iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Sam Lawrence @saminaustralia.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

Beyond the gross debasement of the office, is it possible to quantify in any real sense the substantive damage this numpty’s done to not only his country but the post-war global order? What does it mean? General assertions of a ‘rupture’ don’t seem sufficiently concrete. @andrewmueller.bsky.social

independent.co.uk

Trump posts swear-laden rant as he tells Tehran to ‘open the Strait or live in hell’

000

Sam Lawrence @saminaustralia.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

This is a #warcrime - the latest of many. High time that the #ICC indicted the criminal and put him on trial, along with his cabinet and collaborators. The rogue state threatening global stability needs to be held to account, and stopped. Arrest warrants should help. @coalitionfortheicc.org

000

Sam Lawrence @saminaustralia.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Are the are-they / aren’t-they debatable US-Iran negotiations simply another ploy the US will use to strike Iran again / seize Kharg when the marines arrive? It’s a repeated tactic Trump has used: pretend to negotiate to throw the other party off. @jonsopel1.bsky.social @thenewsagents.co.uk

000

Sam Lawrence @saminaustralia.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Let me get this straight. The rogue hegemon trash-talks NATO; threatens its (former) allies; lies about their sacrifices on its behalf (Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria); launches an illegal, unwinnable war with appalling forethought, and now threatens NATO to clean it up? Send your own sons and daughters.

bbc.com

Trump warns Nato faces 'very bad' future if allies do not help secure Strait of Hormuz

The US president says he is speaking to several countries about

001

Sam Lawrence @saminaustralia.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

Heartening to see France’s public prosecutor doing their job without fear or favour. I can’t wait to see M. Musk in the dock ⚖️ Chances of US sanctions on France ahead of that eventuality? 80%? #StopElon

abc.net.au

French police raid X offices in Paris as Musk summoned to hearing

A widening probe into the platform is investigating alleged abuse of algorithms and fraudulent data extraction.

110

Sam Lawrence @saminaustralia.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

“Never let a good crisis go to waste”. An opportunity to overhaul the UN Security Council for the 21st century: no more vetoes and a removal of states non-compliant with the UN Charter and financial commitments. #un #uncrisis

bbc.com

UN risks 'imminent financial collapse', secretary general warns

António Guterres says the international body could run out of money by July due to members' unpaid fees.

010

Sam Lawrence @saminaustralia.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

The US is a clear security threat. When will Europe collectively meet the US’ crazed bullying with reciprocal sanctions and asset freezes? DJTs Scottish golf courses could be a start. @kajakallas.bsky.social Switch from dollar denominated payments to Euros and Sterling @yvettecooper-mp.bsky.social

bbc.com

Trump tariff threat over Greenland 'unacceptable', European leaders say

The US president says several European allies opposed to his plans to buy Greenland will face 10% tariffs from February.

011

Sam Lawrence @saminaustralia.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

Australia’s Adelaide Writers Week “destroyed by the Zionist lobby” (Yanis Varoufakis) with esteemed Jewish board director Louise Adler resigning on principle: “I could not be party to silencing writers… writing matters, even when they are presenting ideas that discomfort and challenge us”. #auspol

bbc.com

Randa Abdel-Fattah: How Adelaide Writers' Week imploded after axing Palestinian author

Some 180 writers, including former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, have withdrawn from the event.

0103

Sam Lawrence @saminaustralia.bsky.social · 11/01/2026

I recommend rereading this article by Yale Professor Jason Stanley (since fled to Canada) writing in @theguardian.com in 2021. An update to this article would be both fascinating and devastatingly damning on the descent of Canada’s southern neighbour into neo-fascism.

theguardian.com

America is now in fascism’s legal phase | Jason Stanley

The US’s history of racism is fertile ground for fascism. Attacks on the courts, education, voting rights and women’s rights are steps to toppling democracy

001

Sam Lawrence @saminaustralia.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

Was in die Stasi ist das?! “Applicants could be asked to supply all phone numbers they have used in the past five years, all email addresses from the past 10 years, and detailed information about immediate family members, including their names, dates and places of birth, and current addresses.”

abc.net.au

Privacy concerns over US proposing travellers reveal social media history

Australians travelling to the United States could soon face an unprecedented invasion of privacy, an international law expert has warned.

