ALL ARTICLES

National security amid Albo’s hip and cool dereliction of duty

No comments
Anthony Albanese is trying to be hip and cool to the left but he is seen weak by everyone else.

Channelling a new generation of hip and cool appeasers, our Prime Minister seems to get his priorities dangerously wrong. From his failed Voice Referendum to his celebration of Assange’s return (after a plea bargain where Assange was convicted under the US Espionage Act), Albo loves nothing better than being in the spotlight for his trendy actions.

The Prime Minister who ‘gets things done’ wants to appear hip and cool. But nothing can be further from the truth.

Whether it is the economy, energy, social cohesion, handling of the current antisemitism crisis, or issues affecting the Indigenous population, Albo is hell-bent on being on the ‘right side of history’.

But one cannot control the past or the future and he is neglecting the present.

My latest with Professor Sascha Dov Bachmann in The Spectator Australia, National security amid Albo’s hip and cool dereliction of duty.

No, Mr Bowen, community batteries are not a substitute for nuclear

No comments

 

Community batteries will be used to store excess solar energy [Photo: © Depositphotos.com]

At a recent press conference in Bexley North in Sydney’s south, Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen announced the opening of the latest community battery. Labor has promised to roll out at least 400 community batteries in the coming years.

In a tweet announcing the opening of the battery (which includes an EV charger), Mr Bowen stated:

This is practical, cheaper renewable energy now not expensive nuclear energy in 20 years.

But what Mr Bowen didn’t say is that this battery will not keep the lights on if the power goes out. And not only that, if the power goes out the battery ceases to function until the power comes back on.

In the Unfiltered newsletter, Alexandra Marshall had this to say:

And finally, Michael de Percy tells Mr Bowen ‘no’. Community batteries are not the saviour of the renewable energy grid. Indeed, in most cases the batteries only work when the grid has power – so too bad if you thought they were a protection against blackouts. These wasteful, expensive installations are only adding to the bill – and what a nasty bill it is.

My article laso appeared in the Best of Flat White:

This week in Flat White, attention has shifted from the merits of nuclear to the serious problems with Chris Bowen’s battery future. Michael de Percy points out a gap of expectation and reality within the public. No, community batteries do not keep the lights on. Worse, some of the largest battery projects only work while the grid is functioning so anyone who thinks they will smooth over the wind droughts and cloudy days will be disappointed. They are not comparable to the baseload energy offered by nuclear, in spite of what the three-eyed fish memes from Labor say.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, No, Mr Bowen, community batteries are not a substitute for nuclear.

Julian Assange is not the hero many want him to be

No comments
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.
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)
© 2025 All rights reserved
made with by templateszoo