australia ← Stephen Turner

Lest We Forget — Anzac Day 2013

Apr

25

2013

Anzac Day today of course, and there’s much to be said for the value of remembrance, and the meanings we draw from the day. I think there’s much to be said for who’s losing that meaning now, and why. Is Anzac Day becoming too much of a nationalistic celebration now? I was talking online with ...

Don’t cut my taxes!

Apr

24

2013

In a society and a system where everything gets bigger — where prices go up, wages go up, consumption goes up, the economy goes up, why is it that the only thing we’ve decided should always go down is taxes? And just who do we think we are benefiting from this short-sightedness anyway? Here’s a ...

NRL getting it right online

Mar

12

2013

Last night I signed up for NRL Live — and it feels like they’ve finally entered the 21st century. I wrote about this a couple of years ago now, wondering why we didn’t have this system already, and now finally we do! For the first time ever, I was able to — in the comfort ...

NRL season kick off

Mar

7

2013

For the first time ever that I can think of, the new season started on a Thursday night, and I decided to tune in. Souths vs Roosters, big return of Sonny Bill Williams, big things expected from Souths star line-up. And well, Souths certainly delivered! 28-10, big result, easy victory for Souths. Roosters pretty disappointing, ...

#QandA and political theatre

Mar

4

2013

So another Monday night and another Q & A torrent of chatter on Twitter. I have watched it from time to time but usually I just don’t both — it’s televised political theatre, it’s the Crossfire debacle that Jon Stewart complained about years ago, the competition where everyone yells the loudest, even on Twitter. But ...

Why switch sides, or what is everyone else thinking?

Feb

1

2013

I honestly don’t understand “swing voters”. You don’t have enough political principles to know where to stand? You think things change that much? You feel that your principles will be improved by sending the message of voting for the complete opposite of those principles? Or you just have no interest in politics at all and ...

Evening news as barometer of reality

Jan

31

2013

Now that the election campaign is going, there are already errant messages floating around to the effect of “better get rid of them”, and of course the Libs are getting that into full swing already. This idea that the last three years have somehow been so terrible and we can’t possibly do it again. But ...

So there’s an election on

Jan

31

2013

IN SEVEN MONTHS. Can you believe it? September 14. Well, we all knew it was coming, and I suspect I actually know what Labor’s tactics are about in calling it this early — the earliest since 1943 — but I still worry we will get all the bad and none of the good out of ...

Being thankful on Australia Day 2

Jan

26

2013

There’s a lot of talk about whether you should be proud of Australia on Australia Day, whether you’re bad if you don’t, whether your patriotism is blind, over the top, not good enough. I’ll say right out that I’m glad to be Australian, live in Australian, have my family grow up in Australia. Not for ...

Congratulations to Ita Buttrose — Australian of the Year

Jan

26

2013

Cold Chisel said it 30 years ago: Ita Buttrose has done some excellent work for Alzheimer’s and related charities, and this is what the award mostly represents. But she’s also a media trailblazer, and that did make a difference. Generally, I prefer previously anonymous stars to win this, so the award gives them the publicity ...