Interest rates - more complicated than you think - posted by Graham

John Howard says that interest rates will be higher under Labor than under him, and so journalists run out and find a bunch of experts to say that governments have little or no effect on interest rates. They could save... More

Howard winning campaign so far. - posted by Graham

We'll be running a dedicated campaign blog later in the election, but for now I'm going to be doing more than my quota of posts on this blog. Election coverage requires you to do a bit more than the occasional... More

"Trust" - a pivot word to pull "truth" into line. - posted by Graham

While political leaders construct their messages in terms of policies and ideals, elections are most often won at the emotional level. So, despite all the rhetoric yesterday from both sides about security, health, education and interest rates, the pitches were... More

A volatile, untrusting electorate will make the election especially interesting. - posted by Jeff Wall

I have been thinking about a way to illustrate how volatile, untrusting, and "different", the Australian electorate is today. The opinion polls are volatile, but polls taken before a campaign commences often are. Minor parties - especially Greens and Independents... More

Illuminate Your University: It's Election Time - posted by

I know all the talk is on that other, supposedly more important election, but if my memory serves me correctly, I think we must be coming up to the always vital (for budding politicians at least) student union elections. What... More

Were they up late watching the cycling? - posted by Graham

Two days ago, as reported in yesterday's Courier Mail, John Howard and Mark Latham both seemed to be giving the wrong questions to the right answers. Latham was asked why he had private health insurance if he was opposed to... More

Original sin and Abu Ghraib. - posted by Graham

Two of my recent themes collided with each other on Stephen Crittendon's Religion Report this morning, and also with the release of the US Army report into Abu Ghraib prison. On the OnLineOpinions list I have recently been arguing that... More

The Member for Parramatta's 'gamble' has failed. - posted by Jeff Wall

THE Member for Parramatta, Ross Cameron, undoubtedly believed his "pre-emptive" strike in outing himself for his infidelity was the best available political option given that the "Sydney Morning Herald" clearly intended to write the story with or without his co-operation.... More

A Hard Working Member - posted by

Ross Cameron, Member for Parramatta, has confessed, to borrow a euphemism attached to Springfield's adulterous Mayor Quimby on "The Simpsons", to "polling the electorate". Unfortunately, for Cameron, a notorious Jesus freak not blessed with a safe seat, the majority of... More

Winning the peace isn't just a problem for Rumsfeld - posted by Graham

Winning the peace in Iraq isn't just a US problem, it is a problem for all of us. If it is lost, then we in Australia should share some of the blame, and the press more than most. How do I expect the press to play a role in winning the peace and why should they? More

Readers review Moore - Part III. - posted by Graham

This is the third and last instalment of reader reviews. This one was referred by Geoff Muirden, and is written by Jeremy Lee. It was first published in Target, the journal of the League of Rights. For those who know... More

John Howard needs to learn to say sorry. - posted by Graham

James Hardie Industries appears to have learnt a lesson that John Howard has yet to learn: when you make a mistake, say you're sorry. It is the first rule of crisis management, and it is the best one. When Arnold... More

Readers review Moore - Part II. - posted by Graham

The following post is from Stewart Mills. To understand F 9/11 you need to understand satire The other night I saw Fahrenheit 9/11. It gave me a clear image of the self-interest that is determining the course of US and... More

Philandering politicians - does the 'mob' really care? - posted by Jeff Wall

VARIOUS commentators have been speculating whether or not the decision by the Liberal MP for Parramatta, Ross Cameron, to "out" himself for being unfaithful in his marriage will harm his re-election chances. If the most recent experience - that of... More

Readers review Moore - Part I. - posted by Graham

I mightn't like Michael Moore's films, but millions do, and many of them read On Line Opinion. In response to our invitation to send in reviews of Fahrenheit 9/11 we had 8 responses. Two longer ones and 6 shorter. So... More

Latham hands Howard FTA advantage. - posted by Graham

The conventional analysis of Mark Latham's FTA manouvering is that he has beaten Howard with nimble "new politics" footwork. Like much conventional analysis it is wrong, even if Howard is not able to counter the move. If Howard parries correctly... More

Confessions of a Dolly Bird - posted by

Christopher Bantick argued in The Age on 10 August 2004 that sex is "the emphasis" of magazines for teenage girls. Even if I used to read Dolly and Cleo, well, when sex was being invented, it was hard to agree... More

"Compensation" - the Premier of Tasmania has set a bad example. - posted by Jeff Wall

ONE of the real evils of society today is the demand for "compensation" for just about everything - compensation if you slip over in the supermarket, compensation if Council takes a metre of your land for public use, compensation if... More

Department of Over-and-Under Communication - posted by Graham

This post will probably cruel our chances of ever winning an ITOL Grant, but I just can't resist. Information Technology On Line is a programme meant to provide development capital of up to $200,000 per project to eBusiness initiatives on... More

Fahrenheit 9/11- Bile and Baloney - posted by Graham

Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 is the latest evidence of the decadence of western political debate and an intriguing, if unintentional study of the genesis of evil. Our ability to make sound decisions has already been eroded by the incursion into... More

Premier Lennon confirms his "no nonsense" reputation, and Governor Butler packs his bags. - posted by Jeff Wall

THE departure of Richard Butler as Governor of Tasmania has been exactly how I thought it would be - very quick, and at the instigation or insistence of Tasmania's new Premier, Paul Lennon. Readers may recall that when Paul Lennon... More

When Loving Was Wrong: the Crime of Mary Kay Letourneau - posted by

Mary Kay Letourneau's release from a Washington jail last week was partly greeted with a continuation of the romantic notions that were initially expressed when she was first imprisoned for second degree child rape. Now forty-two years of age, Letourneau... More

City Councillors indulging themselves...the expense of their ratepayers - posted by Jeff Wall

THE ink was barely dry on the declarations of local authority results in Queensland just over three months ago when virtually every major City Council began the process of increasing the salaries and allowances of its Councillors in the least... More

More on Moore - posted by Graham

I'm still getting around to putting my thoughts on paper about Fahrenheit 9/11, although they're well and truly mustered. In the meantime I've decided to collect any electronic reviews of Fahrenheit 9/11 that I am sent and publish them here,... More