Lavish Lifestyles of the Down and Out
Just another day on #Newstart Image by kind permission of Michael Leunig
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Australiana
Laissez Faire Dinkum
Politics in this “fair dinkum” nation is anything but. Throsby is mortified by the return to popular usage of that dreadfully worn-out phrase, and is exceedingly distressed that it would be brandished by a prime
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And They Adjourned
One day when Peter Allen, member for Wallaroo, in S.A. Assembly, was in one of his most eloquent flights, Archibald, of Port Adelaide, got up and asked leave to interrupt. “Does the member for Wallaroo
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Elderly as Commodity
[Letter to the editor, Griffith Review 6 September 2007 – responding to Edition 13 ~ Author unknown] The Next Big Thing inspired me to write concerning another demographic whose “political, social and creative agendas have
Read moreTwitter Burn 1906-style
While sitting in his favourite corner at the Greenroom Club, Henry Irving* was approached by a member, Watkins by name, who was an acknowledged bore. Watkins slapped him on the shoulder: Ah, Harry, delighted to
Read moreA Socialist of Sorts and Other Things
As Throsby surveys Sheep Station Central, the shenanigans therein elicit a sweaty itching of delight, as might lobbyists’ pheromones wafting through parliamentary halls titillate the peoples’ representatives. A half-century exposure to our Strine Kabuki suggests
Read moreOnly Three PMs Until Christmas
It might be advancing age and softening intellect, but Throsby senses less need to brighten up the political commentary – as we did in the good old days when the political landscape was as dry
Read moreOn Swatting Magpies
During the past half century Australians have absorbed their legendry with the quaint fervour of tribal sports fans. A key pillar of this self-adoration is the mighty assertion that our animals are the planet’s most
Read moreShe Won’t Stand For It
History, unless delivered in a good yarn, tends to bore most kids. As does, its detractors claim, the Australian national anthem: Advance Australia Fair. So here’s a good yarn to wake them up. Entwined with
Read moreI Love a Sunburnt Cliché
Throsby’s Rule: If a politician hasn’t earned a nickname in his first term, he can’t be trusted. “Fake Farmer” doesn’t cut it. They all are, the Nats. Real farmers don’t have time for grandstanding in
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