Monthly Archives: January 2015

Yanis Varoufakis: Greece’s next finance minister? Photo: ABC.

Yanis Varoufakis, perhaps the most recognisable global commentator on the Greek crisis, shared his thoughts – and fears – this week on becoming a SYRIZA candidate in the Greek election.

Varoufakis – of dual Greek and Australian citizenship and Professor of Economic Theory at the University of Athens – has analysed the reasons for Greece’s economic turmoil since the crisis began; a situation which he lays squarely at the door of the troika’s “cynical” bailout terms and a failure of the Greek government to contest enforced austerity measures.

If SYRIZA wins at the polls next Sunday there’s little doubt that Varoufakis will play a role in attempting to implement SYRIZA’s radical economic agenda – which includes debt renegotiation and cancelling the austerity measures which underpin Greece’s 240 billion euro bailout.

Speaking to Russia Today this week, Varoufakis admitted that his arrival in the political arena (he will run in Athens’ B’ Athinon electorate – a sprawling, largely working-class constituency) was the result of an offer he simply couldn’t refuse.

“Alexis Tsipras invited me, if there is a SYRIZA government, to participate in an attempt to implement the policies I have been advocating,” said the former University of Sydney lecturer.

“For five years now I’ve been putting forward alternative proposals to the ones that have been implemented.

“It was morally and politically impossible to turn down such an offer, even though I dread it.”

On announcing his candidature, Varoufakis said his greatest fear was that he would turn into a politician.

“As an antidote to that virus, I intend to write my resignation letter and keep it in my inside pocket, ready to submit it the moment I sense signs of losing the commitment to speak truth to power.”

Confidante of Varoufakis, Melbourne University professor Nikos Papastergiadis, told Neos Kosmos that his friend’s reticence to engage in Greek politics was a good sign.

“I don’t doubt he’s doing this reluctantly, but that’s the best kind of politician. The one who does it with zealousness and enthusiasm, you suspect their motivations may be anything but pure.”

“He’s squeaky clean and he represents this intellectual, more moral, enlightened approach towards politics.”

While Varoufakis was a former advisor to PASOK, Papastergiadis says running for Greece’s once dominant social-democratic party would never have been an option.

“Yanis was close to Papandreou, but he would have never considered running for PASOK. With SYRIZA it’s a different historical moment.”

Speaking to Neos Kosmos this week, Helena Smith, The Guardian’s correspondent in Athens, said that Varoufakis had every chance of electoral success.

“B’ Athinon is considered very tough to win a seat in, but I am told by the best of sources that his superstar status in popularising the economy for ordinary Greeks will ensure that he does get elected.”

Varoufakis’ consistent line in recent months has been to say that while the Greek state has managed to eliminate the country’s primary deficit – “at huge expense and social cost to the population”, Greece’s insolvency will remain until European-wide reforms and the EU’s “fiscal water-boarding” are challenged.

“The EU and the IMF, in their wisdom, decided to unload a very large loan upon very weak Greek shoulders on condition of austerity that shrinks income. So extend and pretend,” said the potential SYRIZA finance minister.

“And as we all know with the ‘extend and pretend’ strategy, you don’t overcome bankruptcy, you deepen it, and project it into the future.

“We now have the possibility of redemption on the 25th of January with a new government.”

source:neoskosmos.com

Swinburne University PhD student Emily Petroff discovered the cosmic burst.

An Australian scientist has become the first person to witness a burst of radio waves, coming from an unknown source billions of light years away, arrive at Earth in real time.

Swinburne University PhD student Emily Petroff watched the fast radio burst, which lasted about a millisecond but gave off as much energy as the Sun does in a day, using the Parkes radio telescope in New South Wales.

The first burst was discovered by chance in 2007 by astronomers combing the Parkes data archive. Six more bursts have been found by Parkes since and a seventh by the Arecibo telescope in Puerto Rico.

Illustration of the Parkes radio telescope receiving the polarised signal from the new fast radio burst. Photo: Swinburne Astronomy Productions

 

“These bursts were generally discovered weeks, months or even more than a decade after they happened,” Ms Petroff said in a statement.

“We are the first to catch one in real time.”

Little is known about the radio waves, but the latest signal indicates that whatever caused it is giant, cataclysmic and up to 5.5 billion light years away.

Astronomers across the globe are now trying to explain the mysterious phenomenon.

CSIRO head of astrophysics Dr Simon Johnston said one of the front-running ideas is that a neutron star collapsed to form a black hole.

“If we can see that happening, it gives off a big flash of radio waves from the far, distant universe, and that’s really very exciting,” Dr Johnston told the ABC.

