It has been such a big campaign week for oldies that some of us are spending the weekend dozing over Lucy Turnbull’s letter about Malcolm, while the melodic sounds of Frenzal Rhomb’s “Rock against Howard” compilation plays in the background. According to Mabel, my best friend since Queen Victoria’s coronation, that whippersnapper with the potty […]

A rally against the Howard Government in King George Square today in Brisbane attracted over a thousand protestors. During the demonstration, which was outside the Liberal Party’s federal election campaign launch, speakers such as the Socialist Alliance’s Senate candidate Sam Watson and Richard Neilsen from The Greens accused Prime Minister John Howard of dishonesty over […]

It must be assumed that the term “doctors’ wives” was invented by some crusty old male political scientist who would never think of describing other voting blocs as “housewives’ old men”, “hairdressers’ balls and chains” or “secretaries’ drunken bums”. Any term that defines a woman by her marital status, like Mrs, should be thrown in […]

This week, I dragged me, my beanie and pom poms out to forget that if the Broncos had not played like sheilas this season they would have made the finals. Unknown to me, Souths Leagues Club was taken over the night I planned to get pissed by ladies who might be full-forwards, but who were […]

Lock up your middle-aged men because Pauline’s back and she’s as sexy and, ummm, as susceptible as ever. See link for an interesting analysis of her return and how she has impacted on Australian politics. During a recent conversation over risotto and a wine I couldn’t possibly pronounce (xenophobia perhaps?), it was suggested to me […]

AT a time when the Anglican Church is in desperate need of strong and inspirational leadership, the Archdiocese of Perth has made an inspired choice in choosing Bishop Roger Herft as its next Archbishop. Roger Herft is a unique churchman. Born in Sri Lanka, educated in the UK, he has served with distinction as a […]

Before attending what turned out to be a fine afternoon’s entertainment at the theatre, I visited the Museum of Brisbane (MOB) at City Hall today to take a glimpse at Y’ Want Salt Rubbed in That?, an exhibition of the cartoons of The Courier-Mail’s Sean Leahy. Leahy, who surprisingly for someone who works in the […]

Like many voters, my information about the election is coming from quick reads of The Courier-Mail in the morning and viewings of The 7.30 Report at night, when not tempted to watch The Simpsons that is. This minute engagement with the campaign means only a small amount of my attention span is paid to hardly […]

Just like his party, John Anderson showed himself to be seriously out-of-date last week when he exhumed Mark Latham’s comments about hating his political opponents. Sounding like the sort of hippy peacenik the National Party in Queensland used to have the police raid; Anderson claimed, “Hatred tears our world apart”. Yes, John, and keeping people […]

As someone whose practical knowledge of factions has been limited to a few meetings at the Paddington Workers’ Club, these bodies formed to bolster careers and/or shared ideological commitments often bewilder, even if they do have a valid part to play in our political system. It was thus a shock to learn that if I […]