The distortion of British history
The British Museum has announced the appointment of a curator to study the history of its own collections. On the…
Harry, Meghan and the nature of public service
Well, the ways have parted. That 12-month revision of the departure of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for California…
The government is out of its depth in the Facebook fight
The Australian government is completely out of line and out of its depth in intervening in the media industry as,…
Speccie? Banned!
Well, we must be doing something right. In banning the beleaguered Liberal backbench MP Craig Kelly for seven days, the…
Australian notes
Rudd fancies himself as Metternich The latest edition of Foreign Affairs, the American foreign policy journal, contains yet another article…
Ancestral notes
Being David Cohen The apparent news that Joe Biden tapped me to help lead one of his new administration’s most…
In the trenches
I can hardly recall a more engaging and uplifting biography than this life of Major-General William Holmes, who was killed…
The Dig
It was gratifying to see such a quiet and impeccably made film as The Dig make it to independent cinemas…
Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo
Second thoughts are sometimes better thoughts. The NSW government had second thoughts about closing down the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo…
Aussie Life
The most powerful ad I created for David Cameron’s 2010 election campaign was a billboard featuring a still from a…
Aussie Language
A Speccie reader has asked if it is linguistically permissible to label the tactics of climate catastrophists as ‘brainwashing.’ The…
From colander to bed of nails
I first became aware of the work of Marcelle Hanselaar in a mixed exhibition at the Millinery Works in Islington.…
The City is losing its battle with Brussels and Amsterdam
No sign of progress towards a workable deal with the EU for financial services, on which news is due next…
Rock and awe
You very possibly know the music of the Glaswegian band Mogwai, even if you don’t think you do. You might…
From worst to best
It was something a friend said to me about The Revenant, Leonardo diCaprio’s bloody-minded and brutal Oscar vehicle: ‘The problem…
Deliciously dark
I Care a Lot is a deliciously dark comic thriller that You’ll Enjoy a Lot. It’s heartless. It’s vicious. It’s…
High life
Gstaad Good old Helvetia. I’m quitting her for the rainy but pleasant land of England. The cows are beginning to…
