By Tim Dixon
Is anybody else frustrated? I am. Allow me to vent mine, in a rambling sort of way:
Yeah, OK… we are here… somehow, a US president of a right-wing variety has convinced his right-wing base that a communist Russian dictator is the way to go. Every president since the beginning of the Cold War who is no longer with us must be turning in their graves. And those who are with us; Bush, Clinton, Obama and a Biden – are they complicit due to incredibly weakness in allowing the Russian bear to roar. And roar. And keep roaring?
Back home, changing the subject for a while, Paul Keating pokes his head up every now and then, and says that Albanese is a dunce for staying in bed with the US, ie. AUKUS (a Morrison balls up) … is he somehow the only “man of steel” left on the geopolitical stage? The original “man of steel” – little Johnny Howard – HATED the communist state of Russia and Putin in particular… not a whisper, not a word from him.
I need to say this, as I feel it hasn’t been articulated enough… how can a complete moron (yep, I’m talking about Trump) front up to a press conference and be swooned upon from the attending press as a “leader” of men going into this next geopolitical landscape – that he has HIMSELF created – how is the US allowing this, how can people who must have shown some kind of political acumen to be even ELECTED allow this rubbish to continue?
Trump has no redeeming features, his MAGA cult have no redeeming features, unless hate, racism, sexism is your ilk. But here we are, and even in Australia we have an insipid Labor government, who can’t even go to the toilet without looking at the polls, supporting (evidenced by their lack of condemnation) the IDF ‘genocide’ in Gaza… AUKUS is somehow a wonderful way forward. A US government that is threatening almost all of its historical allies (beieve me, they’ll get to us eventually), and destroying hundreds of years of democratic parliamentary and constitutional and judicial practice.
It makes me laugh to read supposedly decent news sites, who every now and then MAY post something like “are we approaching a constitutional crisis” … for god sake … that ship sailed a month ago… so they then get all entangled about oh dear, “Trump has done this”, or “Trump threatens to do this”. What a load of bollocks. He’s already done it, and the US as we used to know it has gone. Not thinking of being gone, or “waiting” to see what Trump will do next. Forget it. It’s gone.
And the sad thing is that every media, every democrat in the house, still thinks it can be saved by using the same means that Trump has already burnt to the ground. The courts have been compromised, the Congress is owned by Trump and the GOP no longer exists.
If you are worried about what could happen going forward… it’s already too late… it’s already happening, and we’ve done nothing to stop it.
Also by Tim Dixon: Labor’s mandate: a chance for revolution or a missed opportunity?
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Absolutely! Scares the shit out of me where the world might be heading? In Oz, we need to desperately stop the right wing BS. For example, the US right wing Atlas Network is active, with its affiliates, like the IDU, Advance, IPA, CIS, etc. Voters urgently need to see through their fake wars etc, and fake outrage.
I used to think that morality and virtue are, at least somewhat, relative. No more. The emergence of genuine Evil here and abroad has lifted the scales.
We are in a conflict for the soul of humanity (words my atheist self never thought would come from me) and the Blitzkrieg tactics of the cults aligned against the good and decent are working. May you live in interesting times…
“A communist Russian dictator”??? Tsar Putin may be a devious, murderous tyrant but Russian Communism died in 1991…
we should be very very afraid of giving Dutton ANY hint that he has support, he will use Trump’s playbook to destroy us and we’ll go down harder than the US. Stop him NOW while we still can.
we can’t do anything for the US, except let those who would like to come here become citizens immediately
I agree with nearly all of the authors conclusions except for one. Russia did not start the war with Ukraine. Even the Pope has 4 times blamed the US and the west.
You might like to read the following that confirms that it was Zelenski a US puppet that started it. https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/02/10/ukraine-zelensky-minsk-peace-russia/
Understand that the US is going is going to provoke a war with China, and the US knows Russia will back China and the Ukraine provoked war is to weaken Russia militarily.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/30/russia-ukraine-war-kiev-conflict
There should be many paranoid Anglosphere (ultra)conservatives in or retired from politics, media, security services etc.
