles) for getting around cities.

@Redemption

I don’t think the US could handle 4 more years of Trump.

The world can't handle 4 more more years of Trump! Climate disaster is right upon us now, and this "individual" (I want to use other words) is certain to green light fossil fuel friendly plans, etc. among his many other sickening acts.

That's missing the biggest point though, and I wish that more Americans would wake up to it. If this guy wins the next election, that's it for democracy in the US! Yes...really! The "New Republican Party" have been building such a lock over the electoral process, judiciaries etc. across the country that no other party will get elected again (until the people eventually take matters into their own hands). What kind of pathetic state the country/world will be in at that point is too depressing to contemplate.

AS already pointed out the Osprey has less accidents per flight hours than other craft.

Who is AS and, more importantly, where is the evidence for these claims?

Let's get things straight. The average Russian person is very decent, warm hearted, likable etc. I've spent a little time there, and I can state that for a fact. However, the average Russian has hardly ever known anything other than oppression & tyranny from above, to one degree or another. If you speak out, you risk paying the highest price. Everyone knows that.

These days the level of tyranny is getting "right up there". We're certainly not in Stalin territory yet, but it's pretty bad. Blatant murders of political opponents have been happening for many years. While Putin keeps his claws on the levers of power, Russia should NOT be invited to any international events, other than peace conferences, nuclear arms talks etc.

 If you're decrying the Osprey as overly dangerous and accident prone you don't know what you're talking about.

The jury is unconvinced. As others have suggested here, the Osprey seems to an unusually accident prone aircraft. "Death traps" would be another way of putting it. I don't see how you could dispute that. What are these "many" other traditional aircraft that have worse track records? Do you have any evidence to support such claims?

 love was all, one married whom one pleased...

I think "fashion was all" might be a better way of putting it. Yes, big weddings were "big" at the time, but I lived in Tokyo around the end of the 80s, and besides the "Christmas cake" line, another term I remember hearing a lot was "Narita divorce", which referred to the common phenomenon of couples returning from a miserable honeymoon abroad (having hardly known each other in the first place, more than likely) and racing to get a divorce asap.

Anyway, it looks like sanity is prevailing these days. Most young people feel less bothered about whether they get married or not, meeting societal expectations in that regard etc.

limit dining out to once a month at McDonald’s

Ugh! The misery...

I don't know why more young people don't move to the countryside. Property is dirt cheap. If you're prepared to get your hands dirty, there's a good life to be had in rural Japan. My guess is that more young people are going to start waking up to that soon.

I doubt it. She's intelligent.

It's not a genetic trait then, apparently.

Do explain her plan in an objective way, not just a diatribe.

Check it out yourself, if you weren't following the news at the time. Am I your mother?

You're basing your "argument" on the dubious premise that anthropogenic CO2 emissions is a significant problem.

The word "dubious" betrays you. God help us all.

the science of wishful thinking dominates leftist "economics". 

Oh, that lovely Liz Truss must have been a leftie then. Silly me. If you need an example of wishful thinking, her economic "plan" was a beauty. Nearly ruined the UK overnight. Have a sneaking suspicion she might be a Milei fan too.

letting individuals decide what is in their own best interests to the extent that doing so doesn't intentionally cause physical or economic harm to others.

Ha ha...laugh or you'll cry!

"The richest 1% of the global population are responsible for the same amount of carbon emissions as the world's poorest two-thirds, or five billion people, according to an analysis published on Sunday, November 19, by the nonprofit Oxfam International."

Private jets, yachts, and on & on... Yeah, they're deciding what's in their best interests all right. Too bad they're telling the rest of us at the same time we can all go .... ourselves.

One of Milei's policies is to end public education. With an uneducated population, you can do what you want. There won't be too much thinking going on any more. THAT'S the goal.

All those words and more words and I see nothing about murdering his own citizens who disagree with him?

This is the court of public opinion, not a court of law. You like to act as if it is, and pretend that that proves everything is okay. As I said, no one promises in advance to murder their own citizens.

No impartial observer could sit back and watch him trivialize the violence of past dictators, in fact praise them as "defenders of democracy" etc., and pretend that there's nothing to be concerned about.

I didn’t see that campaign promise. Link?

Strangely enough, I don't believe he came out and said I promise to "disappear" anyone I choose to. BUT...

During the campaign, Milei attacked some of the basic consensuses built after the end of the military dictatorship (1976-1983). The ultra-rightist and his future vice-president, Victoria Villarruel, question many of the agreements reached during the democratic transition and believe that in Argentina there is a “fraud” surrounding human rights. Both deny state terrorism during the dictatorship, which has been recognized by the justice system, and instead maintain that the systematic plan promoted by the military juntas was “a war” in which “excesses” were committed. Milei’s running mate also promotes what she calls “complete memory” and recently proposed dismantling the Museum and Site of Memory at the former ESMA naval academy, where the dictatorship’s largest detention and extermination center operated and which was declared a World Heritage Site in September.

https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-11-20/javier-mileis-proposals-for-argentina-economy-security-foreign-policy-and-human-rights.html#?rel=lom

When you plan to whitewash history, play down the brutality of a loathed dictatorship etc., you can see which way the wind is blowing. You choose not to notice, obviously.

