Bligh and Beanland - posted by Graham

The only thing Bligh and Beanland have in common is the first letter of their names, and the fact that they both figure in issues I wanted to mention today. Beanland Bundaberg Hospital Inquiry Head Geoff Davies has indicated that... More

"Coalition of Equals" could usher in Captain Bligh - posted by Graham

I've been ruminating about the likely result of the new Queensland Coalition which, according to its proponents is really a "partnership", and I think its result might be Queensland's first female Labor premier. My thought processes run like this. The... More

Queensland "Coalition" better on inspection, but not good - posted by Graham

The Liberal Party should have gone into the coalition negotiations determined to ensure that whatever happened they had the run of the metropolitan areas, the National Party the bush, and they shared the regional areas between them. Queensland politics will... More

Coalition of equals shows Liberals not equal to the task - posted by Graham

The Queensland Liberals and Nationals today announced the formation of a new coalition. The "Coalition of Equals" as they call it in their joint press release wasn't a good result for the Liberals and robs them of much of the... More

ANU and QUT reveal the real reason Labor lost in 2004 - posted by Graham

Mark Latham thought that Labor lost in 2001 because of the small target strategy, and in 2004 because of...well, whatever...it was it wasn't his fault, or not much of it anyway. Research by ANU and QUT reported in The Australian... More

Fraser defines a copy and paste system. - posted by Graham

I've been following the Andrew Fraser issue with some interest, and amusement. We published a defence of his right to publish today. Actually, more precisely it was a condemnation of Deakin for refusing to publish him because they received a... More

A good news story about public office - posted by Jeff Wall

At a time when Mark Latham is trashing public office thanks to his pathetic diary "revelations", it is time for a good news story about good people still being prepared to offer themselves for public office. But, sadly, it's a... More

From the Gold to the Gulf - a Tale of Two Coasts (1) - posted by Ronda Jambe

From the Gulf to the Gold (1) Surfers strikes me as a compilation of several cities. Hong Kong (for the high rises and heat), Las Vegas for the sheer flash (but minus the big show options) and Orlando (because it... More

Latham - history is not always written by the victors - posted by Graham

Mark Latham is pitching for history, not the present, with his diary. Its style suggests that it was designed to be published right from the very beginning, and if that is the case, while Mark appears a little fevered in... More

www.canute.com.ch - posted by Graham

Do they block On Line Opinion in China, and if not, will I be in breach of Chinese law if anyone reads OLO there? This thought has been prompted by this quote sent to me from a business partner, and... More

Barnaby's just looking for an excuse - posted by Graham

You can tell that Barnaby Joyce has only agreed to the selling of Telstra under extreme pressure. Give him half an excuse and he will look to back-out. Once more he's on the news with his concerns about selling Telstra:... More

Evil triumphs - posted by Graham

Helen Pringle explores the provenance, and some more, of words attributed to Voltaire in this article. He was alleged to have said, but never did, that he would defend a man's right to say something to the death, even if... More

Intelligent design - posted by Graham

The latest trend to be hitting metaphysics appears to be "Intelligent Design" (see this article by Hiram Caton in On Line Opinion). The theory that the universe is so obviously well-constructed that it must have been intelligently designed is apparently... More