Under British rule, elected representation, so widely proclaimed by the usual gang of western governments as being essential for Hong Kong’s people, was as remote as a lighthouse in a desert. As it is now the third anniversary of the first article I submitted to Pearls and Irritations on the subject of Hong Kong it Continue reading »
politics
A well-publicised report on teacher training from Ross Fox, the Director of Catholic Education of Canberra, runs the risk of inferring that a ‘science of learning’ that works for a private school system that has no students with severe behaviours, will work for schools that have a high proportion of these student. Recently Jason Clare Continue reading »
By the time of the referendum on the Voice, No campaigners look likely to have turned it into a referendum on the Albanese government, and, probably into “wokeness.” It may be a tragedy if they do, whether for First Australians or the nation generally, because it will inevitably exacerbate divisions in the community. It is Continue reading »
Often seen as marvels of the human ascendancy, the world’s great cities are in mortal danger as the resources that keep them alive stagger, dwindle and give out. Today the world has 45 megacities – conurbations holding more than ten million citizens apiece – and some 500 smaller cities each of a million or more Continue reading »
Berlusconi’s political journey began ironically in the early 1990s on the tail end of the Italian anti-corruption campaign (known as tangentopoli) which saw the key Italian political parties decimated by accusations and charges of corruption, political control of state assets and a system of spoils for governing elites. Poking fun at Berlusconi, and indirectly at Continue reading »
The implementation of universal high-quality early childhood education could be a game changer for Australian families and the economy. The importance of quality schooling has long been recognised by government and society. In contrast, the role of early childhood education has historically been undervalued. Recently the pandemic highlighted the importance of early childhood education and Continue reading »
What do we make of our own national war memorial inviting children to have a go at planning attacks on civilian infrastructure which amount to war crimes? Pearls and Irritations recently drew attention to a current Australian War Memorial exhibition on the 1943 Dambuster raids over Germany and the Memorial’s failure to mention the huge Continue reading »
The Opposition’s resident numerology expert, Sussan Ley, has spent the weekend considering whether to challenge unpopular Opposition leader Peter Dutton following last week’s horrific Robodebt findings. “Susssan has been ringing around checking with her numerologist, astrologist and even her kinesiologist... Read More ›
The Wagner coup equation doesn’t compute. It just doesn’t add up. Herbert Wulf gave us a concise summary of the surreal 24 hours that gripped the world. But there are missing pieces of the puzzle that we haven’t been given. And now we learn that the Wagner boss is back in St Petersburg, Russia. In his classic The Art of Continue reading »
While unification with Taiwan and building a strong economy are the twin pillars of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, it’s dangerous to assume, as Washington does, that a faltering economy makes Beijing more aggressive towards the island. This is the final in a two-column series. It’s hardly worth mentioning that China and the United Continue reading »