Intro: Extract of Still Not Happy, John: Defending our Democracy (Penguin 2007) Democracy v. the Beast Her appeal was simply that she represented something authentic in a culture of artefact. She was transparent in an era during which the political class have become expert at concealment. She was a still point in a culture […]
Yours not to reason why: Not Happy John Iraq Chapter #Chilcot
July 8, 2016
Democracy has proved itself a friend of peace. No fully self-governing country has provoked a war within a century’s memory . . . Democracy, being founded on the rights of the individual Citizens, concerns itself first and foremost with the domestic well-being of its people . . . In the grim struggle between guns and […]
The making of a #MarriageEquality advocate: @burgewords extract
May 29, 2015
IRELAND’S yes vote for marriage equality kicked a rainbow-coloured goal for LGBTQI people around the globe, and while the major Australian political parties fight for ownership of the ball, this extract from an upcoming non-fiction podcast and book by MICHAEL BURGE is a reminder of how far we’ve come. Marriage, like a seed, was planted within me […]
Time to be Alert … And a little bit Alarmed? – the @sarah_capper column
September 20, 2014
Yes, that’s right, last week Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced the Government was raising Australia’s ‘terror alert’ status to ‘high’. While technically this means a terrorist attack on Australian soil is now regarded as “likely”, the PM was quick to clarify that “this does not mean that a terror attack is imminent. We have no […]
Cigar wielding wealthy motorist entitlements: the @sarah_capper column
August 23, 2014
Sitting on the train, surrounded by other poor people, sans cars, it’s hard not to wonder whether the Abbott Government is becoming increasingly out of touch with its constituents. Sure, there are a lot of discrepancies on public transport – for example, on the not-so-rough Sandringham line, taking in Melbourne’s bayside suburbs, I’m guessing some […]
Selling the Budget, @YaThinkN is here to help #Auspol
June 9, 2014
Normally when the Federal Budget comes out we punters get rather amused at the excitement we see in the media. We giggle at seeing Kochie from Sunrise get his jollies about being in lock up, but unless there is some blatantly nasty stuff in the budget that will hit our hip pockets, we really don’t […]
Reza’s death demands a judicial inquiry, but where is the pressure? @GregDyett reports
February 27, 2014
[clear] By Margo Kingston @margokingston1 27th February 2014 Here is the transcript and audio of this evening’s SBS World Radio item by Greg Dyett @GregDyett on the Manus Island detention centre review and whether it will do the job. I’m thrilled there are a few journalists who understand how important this matter is for the […]
@Jansant interviews respected refugee advocate Kon Karapanagiotidis OAM @Kon__K from the @ASRC1
February 8, 2014
[clear] By Wayne Jansson @jansant February 8, 2014 Ever since John Howard’s Tampa affair back in 2001, refugees arriving by boat have been at the centre of political debate in Australia. A campaign to demonise and dehumanise refugees has been in full swing ever since. Its been so successful the Abbott government has even seen the […]
Cory Bernardi’s ideology: @stewarthase book review
January 15, 2014
By Stewart Hase @stewarthase 15 January 2014 The Conservative Revolution was worth reading for two main reasons. The first is that it gives a very clear view into the mind of the extreme Christian conservative. The reader gets to see the thinking, the ideology that drives the political agenda of people like Cory Bernardi. Thus, it […]
Our man in Bennelong scores the campaign and finds a crowd of winners
September 6, 2013
[clear] By Jack Sumner September 6, 2013 Eastwood’s Rowe Street Plaza is always busy, lively and a pleasant place to shop or just sit and chill. As a band played, the Bennelong candidates’ support teams were out in force last weekend to win votes with a leaflet, a smile and a balloon. Regardless of who […]
