Counterpoint

Counterpoint - 2013-05-06

On today's program we discuss why China is in dispute with three countries and then we take a close look at the Australian economy and what we can expect from next week's budget.

Counterpoint - 2013-04-22

On today's program we find out what is happening with the American economy and why the proposed guns laws failed to get through the Senate. We also find out if the Hong Kong Elections are on track and democratic and we find out how our creative sector is leading the way in Australian innovation

Counterpoint - 2013-04-08

On today's program we discuss football and fascism, tax evasion and bail outs. We also wonder why the Australian Cabinet procedure no longer seems to be working and discuss why Nordic countries are doing so well on almost every measure.

Counterpoint - 2013-03-25

On today's program we discuss the future of Venezuela without its charismatic leader President Hugo Chavez. We find out about Australia's bad drug deal and we discuss Aboriginal Violence and why it seems to be ever thus.

Counterpoint - 2013-03-11

On today's program we will find out what can be done and what is being done to eradicate drugs from sport. We also look at why Italians gave most of their votes to a comedian and why giving giving arms to the Syrian rebels may not be such a good idea.

Counterpoint - 2013-02-25

On today's program we'll discuss the effect of the evolving mining boom on our two speed economy. Also our Industrial Relations laws are difficult to negotiate at the very best of times but when a union is in it for themselves and not their workers it can become a nightmare. Plus, the State of the Union and President Obama and the difficulties of being a second term President.

Counterpoint - 2013-02-11

On today’s program, we’ll be discussing what Australia can expect, and what if any changes it can implement, as a member of the G20 Troika in 2013 and then as chair of the G20 in 2014 in Brisbane. Also, have the methods used thus far to deliver services to Indigenous communities worked? A new report say’s NO and that millions of dollars have been wasted in the process. Plus Richard III gay marriage and what is going on in North and West Africa.

Counterpoint - 2013-01-28

Today we look at the state of higher education in this country; try to unravel why, after 100 years, people still get involved in Ponzi schemes; and, because it’s the Australia Day weekend, discuss nationalism and patriotism and the difference between the two.

Counterpoint - 2012-12-10

Today David Burchell on Contrarians Between the Cracks.

Counterpoint - 2012-11-26

Today we look at the relationship between China and Australia as we draw closer the 40th anniversary of our diplomatic relationship. We also wonder why we reach for a pill when we're sad or worried and we also find out why some prime ministers succeed while others fail.

Counterpoint - 2012-11-12

Today we look at the US election result and what it means for the world plus the Asian Century White Paper...what's missing?

Counterpoint - 2012-10-29

Today we get an update on the US election plus why, with such a population of over 300 million do the same names keep cropping up in American elections? Think Clinton, Bush, Kennedy and before that Roosevelt and Adams. And we’re not immune here in Oz. Think Anthony, Downer and Jenkins. So with such large populations why is the political talent pool so small?

Counterpoint - 2012-10-15

Today we discover who has assumed a leading role in ASEAN and get an update on the territorial dispute in the East China Sea. We also continue on our quest to discover what it means to be a good person and we learn some phone manners.

Counterpoint - 2012-10-01

What is the relationship between Asia and Australia? Sure we sell them our goods but are we as engaged as we should be with our nearest neighbours. Plus what does it take to be a good person? is it all about how much money you have or where you went to university or is it something else?

Counterpoint - 2012-09-17

Today Scott Stephens on why the State needs the Church.

Free speech

Today we examine free speech with guest host James Allan. In essence, the point to having lots of free speech is to ensure that views we dislike, find distasteful, and even despise get an airing. Anyone can be in favour of allowing speech he likes.

Patrick Cook on Hunt the Slipper

Is Australia in the midst of a pantomime? Perhaps we're playing parlour games? What we do know is that there is nothing to see here so move on.

After the Arab Spring

The Arab Spring put the Arab world firmly on the path to democracy and a better future, didn't it? Well, maybe not. It was certainly led by liberals and they rallied the Arab masses but then they were drowned out by the slogans of the better organised and more popular radical Islamists.

Rowan Dean: Mad Men

The multi-award winning TV series Mad Men has been praised for its visual historical accuracy. The men’s suits, the women’s shoes, the office decor all the surface stuff. But what about the portrayal of the copywriters, Don Draper and Peggy Olson; is that accurate? And how do copywriters in real life ‘crack’ an original, award-winning idea?

