Passionate about free speech, human rights, democracy and the politics of change. Commentator and author, occasional poet, sometime translator, creator of The Why Series – changing our world one book at the time.
No Person is Above the Law
As the title of this post makes clear what follows is not about the Network Economy and especially not about the need for Deep Fibre Broadband. Readers who aren’t interested in my opinion on mainstream political matters may want to skip this read. The release of...
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NBN Co @ Year 10 – time to get serious about breaking it up
CommsDay, an Australian telco industry newsletter, held its regular conference in Sydney on April 8th and 9th of 2019. This happened to co-incide with the 10 year anniversary of the creation of NBN Co by the Rudd Labor Government in 2009. I was part of group of...
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Oregon Pain – Experts on Fakery
The so called Oregon Petition is a good example of how to create an illusion of scientific argument by using the language of expertise and ignoring relevance.
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Why do I do what I do – my manifesto
After I quit my business almost three years ago, I am often asked by friends and people I meet "why do I do what I do"? My answer is a variation on the the theme of having found my purpose in writing, which is true. But like everyone that writes - or engages in any...
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Independent media continues to grow!
Independent media continues to grow apace, while mainstream media is at best stagnant. Independent media grew by 9.7% in February 2019, compared to a paltry 1.1% at the big end of media town. A piece I wrote a couple of months ago resonated with readers and spurred me...
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“Basic Infrastructure for a Good Life”
“It [fibre] is basic infrastructure for a good life”. So ends a new book by Susan Crawford, a Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, on the plight of delivering better broadband for Americans. The book “Fiber: The Coming Tech Revolution and Why...
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Keep it Simple, Stupid!
KISS – Keep It Simple, Stupid – was widely used as a slogan in the computer industry throughout the eighties and nineties. “The Office” made it a meme – but it is an adage worth resurrecting as a guiding principle.
read more Is an NBN quick fix possible?
As we enter 2019 there will likely be increasing excitement about the prospects of a new Labor government taking control of the NBN policy and fixing the mistakes of the last 5 years of Coalition’s NBN policy. For example on New Years’ Day the Australian Financial...
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True Banking Reform is Long Overdue!
Banking reform is long overdue. The many sensible recommendations in the Banking Royal Commission report stops a long way short of true reform! (Part 2 of my analysis)
First published on MichaelWest
Political bastardy and silly politics
The franking credits scare campaign is working. Once again, sensible tax reforms is sacrificed on the altar of short-term politics and the absence of a holistic approach. Once again politics gets in the way of policy making. Once again, fear and obfuscation are winning.
First published on Independent Australia
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