Australia’s problematic arts culture
The ideological closed shop that is Australia’s creative classes isn’t really a secret even if the artists themselves insist on…
Aussie Life
90 Days in lockdown – a retrospective Day 1 – you configure your bathroom into a replica of your…
“They’re everywhere, those Hi-Vis Guys, polishing up to stay alive.”
Somewhere in a Melbourne suburban street near you, someone in an orange Hi-Vis vest is polishing a lamppost with disinfectant…
There is no Trump World
There is no Trump World. Nations are not the sum of their political parts. The personal is political is not…
I see dead people
Beaming Boris attends the birth of his son showing the political power of looking healthy. Juxtapose COVID Boris in intensive care,…
Everyone thinks they’re a great writer when corona cabin fever strikes
Pandemic Poetry On isolation How the hell do you spell pendemic anyway? Maybe I should use a thesaurus, no that…
I, for one, welcome our new People’s Republic of ScoMo
Welcome to Socialism World, where everything is paid for. ‘Yeah, nah’, as we say here in the People’s Republic of…
How to survive the end of the world
From toilet paper to George Clooney
The race to the White House: it’s the penis or vagina thing
Given the choice between an old socialist white woman who used to do appearances on Dr Phil and an old…
The importance of being Karl
Why we fell out of love with the reinstated Today host
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…
When woke comes to town
The Australian leg of U2’s Joshua Tree tour is almost over and everyone can relax. Bono will slip his clothes…
Q&A and the inalienable right to be batshit crazy
The right to go batshit crazy is one of those inalienable rights. Like the right to bear arms and the…
Turkey, Syria and the Kurds: this is not just Donald Trump’s evil
While most fixate on the betrayal in Trump’s decision to withdraw troops and leave the Kurds to the mercy of…
Notes from a street protest
Coralines Emo Coraline look-a-like protesters from expensive Toorak Girls Private with an excellent fine arts program wave protest signs and…
It’s university open day season
It hasn’t been the same since the twins said they’ve just turned 18, and need a lift to the university.…
Corporate speak
ASIC is telling us corporates to employ psychologists to get inside the head of our CEOs and Boards and understand…
Essington Lewis: I am Woke
Legend has it that at the financial end of Collins Street where all the smart people go to beg there…
More quality political analysis
I was in Sydney during the Berejiklian landside and the tyre burning that followed and I stayed in a cheap…
I love my job
It’s my first day at the job. I’m walking down Flinders Lane with its shadowy art deco buildings passing Degraves Street…
Nazi-hunting in Kooyong
Hunting Nazis is hard work so painting Hitler moustaches onto Josh Frydenberg posters does us all a big favor. We’re…
Election 19 and the Pam Ewing effect
In 1987 Pamela Ewing woke up to find Bobby emerging from the bathroom wearing only a towel and haircut. Presumed…
Doing it for the kids
There’s been a lot in the news about how cool the kids are. As Whitney Houston sang before using her…
Check your blowhardism
Being a blowhard means never having to say you’re sorry. When you’re not telling everyone what to think about climate…
Married at First Sight and the unkindness of strangers
Critics ask, ‘why MAFS’ – and it is certainly a polarising topic. This take, for example: ‘Fucking hard hitting journalism…
