Category Archives: Democracy

Is it the duty of the state to police a positive national history story?

Posted on November 13, 2019 by Paul Frijters

Something very odd happens when people get told a story of how other people with some shared characteristic have behaved in the past: they take it personal and see themselves in those ‘ancestors’, even if they share no actual family … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural Critique, Democracy, Geeky Musings, History, Politics - international, Politics - national, Religion, Society | 18 Comments

Guest Post by Simon Molloy: Reducing political bias at the national broadcaster

Posted on June 5, 2019 by Nicholas Gruen

Claims of a left-wing bias at the ABC are seldom absent from public discussion. These claims quickly lead to suggestions that the ABC should privatised. Of course, bias and impartiality are notoriously elastic and subjective concepts. The only arbiter that … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, Media | 7 Comments

Brian Schmidt: The Mathematics Does Not Lie: Why Polling Got The Australian Election Wrong

Posted on May 20, 2019 by Nicholas Gruen

This is a guest post by Brian Schmidt. Actually it isn’t, I’ve cut and pasted. I hope he doesn’t mind. Important stuff. HT: John Walker Everyone in my office grew sick last week of my continual complaints about the state … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, Economics and public policy, Politics - national | 51 Comments

RIP Bob Hawke: a repost from 2008

Posted on May 17, 2019 by Nicholas Gruen

I worked for the early Hawke government in 1983 and 1984 when I worked for Senator John Button. Hawke barely knew me then or later, but in 2003, I attended a dinner at Moonee Valley Racecourse in honour of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, Economics and public policy, Political theory, Politics - national | 5 Comments

George RR Martin just reminded us of the horrors of war and our role in them.

Posted on May 15, 2019 by Paul Frijters

Episode 5 of the final season of Game of Thrones showed us a vengeful fallen angle, Daenerys Targaryen, after whom thousands of children in the real world have been named. Even though her enemies had been defeated and surrendered, she … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural Critique, Democracy, Ethics, Films and TV, Geeky Musings, History, Law, Life, Literature, Media, Print media, Religion, Social Policy, Society, Theatre | 25 Comments

Six tough institutional challenges this century

Posted on April 30, 2019 by Paul Frijters

In 1900, the modern nation states of Europe faced many challenges in terms of how they were run, with poverty and disease still prevalent. The largest problems were more or less successfully addressed by 2000. The road involved world wars … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, Democracy, Economics and public policy, Education, Environment, Ethics, History, Libertarian Musings, Politics - international, Politics - national, Religion, Science, Social, Social Policy, Society | 38 Comments

An unpublished column on Brexit: until now!

Posted on April 15, 2019 by Nicholas Gruen

From around January this year I’ve tried to get the column below published – in the Guardian UK where my previous column was published. Unfortunately, and even after endless cajoling via the Guardian at this end, I couldn’t get a reply which … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, Sortition and citizens’ juries | 4 Comments