Ashley – Pieces of Resistance

Australian politician’s idea of ‘fair and balanced reporting’

24 February 201824 February 2018 by Ashley

On 14 February 2018, Andrew Hastie, member for Canning and Chairman of the Parliamentary Joint Committee for Intelligence and Security, penned an opinion piece for The Australian titled ‘Iranian slander against Israel goes unchallenged on ABC.’¹ The article relates to an interview the ABC’s Fran Kelly conducted with Mohammad Marandi, a Professor of North American Studies at the University of Tehran, on the Israeli airstrikes on Syria (occurred 11 Feb 2018).² Hastie’s main point is to criticise the ABC for only interviewing Marandi on the topic, airing ‘no counter-argument,’ and failing to have ‘fair and balanced reporting.’³ Throughout the article Hastie makes it clear he is no fan of Marandi or Iran. Likewise, he makes it clear he is a fan of Australia’s close and growing relations with Israel, perhaps indicating he is not unbiased himself.

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Colonisation was not ‘a good thing’

24 January 201824 January 2018 by Ashley

There is currently a debate in Australia about holding Australia Day on 26 January, the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet – the first shipment of colonists and convicts from Great Britain, who founded the colony of New South Wales in 1788 – and whether Australia Day should be moved to another date.

Australia Day is supposed to be a day on which all Australians celebrate as a national community. However, 26 January marks the day the British began colonising an already inhabited land, and not all descendants of those indigenous people feel 26 January is a day to celebrate.

Although a recent poll found many Australians would not mind if the date changed,¹ the defence of keeping the date as 26 January is led by the Murdoch media and its allies – most notably conservative politicians like former Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

On 23 January 2018, Abbott made this statement regarding Australia Day:

I would argue that what happened on the January 26, 1788 was on balance for everyone, Aboriginal people included, a good thing because it brought Western civilisation to this country, it brought Australia into the modern world.

Australia was not brought into the modern world; European settlers from the other side of the globe forcefully and violently brought the modern world to Australia. Western civilisation, at that time based on a settler-colonial system which exploited indigenous populations in India, the Americas, Africa, and Asia, was forced onto the Aboriginal people, and where they resisted they were displaced or killed.

That Abbott and many in the media can dismiss those facts and their ramifications, and see the arrival of the British as ‘a good thing’ even for Aboriginals, surely displays their worldview, one predicated on the superiority, righteousness and infallibility of Western (and especially British) civilisation.

If Martians stole the Earth, imposed their law, banned our culture, called us miserable wretches and killed nearly every one of us, would we doubt they were invaders or celebrate the day they arrived? ²

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Old and worn out: Sheridan’s points against recognising a Palestinian state

13 July 2017 by Ashley

On 4 July 2017 The Australian published an opinion piece by Greg Sheridan (Foreign Editor) “Labor’s Palestinian shift wrong and bad politics, too.”¹ The article targeted the proposed resolution by New South Wales Labor demanding federal Labor recognise a Palestinian state. Sheridan puts forth the argument this move is politically and perhaps morally wrong, citing several reasons why, which are all familiar Zionist talking points. Below I will rebut the points Sheridan uses to support his argument, showing it is he who is wrong on both accounts.

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Drowning in fake news on Syria

20 December 2016 by Ashley

We are witnessing an unprecedented level of fake news and propaganda regarding the war on Syria.¹ The level and pitch of fake stories has increased as the Syrian army overruns the rebels occupying East Aleppo. This likely reflects last ditch attempts from the rebels (and their State supporters) of eliciting the protection of the “international community” through shocking it into action.

It is obvious Western media is biased in this regard, unquestioningly repeating those and similar claims and disregarding reports from Syrian and Russian officials, even dismissing those as propaganda.²

Placing democracy in the too-hard basket

5 July 20155 July 2015 by Ashley

Democracy is proclaimed to be one of the great traditions of the Western world. It is a system often promulgated as a universal right, and is lauded as a building block for a modern nation.

However, at the Eurogroup Meeting on the 27th June 2015, the mask came off and the European elite revealed what they truly think of democracy.

Dismantling the sectarian narrative

30 May 20161 May 2015 by Ashley

In recent years the media tend to portray conflicts in the Middle East along sectarian lines, Sunni vs Shia. Some examples:

Syria is explained by Sunni being sick of the ruling Alawi (which they portray as Shia)
Iraq as Sunni being fed up with the Shia government
The rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran as religious conflict, Sunni vs Shia

When highlighting this apparent cause of conflict, the media often points to its origin, citing the early Muslims’ disagreement over Muhammad’s successor and the battle of Karbala. According to the narrative, the conflict started 1400 years ago and has been going ever since (it’s no wonder the Middle East is such a mess!). This portrayal is simplistic and ignores many other factors, including national/political, class, and neo- and post-colonialism.

Yemen highlights double standards (did we expect anything else?)

5 July 20151 April 2015 by Ashley

The recent military action against Yemen by Saudi Arabia, which is supported by the USA, highlights the double standards the West applies to the countries of the Middle East (and the world in general). Below are some recent examples, from the point of view of the West or their regional allies and using Yemen as a comparison.

Arab nations to create joint military force: Audacity, irony, or sick joke?

30 May 201631 March 2015 by Ashley

Arab leaders at a summit in Egypt announced the formation of a unified military force to counter growing security threats from Yemen to Libya, and as regional heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Iran engage in sectarian proxy wars.¹

Audacity: forming a unified military force involving 10 countries, 100 aircraft, and 150,000 soldiers to counter security threats when for years the same countries sat on their hands while fellow Arab nations Syria and Iraq were being destroyed by armed conflicts.

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Australia’s incremental steps to war: Part 2

5 July 20154 March 2015 by Ashley

On 11 October 2014 I wrote an article ‘Australia’s Incremental Steps to War,’ which analysed the Australian government’s gradual escalation to committing troops to fight Daesh in Iraq. I concluded with this:

The government’s expansion of Australia’s involvement in Iraq from humanitarian aid drops to the spectre of sending in soldiers has occurred incrementally. At each stage the government has refused to rule out further involvement… With further incremental advances, and without clear and defined goals, it is inevitable that Australian will become more involved.

Less than five months later Prime Minster Abbott has indeed further involved Australia in Iraq, by confirming the deployment of another 300 troops, to help train the Iraqi forces.

The ideology of the American media is that it believes that it doesn’t have any ideology

3 March 20153 March 2015 by Ashley

By William Blum

After Brian Williams’ fall from grace, his former boss at NBC, Bob Wright, defended Williams by pointing to his favorable coverage of the military, saying: “He has been the strongest supporter of the military of any of the news players. He never comes back with negative stories, he wouldn’t question if we’re spending too much.”

This is a failure of today’s journalism. This is the exact type of question they should be asking. If journalists are not asking these questions, who is?

If nobody is, then the elite are allowed to do as they please.

http://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2015/02/27/the-ideology-of-the-american-media-is-that-it-believes-that-it-doesnt-have-any-ideology/