The Guardian • C Bartholomew
Issue #2111
Weaponised Olympic drug testing
Western media has been awash with stories of alleged doping scandals regarding Chinese Olympians. The US in particular has been vitriolic towards Chinese athletes and...
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Issue #2124
US election 2024: lessons for Australia
The United States’ election spectacle between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump has dominated Australian screens and social media this year. Between government policies such as...
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Issue #2144
Gaza humanitarian aid ship attacked by drones
Gaza humanitarian aid ship attacked by drones C Bartholomew On Friday, 2 May, in the dark of night, the Conscience, a ship operated by the...
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Issue #2102
Queensland’s 50c fares stunt
As far as election season political stunts go, Queensland Premier Steven Mile’s reduction of public transport fares to 50c is not bad. The question now...
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Issue #2186
African Intelligence: The hidden exploitation behind AI
AI tools and platforms are often touted as bringers of automation. Companies discussing AI focus the conversation on digital elements such as machine learning, data...
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Issue #2098
UK Rwanda scheme copies Australian failure
The UK has begun mass arrests of migrants in preparation for Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda deportation scheme. The UK Home Office, which manages immigration, has released...
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Issue #2117
Climate casual: YouTube, the free market, and false hope
Online propaganda on platforms such as YouTube takes numerous forms. There’s the obvious: Japanese influencers promoting whale meat; USA-based gaming, fitness, and even car channels...
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Issue #2135
Trump – and the Coalition’s past and future
Have you ever thought that the landscapes around you look too beautiful? Have you ever thought that your life needs a bit more of that...
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Issue #2129
Robodebt and government extortion: Mean Streak
The British drama series Mr Bates vs The Post Office is a brilliant and thrilling account of the 20-year fight of the titular Mr Bates...
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Issue #2111
China-Ukraine talks, Western hypocrisy
China’s diplomatic efforts have been subject to largely unfriendly discussion in Western media recently, following China’s recent talks with Ukrainian officials. While most of the...
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Issue #2189
A GOOD PLACE TO START
Killing Hope: US Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II by William Blum William Blum worked for the United States’ State Department until 1967,...
Read moreAI Blackface: an exercise in cannibalistic colonialism
Keagan John Mason, a South African online content creator based in New Zealand, has created channels across Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram using an AI-generated caricature...
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Issue #2106
Austin
Autism in the media, has been the subject of controversy in recent years, particularly when it comes to comedy. The autistic community is no stranger...
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Issue #2178
Parenti’s work: A sampler
Callum K and C Bartholomew Blackshirts and Reds: Michael Parenti’s Blackshirts and Reds remains his most popular and unyielding work. It frames the rise of...
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Issue #2189
LETTERS
A show of solidarity As the Australian media continues its attacks on militant unions, most notably the CFMEU, it is clear that there is a...
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Issue #2119
Green development on the Yellow River
The Yellow River or Huang He feeds 12 per cent of China’s population, irrigates 15 per cent of arable land, and provides water to more...
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Issue #2132
Poetry for the Many
Love of poetry has been a common feature among socialists since Marx and Engels’ admiration for the likes of Shakespeare, Byron, Percy Shelley, John Keats,...
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Issue #2173
Blowback – uncovering the American Empire
The world of podcasts is infamously inundated with conservative conspiracy slop, lazy true crime, and the stereotypical genre of two guys talking about nothing. Blowback,...
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Issue #2146
LETTERS
Bare-faced Brutality Dear Comrade Editor, Readers of the Guardian might be familiar with the story of Adriana Smith, a pregnant woman from the US state...
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Issue #2178
Iron Lung
Potential viewers of Iron Lung may be discouraged to learn that the film’s first-time director, Mark Fischbach also known as Markiplier, is a YouTuber. I...
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Issue #2192
Resilient? Not very – Reform? Think again
One slogan plastered all over the 2026-27 budget is “resilience and reform.” This is, of course, in response to the fuel crisis created by the...
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Issue #2120
LETTERS
Lessons of Feminist History: stronger together Dear Comrade Editor, I want to commend Comrade Amelia’s brilliant latest contribution to ‘Half the Sky’ (Guardian 07-10-2024 #2119)...
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Issue #2138
A new paradigm for native title?
On the 12 March 2025, the High Court of Australia delivered its judgement regarding the case of Commonwealth of Australia v Yunupingu. This decision has...
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Issue #2114
Parliament works as designed – against workers
Several ABC commentators this week have been singing Parliament’s praises, cheering on co-operation between Labor and the Coalition. However, these messages about ‘reaching across the...
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Issue #2134
Peter Dutton is super popular
The Murdoch Press and other conservative media outlets have been trying their best to convince Australians that Peter Dutton is all the rage. Anytime a...
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Issue #2183
Black Cockatoos: Sacrifices for Trump
US aluminium giant Alcoa has been granted permission by the federal government to continue clearing Western Australia’s Jarrah forests, despite past illegal practices, in part...
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Issue #2119
Indigenous health
More than a year after the release of Coroner Wilson’s findings regarding the deaths of three Aboriginal women in the remote Queensland town of Doomadgee,...
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Issue #2203
ADF whistleblower McBride released: what now?
Australian whistleblower and former ADF legal officer David McBride has been released on parole after serving the full non-parole period of his unprecedented five-year and...
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Issue #2139
Australia: An Unofficial History
Australia: An Unofficial History is an uncomfortable watch in an important way. This may seem odd for a documentary series which presents itself as a...
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Issue #2122
Queensland Youth Crime: Election mythology and ‘copaganda’
Youth crime ‘crisis’ stories have dominated headlines and debates ahead of the Queensland state election. Liberal National Party (LNP) leader Crisafulli has pushed the slogan...
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Issue #2120
Indigenous Health
First Nations healthcare today is still fraught with discriminatory practices which have harmful impacts on communities. The gender pain gap – women are more likely...
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Issue #2178
Australian brutality exposed in Perth
The attempted terror attack on the Invasion Day rally in Boorloo (Perth) has laid bare the racism at the heart of Australian media and politics....
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Issue #2141
They Really Said That: Quotes from the Coalition
Peter Dutton: “The prime minister has been weak and missing in action. That’s why we find ourselves in the position we’re in today.” This was...
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Issue #2124
Not just a spooky story: HR Nicholls Society and the war on workers’ rights
Halloween may not be a firmly established tradition in Australia, but the HR Nicholls Society has decided to deliver a holiday scare to the Australian...
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