James Allan 
The worst of friends
Go back three or four years and try to remember what your honest answer to the question, ‘What do you think of coalition governments?’ would have been. Certainly there were… Read more
Parting shots
My wife and I are on the verge of heading overseas for all of 2013. You see I’m off on sabbatical from my job at the University of Queensland law… Read more
No lessons today
I teach constitutional law, and every so often do a course on comparative constitutional law here, or overseas. One thing that few know, even here in Australia, is that our… Read more
Diary Australia
Eight years. That’s how long I’ve lived in Australia. And in that time I’ve been lucky enough to see big chunks of this wonderful country, including Darwin, Alice Springs, lots… Read more
Can we dump s18C now
I’m one of the most pro-Israel people to earn a living in an Australian university. I see a democracy surrounded by non-democracies, though some are improving on that score. I… Read more
Tony’s soft spot
On many issues I am a big fan of Tony Abbott. I think he’s right on the total worthlessness of the carbon tax, that it won’t accomplish anything at all… Read more
Australian Notes
To paraphrase the old adage, ‘political correctness may not be all that easy to define, but I know it when I see it.’ Take the International Rugby Board’s post-World Cup… Read more
That’s not how democracy works, Julia
Tony Abbott’s pledge to ditch this carbon tax is entirely justified on political and constitutional grounds Our Prime Minister has pushed her carbon dioxide tax through the House of Representatives.… Read more
Gillard was right about the High Court
Our elected representatives, not unaccountable judges, should determine who comes to this country In thinking about the recent doings of our High Court and whether it is starting to… Read more
I’m no longer in love with the Economist
I fell in love with the Economist magazine 30-plus years ago when my dad bought me a subscription. That subscription has never lapsed, even as I got married and moved… Read more
Nowhere Man
The Beatles might have had something to say about Ross Garnaut’s supposed monopoly on the truth Reading about Professor Ross Garnaut’s performance at the Press Club in Canberra last week,… Read more
Delusions of competence
No amount of spin will cover the government’s blunders The great American newspaperman H.L. Mencken defined puritanism as ‘the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy’. I reckon that… Read more
The Kiwis need a David Cameron
Their conservative PM isn’t doing much to reverse New Zealand’s economic decline. Still, he seems nice I lived in New Zealand for 11 years until late 2004 and have been… Read more
Repeal Victoria’s Charter of Rights
There has been a general asymmetry at work in the Western political world, at least since the end of the second world war. Political parties on the left of the… Read more
A lesson in living the Skeptical life
I met Denis Dutton on a plane going to a New Zealand Skeptics meeting back in 1994 or ’95 when I lived in Dunedin. Denis was based in Christchurch and… Read more
The unseen menace of the university administrator
There has been quite a bit of comment lately about Australian universities. None of it is optimistic. We hear about the how Australia’s high dollar is making the cost here… Read more
An open letter to the opposition leader
Dear Tony, Great election campaign. Historic effort, in fact. Shame about the two giant-ego agrarian socialists who ignored the fact you won more seats and way more first preferences, opting… Read more
Who interprets the law?
I am writing this before the election. Some of you will be reading it before the election, and some of you after. Whoever wins, I think it’s clear that Tony… Read more
He who laughs at all laughs longest
When people are asked what they like most in a politician, you rarely hear the answer ‘a sense of humour’. Generally you hear answers such as ‘intelligence’ or ‘experience running… Read more
There is no left-wing conspiracy at Aunty, just a liberal groupthink
I was driving to work on the Tuesday morning after Easter, listening, as usual, to ABC’s news radio. I was driving to work on the Tuesday morning after Easter, listening,… Read more
Latest blogs
- Obama’s Berlin speech was a damp squib Freddy Gray
- PMQs sketch: In which Labour join the coalition Lloyd Evans
- Michael Gove kindly warns Stephen Twigg: people think you’re weak Isabel Hardman
- ‘Jihad!’ Douglas Murray
- The Tories are still flummoxed by social media Isabel Hardman
- The Supreme Court Mothballs the British Army Alex Massie
- Ed Miliband’s negative approach at PMQs looks set to become the norm James Forsyth
