The many sides of satire
Brexit the Musical is a peppy satire written by Chris Bryant (not the MP, he’s a lawyer). Musically the show…
In my other life, I’m a water engineer
Friends arrived last week to find me in a mudhole, inside a cave-like tunnel into the hill, fiddling around with…
Whatever happened to Alice?
In 1987, the art of opera changed decisively. John Adams’s opera Nixon in China was so unlike the usual run…
Nothing is quite what it seems
One day, somebody will stage an exhibition of artists taught at the Slade by the formidable Henry Tonks, who considered…
Low life
On Sunday morning we went, Oscar and I, to a vide grenier in the ancient, picturesque Provençal village. Vide grenier…
Hunt-the-iPhone was the highlight of my hols
For years, Caroline and I have been squabbling over where to spend our summer holidays. Her ideal is a family-friendly…
Portrait of the week
Home Regulated rail fares will rise by 3.6 per cent in January, bringing the price of annual tickets from Oxford,…
Water thieves steal from us all
Stealing in Australia is serious. The consequences are severe. That does not seem to be the case when the property…
Ban the Burqa stunts
Pauline Hanson walked into the Senate yesterday all covered up, which no doubt improved the aesthetics of the place, but…
Corporations don’t have views on same-sex marriage, people do
After the news that Australia will proceed with a postal plebiscite on same sex marriage, Qantas, a long time supporter…
Funeral crashers: how antifa became the new Westboro Baptist Church
No, liberals, the ends do not justify the means. There is no vindication for violence, despite your cause. The heartbreaking…
A message to Victorians on euthanasia
Liz Carr is a UK actor, comedian and disability rights activist perhaps best known as forensic examiner Clarissa Mullery in…
What a burqua!
Just when you thought Canberra couldn’t turn into more of a circus, Pauline Hanson turned it into a fancy-dress party.…
India in a day
Bold programming by the powers-that-be at Radio 4 meant it was possible to listen to all seven episodes of Ayeesha…
Norway’s noir
Valkyrien (C4, Sunday) is the hot new Scandi-noir series, which is being billed as Norway’s answer to Breaking Bad. In…
Grimes triumphant
‘Peter Grimes!’ Ranked high above us in the Usher Hall — a mob smelling blood, hot for the kill —…
2323: Alphabetical jigsaw
Clues are presented in alphabetical order of their solutions. The solutions have then to be fitted into the grid, jigsaw-fashion.…
In defense of the same-sex marriage plebiscite (or the next best option)
The late great Harvard professor John Rawls famously said that a diversity of opinions on issues relating to morality, religion,…
The great plain packaging swindle
Newly released government data has confirmed that more people smoke in Australia than they did in 2013. This is despite…
Barnaby, the beat-up — and the blunder
Since when have Australian-born citizens with one foreign-born parent but permanently resident here been automatically obligated to the laws of…
Rainbow repression
In a gutsy move, Sky News anchor and Daily Telegraph columnist Caroline Marcus has penned an article unapologetically denouncing the…
Throw another flag on the barbie
For once, Malcolm Turnbull appears to be in tune with the nation. He spoke up this morning to criticise a…
North and South
The events at Charlottesville, Virginia, occur in the context of rapid changes in the South. Having just travelled through sections…
The Age: proud to be a global joke
It’s official. The Age is an international joke. And no. I’m not talking about that “Is this the most Melbourne…
