Quiet Australians will never permeate the Morrison bubble
In what appears to be an attempt to emulate John Howard’s battlers, Scott Morrison tells us that he will be the champion of “quiet Australians”, […]
Politics
No Deal Chaos: The Brexit Cliff Face and Operation Yellowhammer
Britain’s Boris Johnson is driving his country to the cliff face, along the way mouthing and spouting all manner of populist reassurances. Still fresh in […]
“Stale conventional wisdoms and orthodoxies”
In an astonishing display of projection, Scott Morrison has blamed the public service for the “trust deficit” in politics. He then goes on with the […]
Morrison’s monumental dysfunctional Pacific “family” failure
No matter how much money you put on the table it doesn’t give you the excuse not to do the right thing, which is cutting […]
Condescension and Climate Change: Australia and the Failure of the Pacific Islands Forum
It was predictably ugly: in tone, in regret, and, in some ways, disgust. Australia emerged from the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting isolated, the true […]
God, Guns and Video Games
The din struck by videos of the gaming variety; its forced causal link (always alleged, never proved) to altering conduct, continues its relentless march across […]
Abbott at CPAC: The Delusion Continues
Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott spoke at CPAC Australia recently, and his remarks deserve some deconstruction. His level of self-awareness is as high as ever, […]
They don’t want freedom – they want dominion
According to the Universal Declaration of Rights: “The freedom to observe and practise religious faith protects the inherent dignity of individuals, acknowledging the autonomy of […]
Great Australian political policy stuff-ups (part 2): The Menzies years
When one talks about Sir Robert Menzies one is expected to show reverence for a Prime Minister who is admired as the father of Liberalism. […]
Craig Kelly, the ultimate hypocritical NIMBY
When Craig Kelly gave his first speech in Parliament in 2010, he declared himself an environmentalist, citing a particular concern about the detrimental effects of […]
Australia’s Pacific Play: Denying Climate Change and Boosting China’s Threat
Australia has always nursed a contradictory, repressive relationship with its Pacific neighbours. Being a satrap of great powers, it has performed the role of gate […]
Pusillanimous liars and cheats
Imagine the reception you would get if, having failed an exam, you went and saw your uni lecturer and said “Remember how I got a […]
Better Economic Managers?
If you have a memory that is better than the media and Coalition Government hope you do, you would probably remember when the Rudd ALP […]
Great Australian political policy stuff-ups (part 1)
We have always thought of ourselves as the lucky country: Young and full of enthusiasm for what the future holds. Chock-full of pride for what […]
A restless muddled class
With one word – zeitgeist — Germans manage to describe two complex metaphysical concepts:- time and spirit. Zeitgeist as adopted by the Anglophone world means […]