In-depth analysis of the day’s news, plus stories and gossip from Australian politics.
Why it’s fine to laugh at Greta Thunberg
During an end-of-year review on the ABC’s serious definitely not tabloid 7.30, Australian celebrity and journalistic vox pops spoke glowingly…
Brainfart at Tiffany’s
Because the extraction of gold, diamonds, platinum and other precious metals and jewels — and their working — has nothing…
The price of green folly
Green Folly locked up 11 per cent of Australia in a tinder-box of bushfire fuel, much of which is now…
Of course our leaders won’t measure up if we demand too much of them
Having watched the disgusting spectacle of Scott Morrison parading around devastated areas trying to shake people’s hands against their will,…
Harry and Meghan: ignore the so-called experts and leave them alone
Forget about Royal ‘experts’ who claim that there is some ‘Royal Split’, that Prince Charles and Prince William are ‘incandescent’…
Stuff woke. Be practical
There has been enough social commentary on our bushfire crisis and climate change to fill Lake Eyre, so I’ll refrain…
Now the(ir) ABC wants to milk disaster
Listen… Do you hear it? The(ir) ABC is playing the world’s teeny tiniest violin. They want us to believe they…
When Kylie Jenner is more practical than the entire parliamentary Greens, we’re in trouble
You’d think the last thing the Greens would want to do at the moment is produce more hot air, but…
G’day world! We’re still here, open for business
People like me with families and friends overseas are getting concerned and panicky messages to check if we’re safe in…
Sussexit? So what? We’re governed by the people and the parliament, not celebrities
When Aristotle wrote his treatise on politics, he explained in some detail his most practical regime, the one that was…
How we lost our stars – and our beliefs
One of the most popular — and best-named books — ever written about Hollywood was Harold Robbins’s novel The Dream Merchants. Published…
Sorry, doom-mongers, but it’s not World War III
In the days since the assassination of Iranian Revolution Guard Corps leader Major General Qassem Soleimani and the subsequent Iranian missile attack this morning on…
Iran attacks – as America’s left wing stops flying
As Iran fires off missiles at US military bases — but avoiding the big ones with lots of American soldiers — in…
We need a natural disaster supremo – and Tony Abbott’s the man for the job
As catastrophic bushfires continue to rage across south-eastern Australia, as property continues to burn, human and animal lives continue to…
The Greens: cashing in on death and destruction
It’s an ill wind and all that — and the Greens are certainly making hay while the bush burns. Only…
Ricky Gervais wakes the woke
Ricky Gervais, putative hero of the common man, was at his acerbic best at the Golden Globes, laying down a…
Fighting fire with fires
The fire-lighter was the most powerful tool that early humans brought to Australia. Fires lit by Aboriginal men and women…
Dear vegans, you don’t have more rights than any udders
Democracy allows choice and freedom. From the land that has finally delivered Brexit, the next battleground is as eye–raising as…
Tragic, but unprecedented? Not yet
The word unprecedented is applied to almost every bad thing that happens at the moment, as though particular events could…
The 2020s: the new age of profligacy
Fiscal profligacy is breaking out all over. Australia is an exception, but many other countries have given up on efforts…
How does hate and hysteria help?
If you’ve managed to avoid the cesspit of social media so far this year, a quick word of advice –…
We don’t just have a bushfire crisis. We have an arson crisis, too
According to my calculations and estimates, the number of individuals around Australia whose arson has contributed to the current bushfire…
The Soleimani assassination is Donald Trump’s biggest gamble yet
Ever since Donald Trump was elected president on a non-military interventionist platform, sceptics have questioned his commitment to withdrawing troops…
Donald Trump: making sex great again
The Dow Jones is up, US unemployment is down, wages are rising, manufacturing jobs are returning. And now this: A recent…
Luvvie Laura and the(ir) ABC’s problem with abusive behaviour
In November, the(ir) ABC, ran an episode of Q&A which condoned violence. On November 4, Egyptian-American journalist Mona Eltahawy justified violence…
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Into the lion’s den
Justice Lee has just put an end to the old-fashioned date night