Free Market Fairness

Can libertarians care about social justice? John Tomasi argues that they can and should. Drawing simultaneously on moral insights from defenders of economic liberty such as F. A. Hayek and advocates of social justice such as John Rawls, Tomasi presents a new theory of liberal justice. This theory, free market fairness, is committed to both limited government and the material betterment of the poor

David Burchell on life in the humanities faculty

What's been happening in the humanities faculties in our universities for both students and staff? Is it any different to how it was or is it more or less the same?

ANZAC Myth Part 3: The nonsense of universal Australian...

This is the third and final of a three-part series on the myths of the Anzacs. After WWI, Australian general Sir John Monash said our troops had been sportsmen who’d never mistreated enemy prisoners. Like many things that sound too good to be true, so too was this observation. And what about WWII?

India, The Untold Story and the Ignored Reality

Will India be the next superpower? Following the success of economic liberalisation in the 1990’s expectations have grown that India might become an economic giant. More than that, Western countries have seen in India’s democratic heritage the potential for strategic partnerships. But do Western expectations ignore India’s history and its current demographic reality?

Such is Life

Is our national discourse like a classical Japanese ‘Noh’ play where everyone has a set role? If so, what happens if you don't fit in?

Hong Kong Election

On March 25th 2012 an election was held in Hong Kong. The lead-up to election-day was controversial and the candidates were swirled in scandal. The prize being sought was that of Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The prize-winner was a former property surveyor C.Y. Leung.

Rowan Dean: Farewell to the Dame

This week Barry Humphries announced that he was retiring his beloved characters Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson. Rowan Deans looks at the legacy of these characters who featured in countless ads, television shows and stages from the UK to the US.

David Burchell on the Ogre of Finkelstein

Counterpoint's regular politics and society commentator looks at the Finkelstein Inquiry

Thinking of Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was the longest serving (1979-1990) British Prime Minister of the 20th Century, and the only woman to have held the post. She is being discussed with renewed vigour following the release of the film 'The Iron Lady'. The film, like her leadership, has gotten mixed reviews. So what was she really like? Alistair McAlpine, Baron McAlpine, was both Treasurer and Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party throughout the Thatcher years and he joins us...

The view from the street

In American political circles it is known as Super Tuesday, the day in an election year when registered voters in 10 states nominate who they would prefer as presidential candidate. So what happened? And are we any closer to seeing a winning candidate?

Mark Steyn: It's a free country... isn't it ?

Mark Steyn talks about his early work in journalism as a cultural critic, his knowledge of and enthusiasm for music and that much maligned art form the musical, as well as his thoughts on why it’s better to have political leaders who don’t carry on like rock stars and why the term 'it’s a free country' seems to be slowly vanishing from the vernacular.

The European Union: a failed experiment?

Daniel Hannan says he loves Europe but he fears the consequences of Britain's absorption into the EU. He’s a Euro sceptic and has spent the last decade warning of the problems associated with a big Europe. In this talk, recorded last week in Sydney, he puts forward the reasons why the EU is a failed experiment and why the UK should distance itself from Brussels.

A fire a day

Was Australia pre 1788 a vast wilderness, as many environmentalists today would claim, or was it a carefully created and managed environment ? Historian Bill Gammage looks at the Aborigines use of fire and the impact it had on the landscape.

It's the stupid economy

As part of the public debate in the lead up to the US presidential elections, the website the "daily beast" has produced a series of what they call "Op vids". These, according to the creator Joe Posner, are " Opinion, without the pundits yelling. Handmade animation, without the caricatures. Essays, without the text. Complex topics, without the boring". Launching the series late last year was Harvard economist, author and TV presenter Niall Ferguson. He considers some of the policy responses...

The view from the street

Mary Kissel, Counterpoint's regular contributor on US politics and business, looks at the Republican primaries, contraception, the state and religious freedom as well as housing and unemployment.

Economic models: uses and abuses

Just about every industry group uses them but how credible are they? Richard Denniss discusses some of the uses and abuses of economic modelling. He says while they’re 'potentially a useful tool,' he’s 'deeply sceptical' about how these models are used in the political debate.

Are dull leaders better than charismatic ones?

In the lead-up to the Florida primary, Newt Gingrich claimed that he is 'the legitimate heir to conservative hero Ronald Reagan'. Is this true? And what does it mean, in American politics, to label yourself a conservative?

Anarcho-capitalist libertarianism: What is it?

Hans-Hermann Hoppe outlines a very different way to organise, approach and think about government, society and the economy.

Has postmodernism run out of steam?

It has been the dominant idea of our age but has post modernism run out of steam ? Edward Docx explains why a craving for a new authenticity is pushing through.

