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Gil Greening

@gilgreen.bsky.social
2.5K followers 1.5K following 2.8K posts

retired scientist, kiwi in Oz - Ngunnawal Country, avatar from Iceland, aurora australis from sister in Dunedin. #nzpol Vaxxed to the max. Greenie moll. Mostly just a lazy reposter.

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Gil Greening
Bronwyn Hayward @bmhayward.bsky.social · 3h
My position on why the EU- NZ trade agreement complaint’s so serious- we can’t have it both ways - we can’t claim to be honest brokers on a world stage while at home we’re not keeping to the fair climate/sustainability rules we expect our trade partners to also stick to www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...
rnz.co.nz
'Stakes could not be higher': Concern over claim NZ breached FTA climate commitments
International relations experts are warning a case claiming New Zealand is not meeting EU trade agreement climate commitments could seriously impact the country's reputation.
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Reposted by Gil Greening
PERFECTLY NORMAL @nzpom.com · 50m
Brian Roche is an absolute arsehole For everyone's sake, VOTE THEM OUT #nzpol
rnz.co.nz
How to cut public sector jobs? A much more aggressive approach to AI
The government's recipe for cutting thousands more public sector jobs demands using AI much more. RNZ looks through 16 documents that led up Nicola Willis's announcement in May of 8700 jobs to go and ...
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Reposted by Gil Greening
Larissa Waters @larissawaters.bsky.social · 15h
This isn’t a routine extension. It’s the largest coal mine expansion proposed in NSW. Approving 429 million tonnes of coal well into the 2040s is completely incompatible with climate action. If Labor has any shred of climate integrity left, it must reject this project.
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Larissa Waters @larissawaters.bsky.social · 15h
The biggest coal mine expansion ever proposed in NSW has been approved by the Minns government. It threatens to wipe out Australia's emissions reductions. This is a major test for Anthony Albanese and Murray Watt; they cannot provide federal approval to a project of this scale.
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Blair Palese @blairpalese.bsky.social · 8h
@ChrisMinns we just watched 10s of thousands die from heat exposure & 🔥 this n hemisphere summer & Nepalese communities devastated by flooding. Are you fucking kidding me? Responsibility to stop this #climate disaster is on you federal govt - What’s it going to be? A livable future or $? #auspol
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GreenEggs| Toitū Te Tiriti @hekikakariki.bsky.social · 2h
substack.com/@tstopford/n... #nzpol Excellent piece! Read and share e te whānau!
substack.com
The tragedy of NZs ‘conventional wisdom’
How’s the country going?
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Reposted by Gil Greening
David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Here’s another way climate change will kill us: the expansion of mosquitoes and the deadly diseases they carry. In Paris, the invasive Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus), an aggressive, day-biting nuisance, is now everywhere. So excited to get Dengue, Chikungunya, and Zika in Paris.
to.pbs.org
Scientists explore new ways to target mosquitoes as warming climate expands threat
It doesn't have sharp teeth or claws, but the mosquito kills more people than any other animal on earth. As the climate warms, mosquito season is lasting longer, giving them more time to spread danger...
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Reposted by Gil Greening
Ms Hooper @mshooper.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
www.instagram.com/reel/Dd23gOr... #nzpol
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Reposted by Gil Greening
Cate Macinnis-Ng @loraxcate.bsky.social · 2h
#NZPol www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...
rnz.co.nz
'Stakes could not be higher': Concern over claim NZ breached FTA climate commitments
International relations experts are warning a case claiming New Zealand is not meeting EU trade agreement climate commitments could seriously impact the country's reputation.
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Reposted by Gil Greening
Ka pū te ruha - Toitū Te Tiriti @kaputeruha.bsky.social · 2h
This is the reality of iwi led projects. For the whenua and the Tāngata. Not the TPU's racist conspiracies. Toitu te Tiriti #nzpol
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Pavel @spavel.bsky.social · 1h
We are so lucky that ChatGPT did not exist in 2020 or we'd all be dead
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Meryl Davids Landau @meryldl.bsky.social · 1h
So glad to see NatGeo lean into solar power stories, including this one I wrote on microgrids & another I'm currently working on. BTW, we looked into getting rooftop solar on our Florida home but the private insurance companies either said they wouldn't cover us or would charge a huge premium!
nationalgeographic.com
Going Off the Grid to Deal With Climate Disasters
Natural disasters are striking more often and with greater intensity. To keep their lights on, these communities are turning to independent supplies of renewable energy.
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Reposted by Gil Greening
RNZ News (Unofficial) @radionz.nzcow.com · 1h
📢 The government's recipe for cutting thousands more public sector jobs demands using AI much more. RNZ looks through 16 documents that led up Nicola Willis's announcement in May of 8700 jobs to go and unleashing the machines.
rnz.co.nz
How to cut public sector jobs? A much more aggressive approach to AI
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Reposted by Gil Greening
Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 1h
Probably relevant to today's US permitting reform news "Red states are more permissive when it comes to approving large-scale infrastructure projects of all kinds" hence, the preponderance of data centres there (and all the rising GHGs that come with them) lnkd.in/p/ecXC5Jkg
Before the launch of ChatGPT, most data centers were built in blue states. Today tech companies are building most data centers in red states. For our latest report, our team at Cleanview did research to find out why:

