"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben Davison

Episode 47: Gladys "Mockdown" fails, Morrison's leadership failings continue, Is the UK opening up or giving up? And the good news is about oil and gas in Greenland!

Van Badham (locked down in Sydney) and Ben Davison (locked down in Melbourne) examine how the Glady's "mockdown" failed to stop the spread of the Delta variant and now more than half of Australia is in lockdown with almost 1,500 COVID cases in NSW.  Sadly hospitalisations, ICU admissions and ventilations have almost doubled since last week's episode.

Morrison holds a press conference to tell Australian's what a good job he's doing, lie about vaccination rates and pretend $350 a week from the government is somehow a generous act from a man who lives in a waterfront palace and collects over $500,000 a year.  But he's not going to say sorry for failing to roll out the vaccine.  No matter how many times we ask him, no matter how many cases there are and no matter how clearly he has failed.

Boris Johnson has declared "Freedom Day" by removing all COVID restrictions at the same time his health minister, who is vaccinated, gets COVID in what is widely seen as Boris simply giving up on trying to keep people safe.

The good news is from Greenland.  The new Inuit led government has decided to keep the oil and gas in the ground in an act of global solidarity with genuine consequences for their own sovereign goals.

Weekend Wrap 18 July 2021

Morrisons vaccine failures allow 105 new COVID cases in Sydney as Gladys finally suggests people should wear masks outside.

7 are now ventilated and another person has died.

Victoria carries the cost of Morrison's politicking with 16 cases linked to the NSW outbreak.

Australian Unions are calling for Jobkeeper to return but Morrison has refound is ideological goggles are is refusing to help people keep their jobs.

Can you believe that no Morrison Minister has resigned over abandoning 36,000 stranded Aussies overseas?  Well, they've just let in well known British racist Katie Hopkins and Republican politician/Kardashian Caitlyn Jenner for Channel 7.

Sign the megaphone petition to have them booted out.  The ministers and the dangerous right wing loons.

 

Episode 46: Gladys extends Sydney lockdown, Morrison puts party before nation, China watches our wargames and good news about goats!

Van Badham, in lockdown Sydney, and Ben Davison, fresh from a Tier 1 exposure, breakdown Glady's Sydney lockdown extension, the pressure on workers in Fairfield and the growing impact of the Liberal's "confusion first" approach.

Morrison's decision to increase payments to Sydney, in a way not open to Melbourne during Victoria's lockdown, has incensed people as partisan politicking gone mad.  Morrison's government has tried to justify the favourable treatment using the same tricks it has offered up over car park rorts, sports rorts and Sydney airport land payments but even liberals are furious!

Dutton throws a dead cat on the table as China sends the same ship to watch our regular war games with the USA, "Talisman Sabre", as they sent in 2019 and 2017.

And the good news is about how we can turn feral goats into fertiliser!  

Weekend Wrap 11th July 2021

Glady's lockdown lite results in 77 case today, 52 in hospital, 15 in intensive care and 1 death.  Morrison continues to fail with on 9% of Australian's vaccinated

The RBA acknowledges that manipulation of migration policy has resulted in lower wages as the failure of neo-liberal economics continues to be exposed

Ash Barty wins Wimbeldon! 

Episode 45:Coronavirus versus the world, Scott Morrison is "Menacing Wallpaper" and the good news is about.... Antelopes!

With Van Badham stuck in Sydney lockdown while Ben Davison remains in Victoria, we consider how Australia has managed to stuff its vaccine rollout even without the problems that have caused crisis in Indonesia and Russia. We ponder how some of the country's most privileged private schoolboys have been vaccinated... but their teachers haven't - oh, and remote communities haven't, either. Former MP Julia Banks unloads on the sexism culture of the LIberal Party, and tips a bucket on Scott Morrison. The good news is about the antelopes of Kazakhstan... and there's an update with some MORE good news about hybrid airships. Enjoy!

Weekend wrap Jul 4, 2021

Morrison’s failure sparks a four stage plan to pretend everything is ok NSW lockdown continues with aged care outbreak Stranded Aussies now six months past due but big business come and go as they please Morrison’s finance Minister goes on Insiders to praise car park corruption saying “Australians had their chance..” Julia Banks reveals the darkness beneath the Liberal Party masks.

Episode 44: Morrison vaccine failure locks down millions! $330 million spent on car-park election pork-barrelling! Medicare cuts start tomorrow!

Van is trapped in a locked-down New South Wales and doesn't know when she'll see Ben again, but the podcast continues through the miracle of technology and a fervent desire to discuss Scott Morrisons many, many, many failures. How many? SO MANY: on coronavirus vaccines, quarantines, Astra-Zeneca, jobkeeper, Medicare, the inter-generational report... just for starters. Meanwhile, the good news is about the transformational regenerative agriculture of Inga trees and tropical rainforests. Also, Van misses the dog.

Special LIVE from Wagga Wagga: Glady's gold standard sparkling COVID cluster, Morrison trades jobs for Bentley's and Blue Label, workers stand up against oppression

Van Badham and Ben Davison take The Week on Wednesday on the road recording a LIVE episode at the Wagga Wagga Interesting Festival.

Recorded on Saturday June 26th moments before Sydney entered COVID lockdown, Van and Ben discuss the issues Glady's handling of the outbreak and take questions from a live festival audience.

This special episode also looks at the impact of the Australia-UK free trade agreement on jobs, the economy and broader social structures with the audience asking; Is Tony Abbott a traitor?

The win for General Mills workers and the secure jobs senate inquiry report are discussed in the context of working people standing up against exploitation.  The audience asks questions about the benefits of being a union member and the gendered impact of the gig economy.

The good news is about the floating gardens of Bangladesh, which if we can't stop climate change, might help save us all!

So tune into this very special LIVE edition of The Week on Wednesday (on a Saturday at the Interesting Festival in Wagga Wagga)

Episode 43: Workers strike for better wages as Morrison era cuts pay packets, Barnaby is back dragging us down into the darkness, NSW enters its COVID Winter and good news about bees!

Van Badham and Ben Davison discuss the workers who are taking action at General Mills and how everyone can support them by boycotting Old El Paso & Latina Fresh products.  They explore new research which shows average working people are $254 a week WORSE off under the Morrison government, how ANZ and Macquarie Banks are taking money out of worker's pockets and what we can do to lift wages in Australia. 

HINT: Join your union

Barnaby Joyce is back in the Deputy PM chair and both Van and Ben share the outrage felt by most of the nation.  But what does his return mean for Australia and what can we do to limit the damage Gina's pet does to Australia this time around?

NSW is experiencing a COVID Winter outbreak, as sadly predicted on this show.  With the vaccines rollout moving from strollout to failout we discuss what people can do to stay safe, keep infections down and keep our heads up.

There is good news on vaccines...for bees! With a new vaccine set to help save bee populations.

Ben and Van share a story about the time they met former British Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn and Germanicus climbs on all the equipment!

Weekend Wrap Jun 20, 2021

COVID Update: QLD has a case, NSW has more cases, Morrison rejected 40 million Pfizer doses -Changes to Super target industry funds while letting rip off bank funds continue -World Refugee Day -Minimum Wage changes & exploitation of temporary migrant workers -Nationals bicker over leadership