With Albo in the Lodge, anything China might do is the least of our worries.

Sorry, Hasbeen, but China is the most of our worries regardless of who is in the lodge. Then other worry is the trillion plus debt with SFA to show for it, that the Morrison government left and the parlous position of the global economy and the cost to us of energy.

And runaway inflation, the end result of way too much fiscal pump priming!

Runaway inflation that could top 9% by years end? And matched by interest rate rises that create many bankruptcies/forecloses.

Most of which could be avoided by the embrace of nuclear energy as MSR thorium also tasked with burning nuclear waste as virtually free fuel. If it's energy that creates the downturn, then virtually costless energy can and will reverse it.

Morrison and co had nine long and wasted years where they could have been mass producing SMR MSR thorium and nuclear waste burners for the huge economic upturn that would have delivered. And fart assed around with defense spending and the acquistion of nuclear subs.

If they had been on the ball some of those nuclear subs would already be in our fleet and already patrolling the oceans.

What would you have elbow do? What pearls of wisdom would you have him know? And that can't be a rant about who's in the lodge. Doesn't help or change nought! That said, don't see labor embracing the nuclear option, just huge and vastly more costly and intermitant renewables!
Alan B.

Hi Alan B,

As a Green I have always opposed nuclear power, on the grounds of nuclear proliferation, and the safety aspects associated with old style power production and waste disposal. If as you say all those fears can be overcome with new technology then there is no reason why nuclear power generation is not explored with an open mind.

As for China, it does not matter who is in the lodge, what matters is Australia's strategic and economic interests are being served. Our overriding objective should be peace and stability within our region, along with economic development of our neighbours. I don't believe we were well served by the Coalition government in regards to China. Blindly aligning ourselves with America is not serving our interests or the interest of peace and stability. I'm certainly not pro China, but then again I'm not pro America either. Its not a sign of weakness to engage in diplomacy and dialog with China, as the hawks like Dutton would have it, in fact it is likely to be respected by China if we stand up for ourselves in a diplomatic way, rather than presenting as a "Yankee lapdog" in a military sense. In the event of conflict between the two superpowers there will be a point at which Australia becomes totally expendable.

It should be noted that in every armed conflict we have joined America in since WWII it has resulted in failure, Korea, Vietnam, the Middle East, Afghanistan, all failures of catastrophic proportion if the objective was "freedom and democracy". I never believed that F&D was the true objective at all, but rather the successful maintenance of the American military/industrial complex was, and still is, the true objective, I can't see that changing anytime soon.

I've heard it said that we need to be on a war footing. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. An isolationist USA was dragged into WW11. And used its industrial muscle to build B34 bombers at the rate of one a day, via mass production in a purpose built and massive factory.

For us in our circumstances and the threat to our liberty coupled to cost of living pressures, means something similar as the mass production of SMR MSR thorium. And no alternative!

Given comparisons between then and now. doable under the right leadership at one a day and not the twenty years some airhead pollies claim!

Anyone who seriously believes we can manufacture anything at today's energy prices has to have horse manure for brains. If the cap fits?

New baseload power only doable as the nuclear energy option and as outlined above. The first one off the rank powering the above mass production!

We can jawbone the issue to death and the next election by which time we may be reliving the Great Depression and the opportunity squandered. And investing in the learning of Mandarin instead. As do little pollies stare at the issue like rabbits caught in the glare of the spotlight?
Alan B.

Paul, many greens are on board the nuclear energy bandwagon, just not as conventional nuclear power! But rather MSR thorium which was rejected by the USA due to the extreme difficulty of weaponizing it!

Moreover, inbuilt passive safety makes it safer than almost any other option! In fact, so safe the operator could walk away and leave the system completely unattended for months or years!

That you don't know that is understandable given the antinuclear brainwashing that pervades green belief systems!

That you don't understand that renewables backed by pumped hydro and batteries, prices essential manufacturing off of the table, is also understandable, given the actual economic nouse of most if not all greens. If the cap fits? And no offence intended.

That said, suggest you get online and listen to former NASA scientist and nuclear technologist, Kirk Sorensen and his tech talks on MSR thorium and some of the commentary by leading greens formerly opposed to nuclear energy! It won't hurt, promise!
Alan B.

You know I think about the folly of all of this.
How much did Scomo cost Australia shirtfronting China over the pandemic cost?

How much did losing exports of 70 million tonnes of coal cost us?
What about cost the trade tariffs on barley, wine, beef, lamb, cotton, timber, lobsters, honey, fruit, pharmaceuticals?

How much is this costing the Australians that bust their asses to produce it.
Jobs and food on our tables? Tell me?

Now matter which home in Australia you go into, it's full of goods made in China, right?
- Yet WE export more to them than we import from them right?

What about the 4bln+ wasted on the bungled French submarine deal that delivered NOTHING?
How much are new ones going to cost? Maybe 200 billion?

All for WHAT exactly?
Becuase China may exceed the US economically?
- Of course they will, they have 6 times as many people.
Its INEVITABLE

Yamamoto was supposed to have said after Pearl Harbor
"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve."
China has a 2 million man army, what the hell are we going to do?
- Chuck rocks at them? Submarines aren't going to save us.

China Threatens War I Beijing's Face To Face Warning To US Over Support To Taiwan's Independence Bid
http://youtu.be/9eoo2SFmYHk

Chinese and US defense officials, Wei Fenghe and Lloyd Austin held their first face to face meeting in Singapore on June 10
China will 'smash to smithereens' any Taiwan independence bid.
Wei Fenghe said that Beijing 'will not hesitate to start a war' if Taiwan declares independence to safeguard national soverignty and territorial integrity.