Red states are more permissive when it comes to approving large-scale infrastructure projects of all kinds. 

Mississippi, for example, passed a bill in 2024 that allowed utilities to build gas plants for data centers without any public or regulatory review, as we wrote about in our last newsletter. By comparison, Oregon has banned new gas plants and offers more opportunity for public input.

Another factor is the price of electricity. Red states like Texas, Ohio, and Louisiana have lower power prices than most blue states. Electricity is the largest operating cost for a data center. 

We found that states with below-median industrial electricity prices have 62% of the capacity currently under construction.

But the most important reason is population density. Data center developers are increasingly seeking sites in remote places like West Texas. These places tend to be conservative.

Before the generative AI era, data centers were built near population centers. That’s because most of them served internet activities that required low latency, like video calls and Netflix videos.

Today’s data centers don’t need to be sited as close to people. Many of the largest data centers are dedicated to AI training, which can be done in remote places.

We used Cleanview data to plot data center construction sites over a map of America’s population density, and the results were striking. 

At the end of 2023, the typical data center had 3.1 million people living within 50 miles of it. Today, the typical data center under construction has 1.8 million people living within 50 miles. Looking ahead, we found that planned projects that aren’t yet under construction would have 1 million people living within 50 miles.

These trends could change, however. Few political issu…
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Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 4h
Quite evident Republicans are thrilled they have a deal to weaken bedrock environmental laws—the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, National Environmental Policy Act, & National Historic Preservation Act. This bill is one of the greatest attacks on environmental protections in U.S. history.
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Brad Johnson @climatebrad.hillheat.com · 1h
I am impressed by folks who have seen the continued dominance of the fossil fuel industry and now the rise of the genocidal hyperscalers who believe that gutting environmental protections is going to help our prospects, it takes a kind of mental gymnastics that I simply lack the flexibility for.
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Admirable Women @admirablewomen.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Ann Bancroft: the first woman to reach the North Pole on foot* in 1986 (dog-assisted). • 1993: First woman to reach both the North & South Poles on foot (S. Pole unassisted) • 2001: First woman to ski across Antarctica with Norwegian Liv Arnesen Born #OTD in 1955. *walked, snowshoed and/or skied
A close-up photograph of the rugged, joyful countenance of American polar explorer Ann Bancroft (born September 29, 1955), the first woman to cross the ice to both the North and South Poles. Set against a stark, high-key backdrop of a vast, white Arctic or Antarctic ice expanse under an overcast, pale sky, she looks directly at the camera with a wide, radiant smile that crinkles her eyes. Her weather-beaten face is flushed pink from the intense polar cold. Her dark, graying hair is windblown and messy, held back by dark, reflective sunglasses resting atop her head. She wears heavy polar expedition gear, including a dark navy jacket with a thick, fluffy brown fur-trimmed hood framing her face, layered over a bright purple collar, a red knit undershirt, and a visible zipper. The composition centers on her resilient expression, conveying a triumphant, adventurous, and authentic mood that highlights her historical significance as a barrier-breaking explorer.