In another first, the burst was detected by telescopes across the world, at Australia, California, the Canary Islands, Chile, Germany, Hawaii, and India.

Ms Petroff said identifying the origin of the bursts is only a matter of time.

“We’ve set the trap. Now we just have to wait for another burst to fall into it.”

source:theage.com.au

Education Minister Christopher Pyne has failed to win the support of Palmer United Party leader Clive Palmer for deregulation of university fees. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen

Key Senate crossbenchers say they remain opposed to the deregulation of university fees even if the Abbott government reduces, or scraps entirely, a planned 20 per cent cut to university funding.

Independent senator Nick Xenophon said the government’s higher education reforms were in “a whole lot of trouble” while the Palmer United Party’s Glenn Lazarus called on the government to abandon its policies and “move on”.

Scrapping the 20 per cent cut would strip almost all the savings from the government’s higher education package, originally forecast to save $5 billion over four years.

Universities have strongly opposed the 20 per cent cut and said that it would force the increase of fees under a deregulated system.

Education Minister Christopher Pyne on Wednesday said that the government was open to reducing the funding cut if necessary to win Senate support for fee deregulation.

“We haven’t said that we will necessarily not go ahead with the savings measures in higher education but they are part of our negotiations with the crossbenchers,” Mr Pyne told ABC radio in Adelaide.

“We will do whatever needs to be done to ensure our universities are the best they can be and that our students have the best opportunities they can have to go to university.”

Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Tuesday that the government would put higher education “front and centre” of the government’s agenda when Parliament resumes in February.

But Senate crossbenchers said they remain opposed to allowing universities to set their own fees.

“The government, I think, needs to step back, have a considered approach to this because right now their package is in a whole lot of trouble,” Independent senator Nick Xenophon said.

“Getting rid of the cuts might seem attractive in the short term but in the long term if you have deregulation there will be a spike in fees. I am just worried about what’s on the table now. These are radical changes that need to be thought through.”

Senator Xenophon said he would support an interim increase in the amount universities can charge as long as the government commits to a comprehensive review of the university system.

Asked about the prospect of the government reaching a compromise deal, Clive Palmer said: “I think it’s over.”

“We won’t support the deregulation of fees,” Mr Palmer said. “We support the idea of them not cutting funding by 20 per cent but we don’t support deregulation.”

PUP Senate leader Glenn Lazarus, who last month mocked Mr Pyne for “embarrassing himself” by inundating the crossbench senator with text messages, stood by his decision last month to oppose deregulation.

“Palmer United is firm. We will not allow the Abbott government to increase the cost of HECS and the cost of university degrees,” he said.

“The Abbott government tried to cut funding to the higher education system last year simply to save a few bucks and Australia said no, through their state Senate representatives.

“I along with my Palmer United colleague, Senator Wang, and other senators voted against the Abbott government’s nasty higher education measures.

“This should be the end of it. Move on.”

Palmer United Party senator Zhenya Wang supports fee deregulation but has said he would vote with his colleagues, Senator Lazarus and Clive Palmer, who oppose it.

The government needs the support of six of the eight Senate crossbenchers to pass its reforms.

source: smh.com.au

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman is “missing in action” and a liar, according to police union boss Ian Leavers.

Just over a week from the January 31 state election, Mr Leavers has launched an attack on Mr Newman’s communication with the Queensland Police Union, claiming he has failed to deliver on promised funds.

Mr Leavers says Mr Newman personally pledged to provide $20 million in funding for extra police to deal with the expansion of the state’s Safe Night Precinct initiatives.

The program was expanded from three precincts to 15 across the state in March last year.

Mr Leavers said he was in favour of a plan to restrict trading hours rather than expanding the Safe Night Precinct program but had been persuaded after Mr Newman agreed to provide funds for extra police.

“I’ve been trying for over nine months to get this funding,” Mr Leavers told the ABC.

“I had a meeting with Campbell Newman, he promised me $20 million to fund the 15 across the state. Campbell Newman looked me in the eye and he lied to me.”

Mr Leavers said he has had good lines of communication with Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie and was happy to confirm health department funding had enabled nurses and paramedics to be employed in the expansion precincts.

But, he said, the silence was deafening from the premier’s office, which he says is vital to the status of any funding decision.

“When it comes to Campbell Newman, he often goes missing in action,” Mr Leavers said.

“Not one cent has been received. I’m a serving police officer. If you’re going to lie to a police officer, you’ll lie to anyone.

“Campbell’s done some great things, don’t get me wrong; there’s other things he hasn’t delivered.

“If you make a commitment, you make a commitment.”
source: dailymail.co.uk