Afghanistan and the drug trade

Gretchen Peters spent 10 years observing this violent and volatile part of the world and warns that the country is becoming one of the world’s major narco states. She discusses her book "Seeds of terror" and suggests that the insurgents rather than being driven by ideology and religion are instead more interested in profit, power and wealth.

Success, failure, dissent and group think

Undercover economist Tim Hartford talks about his book "Adapt" where he spells out the dangers of group think and explains why dissent is so important, as is the tolerance of at least some failure in life

I can't make my phone work. Am I a Luddite?

Has the word Luddite become sloppy with overuse? Who were the Luddites? Were they simply an anti technology movement? And if not, then what were those Luddites really fighting against?

Truth well told

Rowan Dean surveys 2011's hits and misses in the world of advertising, public performances and spin

Behind the boom: what metallurgists do

In earlier times, process engineers were known as metallurgists whose job it is to take the ore once it comes out of the ground and process it to the point where it can be transported to the customer. Dan Helm outlines his role in the mining industry.

Is the free market a flawed ideology?

Highlights from ABC TV 'Big Ideas' episode 'Battle of the Think Tanks',

Behind the boom: what engineers do

After geologists and drillers have done their job, mining engineers have to work out how much is there, how concentrated it is and whether the project is financially viable

Behind the boom: what drillers do

A series of interviews about the mining industry and the people who work in it. In this episode Matt Thurston tells us all about drilling.

Sex, scandal and the clergy in the middle ages

How did the Church in the middle ages deal with sex among clergy, and between the clergy and civilians? And is the approach it took then still prevalent in the 21st Century?

16:18 Behind the boom: what geologists do

Its not uncommon for a geologist to spend an entire career and find nothing while others have the experience of discovering massive deposits that provide hundreds of jobs and minerals that are shipped around the world for decades to come. One geologist who has spent considerable time in the field and has had his share of good fortune explains how it's all done.

16:40 Behind the boom: what miners do - UPDATED

Over the coming weeks Counterpoint will offer an insight into the mining industry from the people who work in it. From drillers to metallurgists, geologists to engineers. To begin the series, geologist and mining entrepreneur, Julian Malnic provides an overview of the industry.

16:05 Crime and punishment in the middle ages

We often tend to think only in terms of either innocence or guilt but in the middle ages there was a broader spectrum - something in between. Celia Chazelle discusses how medieval society dealt with crime and punishment and suggests that there are lessons to be learnt from history.

16:30 Noel Pearson: Radical Hope

In Northern Queensland one community, fed up with the poor quality education their kids were receiving, decided enough was enough! As part of the Cape York reform agenda, they took over the running of a couple of primary schools and introduced sweeping changes to the way their children were taught. According to Noel Pearson the initial signs are encouraging. Highlights of his talk: Radical Hope: Education and Equality in Australia

16:05 Property rights

In many countries the state is able to acquire land without the owners consent. The argument goes that governments, in exceptional circumstances, might need a particular piece of land for a greater good but can it be open to abuse? Bruce Benson examines the situation in the United States.

16:19 David Burchell: Occupy everything, everywhere

Politics and society commentator David Burchell considers the place of Kevin Rudd in Australian politics and discusses the occupy Wall street movement.

16:41 The triumph of the larrikin?

There was a time when larrikinism was celebrated in Australia as a healthy up yours attitude to stuffiness and pretension. But is this form of cultural subversion still active in 21st century Australia? Tony Moore believes the enduring appeal of larrkinism still resonates today.

16:05 Mary Kissel: The Republican race tightens up

Does Occupy Wall Street have anything in common with the Tea Party Movement? And who is leading the race amongst the Republican presidential candidates? Mary Kissel explores the issues.

16:24 The EU: How did it go so wrong?

The Eurozone was touted as a grand turning point in European history. But was the basic idea flawed from the beginning? Michael Warby examines why the European Union has failed to live up to its expectations.

16:42 Everything you think you know about the collapse...

As Leon Aron sees it all of the conventional explanations for the demise of the Soviet Union missed one vital aspect - human dignity.

16:18 Wild & Woolley: California dreaming meets Sydney...

Michael Wilding, a writer and lecturer at the University of Sydney, meets a dynamic California Girl called Pat Woolley. She says to him offhandedly Id like to set up a publishing company and call it Wild and Woolley. He responds: Do you know my name? No she replies without interest. Sometime later Wilding flew to California to join up with Woolley. And an amazing publishing adventure began.

16:05 Why do liberals keep arguing about FA Hayek?

