December Newsletter: Rethinking Greens strategy, critiquing 'big government' statism, an interview with Remah Naji, a new hip-hop track + comments on the Victoria Park Olympics proposal
Dear friends,
I've finally hit 'Publish' on what I consider to be one of the most important articles I've written this year – a lengthy examination of the need for the Australian Greens to reorient the party's overall political positioning and strategic approach. I've broken it up into two parts so you don't get scared off by the size of it...
Jonathan Sriranganathan
I'm hoping to record an audio narration of this piece in the next few days, so check back later next week if you'd rather listen than read.
A heck of a lot has happened since my last email newsletter. Federally, we've seen a rush of problematic legislation pushed through parliament, and here in Brisbane, the LNP has started slashing and truncating public transport services – arguably a consequence of budget blowouts on major road widening projects. Meanwhile, more business and property development voices are rolling in behind proposals to sell off part of Barrambin/Victoria Park for private development, and build major Olympic stadiums and sports arenas in another big chunk of this important green space (more on that below).
Internationally, a range of military conflicts are expanding, and the brutal genocide in Palestine continues (Brisbane's next Justice for Palestine rally is on 20 December – get along if you can). We should remember that many of these tragic, bloody wars and invasions are connected in part to droughts, famines and diminishing access to water, food and arable land. We're seeing the predictable impacts of increasingly unstable climates – and the colonial-capitalist system that drives global warming – playing out in our news feeds.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, there's a noticeable overlap between the politicians/media personalities/public commentators saying that there can be no legitimate justification for the recent killing in America of the powerful UnitedHealthcare CEO, and those claiming that the Israeli regime has a legitimate justification for killing tens of thousands of Palestinian children. Apparently killing innocent civilians in the Middle East is fine, but killing American CEOs is not.
In positive news, climate activist (and good friend) Ben Pennings had a big win in court against Adani, who were using SLAPP legal tactics to try to discourage activists from speaking out against the coal industry.
At my end, I've been doing lots of thinking and writing, while squeezing in opportunities to record some music. My hip-hop/folk band Rivermouth has just released a new single – Notice to Leave – about the housing crisis and the sense of desperation so many renters are feeling. You can read the release notes and listen to/download the track via Bandcamp.
Recently, I had a solid 30-minute interview with Remah Naji, the Greens candidate for the federal electorate of Moreton. One of my favourite parts of the discussion was unpacking how Remah plans to respond to bad faith attacks that she is 'too radical.' You can read the transcript or listen to the interview via this page...
Jonathan Sriranganathan
I've also written a longer piece (roughly a 15-minute read) critiquing the Australian left's preoccupation with 'statist' solutions, which includes reflections on how institutions like Surf Life Saving and Rural Fire Brigades are able to deliver important services on a non-profit basis more efficiently than the government itself could ever hope to.
Jonathan Sriranganathan
That article is supported by a few case studies from my time as a city councillor, which might be interesting to people who like to geek out on conversations about local government service provision.
Jonathan Sriranganathan
Olympic stadiums in Barrambin/Victoria Park are a terrible idea
It's been very concerning in the past few weeks to see more big business interests lining up behind proposals to turn Barrambin/Victoria Park into an Olympics precinct.
A few months ago I published an article critiquing this idea, which I encourage you to read in its entirety if you have the time...
Jonathan Sriranganathan
But for those who just want the key takeaways, please make sure you highlight the following in any conversations about the proposal for Barrambin that's been put forward by Archipelago...
- it includes selling off 9 hectares of the park for private development (in addition to the 6 hectares of land needed for the actual Olympics venues) to help offset the still-astronomical construction cost of $6+ billion
- claims that the project would deliver a net increase in public space by building over the inner-city bypass are based on some very dubious and rubbery numbers – they blur the definitions of 'open space' (which includes concrete where no trees can grow) and actual 'green space,' and most of their purported 'increase' comes from closing down the golf driving range, which we could do anyway without spending billions on stadiums
- Barrambin is a very significant site for local Aboriginal people, but First Nations families have been left out of this conversation altogether
- all levels of government support adding tens of thousands of additional high-density dwellings to Brisbane's inner-north side, but have identified no other sites where new public green space could be created – apartment residents rely even more heavily on public parks than people with free-standing houses and private backyards, so if we want future inner-city residents to enjoy a high quality of life, we need to protect and revegetate urban green spaces rather than building over them.
I remain of the view that Brisbane should just cut our losses and pull out of hosting the Olympics entirely. Regardless of where the venues end up, the costs of hosting will significantly outweigh the public benefits, and the games will likely cause further inflationary pressure on property prices, which is the last thing our city needs right now. Personally, I feel it would be constructive for someone to organise a protest against new Olympic stadiums sometime soon – please flick me a reply if you'd see value in attending an action like that.
Alright, I should stop rambling now and let you jump into my latest article. Please forward this email to anyone else who might be interested in my writing and isn't on social media.
I'll leave ya with this 30-second clip from my new song (which looks to have had over 6500 views on Tiktok already!)...
Warm regards,
Jonno
@jonnosri For anyone who's interested, my hiphop/folk band Rivermouth's latest track 'Notice to Leave' is out now on Bandcamp "If you keep jacking up the rent, we're gonna burn down the real estate agency" #rentfreeze #auspol #landlords #landlordsareleeches #aussiehiphop #consciousrap ♬ original sound - Jonathan Sriranganathan
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