Sometimes I read an article that is so idiotic that I've got to wonder how the journalist responsible manages to get out of bed in the morning without hurting himself. There are some journalists (eg Piers Akerman) that produce nonsensical gibberish so often that I don't even have to wonder how any respectable newspaper would [...]

One can't help but feel a certain sense of unreality when reading that nine men can gang-rape a ten year old girl and get away without so much as a slap on the wrist. In light of the attention given to child sexual abuse crisis in indigenous communities (which was used by the previous government [...]

What a great night! Who would have thought that staring at numbers and graphs for six hours could be so exhilarating! The Howard era has finally ended. I must say that Howard's concession speech was both dignified and gracious. He has (finally) accepted the responsibility for the Libs' woes. And, to be fair, a political career [...]

Having taken a bit of a break from writing, I'm now back, presently turning purple from holding my breath and typing very slowly with crossed fingers. 11 years of Howard's regime may just end tonight and it looks like Howard may be losing his seat (one does have to give him credit for having the [...]

It is doubly annoying having to listen to yet another Liberal party ad about how interest rates will be higher under Labor because of "union fanatics" "environmental extremists" and learner leaders, when we have now had yet another interest rise (the sixth since 2004) and the prediction is that the rates will keep on going [...]

"While you weren't looking, your freedom went up in smoke" - a good headline for an opinion piece. Makes one expect an interesting argument about erosion of our freedoms. The freedoms that matter - such as the freedom from arbitrary arrest and lengthy detention without justifiable evidence, such as the freedom of information to enable [...]

As one might expect, in the leadership debate, Howard made a few claims about the IR "reforms". Lets examine the veracity of some of these claims, remembering of course that one does not need to tell an outright lie to be untruthful. For example, when Howard was asked whether, under his WorkChoices laws employees could [...]

Well, it was certainly exciting watching the leadership debate, worm-free though it was.  I must say that on the whole, I think Howard blew it big time - it is doubtful that he'll want a repeat closer to the election.  Howard confirmed one of the most damaging perceptions of him and his government - stuck [...]

It is almost amusing that every time an election rolls about, the government promises substantial tax cuts. I wonder whether, if elections were held every year, we'd pay no tax at all. Wouldn't that be an attractive prospect? Perhaps not. If Oliver Wendell Holmes was right to say that taxes are what we pay for [...]

I must confess that, the less cynical part of me supports Howard's plan to make it compulsory for year 9 and 10 students to study at least 150 hours of Australian history. It is a bit disturbing to see the perception among school children that, simply because history does not appear relevant to a particular [...]