One glaring example was the UK ‘Conservatives for Russia’ due to the attraction of Putin’s white Christian nationalist policies including church, state, military, oligarchy, autocracy and anti-centrist positions on women, minorities, non right wing parties, media etc.
Two examples have been both Howard and Abbott offshore, the latter via Danube Institute in Hungary of PM ‘mini Putin’ Orbán and thr former too with ARC Alliance for Responsible Leadership.
ARC, like the ‘intellectual dark web’ or ‘manosphere’ has Jordan Peterson on its advisory board with Howard and Abbott, but he has been cited in Canada with former Fox presenter Tucker Carlson, as a Russian asset.
The Danube Inst. is a fulcrum representing US fossil fuel and white Christian nationalist influence versus the west.
Supported by a foundation (allegations of Russian funds), related to the Hungarian MCC (promotes opposition to the EU), partnered with the Atlas-Koch Heritage Foundation which is anti-Ukraine, has Opus Dei influence and with anti-immigrant Tanton Network, joint Project2025.
According to SPLC Tanton got to Abbott’s boss O’Sullivan in the naughties via mutual chum Brit born Peter Brimelow, who popped to the surprise of Fox News normies, reporting directly to Murdoch; Tanton’s mob is behind MAGA and their Stephen Miller, Dep CoS of Trump, is also a protagonist for Putin’s Russia.
SPLC 30 Nov 2008 ‘Courting Conservatives. Peter Brimelow was a respectable, albeit hard-line, conservative commentator. Then he met nativist John Tanton’
https://www.splcenter.org/resources/reports/courting-conservatives/
Max Gross and Thomas Brookes, thanks for those corrections.
“Anthony Albanese says he is confident that the US would defend Australia if it were to come under attack…” The Donald might but there would be a big bill for their services, “Cash please, or how about a hefty chunk, à la Ukraine, of your oil and mineral wealth. Better yet become another state of the great US.”
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/feb/24/albanese-confident-us-would-come-to-australias-defence-in-event-of-attack
In the interests of peace in Ukraine and a settlement with Putin, President Trump said on Monday (24 February 2025) that Russian President Vladimir Putin will accept European peacekeeping troops in Ukraine as part of a potential peace deal to end the three-year-old war.
“Yeah, he will accept that. I’ve asked him that question,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office while hosting French President Emmanuel Macron.
“Look, if we do this deal, he’s not looking for more war. He doesn’t mind,” Trump added.
“But I’ve specifically asked him that question. He has no problem with it.”
If Trump doesn’t later deny what he has said and if Putin agrees that this is his position, then we have an opportunity for peace in Ukraine with a European peacekeeping force on the ground and the probability of Ukraine joining the European Community [but not NATO].
Sounds positive to me !
I’ve dealt with the “coup” claims elsewhere, suffice to say that the facts don’t support the claim.
However, it is important to reflect on the actual words Merkel used.
It wasn’t sabotage, it was that Merkel knew Putin could not be trusted
*”It is a matter of great sorrow that it didn’t succeed, but I don’t blame myself now for trying,” Merkel said.
She defended the 2015 peace agreement that she and then-French President Francois Hollande brokered in Minsk, Belarus, aimed at easing fighting in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russian-backed separatists.
Merkel conceded that it didn’t fulfill all of Ukraine’s interests and that few people stand by it now, with some saying it was badly negotiated.
“But at the time it brought calm and, for example, it gave Ukraine a great deal of time — seven years namely — to develop into what it is today,” she said. If there had been no intervention at the time, she added, “Putin could have wrought gigantic damage in Ukraine.”*
A Comentator,
The US State Department’s Victoria Nuland, Blinken, Sullivan and the others responsible for engineering the coup in Ukraine, made no effort to deny it nor conceal it. They even boasted about it. And of course Victoria Nuland’s infamous phone call in which we hear her deciding who was going to serve in the Ukrainian government has gone all round the world. They were so very proud of their murderous coup. Coups are what the US brazenly does. They don’t do diplomacy they do regime change, and all the facts do support the claim that they were behind the Ukraine Coup as well as the subsequent action to provoke Russia into a military reaction so that Russia could be accused of ‘unprovoked’ aggression and blamed for the war that the US, with the collaboration of its NATO gang of psychophants, planned, incited, nurtured, sustained and escalated at every opportunity until Biden was removed from office.
