A method to his madness
His cartoons were semi-serious responses to societal problems, as this extract from Adam Hart-Davis’s new book shows
EXCLUSIVE: Forgotten People speech draft discovered
On Monday, 22 May, Liberal party grandees, MPs and supporters will gather at a gala dinner in Canberra to mark the seventy-fifth anniversary of…
One impact of the budget: sales of white flags are booming
Sales of white flags are going gangbusters, with the Coalition buying out supplies. It isn’t surprising, as they’ve found so…
Women shouldn’t breastfeed in parliament
We need to go back to the drawing board and clarify what “equality” stands for. It does not mean female…
The blunt, brutal truth about house prices
I feel for the Gen Y and the Millennials, I really do. I know that I often mock them for…
Fact: the patriarchy causes climate change
Climate change is caused by the patriarchy. That’s the view of feminist author and activist, Gloria Steinem. Asked about the…
Julia Gillard: because I’m worth it
Picture this: you were prime minister. You made friends and enemies. You left politics with plenty of money in the…
Budget 2017: placing politics over principle always fails
When I signed up as a member of my university’s Liberal club, it was for good reason. It was 2011…
Where’s a drug test for hypocrisy when you need one?
I love the smell of hypocrisy in the morning, and Twitter always is pungent with its bitter almond aroma. Today…
Why we need a Theresa May
Theresa May is doing counter-populism right. The Tories have just released their manifesto for the June election, and it has every strength the Liberals’ depressing,…
Why are feminists being allowed to hijack domestic violence funding?
A report just released this week shines a shocking, fierce and heartbreaking light on where domestic violence thrives in Australia. The statistics make difficult reading – and…
What happens next in Jakarta?
Midnight in Jakarta but shops are still open, people meeting up and I’m sitting at a pavement café with three…
Budget 2017: pseudopulism fails to sway the polls
Theresa May is headed for a triple-digit majority in parliament, just two years after the Tories cobbled together a government…
Bingeing on Bach
Coined in 1944, ‘completism’ is a modern term for a modern-day obsession. What began as a phenomenon of possession —…
Teenage kicks
Imagine living in a country where the average age is under 16 (in the UK it’s currently 40 and increasing)…
Serial offenders
Since completing season two of the brilliant Narcos, I’ve been unsuccessfully looking for a replacement serial drama that is more…
Blondie: Pollinator
Ah, Blondie. Those happy days of glorious power pop, chilly disco and rich, fruity vocals — Debbie Harry yearning away…
Secrets and spies
Spare a thought for Emil Gilels, still revered today by Russians as the foremost pianist of the Soviet era. The…
More gas, less wind
The Global Wind Energy Council recently released its latest report, excitedly boasting that ‘the proliferation of wind energy into the…
Found in translation
Buririggu deshita. Suraibi tōbu Wēbu de gairu to gimburu shite, Nante mimuji na borogōbu, Mōmu rassu autoguraibimashita ne. If this…
Mother Theresa
Tory activists last week were heard to refer to Mrs May as ‘Mummy’. No Corbynista calls their hero ‘Dad’. The…
Stand up for Arsène
I had 20 good years supporting Manchester United but now I follow Arsenal, and I find the treatment of the…
Libya’s best hope
We were in a detention centre for migrants in Tripoli and we came to a big locked door. It was…
