A Spiritual War

 

Hunted down, I came upon
A place of ferns and grass
Gathered to a redbud tree
And now their footsteps pass
Where I crouch in dread
Discovery my certain death
Her leaves reaching for my head
As I suspend my breath

Redbud tree, shelter me, shelter me

Redbud tree, shelter me, shelter me

Those days of fear are gone
Yet I am pledged to her
As to my only one
My lovely protector

Redbud tree, shelter me, shelter me
Redbud tree, shelter me, shelter me
Redbud tree, shelter me, shelter me
Redbud tree, shelter me, shelter me

Mark Knopfler 

Turbulence. Let's blow stuff up. Some of those who were gathering on that valley flank were already old, and were meeting for the last time. They had grown fat and comfortable in their feudal valleys, used to command. Their armour barely fitted them anymore. Others had their whole lives in front of them. 

We haven't been human for such a long time, some of them said to him, as they had done before in the oddest of circumstances. In a profane world, where gatherings and celebrations were all akin to a flame of light, where darkness was dispelled, where world events, and the massive theatre of American politics, barely trod, reached, filtered through to them in this still remote place. 

How they knew to gather there was a mystery, much like the mystery of how birds on the coast knew to fly inland when the desert lakes filled, coming into myriad life. 

We celebrate. We are anew. We knew you were here and then lost. We came not to save but to venture, for it was a human weakness, this desperate need for shelter, for protection. Shelter me, shelter me. As the song had so often gone. 

But this was not a time for that sort of weakness. This was a time to re-clad armour, to be born anew, to rise up, to show strength, to gather in force, to venture out across those choppy waves and silent valleys, hidden from human view, this was a time when the local politics was putrid, as they had so often been, but more putrid, involving more numbers, and as the future historians would refer to it, late stage democracy where the left was in turmoil and the traditional corporate greed which characterised so many of their number, particularly in Australia, was decimated in the face of populist revolt. 

For you, they, had ignored the people who paid their wages, and faced the so-called meek, the guileless, the unsophisticated, and those with whom they had treated with such contempt, now held sway. And all their corporate manifestos, their political strategy documents, all fell by the wayside. And in Australia, where every toad had risen to the top of the pond, well beneath the surface the provoked, the enslaved, stirred restlessly, expressed their contempt and resignation, and in a moment became a flashpoint the powerful could no longer ignore. So it was, so it would be, so it had always been, these currents of history. Rise up. 

Or as Donald J Trump had put it so dramatically in footage of his assassination attempt seen by hundreds of millions, perhaps billions: Fight, fight, fight!!!

HEADLINES

ABC

ACTU suspends construction division of CFMEU as steps taken to appoint independent administrator to clean up union

SBS

Exclusive footage shows children being placed in isolation cells in Queensland

CCTV footage obtained by Guardian Australia and SBS The Feed shows a 13-year-old Indigenous girl being put into an isolation cell at a Cairns watch house. She struggles with police and tries to escape, until her arm is caught in the door.

GUARDIAN AUSTRALIA

Anthony Albanese has narrowed the scope of new policy announcements to political essentials only, telling ministers before the mid-year budget update that they can seek funding for measures that fulfil election promises and nothing more.

Guardian Australia has confirmed that Albanese wrote to his ministers last week, making it clear that election promises are now the sole priority for any new funding in the budget update, due by mid December but possibly sooner. Everything else approved but not yet funded will have to wait – possibly until a second term.

SKY NEWS AUSTRALIA

United States Ambassador Kevin Rudd has praised Donald Trump’s policy platform as “sharper and clearer” than when he was first elected.

 

The kind words by Mr Rudd marked a significant change in language about Trump, who the former prime minister had previously labelled “the most destructive president in history”.

 

In an exclusive Sky News Australia interview between Mr Rudd and his US Ambassador predecessor Joe Hockey from the sidelines of the Republican National Convention, Mr Rudd also praised Trump’s election campaign for demonstrating “discipline”.

SPECTATOR AUSTRALIA

These pro-Palestinian protests relate to matters which are outside the power of the Australian government. Certainly, the government could accede to demands to recognise Palestine, to condemn Israel and so forth. But none of these measures would have the slightest effect in the Middle East. Israel is fighting for its very survival.

They do not represent the genuine interests of Australian taxpayers. They are grotesque, self-indulgent and dangerously divisive street theatre. But it’s not just the offence to, and intimidation of, our Jewish community that is problematic. Encouraged by hate preachers and emboldened by useful idiots from our Marcuse-corrupted institutions, these protestors seem determined to entrench themselves as a despised minority in a country that has given them a home.  That is a recipe for disaster. These protests are not an expression of differing political opinion but a flaunting of values that are inimical to those upon which Australia was built. They are effectively a declaration of war on the West and its values. And, worse, they are taking many of our youth with them.

MACRO BUSINESS

Finally, the next chart plots all three series against Australia’s annual population growth, which was 651,200 in the year to December 2023 (latest available):

As you can see, a record gap has emerged between population demand and housing supply, meaning the rental crisis will roll on.