March 09, 2007 | Graham

Dusting-off the 1980s agendas

Brian Burdekin, author of the 1989 Our Homeless Children, Report of the National Inquiry into Homeless Children, claimed yesterday on AM that youth homelessness leads to an increase in mental breakdown and substance abuse. This assertion was not questioned by the interviewer, and contradicts what I would have thought […] Continue Reading…

Posted by Graham at 9:40 am | Comments (1)
Filed under: Australian Politics

March 08, 2007 | Graham

Brisbane Times

Fairfax Digital Media has launched a new online newspaper in Brisbane, the Brisbane Times – that’s the sort of exciting name that you get when you poach most of your staff from the Queensland Times. In fact, that’s not all they’re poaching – do a Google search on “Queensland […] Continue Reading…

Posted by Graham at 5:51 pm | Comments Off on Brisbane Times
Filed under: Media

March 07, 2007 | Graham

Putting the “story” into history

I wasn’t so much shocked by Manning Clark’s exaggeration of his experience of Kristallnacht by claiming to be there when he wasn’t, as his biographer’s view that you don’t go to Clark for facts.
So the question is, what do you go to Clark for? Do you go to Clark […] Continue Reading…

Posted by Graham at 10:05 am | Comments (3)
Filed under: Australian Politics

March 03, 2007 | Graham

Howard springs trap

Not often I do a post and events over-take it immediately, but that’s what happened to the previous one. Ian Campbell has resigned from cabinet. Howard’s not noted for sacking ministers, and this is probably a record for the speed with which it occurred, which means that Howard smells […] Continue Reading…

Posted by Graham at 4:59 pm | Comments (8)
Filed under: Australian Politics

March 03, 2007 | Graham

Oops he did it again

Kevin Rudd is my local member. He ought to drop in for coffee with me sometime – the advice would be a lot better than he’s getting at the moment. Ian Campbell having a meeting with a number of people, including Brian Burke, isn’t a “gottcha” opportunity for Labor, […] Continue Reading…

Posted by Graham at 4:03 pm | Comments (2)
Filed under: Australian Politics

March 02, 2007 | Graham

Harry Potter does lunch with Voldemort

Rudd’s fall to earth couldn’t have been more sudden than if he’d lost his broom while over-reaching for the snitch in the Quidditch stadium. And rather than Gryffindore he’s looking at worst Slytherin, and at best Huff and Puff.
If he’d met Brian Burke for a meal once, it could […] Continue Reading…

Posted by Graham at 9:34 am | Comments (1)
Filed under: Australian Politics

February 27, 2007 | Graham

No blood for oil part 2

“No blood for oil” – the defining chant of the anti-Iraq war protestors. Let’s assume for a second that they were right, that the US action was all based on access to oil. Why should that preoccupation only apply to Americans? What if it applied to Iraqis too? What […] Continue Reading…

Posted by Graham at 9:38 pm | Comments (2)

February 26, 2007 | Graham

McsKewered – Labor fixes Howard’s expectations management

The preselection of Maxine McKew by Labor for Bennelong could be just what the PM ordered. The biggest risk to Howard this election was a protest vote. It was probably the only way that Beazley was going to win. One also suspects that the size of the vote for […] Continue Reading…

Posted by Graham at 9:16 am | Comments (7)
Filed under: Australian Politics

February 22, 2007 | Graham

Why Howard and Blair are at odds on Iraq

There is a simple reason why John Howard is sending extra troops to Iraq and Tony Blair is withdrawing them. There are votes for Howard on Iraq, but none for Blair.
Blair’s constituency is by-and-large anti-war. While there are some left-of-centre hawks, like Nick Cohen, they are significantly outnumbered by […] Continue Reading…

Posted by Graham at 4:53 pm | Comments (6)
Filed under: Australian Politics

February 13, 2007 | Graham

Deputy Sheriff shoots the Marshall

Vladimir Putin steps onto German soil and almost immediately throws the gauntlet down to the US, raising the spectre of another Cold War and what is the Australian commentariat and Opposition obsessed with? John Howard’s comments about a junior senator’s bid for the White House and his policies on […] Continue Reading…

Posted by Graham at 12:56 pm | Comments (2)
Filed under: Australian Politics
« Newer PostsOlder Posts »