Club Troppo

Have you ever noticed how, when you get a new car, you suddenly see that model everywhere (hasn't happened to me for a while - you should see my car - but I still remember)? Well the same thing is happening to me since I decided to update and expand the Troppo blogroll. I just...

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I've just added to the specialist section of the Troppo blogroll a blog started by frequent commenter Stan which examines the possibility of political union between the South Pacific island states, Australia and New Zealand. It's called the South Pacific Federation Project . I...

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( both via Chris Sheil ) I'm not sure whether calculated blindness is any less morally reprehensible than outright lying, but the revelation in this morning's Oz that John Howard did lie outright about children overboard, rather than just being kept in "plausibly deniable" ign...

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Re-arranging my blogroll has been a mixed blessing. The good part of it has been that several new-ish bloggers have been induced to post comments, and I've discovered their existence as a result. All have been added to the Troppo blogroll, because that's my policy: - I want it...

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This SMH article by Australian physicist/philosopher Paul Davies was published about 3 weeks ago. I intended to blog about it then but didn't get around to it. It deals with the fascinating subject of the possibility of multiple parallel universes (or multiverses), which I ass...

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I thought he was dead, but apparently not. Rupert's mob reports : Neil Diamond has lashed out at big-name performers who "rip people off", vowing no one will pay more than $99 to see him live in Australia. They'd have to pay me $99 to go to a Neil Diamond concert, and even the...

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JOHN HOWARD CANBERRA PRESS CONFERENCE 13:02 AM 12/8/04 HOWARD: I'd to thank you for all coming . I would like to discuss the spirit of the FTA which the leader of the opposition has so heinously ridiculed showing his anti-American and anti-religious fervour. Now we had quite d...

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The Troppo blogroll was getting far too long and intimidating for comfortable use. Accordingly I've decided to revert to a previous organisational principle, namely listing blogs in rough ideological sub-divisions. Along with the individual description tags attached to each hy...

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Margo Kingston's Web Diary is a bizarre, eclectic and idiosyncratic publication, mostly with a tiresomely left-wing bias. And Margo herself is a strange creature to say the least. I often find her journalistic efforts shrill and irrational. But a long article by Margo in today...

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Different bloggers write for different readers. Ken enjoys the cut and thrust of debate in the comments box with threads often attracting scores of extraordinarily erudite contributions to the debate. The Bunyip on the other hand, simply flings his vitriol into cyberspace with...

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The question of whether and to what extent international law norms ought to influence the interpretation of Australia's Constitution is one that aroused fairly heated debate between Justices McHugh and Kirby in the High Court's decision in Al-Kateb v Godwin handed down last Fr...

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This story from today's NT News (not online so I've reproduced it myself) gives a flavour of the subtlety and sophistication of political campaigning in Australia's north. It may be of some interest given that the federal seat held by the CLP's David Tollner is Australia's mos...

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In the wake of the Richard Butler gubernatorial resignation farce, George Williams floats an idea that I've been pushing on and off on this blog for a couple of years: The first priority should be public discussion about the appointment process. It can be changed without a ref...

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Christopher Sheil has a fairly short guest post by peripatetic blog commenter Peter Ransen musing about how Labor advertising should be framed for the forthcoming campaign. There are some interesting comment box posts, including one by yours truly. Troppo landlord Scott Wickst...

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Christopher Sheil has an interesting post in which he proposes abolishing the National Competition Council and using the $0.75 billion paid annually to the states and territories (as incentives to continue implementing Competition Guidelines) to fund national infrastructure. R...

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As others have no doubt noticed too, the Gravett Right Wing Death Beast Blog Empire has been off the air most of the time for the last fortnight or so. For this lover of blog bile, that leaves a yawning gap in my daily blog browsing. What with Tim Blair being away somewhere in...

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Al Bundy waxing lyrical from current bitter experience on the qualities necessary for public service promotion in Canberra (or, I would add, anywhere else): These people know 'superior performers' when they hear of one over their prawn toasts at a cocktail party. They're not a...

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The strategic release of a statement by 40 43 very senior retired military, diplomatic and public service heads calling for enhanced standards of truthfulness and accountability in government should by rights be a significant political development. These blokes aren't in the m...

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Chris Sheil's match preview ended up being pretty well spot on. The All Blacks tried to play the grinding, possession-based rugby they've reverted to this season with such success. However, except for the first 20 minutes, the Wallabies matched and then outpointed them 23-15....

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Quantum Meruit gives a young practitioner's perspective on the likelihood of truthfulness of certain evidence being given by a lawyer from Allens Arthur Robinson (acting for James Hardie) before the Jackson commission of inquiry. The general topic is one on which I also blogge...

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