An address by Jacob T Levy entitled: `Rationalism, Pluralism, and Hayek's History of Liberal Thought. FA Hayek is best known for his defence of classic liberalism against collectivist ideas. Hayeks most famous book,The Road to Serfdom, was published in Britain in 1944. Popularly understood as 'a war cry against central planning', it was not exactly gung-ho about 'laissez-faire capitalism' either. The works of FA Hayek continue to stimulate debate across the political spectrum.

16:22 Mark Steyn: Armageddon will be brought to you by...

Canadian born Mark Steyn is one of the worlds best known conservative commentators. His new book is After America: Get Ready For Armageddon. He depicts a country in rapid decline presided over by an aloof 'creditentialled class'. But it is not all bad news, as one reviewer has said: 'only Mark Steyn can write about the decline of America and leave you laughing.'

16:39 The future is in the suburbs, not the cities

American demographer Joel Kotkin discusses his country's people, immigration and cities. He zooms in on Los Angeles from where he says 'Californian Dreaming' has gone south. It's moved to cities like Houston. And he concludes Australians should think hard about the possible erosion of their suburban dream.

16:05 Mary Kissel: $447 billion will create how many...

President Barack Obama presented his much discussed legislative proposal `The American Jobs Act to a joint session of the US Congress last week. It would cost, if fully implemented, $447 billion. Part of the legislative package is a $240 billion tax cut. He has dared his opponents in Congress not to support it.The Wall Street Journal's Mary Kissel discusses.

16:31 The Legacy Of Daniel Bell

Sociologist Daniel Bell's prophecies about the downside of `post-industrial society were disturbingly accurate. In the 1970s Bell saw an increasing disinclination to pay tax running in tandem with an increasing demand for entitlements.This, we are now realising in the 21st Century,is unsustainable.

16:05 Rowan Dean: Labels and lobby groups, truth well...

Legendary ad man, Rowan Dean, looks at celebrity wine labels, airline re-branding and the role played by toys in selling fast food to children.

16:12 For the Taliban, the heroin business has never...

Ten years after the Twin Towers, what are we fighting for in Afghanistan? Popular rhetoric is that this war is about ideology & religious extremism. But author Gretchen Peters says that the on-the-ground reality is that Afghanistan is becoming the worlds largest narco-state and the opium trade, the Talibans primary source of income, is flourishing.

16:48 American jitters about invasive species, including...

In America there is a widespread belief that the natural environment ought to be, or indeed can be, returned to some sort of biological purity. Anthropologist Hugh Raffles says nature is like the immigrant's haven, New York city: a glorious mixture of all types, never static, never stagnant, that's nature's way.

16:15 American Liberalism: if it's broke, then fix it!

With the US economy stalling, some Americans committed to Liberalism are re-thinking the fundamentals. Ted Nordhaus from the Breakthrough Institute thinks Americans have forgotten what drove their post-war economy.

16:43 Brendan O'Neill

16:17 Janet Albrechtsen

16:43 Why young professionals can't afford London

In London, beyond the scenes of television looting, but in close proximity, we have a generation of professionals under 30, university educated, who cant afford to buy a flat. Why is that?

16:05 US election: it's the economy, stupid... again.

The 2012 presidential race is up and running and Barack Obama is already attending fund-raisers. But given the state of the US economy what chance has he got? The Wall Street Journal's Mary Kissel discusses.

16:25 Magazines with a lot of history

Keith Windschuttle and Tom Switzer discuss the role and relevance of traditional magazines in an age of digital media. We live in an age of 24 hour news cycles but what is worth conserving?

16:05 Patrick Cook: What Rupert and Julia did next

It started with questions to be answered and ended behind closed doors.

16:18 A cry for real indigenous welfare.

After all the years of supposedly good deeds & decades of mega-dollars, the lives of the Northern Territory's indigenous people are still hopeless. Where is the money going?

16:40 What Julia could teach Barack about trade.

Dan Ikenson on why the Obama Administration should take a leaf out of Australias trade policy book. For more than three decades Australia has rejected the mantra exports good, imports bad. Washington still won't budge from its 16th century dogma of mercantilism.

16:05 Rupert, Rupert! Can we all take a cold shower...

Frank Furedi expresses his concern at what he calls `outrage mongering in the UK. The problem he says isnt so much with the News Of The World but with shallow views being loudly expressed by the quality media.

16:05 The great purge of our libraries

Michael Wilding is not happy with whats happening to books in our university libraries. When did it all start to go wrong?

