A Warrior’s Death
Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword – Matthew 26:52 History is…
All bets are off
A few days ago I was approached with a business opportunity: sportsbet.com was offering great odds ($3.20!) on the possibility of Abbott facing a leadership challenge before Christmas. I’m not…
The New World Order
A quarter of a century ago on 2nd August 1990, the first major international crisis of the post-Cold War world began. After months of objections by Iraq for Kuwait to…
SkyNet Lives! An investigation of DARPA
When you think of giant, earth-ravaging existential threats these days, what comes to mind? A global health pandemic? Global warming? Terrorism? That super volcano beneath the Yellowstone National Park that…
Federal Emissions Targets Are Totally Inadequate
Today the Federal government has announced that it will aim to cut carbon emissions by 26-28% of 2005 levels by 2030. With Julie Bishop heading to the COP21 Paris climate…
Political Fiction
The worst thing a government can do in a democracy is lie to its people, and when a government is elected, it is given a mandate to carry out its…
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love: Marriage Equality in Australia
People forget how unusual it is for Australia not to be at the forefront of progressive social change. Since the 1970s, Australia has tended to punch above its weight in…
Disturbing Future Indeed
The following is the foreword from veteran Liberal MP Wyatt Roy’s account of Tony Abbott’s time as Prime Minister ‘Nineteen Years of Conservative Brilliance’, published in 2040 Reflecting upon my…
So You Want to Write to Your MP
It’s pretty hard to feel genuinely engaged with politics. When the major news of the day is the PM maniacally wolfing down a vegetable, or worse yet, one of Bill…
Pelican Presents A Selection of Notable Student Protest Chants
1990s anti-One Nation protesters Hey Hey, Ho Ho Pauline Hanson’s got to go Sexist, racist, anti-gay, right-wing bigots go away Racist, sexist, anti-queer, Liberals are not welcome here Say it…