the website of author Greg R. Parker
It is now well understood that this pandemic has exposed the weaknesses in our ecomonic systems as well as in our supporting infrastructure. It was also understood early in the year that some form of temporary UBI would be needed. The call now is to make these temporary measures permanent. […]
Western democracies, and as far as can be ascertained, most closed societies, despite knowing more pandemics would come, failed not only to build on existing preparedness, but actually cut funding, This happened in Australia under the Abbott government who cut funding to the CSIRO and its Australian Animal Health Laboratory in Geelong (now named The Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness).
The fake news being spread about the virus is doing just as much, if not more damage than the virus itself (notwithstanding the deaths). The virus will eventually run its course. The damage done by the campaigns of disinformation, gleefully published as legit news by the Murdoch empire and friends and spread even further via social media, will leave a more lasting and damaging scar on the public psyche.
The recent news that all charges were dismissed by the court in the case of the alleged pedophile circus training center in the Blue Mountains comes as no surprise.
With the benefit of hindsight, you can see the incremental legislative shifts toward the tar-pit heart of darkness where democracies go to die.
In the wake of the wholly inadequate response by the Federal government to the unfolding and worsening bush fire crisis across the country, PM Scott Morrison announced a two billion dollar rural rebuilding fund.
