Life before politics - posted by Graham

In an earlier post I drew attention to the fact that all the commentary about Joh Bjelke-Petersen, favourable and unfavourable, concentrated on his contribution to politics, and not on his pre-political career in farming. Off the top of my head... More

Would Joh be impressed with Beattie's health inquiries? - posted by Graham

Many Queenslanders, particularly ALP voters, think that Peter Beattie has a lot in common with Joh Bjelke-Petersen, according to some of our yet to be published research work. Not a view I share. But I think Joh would approve of... More

Joh would want the demonstrators there. - posted by Graham

I see that Brian Laver, Dan O'Neil, Garry McLennan, and Sam Watson are planning to picket Joh Bjelke-Petersen's funeral in Kingaroy next week. Joh would have approved. There are two men that I learnt more from about political campaigning than... More

Inside the Queensland Ming Dynasty - posted by Graham

This letter from Ryan MHR Michael Johnson, demonstrates the secret of his success - being completely up-front and unconventional, not to mention monomaniacal. I can think of no other MP who could have written this letter. Essentially it is Johnson... More

Joh Bjelke-Petersen's most significant contribution to agriculture - posted by Graham

Curiously, in all the tributes to Joh Bjelke-Petersen, no-one has mentioned his significant contribution to Queensland agriculture. Press releases have lauded his long reign. They have credited him with starting Queensland's coal industry. He is given the credit for the... More

Johannes Bjelke-Petersen...an unhealthy contempt for the role of the opposition in a democracy - posted by Jeff Wall

I worked for a senior Liberal Minister in the early years of the Bjelke-Petersen Government so I knew him relatively well. He was ever courteous to me - but that was before the Liberals became as much as the enemy... More

Chinese character - posted by Graham

The Weekend Australian devoted its opinion section on the weekend to a special on China. On Line Opinion asked "Is this the Chinese Century" back in November, 2003, showing just how responsive online media is to issues...or have I got... More

The Honourable De Anne Kelly - our most hopeless minister???? - posted by Jeff Wall

WHEN you have observed politics for as long as I have – and participated in it – you get into the habit of comparing politicians, governments, and political eras. Some weeks ago I offered the view that the Honourable De... More

Nuclear a green fuel? - posted by Graham

I ask this question because I went to a lecture by Greg Bourne, CEO of WWF, at the Brisbane Institute. The same one Jennifer Marohasy went to. Bourne gave a very impressive presentation - lots of graphs. One of those... More

Balanced reporting of the Michael Jackson trial - posted by Graham

It's fashionable to complain about bias in media coverage. John Howard does it. David Flint does it. Paul Keating does it. Media Watch does it. I do it. You can probably even do a university major in it. But often... More

Sadr does Ghandi - posted by Graham

I reckon most analysis of Iraqi politics is off-beam because it analyses the actions of the players in terms of their presumed principals rather than their actual pragmatism. In an earlier post I branded Moqtada al-Sadr a warmonger because he... More

On Line Opinion more powerful than Steve Price and Chris Smith combined? - posted by Graham

Last night's Media Watch explored a campaign by radio shock jocks Steve Price on 2UE and Chris Smith on 2GB to give the ABC a touch-up for their coverage of the burial of the Nias helicopter crash victims. What I... More

Papal funeral shows it's Catholics, not fundamentalists, who are the "conspiracy". - posted by Graham

Marion Maddox's silly book God under Howard is so driven by her own personal demons and shibboleths that it misses the most obvious and successful religious "conspiracy" in Australia today - the Catholic ascendancy. Forget about evangelical, born-again protestants conspiring... More

Rational markets - posted by Graham

I first came across the "efficient markets" thesis which says that stock prices always embody and fairly price all the information known about the stock , in the '80s, but never paid much attention to it. Stock markets are an... More

I really couldn't care about Voluntary Student Unionism so why write about it? - posted by Graham

Like most current and former students, I don't spend a lot of my time worrying about the minor extortion represented by student union fees, yet here I am doing a second blog post on them. Why? Probably because the issue... More

RBA makes right decision - posted by Graham

Two of my best friends (Henry Thorntonand Nicholas Gruen) don't agree with me but the RBA made the right decision in leaving the cash rate target alone. They might be market economists, but they don't have faith that the market... More

Brogden becomes a Newman - posted by Graham

Crikey reported yesterday in its subscriber only email that: NSW Liberal leader John Brogden is ready to announce his $20 billion plan - to be called 'Rebuild NSW' or 'Rebuilding NSW', depending on who you talk to - aimed at... More

Rau just the tip of an iceberg - posted by Graham

The Four Corners site says "Cornelia Rau’s case has raised uncomfortable questions about how Australia treats people at the social margins such as the mentally ill, prisoners and asylum-seekers." Yes it does, but it does much more than that. It... More

Real presence - posted by Graham

My first reaction when the ABC morning broadcast said that the death of Pope John Paul was the day's leading news item was - maybe for the world's Catholics, but there'll be something else for the rest of us. I've... More

Junkies are the scum of the earth (1) - posted by Ronda Jambe

A harmless reminiscence, with a sad sting in the tail. Playing the melodies of those forgotten dreams Learning to play a musical instrument was never something I particularly aspired to. Intermittent years of dance training, as a child, an adolescent... More

George and Alex - April Fools - posted by Graham

Two quite different stories in today's Courier Mail should be embarrassing to two quite different people. Alex Gilady, IOC member for Israel, is caught in colour on the front page of the paper, sitting in an outside dining area of... More