As readers will notice from the post immediately below, Mark Bahnisch has joined the ever-growing team of Troppo bloggers.
Mark is employed at QUT as a sociologist, has a first class honours degree in Industrial Relations from Griffith and a Graduate Diploma in Industrial Relations (with Distinction) from QUT. He has published on union strategy, the politics of IR policy, and structural aspects of the sociology of work organisation. He has consulted to the Queensland Department of Industrial Relations on IR policy, and regularly does consultancy for private sector clients on IR and HRM issues. He currently teaches Industrial Relations at postgraduate coursework level, and has 8 years’ experience lecturing at undergraduate and postgraduate levels in IR and Employment Law.
Along with Don Arthur, Mark adds a fresh, challenging perspective to Troppo, allowing this armadillo to concentrate on my current primary project of building a new nest with jen (do armadillos have nests?), and yet another project best not mentioned yet.
Many thanks Ken – I should add that I also lecture in Political Sociology and have published a few musings on political theory here and there. I might also add the disclaimer that my opinions as posted here are my own and not those of my employer.
Nice to be here – and good luck with the nesting!
cheers
mark
Couldn’t happen to a more deserving fellow. I think he’ll add some hard arguments to the Troppo desk. Quite a stable you’re building, Ken.
Ahh, Mark, you made it! Excellent.
Ken, let it never be said that we, your loyal readers, do not keep our bargains. As such I now hereby return your cat, alive and well-fed.
You’re on your way towards becoming the Rupert Murdoch of the intellectual blogosphere, Ken.
“my current primary project of building a new nest with jen”
All together now! Awwww…
“do armadillos have nests?”
They have burrows, but some of the chambers in the burrows serve as nests. And some armadillos have been spotted building nests outside their burrows.
“yet another project best not mentioned yet”
How tantalising…
Thanks everyone, and to Chris and Rob on the other thread – and I’m glad to hear, mark, as a dedicated cat person, that Ken’s cat is safely back home.
And all this time I thought it was Brain who was the brians of the family.
Hi Mark. The Tropposphere’s going to be a more interesting place.
And now I’ve got something to read on the bus on the way to work. Excellent.
Well done Kenneth.
I dubb thee Lord Ken
….an increasingly unbelievable mix of the well written and the original. You lot are adorable – thankyou.
Armadillos don’t share burrows with the opposite sex.
They get used for research into leprosy.
Aren’t you glad the title is only a metaphor?
Armadillos however hang around National Park dustbins contentedly snuffling and digging around, which is a fair description of that well known nocturnal opportunistic feeder the Solitary Hunting Blogger.
I was tempted to use the image of an antechinus for a while, since they are the most aggressive warm blooded carnivores in the world, for their size, eating two and a half times their bodyweight every day. Then I discovered the males only have one single mating session in their lives, after which they die.
Waiters on the other hand…
Oh, and having the excellent Don and Mark aboard makes me greedy for the oldies.
You know who you are. You know we love to read you..
Yes, I’ve run out of ways to beg, cajole or flatter Geoff, Wendy, Roop and Wayne into blogging more frequently. They all have good reasons for being otherwise occupied, and none of them have actually retired from Troppo blogging as far as I know, but an occasional post from each of them surely isn’t too much to hope for.
I’m not posting either, but I plead exhaustion on my part. I’m finding sports blogging is a labour of love that consumes my creative juices. And I fear my conservative POV might be a bit too much for Troppo’s growing band of readers to take, anyway, so I think I’ll just stick to cricket-writing anyway.
Scott
No no no!!! Sensible moderately right-leaning bloggers like you and Geoff Honnor (and Wendy) are essential to Troppo’s future. I don’t want it to become a clearly left or right-leaning blog (and I also don’t want to get into yet another interminable discussion about whether those labels have any useful meaning). One of the major benefits of a group blog like Troppo (at least as I’ve conceived it) is that it’s a place where politically-interested people from all sides of the spectrum can meet and discuss issues civilly and constructively, without feeling that they’re in enemy territory.
That dynamic is potentially lost if you (or Geoff) begin to feel that Troppo is lurching decisively to the left just because I’ve added two slightly left-leaning bloggers in a row. The blog as a whole only lurches to the left if you mob don’t bother to post anything. I suppose I could redress the balance by going out and talent-spotting a couple more right-leaning potential bloggers, but I’d rather keep trying to gently prod you and Geoff and Wendy into action. Nevertheless, if you’re all at a stage where (for whatever reasons) you can’t see yourselves posting much in the foreseeable future, maybe it is time to start looking for fresh right-leaning writing talent. Anyone have any suggestions?
