Misplaced nostalgia
Michelle Grattan has been a part of the political landscape for nearly a half-century, so when she says that there…
Oddballs and lefties
Ah, populism: is it a fulsome democratic expression of giving people what they want or merely join-the-dots fear-mongering? Bit of…
Books of 2017 – reviewed
When we look back at 2017 we will probably remember it as a year of minor issues that turned into…
God’s children
Once upon a time, Christianity in Australia was seen as the One True Faith. These days, it is likely to…
The year in books
In an age of white noise Christopher Pyne’s A Letter to My Children (MUP, $33) stands out as a loving…
Aussie royals
If the issue of Australia becoming a republic is a marathon rather than a sprint, the republicans never had a…
Pollie peddling
When Christopher Pyne’s A Letter to My Children was launched, a bunch of radical students mounted a violent demonstration. The…
In the bunker
Wars make myths; probably no-one understood that better than Charles Bean, Australia’s first true war writer and a person who…
In the bunker
Wars make myths; probably no-one understood that better than Charles Bean, Australia’s first true war writer and a person who…
Tales to tell
The short story has long been a staple of Australian literature but has had something of a rough ride in…
Buffoonery
Not so much striding across the political landscape as huffing and puffing his way through the back rooms, Clive Palmer…
Under the bed
The bogeyman of the ASIO agent under the bed has long been an obsession of the Left, and judging from…
Genocidal thoughts
It takes a certain type of courage for a writer to complete a book and then admit that he does…
In the big chair
Even those of us of a conservative bent hoped that the election of the Rudd government in 2007 would constitute…
Racy reading
In a field which is often characterised by polemics and hand-wringing, Noel Pearson has emerged as both a considered thinker…
Head Beaters
Ah, democracy. The informed will of the majority. If only the practice was as simple as the theory. When it…
Thought bubbles
It is not really a surprise that political parties produce a certain number of oddballs; the scary thing is that…
Muslim integration
Growing up is hard enough at any time; coping with additional cross-currents of race and religion is a whole new…
Unfair and unbalanced
The thesis of this book is that there is something wrong with politics in Australia. Bryant is right, but not…
Labor partisan’s economic tale
The old saw about economics being a dismal science turns out, on the evidence of this short but interesting piece…
Labor renewal?
Ben Chifley once spoke about a shining light on the hill. By the time that Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard…
Out of his depth
There are individuals who, when fate hands them the opportunity for greatness, have risen to the challenge. Rob Oakeshott was…
‘Qui, moi?’
In 2008, Bob Carr was on an ABC panel show, pontificating about the wisdom of decisions of the US Supreme…
Letting go
We are not, by our nature, a militaristic people, and it is significant that our most well-known military venture was…
A sober critic
Let’s get one thing straight: gullibility is not a virtue. This simple principle appears to be difficult to grasp for…
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