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All 13 items on Vale.Rocks categorised with the tag 'politics'. Content relating to political issues, governance, and public policy.

Living in a Commonwealth country, I get a lot of exposure to the British royal family. I despise the fact that a royal family has any power in the modern age. I entirely fail to see how a monarchy is any less authoritarian than a dictatorship. Leaders should be democratically elected based on their virtues, not because of arbitrary factors such as being born into a specific family.

ActivityPub Bluesky

I don’t think enough people really talk about the fact that our prime minister here in Australia went swimming one day and then just disappeared. Genuinely just vanished then got replaced.

Nobody really knows what happened to him, though we did later name a swimming pool after him and there are many theories.

‘Look Tony, what are the odds of a prime minister being drowned or taken by a shark?’

— Harold Holt, prime minister of Australia, who presumably drowned.

China’s Parallel Web Behind the Wall

So much for the 'World Wide' Web.

The unique web and internet of China, largely cut off from the rest of the world by the Great Firewall, yet not completely isolated. The climate and history that shaped the censorship and regulations which formed China's domestic internet, which operates largely independently of the interconnected global network known by many. Looking at topics subject to censorship, different services used, culture, and the growing impact of artificial intelligence.

https://vale.rocks/posts/chinas-web

Beyond the Square and Under the Rug

Nothing happened in China during the spring and summer of 1989.

The Tiananmen Square protests and massacre that occurred on June 4th, 1989, with emphasis on the context surrounding the event and the Chinese government's aggressive censorship. Also clearing of misconceptions surrounding Tank Man.

https://vale.rocks/posts/1989-peoples-movement

Bluesky

I could appreciate some nuance to the situation when Bluesky initially verified some US government accounts.

However, deciding to verify ICE as they murder, abuse, and kidnap people is either direct endorsement or a blatant lack of spine.

I’m questioning remaining on the platform.

ActivityPub Bluesky

We’re past any pretence or keeping up of appearances now. The United States of America is invading foreign countries, overthrowing leaders, and threatening what were previously allies, all while disappearing and murdering its own citizens. This has been the case for months, but it seems we’ve reached a tipping point in recent days.

Given that it is unclear if there will even be another election, I think it can be said without hyperbole that the United States is now a dictatorship until proven otherwise.

Things are really bad. I don’t know if it is worse that it is happening or worse that there are so many human people willingly making it happen.

ActivityPub Bluesky

A few notes after voting in an election for the first time:

  • The queue is non-existent mid-afternoon.
  • The upper-house ballot paper is way bigger than I anticipated.
  • You can figure out a lot about a party based on their ‘how to vote’ cards.
  • I’m sick of stupid corflute cards.
ActivityPub Bluesky

I usually steer clear of political posts, but I can’t stress enough how important it is for every American to get out and vote. The world will be a little better for it.