Come to think of it, True RWDB is a challenging and entertaining commenter who could be a very worthwhile blogger if he was interested. Maybe you could email me if you’re at all tempted, TRWDB. I have distinct reservations about pseudonymous bloggers, but sometimes there are good reasons why people need to stay anonymous.
I’ve signed up for a course that starts on Monday so I’ll be unable to post anything for another four weeks.
Actually, given that Parliament resumes next month, that gives time for Howard to show his hand regarding his legislative agenda, and me a chance to catch up on sleep, and sort out my personal problems.
Good luck finding a stand-in replacement. I’ve been trying to recruit over at Uber for ages (I want a UK based soccer correspondent) and it’s not so easy…
Oh, by the way, I am glad to see Mark on board. Do not think we’d agree on a great deal but he is a fine writer.
Thanks, Scott, Don, jen, and everyone else, for the warm welcome and the kind comments.
On the centrist/right leaning writers, I always enjoy reading your posts – and the rare one by Geoff – and his sharp, incisive comments. I agree it’s a good thing to get a dialogue going among people with different starting points. That’s one of the reasons I also enjoy commenting over at Catallaxy – Andrew and Jason, though coming from different perspectives than mine, are always reasoned and thoughtful and interesting writers.
meant to write – “I always enjoy reading your posts”, Scott
Sensible moderately right-leaning bloggers like you and Geoff Honnor (and Wendy) are essential to Troppo’s future.
Personally I’d argue they’re essential to the future of the blogosphere in general. Fewer keyboard commandos, more actually thinking people, is what it needs…
Welcome to Mark & a belated welcome to Don, too, from this slack ‘old’ Armadillo!
“Sensible moderately right-leaning bloggers like you and Geoff Honnor (and Wendy) are essential to Troppo’s future.”
Right-leaning? And I thought I was just being sensible….
Maybe it’s just an ‘over correction’ thing.
Right leaning? I had never thought it. Honestly. Except for Scott, who identifies himself that way and has an aversion to intellectual flatulence.
I don’t think the left/right thing matters; the important issue for me as a reader is that I can find a diversity of experience and that the writing is informed by this. Which is why I like reading Wen and Geoff so much – they really know what they are talking about.
There is a knowledge path based on lived experience. (which is probably the kind of wittering I am arguing against.)
“Right-leaning?” Hang on. I’ll have to check with my partner. No, he doesn’t think so. He says I’m more a voyeuristic centrist with occasionally worrying anarchistic tendencies. Sounds more plausible to me than ‘Right-leaning’ – or Jack Strocchi’s “vital centrist”, moniker, which sounds unerringly like the target demographic for a new health drink marketing campaign.
Thank you David for the kind words and Scott, I see you more as a salt of the earth, straight up and down, reasonable bloke – the general dearth of whom in the blogosphere (where leans have a Pisa-like preponderance) makes your continued presence essential.
Geoff (and Wendy)
I did qualify the right-leaning label with “sensible” and “moderate”. And it’s conferred in a context where I’m prepared to concede my own slight right-leaning propensity on economic issues (though only after being hounded by the dreaded Sheil). Then again, voyeuristic centrist with occasionally worrying anarchistic tendencies probably describes me fairly accurately too. It doesn’t sound much like Wendy though.
Didn’t like to ask partner (husband, actually, but I know – it’s sooo passe…) afraid he might suggest something like terminally confused, or deranged, even. Voyeuristic? Of course. Surely it’s a character trait of all of those who spend their time making up stories about other people. Anarchistic? Hmmm. Is that something like chaotic?
(Anyway, if I could just get out of these damned brackets, Ken, I might just surprise everyone. Ooof!! Kapow! Blam!?! etcetera)
(I don’t know what you mean, Wendy)
Thanks, Wen. David, “lived experience” is one of the key thoughts of one of my favourite philosophers, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and it’s a very good way to think of how we accumulate experience – I like the idea that we are shaped by what we have lived, despite the fact that we might often have wished it different, but that we are people in the process of “becoming” rather than “being”.
I must say Geoff Honnor has never struck me as right wing..or left for that matter.
Just as someone with learning, experience, nous and humour advancing opinions from I gather is a well lived life.
I don’t think should the blogosphere should ask for more – and frankly it’s more than it deserves.
Nabs, you always grace the blogosphere with a good natured humour and a cutting wit. So you know the truth (or the lived experience of) “such as it is…”
Not sure the second part of the comment immediately above made too much sense – way too much chateau cardboard last night – seemed meaningful at the time!
Might not be the appropriate spot, but anyway just wanted to say congrats to Mark on his blog and to Troppo for having him. A Bahnisch blog is, to my mind, long overdue! I’m looking forward to reading future musings, especially on Qld politics.
Well done!
Cheers,
Scotty
Thanks, Scotty – nice to see you here – did you have a look at the post immediately above on Joh?