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Geoff Hammond @geoffhammond.bsky.social · 11h
Just wrong. Obviously wrong.
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SantiniMore @santinimore.bsky.social · 7h
FFS why are so many assholes wanting to pretend that scientific facts are effing optional!🤯
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Stupidweasels @stupidweasels.bsky.social · 9h
Maybe it would communicated a point more clearly if instead of having a survivor give a speech, they had a perpetrator get pulled apart by horses on stage instead
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Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 6h
"What does it mean to understand the law if a machine can reason across more of it than any lawyer could possibly hold in mind?" @scottjshapiro.bsky.social introduces his ‘Posting Through the Singularity’ series which will explore what happens where AI and law meet.
lawfaremedia.org
Introducing ‘Posting Through the Singularity’
A new semi-regular column of essays on law and computation, not quite ready for Substack
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ABC News Australia @news.abc.net.au · 6h
ATO says 1,149 large companies paid no tax as it scrutinises AI firms
abc.net.au
More than 1,000 large companies paid no tax in Australia, ATO reveals
Almost 30 per cent of large companies paid no tax in 2024-25, an Australian Taxation Office report reveals, resulting in the corporate tax amount payable dropping by $8.2 billion from the previous year.
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Reposted by Gil Greening
The Sydney Morning Herald (unofficial) @smhaustralia.nzcow.com · 6h
📢 A decade after 10 people died during the world’s largest and most catastrophic thunderstorm asthma event, there are concerns about the season to come.
smh.com.au
‘Be prepared’: Victorians warned of thunderstorm asthma risk ahead of intense pollen season
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Reposted by Gil Greening
Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 6h
Counterpoint: It would be great if people read some of the things that have been written about AI surveillance of workers! press.princeton.edu/books/hardco... www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/hilke... www.cambridge.org/core/books/q... www.ucpress.edu/books/uberla... jacobin.com/2026/09/amaz...
press.princeton.edu
Data Driven
A behind-the-scenes look at how digital surveillance is affecting the trucking way of life
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Reposted by Gil Greening
Ned Resnikoff @resnikoff.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I think about this interview with the distinguished philosopher Conan O'Brien a lot. I actually think this is a healthy way to live your life! www.nytimes.com/2019/01/14/a...
Is this how you want to go out, with a show that gets smaller and smaller until it’s gone?

Maybe that’s O.K. I think you have more of a problem with that than I do. [Laughs.] At this point in my career, I could go out with a grand, 21-gun salute, and climb into a rocket and the entire Supreme Court walks out and they jointly press a button, I’m shot up into the air and there’s an explosion and it’s orange and it spells, “Good night and God love.” In this culture? Two years later, it’s going to be, who’s Conan? This is going to sound grim, but eventually, all our graves go unattended.

You’re right, that does sound grim.

Sorry. Calvin Coolidge was a pretty popular president. I’ve been to his grave in Vermont. It has the presidential seal on it. Nobody was there. And by the way, I’m the only late-night host that has been to Calvin Coolidge’s grave. I think that’s what separates me from the other hosts.

