Author: Alex Mitchell
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Behind the savaging of Sir Jimmy Savile
The English are passing through one of their periodic fits of morality and the cause célèbre de jour is the late disc jockey Jimmy Savile. Why do Australians have to be dragged into this morass of English public hypocrisy? Here’s some background to consider … Jimmy Savile, a hugely popular radio and TV presenter, was…
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Australia joins US camp at UN
What is the meaning of Australia winning a seat on UN Security Council for the next two years? It means that the United States and Israel now have an extra vote on the Security Council. The declaration by the Gillard Government and Foreign Minister Bob Carr that their first objective will be world peace is…
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Gillard’s speech secures her place in history
By Alex Mitchell Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s speech in the House of Representatives on October 9 was one of the finest pieces of parliamentary oratory you are ever likely to hear. It was bold, stirring, direct and compelling. I urge you to find it on the web and listen to it in full. The last…
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Shameful episode of Four Corners
ABC TV’s flagship current affairs programme, Four Corners, has done serious damage to its professional reputation by screening “The Battle for Syria” under its colours. It was an imported programme so no one on the staff of the ABC bears any ethical responsibility. But the question remains – who bought it in and decided to…
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The Parrot “mans up”
2GB shock jock Alan Jones has apologised to Prime Minister Julia Gillard for saying her father died of shame because of her repeated lies. “Every person in the caucus of the Labor Party knows that Julia Gillard is a liar,” Jones said. “The old man recently died a few weeks ago of shame. To think…
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The ugliness of the anti-Islam crusade
The worldwide revulsion at the anti-Islam film, The Innocence of Muslims, has been coupled, in many Western countries, with the caveat: “But in the interests of free speech we defend the right of the film to be shown.” The film is a vile attack on the fastest growing religion in the world and its 1.6…
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Reunion with the Tiger Man
In 1956 when I was 14 years old I spent my school holidays with my widowed Aunt Ethel (Smith) and my two cousins, Peggy and Peter, at Sarina, a small sugar town just south of Mackay in North Queensland. It’s on the map these days because its association with rugby league, producing such stars as…
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Libyan “victory” starts to unravel
Overnight the lawless hardline Islamic militias in Benghazi destroyed the US consulate and killed the American ambassador. Twelve months ago Libya’s second city was being hailed as the epicentre of the country’s “new democracy” and the armed gangs were “freedom fighters”. Today Libya is virtually a failed state run by a feeble and corrupt central…
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Greek economy doomed by debt
When representatives of the Troika arrived in Athens last week they were greeted like visiting heads of state or royalty. They were escorted from the airport to the city in a VIP cavalcade which included bomb and bullet-proof limousines, an armed security detail and an motorcycle squad in black leather and anti-riot gear. An anti-terrorist…
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Who’s to blame for Euro crisis?
The Paris-based International Herald-Tribune carried a front-page banner headline the other day saying: “A hunt for culprits in Euro crisis.” The seasoned foreign correspondent Jack Ewing wrote from Frankfurt: “The debate about how to distribute the cost of preserving the euro zone often revolves around a fundamental question that is unspoken but implicit: Who caused…