Flat White

In-depth analysis of the day’s news, plus stories and gossip from Australian politics.

What’s woke this week?

6 May 2021 5:15 pm

I’m increasingly reminded of Moby Dick’s Captain Ahab in the unhinged, pinpointed monomania of the woke.  Melville describes Ahab thus:  [H]is special…

Snow White and the intellectual dwarves

6 May 2021 2:56 pm

Snow White and her handsome prince are the most recent victims of the humourless woke scolds on the Left and…

Scott Morrison: a show about nothing 

6 May 2021 1:18 pm

Speculation that the government would like to go to the polls by the end of this year has been swirling…

It’s time to give our military the medicine they need

6 May 2021 11:30 am

Following the America decision to bring their troops home from Afghanistan after some 20 years in that troublesome country, Australia…

Why we need conservative counter culture

6 May 2021 4:00 am

Children are the future. But what future will it be when the children of today are indoctrinated up to their…

What keeps President Xi awake at night? 

5 May 2021 5:15 pm

Australia has earned the international community’s respect — and got China’s attention — with our highly visible resistance to Beijing’s…

Budget week is looming - as are electric shocks over power prices and reliability

5 May 2021 3:11 pm

Last month energy minister Angus Taylor cited analysis by the Australian Energy Market Operator showing falls in wholesale electricity to…

Locusts this lunchtime? The CSIRO recommends them

5 May 2021 1:11 pm

Australia’s peak science body says we should eat insects to save the planet. “Follow the science,” they say.  Like hell.…

Is a royal commission the best way to tackle veterans’ suicides?

5 May 2021 11:41 am

The announcement by the Morrison Government to appoint a royal commission into the suicides of Australian war veterans will come…

Xinjiang: the road to terror

5 May 2021 4:00 am

Xinjiang is where Communism sits naked, spread over the deserts and mountains, exposing its vicious desire to exploit people in…

Sex, gender and the politics of domestic violence

4 May 2021 5:41 pm

Dividing society into groups of angels and demons is an unhelpful game that is played in our nation around issues…

Is this how Daleks dress for Mardi Gras?

4 May 2021 4:00 pm

Is this how Daleks dress for Mardi Gras or Extinction Rebellion acting like idiots again in their latest newsletter? It’s…

Good government needs a good opposition

4 May 2021 12:00 pm

Here’s a quick point more than a few people overlook.  What a government can and cannot do politically depends in…

How David Attenborough and the catastrophist crew have humanity wrong

4 May 2021 4:00 am

“‘Humans are intruders’ and the natural world is better off without us, says Sir David Attenborough,” runs the Independent’s headline.  It’s a…

A cause worth dying for – versus euthanasia

3 May 2021 7:02 pm

 The government’s attitude to death is paradoxical. While imposing restrictive rules on the population last year to prevent us from…

A “fairer and healthier world” needs a better public health agency than the WHO

3 May 2021 5:34 pm

As Covid-19 continues to wreak havoc in the world, killing hundreds of thousands in India while triggering fears about another lockdown in Perth,…

Higher prices, lower competitiveness as Daniel Andrews goes it alone on emissions

3 May 2021 4:23 pm

Victoria has announced its intent to go much further than the federal government in requiring the substitution of renewable energy for the much cheaper and more secure energy…

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

3 May 2021 3:00 pm

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. The Budget is tomorrow week, and Josh Frydenberg has spent much of…

The Sydney Writers’ Festival: so woke you want to call for blood tests

3 May 2021 12:10 pm

The guest list for the Sydney Writers’ Festival reads like a roll call for the Spanish Inquisition. Sure, there are…

Scott Morrison’s finest hour?

3 May 2021 4:00 am

Last Thursday night at the United Israel Appeal dinner in Sydney, Scott Morrison gave the most important speech of any Australian Prime Minister…

Counterfeit drugs and fake COVID vaccines endanger us all 

2 May 2021 7:05 pm

Attitudes to Covid vaccines range from those who won’t countenance them under any circumstances to those so eager to be vaccinated they are willing to bypass official channels and purchase a vaccine on the black…

We can protect ourselves from sharks and still protect our seas

2 May 2021 4:05 pm

The Margaret River Pro — a surfing equivalent of the Australia Open — gets underway today in the magnificent waters…

What Kevin Rudd gets wrong about church and state

2 May 2021 2:00 pm

Scott Morrison has been recently pilloried for outlining how his Christian faith positively influences his role as Australia’s Prime Minister.…

Spectator Australia TV: Are we heading towards war with China?

2 May 2021 11:59 am

A big show this week, featuring Senator James Paterson, John Ruddick, Professor Ian Plimer, the Institute of Public Affairs’ Bella…

Our Aussie contenders for the 2022 Oscars in full

30 April 2021 2:48 pm

It’s Academy Award time and the votes are in for best female black actor in a male Latino role.   Meanwhile…