Predictably, the Queen's death saw Greens leader Adam Bandt demand a republic. He will not be the last, with all arguments against constitutional monarchy rooted in ideology rather than a case, however tenuous, for improved function and practicality. 'National unity!' cry republicans, hoping none will notice the very divisions they sow and aim to exploit, as contributor Ben Pattison noted in this essay republished from 2018

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An ad we should have seen by now: 'Positions vacant: Electricians to upgrade the wiring of 3.8 million households by 2030, to upgrade all substations and wiring to and from those substations'. Well, nothing close to it can be done. What those spruiking renewables refuse to grasp is that resistance comes not from carbon lovers and coal companies but from reality

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The attempted assassination of 'Putin's Brain' Aleksandr Dugin and the resulting death of his daughter will undoubtedly elevate the war in Ukraine to another level of bloody brutality. We will soon see whether Dugin’s analysis of the decadence, weakness, and ultimate cowardice of the West in reacting to such an escalation is accurate

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My problem as an erstwhile Liberal voter is that I have abandoned hope the purported party of principle will defend free speech, oppose the brainwashing of kids or speak good sense about climate, energy and so much more. With very few exceptions the Liberals are tepidity incarnate, with the Nationals nowadays not far behind

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We need to keep a weather eye on Mr Albanese. Sure, he may be limited and incompetent, and in that respect differ little from many across the parliament. This may lead him to extremely silliness, such as his recent hailing of the ABC as a paragon of unbiased reporting. But there is also the possibility that he might have a particularly loose attachment to the truth

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Despite a majority of Australians not being keen on the Big Australia concept, this isn't reflected in the political sphere, where immigration's boosting of the population by an additional million every four years sees both major parties on the same page. Yet, when critics Judith Sloan, Ross Garnaut and Karl Marx find themselves in accord, there's clearly an issue of substance to be discussed. Sadly, it isn't being

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There are quirks and tics within the Russian mindset entirely foreign, and often incomprehensible, to those imbued with Western sensibilities. Take 'spravedlivost', for instance, which the unaware translate simply as 'justice'. What they overlook is that the term is perceived as meaning 'nobody should have more than I do'. Should that be the case, action is warranted

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The lack of any compelling case against Indian democracy reflects very poorly on the three major international democracy rating organisations. The least they could do in commemoration of independent India's 75th anniversary is offer an apology to the country—and to its proper rulers, the Indian people

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While it was encouraging to see the Treasurer capable of articulating a basic principle of fiscal policy -- 'governments shouldn’t make it harder for the RBA on the demand side but, more than that, we should be working to address problems on the supply side', this has been followed by the cold, hard mendacity of Labor’s spin doctors feeding the usual nonsense to an eagerly gullible press gallery

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Speaking personally and not being a voyeur, I make a point to ignore the sexual preferences and activity of others. Perhaps I should pay more attention because there's a question that baffles me: what does 'gay pride' actually mean? Pride in what exactly? I take no specific pride in being heterosexual, so I'm stumped why homosexuality should be a different kettle of fish

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