Julian Assange is not the hero many want him to be

Assange supporters, High Court in London, 24 January 2022 [Alisdare Hickson CC BY-SA 4.0]

Some are celebrating the release of Julian Assange while others beg to differ. Were his actions those of a whistleblower interested in calling out war crimes and human rights violations? Or were his actions those of a traitor? Was it freedom of the press or a childish action by a self-centred activist with financial interest that threatened the lives of our military personnel and the lives of our allies?

The Unfiltered newsletter had this to say:

The Assange coverage continues today, not only with pieces from the World section, which includes Terry Barnes’ less than enthusiastic coverage of the WikiLeaks editor, but also of Speccie regular Michael de Percy and his co-writer Sascha Dov Bachmann. They disagree with other writers we have had on the topic, and instead argue in favour of state secrets for the purpose of protecting military activities and the men and women who put their lives at risk in these foreign countries.

The Morning Double Shot newsletter had this to say:

Your scribe upset some readers yesterday in being appalled about Julian Assange’s treatment as a returning journalistic hero and martyr for his cause. My commentary, however, is mild compared to this brutally honest piece by Michael de Percy and Sascha Dov Bachmann. Read it and judge Assange’s Wikileaking against the de Percy-Bachmann yardstick. UK contributor Mary Dejevsky has also raised serious questions about the Assange freedom deal itself. 

My latest in The Spectator Australia with Professor Sascha Dov Bachmann, Julian Assange is not the hero many want him to be.

Julian Assange is not the hero many want him to be
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Some are celebrating the release of Julian Assange while others beg to differ. Were his actions those of a whistleblower interested in calling out war crimes and human rights violations? Or were his actions those of… pic.twitter.com/015URODTro

— The Spectator Australia (@SpectatorOz) June 27, 2024

The case for a government-owned nuclear reactor fleet

Australia has laready built two major nuclear reactors. The HIFAR Reactor at Lucas Heights.

Peter Dutton’s announcement that the Coalition will build seven nuclear reactors on the sites of existing coal-fired power stations is good policy and it will work. In response, the Albanese government has nothing but lame memes and a $1.3 trillion renewables policy that shows no signs of providing reliable, affordable electricity for industry or consumers.

Indeed, under Albo’s watch, Australia is in the worst shape it’s ever been, considering the cost-of-living crisis is an own-goal by Albo and Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen. Even the much-maligned RMIT ABC Fact Check is now saying that Bowen’s claims about nuclear plants are ‘exaggerated’.

Labor is scared because it knows its ideologically driven energy policy is a grifter’s paradise that has nothing to do with providing cheap and reliable energy.

But much of this has been said already and it is not the point of my argument.

Here I outline the merits of a government-owned and built fleet of nuclear reactors for Australia.

Alexandra Marshall had this to say in the Unfiltered newsletter:

Michael de Percy makes the case for Dutton’s government-owned nuclear reactor fleet. Yes, there are some things that government can, and should, involve themselves in. Securing a reliable energy grid is one of them.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, The case for a government-owned nuclear reactor fleet.

The case for a government-owned nuclear reactor fleet
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Peter Dutton’s announcement that the Coalition will build seven nuclear reactors on the sites of existing coal-fired power stations is good policy and it will work.

In response, the Albanese government has nothing… pic.twitter.com/14k4LTyZoM

— The Spectator Australia (@SpectatorOz) June 24, 2024

Taiwan and Australia: She’ll be right, mate?

Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, Liberty Square, Taipei, 9 June 2024

From Taipei: One of the first things that struck me about Taiwan is that I felt like I was in Cairns. The monsoon rain, the dark skies… You are wet, but you are also hot and sweating and you just have to settle into it. It’s a good thing the local drop is good and cheap, as any Aussie who as lived in Australia’s north would appreciate.

After travelling from Shanghai to Seoul to Taipei in succession, it took a few days to work out which apps I could use to navigate and pay for food, and which language I should use for the normal courtesies. Restrictions in each country require one to be flexible. It was certainly a journey along a spectrum from the highly regulated to the less regulated society.

Writing in the Morning Double Shot newsletter, Terry Barnes had this to say:

Writing from Taipei, Michael de Percy recounts some of the modern history of Taiwan, and how this democracy has flourished in spite of everything thrown at it. He argues that Australia can’t leave little Taiwan to the mercy of Red China with a ‘she’ll be right’ attitude to Asian geopolitics: he’s right.

Writing in the Unfiltered newsletter, Alexandra Marshall had this to say:

The whole ‘she’ll be right’ philosophy that Australians are so fond of might not work out for Taiwan. Writing from his travels in the area, Michael de Percy notes a similar laid back attitude to existential threats in Taiwan – an attitude not shared by the country’s neighbours.

My latest article in The Spectator Australia, Taiwan and Australia: She’ll be right, mate?

Taiwan and Australia: She’ll be right, mate?

Taiwan’s new president, Lai Ching-te, ‘vowed to defend democracy and freedom in the face of “external challenges and threats”’. The PRC claims Taiwan as its own territory, despite never having ruled it.https://t.co/BWpGn0lKHR

— The Spectator Australia (@SpectatorOz) June 17, 2024