I'm old enough to know that I don't have any answers, but that won't stop me talking
A friend of mine read my posting about the rise of independents like Allegra Spender, and immediately sent me a detailed text with her thoughts. She is obviously not as generous as I am about posh patricians like Allegra Spender. I must say that her words have resonance with me, given that the involvement of …
Continue reading “Allegro Non Troppo Part Two: The Hegemony Of The Posh People”
I heard John Spender QC speak once. It was July 1989 and the topic was the Tiananmen Square Massacre which had happened weeks earlier. I am not sure whether he was shadow foreign affairs minister at the time, but that was a portfolio which he had held recently. He impressed me as well-informed, intelligent, articulate, …
Continue reading “Allegro Non Troppo: What Happens When The Posh People Turn Against Their Party”
Saw the above campaign poster on a wall just off Military Road last night. Much as some might find it reassuring to think that our rather inauthentic local federal MP loves Avondale Heights (read the small print in the bottom right hand corner), one of my friends suggested that this is a good reason for …
Continue reading “A Good Reason To Leave Avondale Heights?!?”
I usually only actively practice my Catholicism once a year or so – I sometimes attend the Italian service of the Stations of the Cross at the local Catholic Church in the evening of Good Friday. Last night, I chose not to do so, as it was dark and gloomy at 7.30pm. But I did …
Continue reading “McDonalds now has competition on Good Friday”
I am not really into attending the ballet or opera or such high culture – my main interest in the performing arts is watching Shakespeare and other great plays live. However, when out for a walk yesterday, I noticed a huge banner in the front window of the local pizza joint promoting a tour which …
Continue reading “Shen Yun Dance Company is touring Australia”
When covering the 1988 US Democratic Convention, the recently late P.J. O’Rourke aptly titled his article ‘On The Blandwagon’. Less aptly perhaps, he included this essay in his next book, ‘Holidays in Hell’. He probably should have waited a few years and then included it in the much more suitably titled ‘Holidays in Heck’. Coverage …
Continue reading “On The Blandwagon – The 2022 Election Campaign So Far….”
Most days, I enjoy reading the Pearls Before Swine comic strip, which alternates between childlike innocence (in the character of Pig), and dark cynicism (in the form of Rat). One story arc from 2016 saw Rat, the anti-hero of this comic, run for US President, mostly on the platform of being more likeable than either …
Continue reading “Vox Populi Vox Dei – Reflections On The Upcoming Federal Election”
I finished reading the corporate expose ‘The Cult of We’ a couple of weeks ago. It is a fascinating account of how the office rental business WeWork rose from obscurity in New York City to become a ‘unicorn’, ie a start up worth over a billion dollars (at one stage it was valued by investors …
As the holder of a microscopic small share holding in the ASX listed craft brewer Broo Ltd, I have been quite interested in following the recent developments in the company, particularly the apparent falling out between the founder, Kent “Groges” Grogan and the recently appointed new board member. In the past couple of days, a …
Today at the Academy Awards ceremony we had the unscripted entertainment featuring soon to be Oscar winner Will Smith slapping presenter Chris Rock. Apparently, the cause of offence was a feeble joke about Will Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith, starring in a remake of GI Jane. Presumably her baldness, rather than her poor choice in movie …
Lost For Words!