16:48 Patrick Cook: Shovelling bovine material.

16:18 Cleopatra: History has done her wrong

History and popular culture dismiss Cleopatra as a mere wanton seductress but what was she really like? Originally broadcast 29 November 2010.

16:45 David Burchell: climate, culture and conflict

Dr Burchell discusses the polarising effect that the climate debate has had on the Australian electorate. He points to the vanishing centre in Australian political life, the free fall in the ALP's primary vote and the electorate's increasing anger.

16:05 Fair contracts for the self employed

Fair contracts are increasingly important in a world where millions of Australians now work as independent contractors. There are laws to protect the weaker parties in many contractual situations, but not always when it comes to dealing with the government.

16:05 Pragmatism, Idealism: the perfect partnership?

Is pragmatism necessarily impure? And whats purity anyway?. John Armstrong considers pragmatism, idealism, compromise, politics and worthwhile careers.

16:27 LEAP: Law Enforcement Against Prohibition

The drug law reform group LEAP has been active in the US for nearly a decade. Paul Cubitt explains why LEAP Australia has been established and what it hopes to achieve.

16:39 The Centre for Independent Studies: 35 years on

As a young man back in 1976 Greg Lindsay had a novel idea and decided to establish a think tank, in a shed, in a suburban back yard. 35 years later the Centre for Independent Studies (CIS) can certainly take some credit for bringing what were fringe ideas like free market economics, liberal trade policies and personal responsibility into the mainstream. Greg Lindsay reflects on the CIS and its contribution to the Australian political conversation.

16:19 Why California may not have to close its parks

In California right now things are pretty grim, so much so that to address the states financial plight, seventy State Parks are scheduled to close later this year. But rather than simply shutting the gate and waiting until good times return Laura Huggins suggests that private enterprise could come to the rescue and manage, operate and even pay a dividend to the cash strapped state.

16:46 David Burchell: Anger, politics and the new media

Is anger replacing dispassionate analysis in politics? And why might this be the case?

16:05 You've got to be rich to work for free

Interns permeate almost every corner of the US economy, from Disney World to Capitol Hill, the Fortune 500 to the non-profit sector, from Main Street to Silicon Valley. They fetch coffee, clean toilets and staple, but they also do more substantive work for little or no pay.

16:31 Dr Google

Rachael Dunlop is concerned that so many of us now turn to the internet for information on health and medicine. Has the internet become the place where the half-baked prey on the totally clueless especially when it comes to health advice? Basically shes worried about the effect of Dr Google. A short preview of a talk given at the Festival of Commercial Creativity. Availble in full on Big Ideas TV

16:05 I can't make my phone work - am I a Luddite?

Has the word Luddite become sloppy with overuse? Who were the Luddites? Were they simply an anti technology movement? And if not, then what were those Luddites really fighting against?

16:24 Get rid of the performance review !

Samuel Culbert has something to say about what many in the work force look forward to with anxiety and trepidation each year- the performance review. This he argues is an enormous waste of time and should be dispensed with.

16:47 Suicide Bombings

Is religion the motivating force behind the suicide bomber? Riaz Hassan has looked closely at this and says its not really the case.

16:28 Patrick Cook: The ghost who walks

16:38 Lycra: a cultural biography

Anthropologist Kaori OConnor discusses the world of corsets, nylon stockings, girdles and the leggings Jane Fonda made famous. Her investigations, she reveals, drove her to a more nuanced and positive view of capitalism and corporations than is generally found in the academic literature

16:05 Against the wind

Its strange days indeed when environmentalists, who usually oppose development, actively support building huge power generating edifices across the countryside. While those conservatively minded country folk instead of applauding regional development are dead against them. Max Rheese discusses the opposition to wind farms.

16:34 Aboriginal self-determination: Question and answer...

Following his talk Gary Johns takes questions from the audience.

16:05 Aboriginal self-determination: Introduction

Wesley Aird and Mal Brough introduce and discuss Gary Johns's new book Aboriginal Self-Determination: The whiteman's dream.

16:42 The Copts in Egypt

Peter Day discusses the Copts, their history and current standing in Egypt.

16:26 Why the arts leans left

Matt Hayden (the comic not the cricketer) says Despite claims of diversity, the arts scene in Australia and other western countries is depressingly uniform and politically correct in the extreme. He explains why he calls it the conforming arts and why there are so few conservatives in the arts industry.

16:05 Measuring excellence?

Bob Birrell and Greg Melleuish discuss some of the unintended consequences of the Australian Research Council's new rankings system for academic journals.