I had a great conversation with Albert Brooks once. When I met him for the first time, I was kind of stammering. I said, you make movies, they live on forever. I just do these late-night shows, they get lost, they’re never seen again and who cares? And he looked at me and he said, [Albert Brooks voice] “What are you talking about? None of it matters.” None of it matters? “No, that’s the secret. In 1940, people said Clark Gable is the face of the 20th Century. Who [expletive] thinks about Clark Gable? It doesn’t matter. You’ll be forgotten. I’ll be forgotten. We’ll all be forgotten.” It’s so funny because you’d think that would depress me. I was walking on air after that.
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Reposted by Gil Greening
msylor.bsky.social @msylor.bsky.social · 19h
Cory, These cards are from ProPublica. Heartbreaking. projects.propublica.org/impact-of-ho...
projects.propublica.org
“I Have Lost Everything”: The Toll of Cities’ Homeless Sweeps
Cities often take belongings — including important documents and irreplaceable mementos — when they conduct sweeps of homeless encampments. ProPublica gave notecards to people across the country so th...
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Reposted by Gil Greening
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 26/09/2026
anti-homeless sweeps of encampments, tent cities, and individual squats result in the systematic theft of everything the targeted people hold dear. don't fucking call the cops on your neighbors. www.tumblr.com/westernsunri...
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David @daverino.bsky.social · 7h
🤮 “The NSW independent planner has approved the biggest coalmine project to ever go before it, allowing mining to continue until 2045 at a Hunter Valley project described by climate groups as a “carbon bomb”” www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
theguardian.com
Approval of biggest coal project in NSW planning commission’s history described as ‘infamous betrayal’
Independent Planning Commission says climate change impacts from Hunter Valley project will be ‘outweighed’ by economic benefits
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Dr. Sandra Steingraber 🏳️‍🌈 @ssteingraber1.bsky.social · 7h
🥚 Postscript: the fact that adopted people IN THEIR 70s are still seeking to know who their families are, why they were tossed into a plane so that an infertile couple across the ocean could have a baby, and how they can finally attain a sense of belonging…should prompt profound reconsiderations.
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Reposted by Gil Greening
Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 7h
When Trump opened up Bears Ears, the hobbyists swooped in [via @grist.org]
motherjones.com
When Trump opened up Bears Ears, the hobbyists swooped in
All the new claims appear to be small-scale local miners interested in uranium.
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Bergwelt🇨🇭 @bergwelt.me · 15h
Ende September: Das #Matterhorn ist schneefrei. 😢 Der #Klimawandel setzt den #Alpen immer mehr zu. Laut MeteoSchweiz war es von April bis September in der #Schweiz so warm und so trocken wie noch nie in den vergangenen 160 Jahren.
Vergleichsbild des Matterhorns vom 29. September 2026 und 29. September 2025. Oben ist die Landschaft rund um das Matterhorn weitgehend schneefrei und von grauem Geröll und Fels geprägt. Unten sind das Matterhorn und die umliegenden Hänge ein Jahr zuvor grossflächig mit Schnee bedeckt.
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Deepcut News @deepcutnews.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Victorian Labor's ban on datacentres in residential areas is not quite a ban. They'll just be built 150m from your home instead. @purplepingers.bsky.social: "150 metres isn't a ban on data centres in residential areas, that’s just down the road."
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Deepcut News @deepcutnews.bsky.social · 15h
For a glimpse into @DavidShoebridge's vision, he wrote this for Deepcut a month ago. www.deepcutnews.com/p/we-can-bea...
deepcutnews.com
We can beat the 1 per cent – David Shoebridge
Australia’s Left must unite and rise to meet the moment
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John Pavlovitz @johnpavlovitz.bsky.social · 7h
If there'd been just one man in that room or that chat who’d been raised to believe in consent, who’d been taught to see women as equals, who’d been told by their fathers how good men speak when no one else will, it would all have been different for her... johnpavlovitz.substack.com/p/cornells-j...
johnpavlovitz.substack.com
Cornell’s Jane Doe Needed One Good Man In That House And That Group Chat. She Would Find None.
Warning: this piece includes references to sexual assault, as well as words many may find offensive.
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Nick Baker @nickbaker.digital · 28/09/2026
Also please share this page which contains all of the images and shows the quiz images were not cherry-picked to show the worse. (Don't consult this page until after you've taken the quiz of course!) www.nickbaker.digital/nz-school-lu...
nickbaker.digital
NZ School Lunches — Nick Baker Digital
This is a gallery of images of daily school lunches provided in New Zealand from July 23, 2026 along with the title of each lunch.
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Nick Baker @nickbaker.digital · 27/09/2026
This is your school holiday assignment. Complete the school lunch quiz by matching the image to the name - a quiz based on the school lunch images sent by @ninjakitty.bsky.social this past school term. There are 15 images in total. forms.gle/et7qDL4VGBJH...
