Paul Sheehan
Paul Sheehan is a columnist and editorial writer for The Sydney Morning Herald, where he has has been Day Editor and Washington correspondent. He is the author of two number-one best-sellers, 'Girls Like You' and 'Among The Barbarians' and been published in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The New York Times and numerous anthologies.
Media call just a piddling distraction
Paul Sheehan What follows is a quote from a column I wrote about Stephen Conroy, which enraged him.
Nationals in no rush with a welcome mat for Joyce in NSW
Paul Sheehan OK. A federal election in June. Kevin Rudd against Tony Abbott.
PM in snake pit with no antivenom
Paul Sheehan At 6.02 pm last Wednesday I received a text sent from Parliament House in Canberra. It said: ''I'm hearing Labor has been asked to stay in Canberra on Friday.
All not quiet as PM tackles western front
Paul Sheehan For the benefit of the democratic process, the broadcast of Parliament in Australia is mandated by law and much of the proceedings are televised.
Paul Sheehan
Thomson caught in the political spin cycle
Paul Sheehan When Craig Thomson rose to speak in Parliament for the first time, on February 19, 2008, within 90 seconds he thanked three key Labor machinists: Mark Arbib, Karl Bitar and Sam Dastyari.
Paul Sheehan
Fiscal civil war needs Honest Al
Paul Sheehan If Lincoln does not win film's triple crown at the Oscars, I will be surprised.
Paul Sheehan
Peris must rise above kneecapping
Paul Sheehan For several years the second-most famous Aboriginal woman in Australia, after Cathy Freeman, was Nova Peris-Kneebone and her fame was greatly helped by her delightful name.
Paul Sheehan
Racial hatred bill offers open slather to obnoxious
Paul Sheehan Researching one book required me to sit in courts for months and go out and interview dozens of people.
Paul Sheehan
In assassination's aftermath, a real political master emerged
Paul Sheehan If this is the time when people sit back and relax and, hopefully, even read, spare a thought for the greatest biography ever written, a commanding work of research, insight and narrative power which...
Would-be leaders preen but the women have the numbers
Paul Sheehan Even though Malcolm Turnbull is being ostentatiously loyal to his leader, he cannot abstain from remarking on the fact that he is very popular without actually saying he is more popular than his...
Paul Sheehan
Rich vitriol shrouds budget extravagance
Paul Sheehan I preferred Robotic Julia. Now we have Furious Julia. Is there no middle course for the Prime Minister? Are we now seeing the cumulative strain of the cost of attaining power and maintaining a...
Paul Sheehan
Roxon's calls on Slipper's crudities show questionable judgment
Paul Sheehan Test: how long does it take to deduce whether the following text messages are sexual and in poor taste?
Paul Sheehan
Swinging in breeze over the abyss
Paul Sheehan Julia Gillard was rarely to be seen in the byelection campaign for Melbourne, which culminated on Saturday.
Paul Sheehan
Reminder of Rudd as Gingrich clings on
Paul Sheehan It is a fascinating time for the politics of selfishness, for seeing public self-absorption and public vendettas taking precedence over party loyalty and personal humility.
Parents the X-factor in education rankings
Paul Sheehan To not care about lifting up the poor schools is to not care about the Australian ethos of egalitarianism.
Paul Sheehan
Gillard treading water as ALP continues its slippery slide
Paul Sheehan The following text message was allegedly sent by Peter Slipper on February 1 to one of his staffers, James Ashby: ''But you're [sic] call and no hard feelings in that you only want businesslike...
Paul Sheehan
Don't blame Gillard, Labor's nadir has been a team effort
Paul Sheehan Whoa. The political storm engulfing Julia Gillard has become hysterical. When the unelected and unaccountable start baying for her blood, the cure is worse than the disease.
Paul Sheehan
Thomson charade still going as the players await a final curtain
Paul Sheehan Let us pause for a moment to enjoy the majesty of Craig Thomson's magnificent gall, the gall on which Julia Gillard and her government have relied for the entire time Gillard has been Prime Minister.
Paul Sheehan
Secrets and lies - how Labor has been digging its own grave
Paul Sheehan Enough about prostitutes. Enough about Craig Thomson's antics. What we haven't heard are the big questions on the big issue that is taking the Gillard government into a death spiral, even as it...
Paul Sheehan
Far from an outsider or innocent
Paul Sheehan There were six people in the room. Morris Iemma was there with his top advisers to meet Rob Oakeshott and his key staffer. It was 2007; Iemma was premier of NSW, Oakeshott was an independent state MP.
