How xenophobic discourse works: “Saving Aussie Jobs”
Political discourse works on a number of levels and addresses a number of audiences. There’s always some sort of policy wonk justification for things governments do. Ministers, shadows, MPs and Senators should be able to recite facts and figures. Then [...]
Envisioning realistic Utopias, realised utopias, Erik Olin Wright and Crooked Timber
There’s been a fascinating series on Crooked Timber on Erik Olin Wright’s book Envisioning Realistic Utopias. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem yet to be a sidebar link which captures the posts, and Wright is new to blogging and hasn’t linked back [...]
How the Wivenhoe engineers fell foul of the Floods Commission
As I outlined in the first post, in February this year the Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry reconvened as a result of reporting in The Australian by Hedley Thomas which suggested there had been a major breach of the flood [...]
The poetic stylings of Gina Rinehart
This is almost too good to be true, but it appears to be very much real.
Gina Rinehart has composed a poem extolling the virtues of Special Economic Zones and guest workers, and had it engraved on a boulder placed outside a new market in Perth’s suburbs.
Invasion Day/Australia Day: Unity/Disunity
I think everyone of a certain age can remember a certain mantra from John Howard. Symbols, he intoned, are not important. “Symbolic Reconciliation” is not important, he couldn’t say Sorry. The Republic was just a symbol, of interest to “elites”. [...]
#LocktheGate, Bob Brown and Bob Katter
Some of the seemingly surprising alliances crystallised by the Lock The Gate campaign against the impacts of Coal Seam Gas exploration on land use and communities were on display in today’s media, as Lock The Gate President (and long time [...]
2011 IF Awards (Sydney) dominated by Red Dog
Hot off the press release, but I’m not apologising for highlighting local film achievements: congratulations to all the winners, especially to Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton (who are a weekly staple in our house) for their Living Legend award.
Living in Paul Keating’s Australia, and loving it!
Tonight I went to Paul Keating’s book tour at the Brisbane Powerhouse. There’s a real sense, as I argued recently at The Drum, that we still live in the John Howard era. But only because the evil angels of this country are continually conjured up by [...]
2011 Melbourne Cup thread
It’s that time of year again. Post whatever you like about the Melbourne Cup – tips for Tuesday, anecdotes, trivia, deconstruction, equine sock puppets, fashion advice, hangover cures, etc.
Occupy Australia and the Antipodean “bubble”
After the Occupy Melbourne event was forcibly (and it appears, disproportionately violently) cleared by the Victorian Police at the instance of Melbourne Mayor Robert Doyle, Dr_Tad has been reflecting at Left Flank on some of the criticism of the actions [...]
The AFL, the pokies, and viability
According to Jeff Kennett mandatory precommitment technology will threaten the viability of some clubs, and threaten the survival of the code”. Rubbish.
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