Sydney's Shock Jocks

I can't decide which is more shocking: broadcasters spewing hatred for money, or Sydney-siders listening to them for entertainment.

Sydney's Rioting Bogans

I can't help thinking that last weekend's ugliness in Sydney would have been avoided if RU486 were available 25 years ago.

Internet Nanny versus Obesity Champion

It sounds easy enough: Tasmanian Senator Guy Barnett persuades fellow Coalition MPs of the necessity of building a populist yet costly and ineffective virtual moat around Australia. To protect unsupervised kids from the evils of the Net, of course.

But this means going head to head against the ideology of Health Minister Tony Abbott, the man whose passion for individual parental
responsibility is legendary, for whom the answer to odious children's advertising is for parents to simply to turn off the telly and who denies that governments should interfere with the marketplace selling a legal product. So could Senator Barnett lobby Cabinet to roll Tony Abbott on the question of parents fobbing their responsibilities onto the state? Fat chance.

Perspectives on Singapore's Hanging

With a week past since Singapore's execution of Van Nguyen, I'd like to clear the air about some remarks I made to His Excellency, High Commissioner Joseph Koh, in the heat of the moment. Just because Singaporeans understand citizenship differently to people in democracies doesn't mean they don't value it. It's probably just a coincidence that founder Lee Kuan Yew's son was made PM-for-life (after his dad's 30-year rule) while his other children control public life. For all I know, Singaporeans enjoy the clarity that comes with having just two opposition party members in their Parliament. And the government may well employ a light touch as sole media proprietor, only stepping in to prevent confusing ideas about civil liberties spreading. So I was unfair to suggest that Singaporeans' lack of revulsion at the State killing citizens stems from ingrained obedience to one-family rule.

Arts Degrees and the Peacock's Tail

The single best thing for liberal arts and humanities in Australia's universities is for wealthy Asian businessmen to be convinced of the high status of their offspring earning a BA.

You see, any old middle-class family can cobble together the few bucks required to send their son off to become an accountant or pharmacist. But, as the British aristocracy and American industrialists will tell you, it takes serious wealth to send your daughter (or even better, eldest son!) to university to study something entirely useless. Since there's no pay-off or return on investment, it's the ultimate signal of immense financial security.

"He's going to be an optometrist, you say? Good salaries I hear. Our Hsien Hsien is off studying anthropology and Ancient Hebrew - totally useless for a job, of course. But what's a doting father to do? Luckily, our factory is doing especially well ..."

Howard Locks in 2006

Anyone who doubts John Howard's mastery of politics and tenacity to hang on would be well-advised to consider his reaction to next year's handover. By hurling his party off a precipice in the polls he ensures Costello won't even want the job - at least for another 12 months. Now we find that he forced Costello to appoint a tax-dodger to the Reserve Bank (House on the Hill, 1/12/05). What amazing forethought and discipline for Howard to bury this "sleeper" nearly three years ago, timed brilliantly to "go off" just months ahead of any leadership challenge. By souring the prize and crippling his rival, Howard has locked in 2006. He really is the consummate political animal.