Richard Farmer’s chunky bits: Merkel looks a good thing, despite austerity

Did she really have to? Wouldn’t it be nice if once, just once, a federal Australian politician was able to resist the temptation of reacting to the law and order research messages and avoid pretending that they were actually able to do something about crime in state capitals.

Not an austere outlook for Merkel. Other European governments might be reeling under the impact of fiscal austerity but not Germany under Angela Merkel. The opinion pollsters have the likelihood of her re-election later this year very much on the improve.

Careful you might miss it. My colleague Cathy Alexander is a kindly soul and obviously did not want to rub it in (too much) when outlining the story of The Oz’s coverage this week of a journal article on climate change. You will find her piece here giving the details of the incorrect original page one story on Tuesday and the correction published in the national daily this morning.

But for all those Crikey readers who choose not to buy The Australian and are thus unable to note such things for themselves I thought it appropriate to give a little guide to how the paper chooses to display corrections.

Another American presidential victory? The Crikey Election Indicator on the Academy Awards is pointing towards is pointing to another election win for Abraham Lincoln.

News and views noted along the way.

• What’s happening in Syria? — A Chinese view that “there is a military stalemate between the government and rebels, and a military solution is not yet a viable option. The only way out is a negotiated political settlement, but that won’t happen for a long time to come.”
• Tony Blair’s record in the Middle East is a sorry one — it’s time he quit. “It’s easy to see what the former Labour prime minister gets out of his role as Middle East envoy, but harder to see what he gives back.”
• Unrest and Political Uncertainty — Pakistan Tumbles into Chaos
• The Aga Khan’s Earthly Kingdom — “His Highness Prince Karim, the fourth Aga Khan, enjoys his jets, yachts, and Thoroughbreds. But since the age of 20, he has also been the spiritual leader of 15 million Shia Ismaili Muslims.”
• Redacting Racism — Edit of Classic Children’s Book Hexes Publisher — “debate about how to handle outdated and offensive words in the genre.”
• The Matriarch — “Remembering Gerda Lerner, one of the founders of women’s history.”
• Tedium Is Torture: What It’s Like to Have Severe ADHD — “My life is lived between the poles of who I really am and who the Ritalin turns me into.”
• Why are the British revolted by the idea of horsemeat?