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There was movement in the nation, for the word had passed around That the gas from Cooper Basin got away, And had joined the LNG trains – it was to Asia bound. So all the pollies had gathered to the … Continued

“When profits go up, so do wages,” Business Council of Australian president Grant King declared last week as he struggled to keep alive the dream of a tax cut for his members. It would be equally simplistic but a bit … Continued

For all the turmoil marking the first weeks of President Trump, the big boot is yet to drop. That’s when the angry heartland realises the factory jobs aren’t coming back, whatever Trump promised. It will take time for that realisation … Continued

I was Trumped on national television last week. It was puzzling at the time, embarrassing afterwards when called out on Twitter, and subsequently annoying as L’esprit de l’escalier set in – the delightful French term that translates as “the spirit … Continued

For all the brawling and name-calling, Australia has long enjoyed a reasonable political consensus about where we’d like the country to go. Business could invest with a strong degree of certainty in Australian government. Malcolm Turnbull, of all people, has … Continued

Whatever you’ve heard about the threat Steve Bannon poses to society has probably been an understatement. But let’s not get caught up in any allegations of “alternative facts” about President Trump’s right hand man. Instead, courtesy of Sydney funds manager … Continued

First published Mining Monthly, January, 2017 Some say the family was cursed by the Cornish lowlife Captain Splice’em Spargo, of the privateer Hell’s Strumpet. Splice’em was dismayed that a Pascoe forbear had eaten his lucky pasty, the one reserved for … Continued

First published January 27, 2017 There are several hundred Australian defence personnel deployed in Iraq. The Commander in Chief of the nation controlling their action has just told Iraqis that the US should have taken their oil after invading their … Continued

First published January 20, 2017 On April 6, 1917, the United States officially entered World War I. Just ten weeks short of 100 years later, Donald Trump is being sworn in as President of the United States. And thus ends … Continued

First published SMH January 6, 2017 There’s widespread dismay and disbelief in the commentariat about president-elect Donald Trump’s bromance with Vladimir Putin, cosying up with Russia despite the despot’s Ukrainian moves, Syrian bombing, human rights record, suspected assassinations, US election … Continued