John Lanchester’s novel Capital, which I began reading in the plane on the way over, is great preparation for a visit here. In it he takes the inhabitants of a gentrified London street – everyone from the financial trader to the family in the corner shop – through the GFC. It’s a funny, touching, hugely…
ONE of my literary heroes, Robert Louis Stevenson (Kidnapped and Treasure Island), once said: “For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” In the past I shared the great man’s view, but not now. Travel for “travel’s sake” is tourism and, to…
THE right-wing H R Nicholls Society will hold its 32nd annual shindig in Melbourne today with the usual conga-line of trade union haters.Guest speaker at tonight’s dinner will be Kathy Jackson, national secretary of the Health Services Union.Yes, that’s the Ms Jackson who is leading the campaign to have Craig Thomson, Labor MP for Dobell,…
We’re embarking on the next phase of the great adventure – this time in Europe. Over the next few weeks we’ll be bringing you our reports and thoughts on developments there. In the months since Come the Revolution was launched in Australia Alex has spoken to hundreds of people in bookshops from Brisbane to Bowral,…
Linda Scott, Labor’s candidate to oppose Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore at the September election, has form.She was Labor’s candidate to oppose Ms Moore for the seat of Sydney at the State Election in 2007.In the run-up to the election Scott received a generous $20,000 campaign donation from Kristine Keneally, MP for Heffron who eventually…
Thirteen months ago the Gillard Cabinet approved the introduction of Migration Employment Agreements between the giant mining houses and the Department of Immigration.It followed intense talks between Gillard and the mining groups over the mining tax. Gillard wanted an across the board agreement with Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton, Xstrata and the Australian mining billionaires and…
Julia Gillard’s easy victory over Kevin Rudd was predictable, the resignation of Mark Arbib wasn’t. The NSW ALP right has an unwritten set of rules and one of them is that members must gain any and every bureaucratic position they can in the labour and trade union movement, no matter now menial.Once they’ve gained those…
Greg Sheridan, the pro-American and pro-Zionist appropriately named foreign editor of The Australian, is just back from Israel on a privately sponsored trip.Sheridan writes in the second column of his article: “I have been spending a week in Israel, and visiting some of the Palestinian territories, under the auspices of the Australia Israel United Kingdom…
Welcome to Gambaro’s restaurant and seafood emporium in Brisbane. One of the beneficiaries of the fortune made by the seafood giant is Teresa Gambaro, the federal Liberal MP, Tony Abbott’s spokeswoman on citizenship and a vicious Howardite.She has told The Australian’s Patricia Karvelas (who else) that new immigrants should be taught the Australian custom of…
In case you missed the news, Brazil has deposed Britain as the sixth largest economy in the world, according to the annual world economic league table compiled by the Centre for Economic and Business Research.Britain’s steady economic and industrial decline is one of the most remarkable events of the past century, on a par with…
