An empire for me, but not for thee
Every January, Australians are reminded by the chattering classes that they should hang their heads in shame about the very…
Twelve questions for the next Covid media conference…?
I’ve not wanted to get bogged down in Covid, but the censoring of debate and the quality of information is…
All hail ‘Marshal’ Mark, the Canute of the West
The announcement by WA Premier Mark McGowan last Thursday that he would continue to preside over a hermit kingdom indefinitely…
The political modellers have spoken: Covid is over in Britain
The political winds have swung and Boris Johnson has some dignity to restore after the shameless hypocrisy of the ‘Partygate’…
Dominic Raab: ‘Serious consequences’ if Russia invades
Dominic Raab – ‘Serious consequences’ if Russia invades Ukraine The Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab took to the TV studios…
Science Museum axes slavery exhibits
An iconoclastic spirit has swept much of Britain’s institutions over the past two years. Just last month Mr S revealed that…
How China spies on the West
In December last year Oxford University students were offered £15,000 in prize money if they could solve challenges relating to…
It’s time for Boris Johnson to go
The partygate farce drags on. Do we have a government, sustained by a dominant political party or do we have…
‘West Elm Caleb’ and the vindictiveness of a social media feeding frenzy
The saga of ‘West Elm Caleb’ will make you wish that you had never used the internet. It will make…
Why Sage got Omicron wrong
Given that lockdown was very nearly ordered on the advice of Sage last month, it’s worth keeping an eye on…
Eastern Europe’s toxic relationship with Russia has left the EU divided
Joe Biden’s fatalistic statement this week that suggested a ‘minor incursion’ by Russia into Ukraine might be tolerated by the…
The real problem with the BBC’s partygate coverage
As a journalist, it’s never a comfortable feeling when the news organisation you work for becomes the story. But with…
The terrifying Quebec ‘Covid Youth’
A disturbing piece of footage went viral last week on social media. Originating in Canada, a Quebec talk show aired…
Nerds, nannies and dictators
Young nerds in Silicon Valley are now the rule-makers of culture across the western world. Culture, identity, and the conflict…
Talking Tonga
For decades I have avoided listening to, watching or being interviewed by the ABC in preference to the Wilcannia Weekly…
The mystery of Canada’s indigenous mass graves
When a young anthropologist claimed in late May 2021 that she had discovered 215 unmarked graves near the Kamloops Residential…
We must never abandon children during lockdown again
Schools are far more than mere exam factories. Across the UK, teachers in 32,000 schools and colleges care for children…
How did the Texas synagogue terrorist slip through the cracks?
Just how many databases was Malik Faisal Akram on? It turns out that the 44-year-old Briton – who was shot…
Independence would completely derail Scotland’s green revolution
In some ways it was refreshing to see the radical left brought to heel by the realities of government. Having…
The rampant egotism of Boris’s backbench MPs
The post-war Conservative statesman David Maxwell Fyfe once claimed that loyalty was the Tory secret weapon. Like many of his…
Will our future lives be like a video game?
A few years ago, the software company Owlchemy Labs released a computer game called Job Simulator. Its premise was simple.…
The tyranny of good intentions
Many are familiar with the term ‘fifteen days to slow the spread’. People were largely on board in 2020, given…
Freedom of political communication
I suspect the people who voted for Alex Hawke and Scott Morrison will not be particularly persuaded by the seriousness…
Cover 22 January 2022 AU
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We can’t rejoice until we’re free
On 1 January last year the words of the national anthem were changed, purportedly to make them more inclusive. Instead…
