Democratic

Barry Jones

Stupidity is on the rise in our age of enlightenment

Barry Jones Since Gough Whitlam's time, Australia has undergone a serious decline in the quality of debate on public policy - and the same phenomenon has occurred in the US, Canada and Europe.

Comments 163

Charles Moore

Boris Johnson at No.10 Downing St? It's a rhetorical question

Charles Moore Conventional politics is failing. That's why non-conformists appeal.

Comments 5

Julian Meyrick

Oh, for a cultural revolution

Julian Meyrick Art is a major measure of civilisation because it enriches society and tells us myriad stories about ourselves, yet Australia doesn't invest in it nearly enough. Unlike sport.

Comments 43

George Williams

Some of our anti-terrorism laws are well past their use-by date

George Williams It is time to ask whether we need all our anti-terrorism laws. For example, should citizens not suspected of a crime be detained for up to a week for questioning by the Australian Security...

Why did we go to war in Iraq?

Ramesh Thakur Taking a country to war is the single most solemn international responsibility of any government. It requires our soldiers to kill complete strangers solely on the authority of the government.

Misha Schubert

NT poll a judgment on intervention from the people most affected

Misha Schubert In the desert, it's personal experience that matters, not statistics.

Wayne Swan

Born to run for the fair go

Wayne Swan The sense of accountability to ordinary workers that lies at the heart of Bruce Spingsteen's music is what continues to inspire Labor.

Comments 206

Michael Wesley

Olympic symbolism worth more than gold

Michael Wesley We are used to anticipating and enjoying the Olympic Games as a quadrennial festival of human sporting excellence.

Comments 8

Nick Dyrenfurth

'No' is never a policy

Nick Dyrenfurth With its relentless negativity, the Coalition could well be wasting its time in opposition.

Comments 194

Michelle Grattan

Subtle is not Abbott's style, home or away

Michelle Grattan If you are an Australian leader, you have to watch your words in delivering major speeches.

Comments 331

Tim Soutphommasane

Australia under Abbott

Tim Soutphommasane It is often said that being the leader of the opposition is the hardest job in Australian politics. For the past

Comments 260

Wayne Swan

Land of hopes and dreams

Wayne Swan Acting Prime Minister Wayne Swan's John Button lecture.

LOWITJA O'DONOGHUE ORATION

MICHAEL KIRBY It was Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer who, after attacking the majority of the High Court for its decision in the Wik case, called bluntly for the appointment of “capital ‘C’ conservative[s]” .

Amin Saikal

Afghan deal must come with strings attached

Amin Saikal On the sidelines of the Chicago meeting on Afghanistan, the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, and the Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, signed a strategic partnership agreement to define Australia's role...

Peter Christoff

Circus in the chamber is a bloody game

Peter Christoff TALKBACK radio suggests we are growing tired. We might have had our fill of the hunt for a while. We're weakening and becoming vaguely compassionate. Time to draw breath.

Paul McGeough

This is Romney's campaign to lose

Paul McGeough ELEMENTS of the commentariat are demanding a Sister Souljah moment from Mitt Romney. The call harks back to 1992 when candidate Bill Clinton gave the African-American rapper a jab in the ribs for her...

Hamish McDonald

Bags of money makes up for baggage

Hamish McDonald Rupiah, baht, dollars … the currency of south-east Asian politics is changed. Where it used to be green shirts, meaning army battalions, or green banners, meaning masses of the faithful, now...

Sean Nicholls

O'Farrell has shot himself in the foot

Sean Nicholls Since announcing his government's intention to sell the state's electricity generators, the Premier, Barry O'Farrell, has withstood a barrage of criticism from groups wanting him to extend his...