This Month
Yes, America is fickle – but it’s also our best ally
The only difference between Donald Trump and his Republican and Democrat predecessors is that he is nakedly honest about America’s interests.
February
Dutton’s populist plans won’t cut your grocery bills
When politicians reach for the first ‘populist’ policy they can find to address voter concerns about rising prices, they’re doing a disservice to themselves and the electorate.
Richard Holden is wrong. Ross Gittins is right about the economics rot
Economists desperately want to convince themselves the world is as simple as C + I + G + (X - M). That’s what generations of students have been taught to believe.
January
What if Australia had its own Trump?
A local Trump would do some truth-telling, including that it’s incomprehensible a place as big as Australia has close to the world’s most unaffordable housing.
Fact is, Meta’s following Musk’s populist’s vibe
Whether Mark Zuckerberg made his decision to placate Trump or from a commitment to free speech, it’s a victory for freedom of expression.
December 2024
Biography looking for a proto-Trump is blind to Reagan’s vision
Reagan’s accomplishments as president are nitpicked into insignificance in a book that seems more intent on ransacking his administration for clues to explain the ascension of Donald Trump.
Dutton should be ‘comfortable and relaxed’ about flag stance
The opposition leader knows the better path to social cohesion in an increasingly diverse community is to find what Australians have in common.
November 2024
Australia’s social media ban is a joke
Media-manufactured moral panics come and go. That so many Labor and Coalition politicians have succumbed to this latest one, so unthinkingly, is frightening.
Why the Libs can’t do a Trump
The lesson for Peter Dutton is not to copy the Donald – which in an Australian context would be impossible anyway. What he must be, though, is authentic.
October 2024
COVID-19 bullies could get away with it again
During the pandemic, few Australians were brave enough to say “stop”. We can hope for a different future, but there’s no sign things will be different next time.
Charles III will find republicans who missed their best chance
The vibrant republican sentiment of the 1980s has been replaced by a dour, downbeat guilt-ridden version in the 2020s.
For the Liberals, Israel is a rare moment of cultural unity
Even multicultural societies need some shared values. The Liberals feel confident they are defending them.
September 2024
CEOs who spend less time trying to be liked are heard more often
When company bosses spent less time trying to be liked, they got listened to more often.
The MSO brought this row on itself
Young self-absorbed artists and old complacent arts organisations like the MSO don’t understand that great art is powerful because it transcends politics.
August 2024
Albanese should trust Australians by answering Gaza visa questions
Does the prime minister agree with the ASIO that ‘rhetorical’ support for Hamas shouldn’t automatically disqualify anyone from coming to Australia?
Albanese should call out the Greens on antisemitism
The PM is correct that “words matter”. So he should stop talking in code about the elevated terror threat.
July 2024
If Trump and Vance are ‘populist’, there should be more of it
Trump and Vance make the media uncomfortable by saying things about issues like free speech and the family the Democrats would never dare to.
New sectarianism has Albanese in a multicultural muddle
A commitment to multiculturalism doesn’t answer why “Muslim Votes Matter” sits so uneasily with Australia’s liberal democracy.
June 2024
Nuclear should fire Coalition’s Fightback!
Finding the same combination of politics and principle on other policies might be the start of a strategy to win, not necessarily the next election – but the one after that.
No truth in claim Dutton needs net zero to win teal seats
When the reality of the energy transition dawns on the Australian public, the Coalition will be able to get away with leaving the Paris Agreement.