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Who would have thought 2020 would start out like this… actually, a sh*t-tonne of climate scientists thought almost exactly that about 20 years ago. Go figure.
As you might expect, our coverage in this digest is dominated by the climate emergency that is thrashing our nation. We’ve tended to divert our limited reporting resources to focussing on the politics… which of course means that we’ve been run off our feet for several weeks.
And with that in mind, sorry folks, but it’s come to this: an article comparing peeing in public swimming pools to why the bushfire emergency is linked to climate change. Before you cancel your New Matilda subscription (just $6 a month for writing of THIS calibre – how could you resist!) let me briefly explain myself.
If you venture outside your social media bubble, where Facebook ensures that you only ever see posts from people with whom you’re in furious agreement, you will discover that, even as the fires rage, so does a debate about climate change. Or rather, a debate about the unprecedented bushfire emergency and whether or not it has anything to do with climate change.
Yep, they’re still arguing about it. And if you’re still confused about why, here’s a link to Monty Python’s dead parrot sketch, with bonus marriage equality-style lumberjack song at the end… it should explain everything you need to know.
So anyway, if you venture into the story, it’s toilet humour-based, and exceptionally juvenile. But in this climate, pun intended, it also feels kind of appropriate.
Also, yes, this story is so childish it may well turn out to be the last story I ever publish. Or, as a friend within my social media bubble wrote earlier today: “Chris Graham declares he’s contemplating career-acide? Scummo – hold my beer.”
For stalwart readers, Ben Eltham is back with an eviscerating commentary on Scott Morrison’s performance as Prime Minister, and Buffoon-In-Chief.
You might want to read this too: Morrison’s office was caught trying to background journalists against the NSW Liberal government, in a bid to shift some of the blame away from the PM for his shocking performance. Oh, and this one, where Morrison launched an ad for the Liberal Party (paid for by you) about his amazing performance in the fires, which then linked to a fundraiser for said Liberal Party… all while the nation was burning and people were dying.
Oh, and this one, where Morrison announces an inquiry into state policies around bushfire management… another attempt at defelcting attention away from their lack of coherent climate policies.
Oh… and we launched a fundraiser to send Morrison (aka Scotty from Marketing) back to Hawaii. We figured he’d do less damage there. If Morrison refuses to accept the one-way airfare, then the NSW Wildlife Information Rescue Education Service gets all the cash. We reached our fundraising goal in 24 hours, but it’s still open so you can still chip in.
So like I mentioned, we’ve been busy. Although it feels good to be back. In the last digest, I alluded to a few reasons why I nearly walked last year, and then why I came back. Some of the reasoning is in this story here – A Fresh ‘Rob and Karen’ Video And A Personal Epiphany).
Anyhoo, thanks for sticking around, thanks for the patience, and if you haven’t already re-subscribed, you can do so here.
Time to get back to the hunting. Stay safe.
Chris Graham
Publisher/Editor
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