A life in limericks
In Competition No. 3240, you were invited to tell the life story of a well-known figure in three limericks. In…
Low life
Catriona has a commission to paint the 17th-century façade of the chapel of St Joseph’s. She’d made a start when…
Bombs over Belfast
Caught outside at the start of a raid in the Belfast Blitz as the incendiary bombs rain down, Audrey looks…
Portrait of the week
Home More than 100,000 people registered interest in giving a place in their homes for Ukrainian refugees under a government…
A controlling monster
If vivid, drily hilarious tales about messy families stuffed with passive aggression and seething resentment are your thing, you will…
Knotty problems
Anne Tyler’s 24th novel French Braid opens in 2010 in Philadelphia train station. We find the teenage Serena, who has…
An Englishwoman in Paris
A couple of years ago, I happened to read Graham Norton’s third novel Home Stretch. Rather patronisingly, perhaps, I was…
Celebrating the secret ballot 166 years on
On March 19, Australians come together to celebrate what may be one of the least appreciated aspects of our democracy.…
Does Twitter think Trump is worse than Russia?
Who decides what gets counted as ‘misinformation’? For the increasingly large number of people who get their news from social…
How to stop China from attacking Taiwan
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the West has got many things right. Yet there is no doubt that Western mistakes over…
Why it was a mistake for Ofcom to remove Russia Today
In conflicts, there is always a temptation to mirror the tactics of one’s opponents – which is why it’s depressing…
Does Putin’s Judo philosophy explain his sanctions response?
Contemplating leaders and their heroes can be a revealing business. Churchill had busts of Nelson and Napoleon at Chartwell (and…
Is Boris channeling Churchill in his response to Russia?
Boris Johnson’s hero – apart from himself – is Winston Churchill, who led Britain through the dark valley of World…
Why was the Hunter Biden laptop story covered up?
It’s now a familiar pattern – a sensational news story is dismissed by serious journalists as bogus right-wing agitprop. You’d…
Russian intelligence isn’t all it’s cracked up to be
Western countries have always had a rather high opinion of Soviet intelligence. British secret services – MI5, MI6 and Special Branch…
Liberal Democrats in the fight for South Australia
South Australia’s state election is set to kick off on Saturday where Liberal Premier Steven Marshall and his team will…
Sorry kids, there’s no ‘duty of care’ on climate change
In news that would surprise only the most casual of observers, the inestimably appealable Judge Mordecai Bromberg has once more…
Managing ‘misinformation’ in the world of deep-fake
The world is increasingly revolving around data with each year that passes. Every technological advancement or new iteration of the…
Radical gender theory starts in kindergarten
A recent research paper titled Parents’ perspectives on the inclusion of gender and sexuality diversity in K-12 schooling: results from an…
Virtuous ABC’s parallel universe
ABC Managing Director, David Anderson, has devoted his entire career to the national broadcaster. It shows. In a recent extraordinary…