He sure is triggering the left.

He triggers people who don't believe that murdering ones citizens is an acceptable response to those with opinions that differ from those of the ruler.

Socialism has failed Argentina, just like everywhere else. (except the elite)

Note to the mentally challenged. Socialism is (was...it hardly exists anymore) aimed reducing the extremes of economic inequality in society. The only ones who have anything to fear from it ARE the elite.

@John

This man is a sociopath and this is going to be an absolute feces-fest.

You are 100% correct, I'm afraid.

Well, they have always been seen as a bit of a basket case.

Not quite. Info like the below is at your fingertips, anytime.

"Argentina began the 20th century as one of the wealthiest places on the planet. In 1913, it was richer than France or Germany, almost twice as prosperous as Spain, and its per capita GDP was almost as high as that of Canada."

It's true that the outgoing government made some mistakes. A desire for change is understandable. But changing from pretty bad to disastrous is not a change worth making. Better to trust that decent people will improve their game, given time.

Milei is openly, unashamedly a fan of the military junta that ruled from 1976-83, killing thousands of its own citizens. Here's a taste of what he stands for, as described by a respected Argentinian author (By the way, note how words like "socialist" are trotted out by right wing nutters to describe pro-gay marriage/abortion views. So many people appear to have no clue what words like socialism or fascism actually mean. Take Thuban or Bass, for example):

Milei is often described as an outsider – but his revolutionary persona has been carefully crafted by one of the country’s richest men. Argentinian billionaire Eduardo Eurnekian plugged the wild-haired economist relentlessly on his A24 media network as an antidote to those he views as the dominant “political caste”. Milei has accused the Peronist establishment of being “socialist” because they had legalised gay marriage and abortion, put on trial and sentenced the perpetrators of Argentina’s genocidal 1976-83 dictatorship and threatened to impose new taxes on wealth.

Milei has pledged to review all these achievements, and has even proposed a referendum on the legality of abortion. His party is already working on slashing taxes as soon as it takes office next month, and he has signalled he may exonerate Argentina’s imprisoned dictatorship officers. During a presidential debate, he said that the military were guilty only of “excesses”.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/nov/21/argentina-new-leader-extreme-abortion-gay-rights-javier-milei

For at least the past 60-70 years, probably even from its very beginnings, foreign "aid" has more often than not been a scam, carried out for the benefit of the "donor" country. The US, at the height of its power, was the major practitioner of this kind of trick. (And yes Japan, we're looking at you too.)

If you're interested in learning more about this, I highly recommend "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man" by John Perkins, a US citizen directly involved in US projects of the BRI type in years gone by.

It just seems like China has decided to commit more energy to this in recent years, while the US withdraws somewhat. Is this a sign of an irrevocable shift in global power? Maybe. Too early to say for sure?

@Fighto

There is absolutely zero proof that the "vast majority" of indigenous Aussies supported this referendum. If anyone can demonstrate this, I'd love to see it.

Regions with a high proportion of Indigenous Australians overwhelmingly voted yes in the referendum – including the community where prominent no campaigner Jacinta Nampijinpa Price’s family is from.

The yes vote in polling catchments where Indigenous Australians formed more than 50% of the population was, on average, 63% in favour of enshrining an Indigenous voice to parliament, according to political analyst Simon Jackman, who estimated the proportion of Indigenous Australians at each polling area based on data from the 2022 election.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/oct/15/indigenous-communities-overwhelmingly-voted-yes-to-australias-voice-to-parliament

You're welcome.

@Jay

If Luxon is serious about putting New Zealand first for a change, then a big part of that would be to seriously RECONSIDER repealing the ban on foreign (re: Chinese) property buyers, which has devastated the real estate sector in Canada and Australia by pricing out many domestic buyers from the getting a foot in the property market door. Do not make that same mistake again.

Bloody hell! We actually agree on something Jay.

@Jay

Australians overwhelmingly support and recognize our indigenous, but we also need them to be treated equally.

Yes, exactly. Which is why the brutality they suffer at the hands of police and the "justice" system needs to be addressed. See communist pinko, tree-hugging, vax-loving Amnesty International analysis below:

https://www.amnesty.org.au/campaigns/indigenous-justice/?cn=trd&mc=click&pli=23501504&PluID=0&ord=%7Btimestamp%7D&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6KTlgJn3gQMVLsVMAh3NtwXlEAAYAiAAEgJx0PD_BwE

Also, they would actually quite prefer not to have their sacred sites blown up by mining companies. So if your definition of the meaningless word "woke" = seeing problems where there are none (because everything's just fine and dandy with the happy as Larry aborigines) then I most certainly am not "woke", because clearly there ARE BIG PROBLEMS.

