Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from January, 2021

Holiday Politics

In Australia, debate is raging over the status of Australia Day, the country's national day. Celebrated on the 26th of January, Australia Day marks the anniversary of the arrival of Admiral Arthur Phillip on the continent, and the beginning of British colonialism in Australia. Given the inherently colonial flavour of the holiday, the celebration has garnered opposition, with many Aboriginal Australians advocating that the Australian government "Change the Date". Although it represents the interests of a historically marginalised group (Aboriginal Australians), the Change the Date movement now exercises a notable amount of power over Australian cultural institutions. Earlier this week, Cricket Australia announced that they would no longer be referring to cricket matches happening on Australia Day as "Australia Day" games. Although Australians still  largely favour celebrating Australia Day on the 26th of January , the decision of Australian cultural institutions ...

Big Tech and The American Machine

Americans love their Constitution. Its longevity and liberal emphases have given it an untouchable status in American politics. In no other country is so much political debate dedicated to the founding document. Even in Britain, with the debate regarding Brexit, the word "unconstitutional" has been the reserve of academics and judges. One of the aspects of the US Constitution praised most often is the separation of powers between the three branches of American government - legislative, executive and judicial. By ensuring that various elected bodies constantly check and evaluate each other, it is believed that the American people are protected against tyranny. Because of the checks and balances of the Constitution, many Americans will be surprised to learn where the real seat of power in their nation lies. It is not in the Capitol building, nor in the White House, nor in the Supreme Court: the real heart of American power is in Silicon Valley, in the hands of the ever-dominant...