Project Ukraine was supposed to extend Russia, that is to say to weaken Russia through economic sanctions and military action. They even commissioned a report by the Rand Corporation called ‘Extending Russia’ that lays out all the various methods that were employed to isolate Russia on the world stage, by provoking a war to deplete Russia’s military capacity and the use sanctions to destroy its economy with the ultimate aim of bringing about regime change in Moscow through the suffering of the ordinary Russian people which was always to be blamed on Putin. It backfired disastrously, as political commentators like Noam Chomsky and John Pilger always said it would.
AC, you can kid yourself that the US wasn’t behind the coup, but you can’t rely on any genuine facts to support your denial of reality. This isn’t Putin’s narrative of the war. It is the US State Departments narrative as expressed in their ‘Extending Russia’ Report. They just forgot to report that it was never going to succeed.
B. Sullivan,
Evidence to back up your opinions might be advisable otherwise you’ll come across as a bit of a conspiracy nutter.
GL, you are correct.
When expressing opinions on serious matters it’s best to provide evidence in support.
In fairness to Sully, he did refer to the significance of the Rand report, but a link to it would have been handy and given it credibility.
Those interested need only do a search for “Rand report 2019”
It’s not technical, an easy short read, and worth the effort.
A two thirds majority of the Ukraine Rada is required for impeachment.
I haven’t referred to impeachment.
Yanukovych abandoned his office, when he could not longer rely on the suppression of mass public protests (by police, military and his security)
As he abandoned his office, he was incapable of carrying out the responsibilities and functions of President.
The Ukraine parliament formally took control, called for a new election, about 2 months out.
The Putin apologists never dealt with-
° The fact that the Ukraine protests were hugely supported, probably the biggest in contemporary Europe
° Each public reaction can be traced to the duplicity and hubris of Yanukovych
° The public knew all about Russian domination and interference, they didn’t wish to return to being subjected to it
° Even Russia recognised the legitimacy of the government that succeeded Yanukovych in May 2014
For one brief moment AC was forced to provide evidence for his claims.
That went right against the grain.
Now, he reverts back to his normal nebulous nonsense for which he gives no evidence.
None of his comment can be believed until credible evidence is given.
Careful readers will also note that AC refuses to accept a Kiev court investigation that took years to complete. And tries to divert from his falsification of history with irrelevant ramblings about the size of the protests, Yanukovych’s hubris, and public perceptions of which he knows nothing.
It’s time for him to put up or shut up.
In regard to the need for AC to provide evidence for his latest claims, I note also that AC has not defended the credibility of his previous chosen support sources. Because they have no credibility. His sources are from 2014, they published unsubstantiated material at the time, (check them out, you’ll see what I mean) and that material has been overturned by the Kiev court decision. Yanukovych did not order police to fire on protesters, but you will not see AC admit that.
AC is treating readers with disrespect.
1/. I think any informed individual could list a dozen contentious (political and non political) decisions made by courts when the judicial officers are appointed by politicians.
This happened in Ukraine too.
2/. When, through their own choices, actions and decisions an office holder places themselves in circumstances where they are unable to carry out the duties, functions and responsibilities of their office , if they abandon it, they have effectively resigned. This is regardless of whether they have formally offered a resignation.
Actions amount to resignation and/or abandonment, not just words.
This applies to Yanukovych, and the Ukraine Rada took the steps necessary to resolve this.
They didn’t impeach Yanukovych, and I haven’t suggested they did.
The humiliation of Zelensky at the White House a few hours ago holds some lessons for Australian politicians.
There is no such thing as an equal partnership with the US.
If you enter into a military alliance with the US, you act on their orders.
This applies no matter who sits in the Oval Office.
Zelensky’s future looks shaky.
