Aussie breasts spoil Deutsche fest
Is it still cultural appropriation when we do it to the people responsible for World Wars I and II? Whatever: Oktoberfest,…
Are multinationals now more powerful than the nation state?
If you look outside your window, the world is telling us that neoliberal globalisation has transferred too much power from…
Media botch: The Guardian, The Wiggles — and The Age relies on London to report Melbourne news
Another week in the death of Australian media is off to a strong start. Indeed, it could barely be better.…
When education is a waste of time and money
Think back to university or high school. Were you or your classmates ever left bored or wondering whether one of…
Tinker, tailor, Downer, spy?
It is a great pity that the Australian Senate does not have the same sort of inquisitorial role that the…
Bullying a child isn’t political debate
My great-grandfather, Hugh de Largie was a Labor senator in Australia’s first parliament. He followed Prime Minister Billy Hughes out…
It’s all over for Tony Abbott. Allegedly all over…
Updated: 7:30 pm, September 17 It’s all over for Tony Abbott — or so they claim. Fairfax boy wonder Bevan…
In praise of Peter King
When the news broke that Peter King would seek preselection for his old seat, there was a brief prospect of…
The camera never lies, but Fairfax does
For once, the idiot children at The Age appeared to have a pretty good story this week. They didn’t even…
Why can’t the warring Tories see that a Brexit deal is within grasp?
Loyalty, it used to be said, was the Tories’ secret weapon. No longer. Self-discipline has been discarded — along with…
Portrait of the week: Tories against Brexit, the Salisbury poisoning and Sweden’s election
Home Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, was said to want to throw a lifeline to Theresa May, the…
Rachel Johnson: Getting sacked is a badge of honour. And I should know
People are still asking ‘So, how was your summer’ and mine was nice as far as it went: I didn’t…
Boris Johnson and the art of rhetoric
Boris the rhetorician is in full voice at the moment, delighting his followers and infuriating his enemies. But is this…
Who was the first suicide bomber?
The first suicide bomber Boris Johnson was criticised for likening Theresa May’s Chequers deal to a ‘suicide vest’ around the…
Is it possible to draw Serena Williams without being racist?
I have spent the morning trying to draw a cartoon of a black person without it being racist. It’s bloody…
Must ‘the will of the people’ always be respected?
I’ve always respected Alistair Darling and cannot imagine him saying anything ill-considered. But listening to him interviewed last Monday on…
It’s not transphobic to question transgenderism
This column is not in my interest. But then, not for the first time. I cannot count the conversations conducted…
Ten years after Lehman’s fall, how close is the next crash?
Our cinema is showing Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again and I’m reminded of a remark attributed to Mark Twain,…
The Tory battle has only just begun
It looks as if the Conservative party is already at war. Fifty or so Brexiteer Tory MPs openly meet to…
Save us from Tiger, the posh Poundland of tat
There is a Tiger on the loose. It is stalking our high streets. It is prowling our train stations. It…
Elizabeth, the Eurosceptic queen
There has been much inconclusive speculation on the Queen’s views on Brexit. In 2016, the Sun asserted that she was…
Tom Tugendhat: the next Tory leader should be from my generation
When Boris Johnson compared Theresa May’s Brexit plan to wrapping a suicide vest around Britain’s constitution, the harshest response came…
The backlash to Trump has begun – and Republicans should not be surprised
Washington, DC Republicans observing a rising wave of liberal and progressive candidates, policies and election results in the United States…
In Idlib, the final chapter in Syria’s civil war has begun
Beirut The customs man wore a white linen suit. He had a large moustache. His ample belly touched the edge…
There’s a reason Unst is called the island above all others
‘I’d like a copy of the Times,’ said the visitor from the south. ‘Yesterday’s or today’s?’ the shopkeeper asked. ‘Today’s,…