142

Sam Lawrence @saminaustralia.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

🇮🇪+🇪🇸 demonstrated principled leadership, yet again, on the issue of Israeli genocide. The EuSoCo is and always has been political. Countries including 🇬🇧🇫🇷🇩🇪🇮🇹 hiding behind a charade of neutrality to avoid a tough decision (which should be easy) is an abdication of moral responsibility. #eurovision

bbc.com

Ireland among countries boycotting Eurovision after Israel allowed to compete

There had been calls for Israel's exclusion over the war in Gaza, as well as unfair voting accusations.

030

Sam Lawrence @saminaustralia.bsky.social · 23/11/2025

It’s so telling that the G20 is far more effective on climate without certain destructive elements present. A permanent G18 (sans the two pariahs across the Bering strait) could be a great option.

010

Sam Lawrence @saminaustralia.bsky.social · 23/11/2025

COP30 was a failure. When a coalition of petro states led by Saudi Arabia and Russia red-line mention of fossil fuels, and the outcome is treating the symptom not the cause, it’s a failure. This jamboree needs massive overhaul. Much like the UN itself.

abc.net.au

COP30 sidesteps fossil fuels, boosts climate aid for poor nations

Denial and division have been highlighted in the COP30 deal that makes no mention of cutting fossil fuels but boosts climate aid for developing nations.

130

Sam Lawrence @saminaustralia.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

This is grotesque in a world with malnutrition and environmental degradation. 12.5% could fund the entirety of global tropical forests protection. A single figure %’age could rebuild Gaza. No one deserves $1 TRILLION. Shareholders should be ashamed. @teslatakedown.com @lilyjamali.bsky.social

bbc.com

Elon Musk's $1tn pay deal approved by Tesla shareholders

The richest man in the world will get hundreds of millions of new shares if he hits his targets.

010

Sam Lawrence @saminaustralia.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

A perfect example of why the Australian government cannot be trusted on climate - it fails at every step. And that’s both sides of the aisle - for decades. Pacific nations are right to call out Australia’s hypocrisy in seeking to host a climate COP while actively undermining climate progress.

abc.net.au

'Climate trigger' formally ruled out of environment laws

A "climate trigger" that could be used to block coal and gas projects has been formally excluded from the government's overhaul of Australia's environment laws, minister Murray Watt confirms.

010

Sam Lawrence @saminaustralia.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

The @theguardian.com cartoonist @bjennings90.bsky.social absolutely nails it. Highly recommend his piercing observations 👌🏻

010

Sam Lawrence @saminaustralia.bsky.social · 16/09/2025

The UN concludes that Israel is committing genocide. “Israel is responsible for genocide in Gaza…there is an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention” - Navi Pillay, Chair of UN Commission. #ohchr #israel #genocide

ohchr.org

Israel has committed genocide in the Gaza Strip, UN Commission finds

GENEVA – Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, a...

120

Sam Lawrence @saminaustralia.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

Collective punishment of civilians is a war crime under international law: one war crime amongst many in Israel’s ongoing slaughter of the Palestinian population. The ICC should indict Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz for war crimes, in addition to its existing indictment of Israel’s PM.

bbc.com

Gaza City will be razed if Hamas does not agree our terms, Israel minister says

Hamas should disarm and release all Israeli hostages, Israel Katz says, as country prepares a massive attack on Gaza City.

011

Sam Lawrence @saminaustralia.bsky.social · 23/08/2025

Sophocles’ ancient play Antigone ~440 B.C., says "no one loves the messenger who brings bad news". Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra used the same motif. Plutarch described kings decapitating messengers who brought news of invading armies, leading to a lack of information and eventual downfall.

bbc.com

Pentagon fires intelligence chief after Iran attack assessment

The firing comes just weeks after a White House rebuke of a leaked intelligence report assessing the impact of US strikes on Iran.

000

Sam Lawrence @saminaustralia.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

🇦🇺 In a principled response to Netanyahu’s personal attacks on Australia’s PM, our Minister for Home Affairs @tonyburkemp.bsky.social noted that "Strength is not measured by how many people you can blow up or how many children you can leave hungry.” Israel should indict its PM for war crimes per ICC.

