Newsletter
Newsletter 373
Monday, January 18th, 2021 Newsletter,Pardon me for continuing the obsession with American politics, but after four years of madness topped off by last week’s storming of the Capitol and the rapid impeachment proceedings in the lower house, one might think Republicans could acknowledge the stark choice that confronts them. If the Senators don’t take a stand against Trumpism and […]
Newsletter 372
Monday, January 11th, 2021 Newsletter,Promises made, promises kept. In his inauguration speech in 2017 Donald Trump spoke about “American carnage” – and in the final fortnight of his presidency, he delivered. What a way to start the year! Thinking to wean myself from the morbid addiction to American politics that has proven more infectious than the coronovirus in 2020, […]
Newsletter 371
Monday, December 28th, 2020 Newsletter,“So this is Christmas,” as John Lennon sang, “and what have you done?” A good question, as the year seems to have passed in a blur. When you’re at home day after day the weeks and months get melded into a continuum. To tell the truth I’ve actually enjoyed this year. I managed to maintain […]
Newsletter 370
Monday, December 21st, 2020 Newsletter,As the end of the year approaches things are not winding up for me but becoming rather more hectic. Apologies once more for the lateness of this newsletter, which had to be put aside while I paid my first visit to Melbourne in 10 months and got through some pressured work to deadline. Time is […]
Newsletter 369
Monday, December 14th, 2020 Newsletter,This week has been too pressured for me to write a long, discursive newsletter harping on all the problems of the world. I’ve been immersed in a long essay, which is a rare pleasure nowadays, when most of my writing has to respect the amount of space the newspapers will allow for esoteric reviews on […]
Newsletter 368
Monday, December 7th, 2020 Newsletter,As someone with a longterm interest in China it’s depressing to see the depths to which the relationship with Australia has sunk. Things were already pretty rocky when Scummo made his bold call for an international investigation into China’s handling of the Coronavirus in an effort to show Donald Trump we were his loyalest of […]
Newsletter 367
Monday, November 30th, 2020 Newsletter,When the NSW State Treasurer writes an article in the Sydney Morning Herald about all the buildings in the city he’d like to bulldoze, one can only marvel at his brazen attitude. Dominic Perrottet’s jokey tone doesn’t convince me he’s really joking when he says he’d like to knock down building such as the MLC Centre […]
Newsletter 366
Monday, November 23rd, 2020 Newsletter,COVID-19 has obliged us to reconsider many aspects of the world we live in, but some things make me feel as if I’m from another planet. Listening to Radio National I was struck by an interview with ‘Mickey’, a 32-year-old habitual drug user, who complained that the pandemic had interfered with her usual supply of […]
Newsletter 365
Monday, November 16th, 2020 Newsletter,Although Donald Trump is still keeping us entertained with his Guinness-Book-of-Records-busting sulkathon in the White House, Joe Biden surprised the world with a sudden burst of vitality as soon as he’d won the election. With two powerful speeches in two days, and a quick jog to the podium, Biden looked like a man rejuvenated. It’s […]
Newsletter 364
Monday, November 9th, 2020 Newsletter,This week there’s only been one big story: the downfall of Mad King Donald, but oh.. what a painful, bloody process. I’m less addicted to the TV screen than most, but I found myself watching CNN for hours while virtually nothing was happening. And yet, it was gripping. I’ve been holding off this newsletter until […]