The very cool people at Beyond Zero Emissions, on 3CR (community radio in Melbourne) interviewed in November. Here's a link to their page about it. (it's cut and paste below) BZE radio talks to Marc Hudson: Marc is studying the strategic responses of the Australian coal industry to the challenge of climate change. He is... Continue Reading →
Guy Rundle decides to caste aspersions… #Auspol #Australia
Guy Rundle is a dude, a mensch. Never met him, but his by-line is always an invitation to intelligent, incisive analysis with a fearsome background knowledge. This, from his Quarterly Essay on Clive Palmer, nails it, imho - But there is another, and more important, reason why the now sclerotic apparatus of Australian government is... Continue Reading →
Journalists as drips on the drip feed…
Journalism eh? But what is to be done, at a systemic level? [Rob] Chalmers, although a Labor sympathiser, put all politicians through the ringer. He refused to socialise with them and was disdainful of the trend towards celebrity journalism and the insidious practice of reporters being 'on the drip' – getting stories from politicians and... Continue Reading →
Sexism and social movements….
‘Sexism isn’t the problem: anyone can talk when they want to,” declared one man. “It’s just that some of us have had more experience and can talk more easily in groups.” “We all support women’s liberation,” chimed in another man. Around the room, reactions spanned a wide range: resentment, distraction, passive interest, eagerness and anxiousness.... Continue Reading →
Good burnout advice from Edward Abbey
“One final paragraph of advice: do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am - a reluctant enthusiast....a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you... Continue Reading →
What do we want? Grumpy old men at the National Library of Australia (book launch!)
Last night at the National Library of Australia two grumpy old men talked about social movements and protest. That doesn’t sound too enthralling, does it? But the event – hosted by the NLA, and the launch of the book “What Do We Want: the story of protest in Australia" was a thoughtful, passionate and... Continue Reading →
The neo-liberal state and its legitimation crisis: @OpenStateSA in South Australia
South Australia’s government is running an ‘Open State’ festival with all the usual buzzwords about innovation, participation, engagement blah blah blah. I’ve been to three of its events, all of which were good for thinking with – not about ‘innovation’ and ‘democracy’ (the events were deeply problematic) but about how the neoliberal state tries to... Continue Reading →
Extracting value from the Festival of Ideas #AdlFoI
Show me. Don’t tell me. Show me that sharing and challenging are important enough to keep a clear promise to a 2/3 to 1/3 split between sage-on-the-stage and audience interaction. Alternatively, if you’ve no intention or capability to enforce a 30 minute/15 minute split between talking and Q and A, then don’t promise it. It’s... Continue Reading →
Seven blog posts about one event? Really? #tediousselfpromotion
The only way I know what I think is to read what I wrote. Sort of. And then that writing serves as an aide-memoire (and, yes, a calling card on occasion). Here's a list of the ones I did after today's Festival of Ideas event. Athenian Democracy? A few funny things will need to happen... Continue Reading →
Ideas about the festival of ideas #AdlFoI
[Seventh of a series of blog posts about sessions at the Adelaide Festival of Ideas on Saturday 22nd October] So, had a great time at the Adelaide Festival of Ideas today. Met some very interesting people (some famous-ish, some as obscure as me). And while not ever disgruntled, I was also not completely gruntled. I... Continue Reading →
marchudson.net 