000

Sam Lawrence @saminaustralia.bsky.social · 02/08/2025

📊 “Firing the head of a key government agency because you don’t like the figures they report is what happens in authoritarian countries, not democratic ones” - Larry Summers, former US Treasury Secretary.

010

Sam Lawrence @saminaustralia.bsky.social · 31/07/2025

🇨🇦🍁 Now the indicted war criminals crimes against humanity threaten hundreds of billions in North American trade via a slavish and complicit US administration. History will be the judge. May the True North remain strong and free. 🇨🇦

bbc.com

Israel Gaza latest: Trump says Canada's move to recognise Palestinian state threatens trade deal

After Canada joined the UK and France in planning to recognise Palestine, Trump says the move makes it

010

Sam Lawrence @saminaustralia.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

Over 2 million people in Gaza are facing man-made starvation at the hands of the Israeli government, headed by a man wanted by the #ICC for war crimes. Those turning a blind eye to an unfolding genocide are morally complicit.

reuters.com

Gaza facing man-made 'mass starvation', says WHO's Tedros

Gaza is suffering man-made mass starvation caused by a blockade on aid into the Palestinian enclave, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.

110

Sam Lawrence @saminaustralia.bsky.social · 13/06/2025

Persian literature is ancient and fascinating. One of my favourite quotes is “whoever sows the wind shall reap the whirlwind.” 🌪️

020

Sam Lawrence @saminaustralia.bsky.social · 28/05/2025

🔥 Exactly what we’ve come to expect from the Albanese government: retrogressive policy based on a complete lack of vision. This is exactly why we’re seeing the two-party duopoly falling in favour of progressive independents.

abc.net.au

Australia's largest gas project approved for operation to 2070

The life of Australia's largest oil and gas project will be extended to 2070, with Environment Minister Murray Watt giving the long-awaited environmental approval for Woodside's North West Shelf proje...

000

Sam Lawrence @saminaustralia.bsky.social · 21/05/2025

So Netanyahu’s 55,000 person ongoing #genocide and egregious war crimes wasn’t enough to stop the slaughter but pictures of Israel’s artificial famine-stricken innocent Palestinian children might be. Grim progress of a sort. His arrest by the ICC can’t come soon enough.

abc.net.au

Netanyahu's slip of the tongue shows how the war could finally end

While bombing raids may be a distant and difficult concept for populations in relatively safe corners of the world to comprehend, the scenes of children jostling and screaming in fear and desperation ...

010

Sam Lawrence @saminaustralia.bsky.social · 09/05/2025

🤞🏻 an Angus and Jacinta victory = electoral oblivion for the next six years #auspol

130

Sam Lawrence @saminaustralia.bsky.social · 09/05/2025

Summing up the UK-US ‘trade deal’, the latter’s Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said “It can’t be understated how important this deal is”. Agreed.

010

Sam Lawrence @saminaustralia.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

@patskarvelas.bsky.social - Please could you could ask the ‘why’ on The Nationals so fulsomely supporting nuclear? David Speers hasn’t asked the right questions. It’s because the Nats want to avoid having to mitigate livestock emissions, and so want to impose $300b + on taxpayers for their inaction.

abc.net.au

The election result makes the nuclear fight even tougher for the Coalition

The Nationals remain wedded to nuclear while the Liberals are more divided.

020

Sam Lawrence @saminaustralia.bsky.social · 03/05/2025

“A nation of courage and kindness”. Congratulations Australia. 🇦🇺

020

Sam Lawrence @saminaustralia.bsky.social · 03/05/2025

🇦🇺 Election day in Australia where voting is compulsory - a major factor behind our largely centrist politics. I’m reminded that only 8% of the world enjoys the privilege of living in a full democracy. In true Aussie tradition, I’ll celebrate casting my ballot by eating a democracy sausage 🌭 #auspol

eiu.com

EIU's 2024 Democracy Index: trend of global democratic decline and strengthening authoritarianism continues through 2024

EIU’s 2024 Democracy Index sheds light on trends in democracy globally in 2024, with the annual index registering a decline in its total score from 5.23 in 2023 to 5.17 (on a 0-10 scale).

011

Sam Lawrence @saminaustralia.bsky.social · 10/03/2025

The title of the report by one of the world’s leading human rights organisations speaks for itself. @hrw.org - thank you for speaking truth to power and for the incredibly important work you do 🙏🏻

hrw.org

020