forms.gle
The Aotearoa New Zealand School Lunch Quiz
The images show 15 school lunches delivered to a school in August 2026. Your task is to pick the name that was assigned to each one.
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Nick Baker @nickbaker.digital · 29/09/2026
Thanks to everyone who shared this quiz, it has well and truly escaped containment - over 1,000 submissions (8.13 average score, 14 scores of 15/15). 300 since midnight so we are now being seen overseas. This image was guessed by only 21.4% of people
NZ school lunch commonly guessed as "Teriyaki Chicken Rice & Veg Bowl" or "Tomato Chicken Tikka Masala with Rice"
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Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 8h
I think if you want a demo of the mechanics of how AI doom-hype detracts from the climate push, listen to this Al Gore interview w/ @heatmap.news, where he dismisses the climate impacts (using a spurious comparison, imo) but treats the chatbot doom as serious and real heatmap.news/podcast/shif...
gas plant emissions estimates
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Rebecca Solnit @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social · 17h
Time for this classic again.
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Go Green @ecowarriorss.bsky.social · 9h
A feather-light touch can trigger a chain reaction in a plant in less than a minute. “Plants may appear still and passive, but they are constantly monitoring what happens around them.,” Viktor Johansson, PhD student at Lund University, concludes. www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
eurekalert.org
Researchers solve mystery of how plants sense touch
A feather-light touch can trigger a chain reaction in a plant in less than a minute. Researchers at Lund University have identified the molecular signaling pathway that links mechanical stimulation to...
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Renew Economy @reneweconomy.com.au · 29/09/2026
New report shows Germany generated as much solar energy by end of September as in whole of 2025 – and almost three times more than Australia over the same period reneweconomy.com.au/germany-smashes…
reneweconomy.com.au
Germany smashes PV record, produces three times more solar power than Australia so far this year
New report shows Germany generated as much solar energy by end of September as in whole of 2025 - and almost three times more than Australia over the same period.
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Musical Chairs @musicalchairs.bsky.social · 16h
'Piggy bank is empty' nonsense provides cover for the political class. Once the lie is exposed, they have to answer questions like 'If we have 100,000s of people wanting work, and plenty of raw materials, why is our infrastructure falling to bits? Sounds like mismanagement, ay? (It is!)
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Dylan Reeve @dylanreeve.com · 16h
A lot of panic and hand waving from right-coded political people about the prospect of Chlöe Swarbrick as Minister of Finance... Honestly can't see any reason why. Why would they suggest Nicola Willis is somehow uniquely better suited? Chlöe is clearly very smart and well informed. It's silly.
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Melissa Sweet @melissasweetdr.bsky.social · 11h
Governments and health sector urged to lift their game on climate health communications - Croakey Health Media www.croakey.org/governments-...
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Botany One @botany.one · 12h
Humans Have a Profound Impact on Urban Biodiversity www.botany.one/humans-have-... Urbanization leads to a 50:50 ratio of native to non-native plant species #Botany #PlantScience
botany.one
Humans Have a Profound Impact on Urban Biodiversity
Urbanization leads to a 50:50 ratio of native to non-native plant species
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Whakamataku - Toitū Te Tiriti 🍉 @whakamataku.bsky.social · 13h
60% increase in voter registration from overseas!!!! No, that is not a typo. #nzpol 💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚
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Kirsti @kst.bsky.social · 13h
OMG! This is is such a perfect summation: “Can women use this network to live their lives?”
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Doug Cameron @dncameron.bsky.social · 22h
RW economists respond to rate rise by calling for, Increased GST, cuts to govt spending and increased productivity. No mention of poor management systems, increased company profits, declining business investment, increased executive salaries. Just screw battling Australians 🤬
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1EarthMedia @1earthmedia.bsky.social · 12h
"I actually don't see any need for us to spend anywhere near the amount of money we're spending on defence. I would not spend more than 2% of GDP on defence ..." Michael Pezzullo, Former Secretary, Department of Home Affairs drive.google.com/file/d/16wWl...
drive.google.com
Michael Pezzullo Transcript.pdf
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1EarthMedia @1earthmedia.bsky.social · 12h
"I don't think there's any strategic analyst in the country who would be able to put their hand on their heart & say that either UK or US is a reliable ally even now, let alone what it's going to look like in 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years time" Andrew Wilkie Independent drive.google.com/file/d/183ey...
drive.google.com
Andrew Wilkie Transcript.pdf
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