Albo, Dutton, and any Oz politicians in the future who aspire to a leadership position should take note.
VP Vance to Ukraine President Zelensky : Welcome to the White House also known as the Cuckoo’s Nest. President Trump awaits in the Oval Office also known as the padded room.
You don’t pick your nose do you ? Only we had a kid here who left boogers on the President’s desk and he got mad.
No I don’t and I don’t want to go among mad people,” Zelensky replied.
“Oh, you can’t help that,” said VP Vance: “we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad and Donald is certifiably mad.”
“How do you know I’m mad?” said Zelensky.
“You must be,” said VP Vance, “or you wouldn’t have come here.”
Apologies to Lewis Carroll
I was awake and hearing the Trump/Zelensky blathererbash live, which would sicken a vomit eating grub. Trump is beyond awful, a shame and disgrace, uncivilised and so inadequate by every measure. Terry M. is on track to perceive that insanity and unfitness remain to curse the USA, us, and many to become victims or vanquished. Misfit Musk just oozes (bumbooms)…and nightmares of Adolf and Josef have barely faded…
Phil, you’re quite right, it was certainly a brutal exercise of power.
But we must not forget that the principles behind that exercise of power are a consistent element of US political culture.
This was so blatant that all allies of the US should be trying to figure out ways to protect themselves from their protector.
Horry clap! The hold over The Donald by Putin is incredible.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/28/trump-russia-hacking-cyber-security
All Donald really now wants is for Zelensky to crawl back to him on hands and knees and beg forgiveness as he kisses the Orange Messiah’s shoes.
https://thehill.com/policy/international/5170418-zelensky-no-apology-trump-russia-ukraine-spat/
Trump and Steve are in the same side regarding Russia and Ukraine
Steve if you’re intent on criticising me for not loading my comments with links, you should check that yours work in a way to support your contention
You cited the Ukrainian district court. Did you check where this ranks in the judicial hierarchy? Probably not. And I’ve outlined the legitimate reasons the Ukraine Rada acted.
Yanukovych abandoned his office, he chose to place himself in a position where he could not meet his responsibilities and duties
Abandonment of a post equals resignation
Trump has proven to be an absolute disgrace, he has single handedly undermined Australian confidence in the US alliance. My view is that Republicans will turn on him before the mix term elections. But that might be wishful thinking.
AC just cannot help himself.
He inhabits a universe where a court decision is meaningless.
A Kyiv court (Sviatoshyn District Court) found after a lengthy investigation that Yanukovich did not order police to fire on protesters. The court found also, that the firing came from buildings occupied by ultra-nationalists.
Those who were shot and survived gave evidence to the court as to where the attacks came from, but that testimony is irrelevant to AC, because he knows more than those who were present at the time.
If the court decision was as insignificant as AC would have us believe, then there was no need for the decision to be covered up by the news media. It was covered up because it was significant.
AC has stated that Yanukovych gave the order. The court decision shows AC’s claim to be false.
The court decision stands.
AC’s position on this is deplorable.
As for AC clinging to the claim that “Yanukovych abandoned his office”, he in fact fled for his own safety.
That is the very definition of a coup.
Speaking of which, the coup was assisted by American neocons, including Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Victoria Nuland, who told Ukrainian business leaders that the United States had invested $5 billion in their “European aspirations.”
In the weeks before the coup, according to an intercepted phone call, the existence of which has not been denied by the US, Nuland discussed with U.S. Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt who should lead the future regime. Nuland said her choice was Arseniy Yatsenyuk. “Yats is the guy,” she told Pyatt as he pondered how to “midwife this thing.”
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26079957
And who became Prime Minister after the coup?
You guessed it.
Yep. It was a coup alright.
AC, you do seem to have some very reliable sources?
They probably rule that an investigation by the Israel government into the “invasion” by Hamas was a complete surprise. An intelligence failure, oh dear.
And Russia blew up NS1&2.
But the beautiful thing about this site is that they allow all comers
“AC keeps these discussions going so long…”
Says Steve with his fingers permanently hovering over the keyboard