A new approach to swimming lessons
If the meme is to be believed, I do not hate journalists enough. You would be hard-pressed to find a…
Back to 1984 with Robert Dean Lurie
Robert Dean Lurie, who had written very good books on worthy rock music subjects (REM, David Bowie and the Church),…
Overnight in New Mexico
The three of us sat on folding chairs around the table where Dick had the microphone plugged into a tape…
A brief history of parties
As Enoch Powell pointed out, “all political careers end in failure.” More often than not, those failures are self-inflicted. Without…
My World Series of Poker debut
I played in the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas this summer for the first time. The most common…
Reeves risks a grey backlash over winter fuel grab
A backlash has been steadily growing since Rachel Reeves announced the scrapping of the winter fuel allowance a fortnight ago.…
Should extreme misogyny be labelled terrorism?
The Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has reportedly ‘ordered a review’ of Britain’s counter-extremism strategy. According to the Daily Telegraph, she…
Prison overcrowding triggers emergency measures
At last, it’s happened. After months of warnings, the government has today activated emergency measures to ease prison overcrowding. Across…
Why do prison staff keep having sex with inmates?
As I read last week’s Steerpike exclusive on the thorny topic of ‘inappropriate relationships’ between prison officers and prisoners, my…
Where is Keir Starmer’s joy?
‘Thank you for bringing back the joy’. So effused Tim Walz to Kamala Harris whose new-found position as Democratic nominee…
Defending Dave: Australia’s biggest online rally for free speech
Aussies send stern warning to politicians and bureaucrats
NAPLAN: doom, gloom, and blame
Does anyone have the courage to save our education system?
In defence of breakdancer Raygun
How annoying must it be to win an Olympic title but be totally eclipsed by a competitor who failed to…
Kamala shoots the moon
So how exactly does a political candidate who fell on her face in the most dramatic way possible, whose campaign…
Dave Pellowe reported to HRC for replacing Welcome to Country with Psalm 24:1
The Church and State Australia (CSA) ministry founder, Dave Pellowe, faces a complaint put before the Queensland Human Rights Commission…
Miracle worker Tim’s stellar career in the Labor circus
Say what you like about Tim Pallas – his career achievements are, by any measure, remarkable. From abattoir worker to…
Everything is under (crowd) control: the evolution of riot response
Worldwide unrest is great for those in the riot-gear business. Shields and batons have historically cornered the market as the…
Now Sue Gray’s son is in the firing line
It seems that bad headlines run in Sue Gray’s family. After a week of newspaper reports suggesting that Keir Starmer’s…
UK puts misogyny and Islamic terrorism on an equal footing
UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced Labour’s plan to expand the Terrorism Act of 2000 to incorporate acts of…
Brazil first to fall in the free speech wars
Elon Musk has announced that X (formally Twitter) has decided to close its office in Brazil to protect the safety…
Did the Prime Minister have an affair with a woman half his age?
As a connoisseur of British political scandals I have long puzzled over one of the most intriguing of all such…
How was the Stonehenge Altar Stone moved from Scotland?
I’ve had a keen interest in Stonehenge since I directed my first excavation there more than 40 years ago. A personal…
Near the Russian border, Ukrainians are delighted about the Kursk attack
The road from the Ukrainian city of Sumy to the Russian border gave just a foretaste of the fighting 20…
How neurodiversity took over the Edinburgh Fringe
At this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, the new thing, the hot ticket, is being neurodiverse. Across comedy, stand up, magic and…
Did the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra reinvent the art of crisis apology?
When any organisation makes a sharp U-turn on a corporate policy or pronouncement – often with a ‘We’re sorry for…
