”The Week on Wednesday” with Van Badham & Ben Davison
News:Politics
The QAnon march in Melbourne this weekend showed off a disturbing willingness to use violent imagery and threats to intimidate democratically elected leaders, our institutions and our community. While Nearly 93% of Victorian's have had at least one dose of vaccine the rally, which featured US based QAnon symbols, flags and language, roped in a who's who of political fringe dwellers. From Peta Credlin to the Victorian upper house Liberal Democrat MP (bet you didn't even know we had one) to the bloated face of foreign propaganda in Australia, Craig Kelly, we were subjected to every wannabe opportunist's attempts to find a political base.
The serious side was on show too as a gallows was marched through the threats, "kill" chants were conducted and this week saw threats levelled against the animal justice upper house MP, Andy Meddick, as well as Labor MPs, Premier Andrews, Chief Health Officer, Brett Sutton and the Australian Labor Party Vice President.
It is no coincidence that Steve Bannon was indicted this week, the Trump strategist and podcaster (Morrison government MPs have appeared on his show), was charged with contempt of Congress as the US mid-term election season enters the final 12 months.
For more on how QAnon is infiltrating our politics check out Van Badham's new book "QAnon and On; A short and shocking history of internet conspiracy cults"
Cop26 has ended with a commitment to "Phase down", not "phase out" coal power, 130 governments increasing commitments on emissions reductions (Not Morrison's) and agreement to end "inefficient", not all, fossil fuel subsidies.
COVID is exploding again in Europe. The Netherlands is going into a three week lockdown, Austria is locking down the unvaccinated, the UK has 500 cases per million people and Germany has the worst outbreak since the start of the pandemic. Portugal and Spain, above 80% vaccinated, are doing much better. Get vaccinated and get a booster.
The Morrison government has announced a new uncapped seasonal worker program expansion despite unemployment spiking this month and hundreds of thousands of people who want to work unable to do so due to caring responsibilities.
Weekend Wrap 15 January 2023: Workers beat wage thieves at Mantle, Pell is gone and who is Perrottet really?
Episode 117: Sunak’s anti-strike laws have Australian flavour, Republican supreme court could strip right to strike,Brazil’s far right storm their capital
Weekend Wrap 8 January: Republicans finally settle on McCarthy, Dutton’s polyphonic press conference to undermine the Voice
Episode 116: Dutton falls off millennial cliff, ACMA proves the case for change, MAGA madness consumes congressional Republicans and garbage powered cars!
Episode 115: Morrison fumbles at robodebt royal commission, Cookers turn to terrorism, Pampas workers strike for job security and good news for renewables
Weekend Wrap 11 December: Labor announces EPA, Albo gets energy deal and the Pampas workers latest target of multinational greed
Episode 114: Chris Minns, NSW Labor Leader, joins Van and Ben to discuss the state of NSW, bad news about burritos and good news from Georgia
Weekend Wrap 3 December 2022: Socceroos do us proud, Albo delivers with more to come and Dutton remains on the fringes
Episode 113: Morrison censured over multiple ministries, Labor wins promised reforms and the good news is about electric vehicles
Weekend Wrap 27 November 2022: Victorian state election wrap up and Secure Jobs, Better Pay to become law
Episode 112: Workers asking Pocock which side are you on? Victoria heads to the polls, Musk burns billions for Twitter lols and good news on the NSW Super Battery
Weekend Wrap 13 November 2022: Ben updates on mid terms, Victorian election, Secure Jobs, Better Pay laws and Van’s mum
Weekend Wrap 30 October 2022: Van Badham joins Ben to talk Insiders, budget and workplace law reforms
Episode 111: The dragon slaying budget, Secure Work Better Pay laws, Sunak is Britain’s billionaire PM and good news about batteries
Weekend Wrap 23 October 2022: Chalmers invests in social security, Angus Taylor putting profit before people, Truss gone and Thorpe’s resignation
Episode 110: Labor to grow wages as big business whines, Ukraine update and propaganda in your timeline and the good news is rewiring Australia
Weekend Wrap 16 October 2022: Six months parental leave, Coorey clanger on Insiders, King fixing Morrison mess and Hunt in for Kwarteng
Episode 109: The Week on Wednesday LIVE at Melbourne Fringe! Van and Ben talk tax cuts, Putin, Musk and neo-Liberal nightmares with a LIVE audience
Weekend Wrap 9 October 2022: Dutton’s fantasies of improbable future wealth rationale for tax cuts on Insiders, gig economy reforms and Putin’s bridge is on fire
Episode 108: Anti-government protests sweep Iran, Thorburn saga is about more than money and the good news is no new extinctions in Australia
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