Journalism and other writing
WE KNOW that history does not repeat itself, but, gee, it comes close to it at times.
This week President Barack Obama is deciding whether to increase US troops in Afghanistan. He is being advised by the usual suspects from what Republican President Dwight Eisenhower warned against — the “military-industrial complex”. Continue reading “Vietnam again, ask Galbraith”
INNUMERATE journalists and politicians swallow dud population figures.
JOURNALISTS are a fairly innumerate lot. Many are, bizarrely, quite proud of it.
It is a dangerous state of affairs because it means they swallow virtually any set of figures without question. Continue reading “Population projection not so simple”
WE ARE blessed by five short words that appear twice in the Constitution: “directly chosen by the people”. Continue reading “Beware MPs rigging electoral systems”
THE cry for compensation for shareholders went out almost immediately the wicked socialist Rudd government announced it would cut the Telstra Gordian knot. Continue reading “Telstra compo claims misguided”
Operation Enduring Freedom which began eight years ago next month looks as silly, though not as bloody, now as the US foray into Vietnam. Continue reading “Operation enduring war”
AT last. Australia is out of recession. “What?” I hear you ask, “I thought Australia had escaped the recession.” Continue reading “Population consumes growth performance”
THIS week the High Court did its best to ensure that “military justice” does not join the sardonic list of oxymorons like “military intelligence”, “fun run” and “Catholic education. Continue reading “Howard Govt’s lack of military justice”
AUSTRALIA is now on the receiving end of one of the great ironies of recent Chinese history. The Chinese regime is desperate to stay in power and to do that it needs to keep control and avoid unrest, turbulence and uncertainty. Continue reading “Australia hit by China’s lack of rule of law”
THE constitutional timing, the numbers and the politics, among other things, are all wrong for a double dissolution. Small wonder Prime Minister Kevin Rudd could say at the weekend he had no intention of calling one. Continue reading “Forget a double dissolution”
OPPOSITION Leader Malcolm Turnbull’s performance on the 7.30 Report this week was like one of the great constitutional fights in the High Court in the 1980s – as so many of his media appearances are. Continue reading “This is the media, not a court”