Tom Swann
tomswann.bsky.social
Tom Swann
@tomswann.bsky.social
Don't worry, everything can always get worse.
Big upwards revisions in STEPS as well
November 12, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Still pretty big tho!!
November 12, 2025 at 9:31 AM
When the LNP made its formal pledge under Paris of net zero by 2050,

- Sussan was Env Minister
- Angus was Climate Minister
- Barnaby was Dept PM and minister for regional development.

Were they taking the piss then or are they now?
November 12, 2025 at 9:24 AM
It's all kinda meaningless anyway but then in our political debate meaningless nonsense is kinda the core reality.
November 12, 2025 at 9:17 AM
I bet what they do is put some extra/ more explicit hedging caveats on the net zero 2050 target, so they can say different things to different people, including to the UN climate process that they aren't actually backsliding
November 12, 2025 at 9:16 AM
Sorry not sorry this saga is very funny
November 11, 2025 at 1:12 PM
A super interesting summary from the man who was Secretary of Prime Minister and Cabinet at the time.

johnmenadue.com/post/2025/11...
The Dismissal, the role of the CIA, MI6 and Austral Americans
I was familiar with many of the events leading to the Dismissal on 11 November 1975. That knowledge was greatly increased by Professor Jenny Hocking with her long and successful campaign to have the P...
johnmenadue.com
November 10, 2025 at 11:26 PM
All very interesting but that's about it.
November 10, 2025 at 11:00 PM
There was also some thing about Doug Antony being accused of being put up in Canberra by someone linked to the CIA
November 10, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Whitlam was planning to disclose this deception publicly in Parliament when he was dismissed.
November 10, 2025 at 10:56 PM
In Whitlam was asking questions about the role of the CIA in Pine Gap. He was told there was none, but had discovered the CIA was closely involved (and US interests basically running the show).
November 10, 2025 at 10:56 PM
Nixon absolutely hated Whitlam, who was raising questions about the unquestioned US military interests in Australia. Probably also the economic nationalism which rankled US corporate interests.

In 1974 Nixon had drawn up a plan to get rid of Whitlam including economic measures.
November 10, 2025 at 10:56 PM
Kerr was a former officer in the OSS, the WWII predecessor to the CIA.

(He was also a fabulous drunk)
November 10, 2025 at 10:56 PM
Also, reforestation largely recaptures the carbon from deforestation. Fossil emissions are additional
November 10, 2025 at 12:34 PM