Reading some of the hagiography from the bobbleheads, you’d be forgiven for thinking Peter Dutton has become some modern-day Disraeli — a master strategist with rhetorical flair and an instinct for power. “Look how he defeated the Voice to Parliament referendum,” they proclaim. “Marvel at …
You hear talk occasionally of the ACT’s “democratic deficit”. Actually, you really only hear it in the wonkier parts of the city (and in a city defined by its wonkiness, that’s saying something). However, the issue does occasionally get an airing in public and has …
Back in the early oughts, my wife was working as a reporter for SBS. I was doing my master’s in international relations at the time and sometimes our discussions about a lecture would prompt a story idea for her. One was “peak oil”, the rather …
Election timing speculation (aka Political Onanism Season)
It’s that time of the electoral cycle, when a pundit’s fancy turns to thoughts of election timing. Yes, if Christmas is the silly season, the fag end of a parliament is circle-jerk season for the political commentariat, who shall henceforth be known as the “bobbleheads” …