Yay election results! I love democracy when it shows such results. Sometimes, the world works.  Not that Kevin Rudd is the ideal PM either. But I welcome IR reforms and hope education is in good hands for a change, and leave the rest to hope generally ( Read more... )

It's always like this: you write bugger-all for weeks and then all of a sudden there are fifteen things you want to blog about. And then your desklamp collapses ( Read more... )

I was so thrilled that they had to drop the charges against Dr Haneef. Some of my faith in the legal system has been restored. Still too many questions of a worrying nature left unanswered, though.

Meanwhile, watch as everyone runs for cover, leaving Kevin Andrews out in the open.

So I've been asking around, in case there's some link or some piece of information I have missed in the media. My network of intelligent people who pay attention to this sort of stuff is reasonably good (including, of course, yourselves). I am forced to conclude, especially after today's Law Report, that there simply is NO other reason for Dr ( Read more... )

I’m ashamed that we’re now treating the giving of a sim-card to a relative one year ago as proof of terrorist activity ( Read more... )

Although I am dying for lack of Torchwood, and, incidentally, the new Doctor Who series which doesn't come to ABC for aaaaages yet, I have found other things to occupy my time.  Such as my thesis.

And the spate of resignations that have surprised the world (or at least me) over the last week.

For example:

Paul Wolfowitz finally resigned as president ( Read more... )

But that would be boring and I couldn't say anything that qualified commentators have already said.  The only thing I'll say is that I'm not happy about the removal of the cap on domestic full-fee paying students.  'Tis not, to my mind, what universities are for.

On to more enjoyable matters, the BBC has posted a tutorial on how to get your own way ( Read more... )

A government-appointed inquiry has handed down an interim report damning their leader's decision to go to war.

ABC News Online this morning says that the report found the leader 'did not have a "well-processed plan" when he launched the air, sea and land campaign ... The commission has criticised what it called the leader's severe failures in ( Read more... )

There's always so much stuff to write about. Just a few stuffs:

• Events around the world: mindless misuse of guns by people and by laws. The reality is that guns kill people and people kill people; making one easily available to the other is sheer stupidity.

• Politics: swapping refugees - wtf is with that?  To 'rollback or not to rollback workchoices ( Read more... )

Gone.  I'm really angry, actually.

Warning: this may make you angry too, if you're a good human being.

Further warning: I may use swear words in this post. (In fact I have.)  Apologies if this offends.

Pauline Hanson is launching her next bid for federal politics.  She was interviewed by Fran Kelly today (Kelly is, in my view, a reasonable left-wing ( Read more... )