Michael Bird

Is it the EU or SPECTRE? It’s hard to tell from here

25 September 2019 5:00 am

I’ve always loved Europe. I was born in Germany to British parents, taught in a university in Scotland for five…

Labor admits it’s lost the trust of people of faith – but what will it do about it?

29 May 2019 5:00 am

In the post-election diagnostics several people have recognized that a failure to connect with people of faith and anxieties concerning…

It’s time to end the seal of the confessional: the religious case

10 April 2019 12:14 pm

There have been recent calls in California and Australian jurisdictions for the mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse by clergy…

Identity politics will eat itself

27 March 2019 7:25 am

What is arguably the most contested aspect of twenty-first century politics is identity politics. It is the forward edge of…

Why won’t we admit it: women commit domestic violence too

19 February 2019 11:49 am

Males are generally the perpetrators of domestic and sexual violence and women are generally the victims of domestic and sexual…

What comes after populism? Nanny McPhee meets Leon Trotsky?

12 December 2018 7:04 am

The success of populist movements in democratic nations is leading many on the political left to envisage a recalibrated political…

Religious freedom is not absolute – and neither are LGBTI rights

17 October 2018 8:30 pm

Last week in Australia the recommendations of the Ruddock Review into Religious Freedom were leaked, leading to media frenzy that…

Bogans and the bourgeoise must unite to fight rich inner-city progressives

12 September 2018 7:50 am

Bogans and the bourgeoise must unite to fight rich inner-city progressives Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has made it clear that…

Why I support Dark Mofo’s inverted crosses

13 June 2018 8:53 pm

The proper way to understand the giant inverted crosses as part of Tasmania’s Dark Mofo festival is not an expression…

Why Australian Muslims must back conservatives (and conservatives back them)

13 April 2018 7:38 am

Australian Muslims have a cagey relationship with progressive political parties, it is inevitable then that Aussie Muslims will seek a…