UPDATE: For those who can’t see the ABC footage we have a copy at dropbox, thanks to Panda.
UPDATE #2: This episode has now been pulled from the ABC website 13 days early. The ABC, with its billion dollar budget, has a website to show all its programs for 14 days after they run. But for no stated reason this one has been deleted after just one day. Did the ABC not like us discussing it? (H/t to Panda). Thank goodness we have a copy. [Screencap of current ABC page here.]
h/t to Peter Q. Thanks to Andrew M as well.
Dennis Jensen has a lot to say on matters of national importance, but the ABC doesn’t ask him very often about those.
Tonight Dr Dennis Jensen was just the “Climate denier” target who had stepped over the line on another topic — breaking a sacred taboo. He might lose pre-selection. He might be out of a job. The ABC seem to think we care about the party political machinations more than the suffering of Australian citizens, which Jensen had been trying to get us to discuss. Instead the ABC went into great details of his dire career plight. That apparently was “the message”.
You could be forgiven for thinking the main point of the ABC news was not to discuss matters of national importance, to inform us of what we are allowed to talk about, and to let us know our sentence should we let slip the wrong phrase. Watch out, you too might get sacked, be exiled, and called nasty names “denier”. (Have you done a PhD? The ABC can erase that — not a doctor, just the brain-of-a-dog, a man who barks.)
As the only Federal MP who did a PhD in a science and engineering area, Jensen was one of the first to speak up, years ahead, about problems with climate science and our energy policies. He was right. He also has a lot to say on defence. But on climate, defense and energy policy, the ABC is more likely to ask Sarah Hanson Young.
There was no discussion at all today of the problem Dennis Jensen was trying to get the nation to talk about, nor about his experience in South Africa. It’s a crime we can’t discuss that here (sorry)– it’s SNIP 18C and all — lest we offend.
Some Australians have shorter lifespans, poor health, and lower employment. The intolerant racists appear to be the ones distracting us from the real issues and stopping discussions that might help them.
Dennis grew up in South Africa. He fought against apartheid then, and he fights against it now.
Sell the ABC.
Dennis Jensens Speech to Parliament
Note to commenters. You can discuss the ABC and the point of namecalling public broadcasters, or the marvel of free speech and how Australia doesn’t have it. On other matters, moderation may be unbelievably slow and comments may be deleted or fester in the moderation queue for days. Apologies. OpenAustralia (Dennis’s speech link) appear to want comments on those other topics there…
PS: Any youtube geniuses out there who can convert the ABC video to something that people overseas can watch? Thanks 🙂