Author Archives: Ingolf Eide

Punishing the innocent: Syria and the politics of symbolism

Posted on August 29, 2013 by Ingolf Eide

Simply bombing Damascus or Aleppo to assuage the conscience of the West that they ‘did something’ seems like the worst form of symbolic politics. It’s not the only sensible thing Matthew Fitzpatrick had to say in an article at The … Continue reading →

Posted in Law, Politics - international | 20 Comments

Conspiracy to commit journalism | Pressthink

Posted on August 24, 2013 by Ingolf Eide

Investigative journalism and the secret state are natural enemies. Even with an enlightened government and relatively untroubled times, their relationship will be uneasy at best. Today, they’re in a state of undeclared war. Surveillance states and most of their fellow … Continue reading →

Posted in Journalism, Print media | Tagged | 4 Comments

Exiting the maze

Posted on August 10, 2013 by Ingolf Eide

That power must reside elsewhere, with the best and brightest, with those who have surveyed the perils of the world and know what it takes to meet them. Those deep within the security apparatus, within the charmed circle, must therefore … Continue reading →

Posted in Law, Politics - international | Tagged | 19 Comments

D H Lawrence: A Letter from Germany

Posted on August 8, 2013 by Ingolf Eide

Remarkable letter written from, and about, Germany by DH Lawrence in 1928. For all the beauty of his descriptions, it feels like divination rather than reportage. Immediately you are over the Rhine, the spirit of place has changed. There is … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Literature | Tagged | 6 Comments

More than a good bloke

Posted on July 30, 2013 by Ingolf Eide

Don’t worry, I’m not after a date or anything. I won’t be stalking you round the hills of New England. It’s more the sort of crush I had on James Stewart after I saw The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics - national | 11 Comments

Gillard pre and post

Posted on July 28, 2013 by Ingolf Eide

Like many, I was puzzled by the transformation in Gillard’s public persona post-2010. The warmth, humour and sparkle she’d often displayed in parliament and elsewhere vanished. What remained was wooden, distant, usually dull and often irritating. Judith Brett recently made … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics - national | 3 Comments

Is something truly new afoot?

Posted on July 25, 2013 by Ingolf Eide

  Luddites have been with us from the start and always been proven wrong. New types of jobs invariably emerged to make up for those lost through technology, and our standard of living climbed ever higher. No surprise, really. Markets, … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and public policy | 18 Comments