Marcia Langton, noted Aboriginal academic, puts it best:

“It’s very clear that reconciliation is dead. A majority of Australians have said no to an invitation from Indigenous Australia, with a minimal proposition, to give us a bare say in matters that affect our lives, advice that doesn’t need to be taken by the parliament.”

There you go, that's the outrageous request they were making. Understand now? Scandalous, isn't it.

A misinformation campaign that spread through social media also sparked fear that the Voice - a purely advisory body - would become a third chamber of parliament, resulting in more federal aid to Aboriginal people, and more disputes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.

Fear and lies were always going to win the day. Many Australians are, sad to say, not too bright. (Communist this, Marxist that...give us a break!) On top of that, a significant minority are flat out racist.

A day of national shame. End of story.

Global leftism has long been leading the world down the wrong path and self-thinkers are growing in numbers.

Okay Randy. If you're a "self-thinker" you most certainly shouldn't be listening to rightists either, who want to suck every available dollar into the accounts of the already mega-wealthy. I guess I'll see you in the forest someday then. Let's share some freshly killed rabbit or deer, or whatever.

@Nonu6976

I also hope they inject hundreds of millions more into health care and simplify the process for getting houses built.

Nonu, that's NOT what the Nationals do! Ever! Learn about the politics of your country!

If you care about those sort of things, vote Labor/Hipkins.

@Keepyer Internetpoints

 I would not be surprised if Ardern is the most hated person in the country right now.

I can guarantee you that she is nowhere near the most hated person in the country right now. She has the little groups of radical lunatic haters on her back, which amount to a small percentage of the population, but overall she inmost definitely not hated. Some people might choose to vote for the other party (than the one she fronted), but she is respected on the whole (and rightly so).

Luxon, who served as chief executive of both Unilever Canada and Air New Zealand. Luxon has promised tax cuts for middle-income earners and a crackdown on crime.

Hipkins has promised free dental care for people younger than 30 and the removal of sales taxes on fruit and vegetables.

Those two little sound bites say so much...all you need to know really.

Luxon has a record of running a heartless multinational, in Unilever, which cares precisely f...all about the average person. Air NZ? Well, we've all seen how Alan Joyce (Qantas) just screwed Australian taxpayers for countless millions of dollars in personal gain, cheered on by the Conservative Morrison cluster.... party.

"Crackdown on crime"... ho hum... the kind of drivel these types always come out with. The equivalent of kissing a baby in the streets while trying to sway not-too-bright voters. They have no clue, or any interest in really knowing about, the causes or how to make it better. By trying to strike the "tough guy" pose, they always make it worse.

Hipkins mentions a couple of practical, not especially eye-catching, policy initiatives that would actually help the majority of the population. But will anyone notice? Hell no. Drowned out. Luxon money has bought the majority of media coverage.

@Jonathan Prin

Very harsh sentence.

Apparently you are unaware of the meaning of "suspended sentence". The moron got away with zero punishment, dude!

@Larr Flint

What a joke, another suspended sentence.

100% agree. It's a joke. I'm really sick of jerk-offs like this thinking they need to be "recognized". YouTubers suck. Massively.

Singapore gets a lot of criticism for its "draconian" laws, but let's be honest. Someone like this needn't be sent to prison, but still needs to pay a price! 10-20 forceful lashes with a whip across the back would be ideal.

Japanese are overwhelmingly in favor of capital punishment, as we all know. Let's be consistent and bring on some public floggings for selfish cretins like this!

On a side note (although part of the article):

Representative Nancy Mace told reporters she voted to remove McCarthy as speaker because he broke promises to her on improving access to birth control and supporting a bill she wrote on rape kits.

A woman who cares about women's reproductive rights, and she joins the Republicans? Not too bright.

@konjo4u

Kevin McCarthy is not a very likeable guy.

Wait until you see who they come up with next!! He was one of the relatively sane ones. Spineless, self-serving, but relatively sane.

@Andy

Referendums are divisive by nature

Rubbish. Referendums offer the chance to clear the air. They are only divisive if they are perceived as having been decided by lies and disinformation, which was clearly the case with Brexit, for example.

Australians will vote NO to help prevent further division.

Disinformation is increasingly turbo-charged, year by year, mostly by the right. Sadly, I suspect the vote WILL be NO, because of the fear caused by disinformation. It will have nothing to do with "preventing division". It will be precisely the opposite- because of the insidiousness of right wing "alternative facts" poisoning democracies around the world.

@GBR48

Agree with you that Brexit was a disaster. Shooting yourselves in the foot with a bazooka, basically.

Re the Voice (which entails an amendment to the Constitution), here's a word from the Australian Electoral Commission:

"The Constitution has a special status as it overrides all other laws and can't be changed by the Parliament of the day. While the Constitution enables Parliament to create or change laws (legislation), the Constitution itself can only be changed through a vote by the Australian people - a referendum.