Who watches the watchmen?

In the concluding part of his essay on contemporary Australian politics, Bernard Paul Corden calls for the Labor Party to grasp the nettle of radical reform, rather than merely manage the current economic and social settlement slightly better than the Liberals.

The room where the lawyer knows your name

If we starve legal aid, underfund community legal centres and treat “access to justice” as a rhetorical flourish rather than a practical necessity, then the law will no longer protect the weak but revert to its oldest form as a weapon for the strong.

Weathering the storm

The Royal Family is nothing if not resilient and has weathered many storms before, from the abdication of Edward VIII to the death of Princess Diana, but the disgrace and arrest of the former Prince Andrew may demand a complete rebrand.

Middle powers can lead the way

While there will be challenges and risks ahead, there is a path for middle powers to lead a new world order given the United States’ decision to ape the imperialist, authoritarian approach of Russia and China, rather than oppose them.

Could Andrew’s fall topple the monarchy?

The monarchy survives because it represents stability, dignity and something slightly removed from everyday life but the scandal surrounding former Prince Andrew, on top of successive problems in recent years, risks puncturing that aura forever.

The immigration question

Both political blocks have encouraged immigration to boost economic growth for decades but right wing parties are now riding high on the public backlash, forcing a rethink on immigration policy, and very different rhetoric than before.

A return to Australian values?

The Liberal Party are gambling that a “return to Australian values” will revitalise their flagging electoral appeal, but what are those values, and is it merely a cynical exploitation of public concerns and fear?

Big parks? Big business

Australian researchers say political decisions are increasingly favouring private tourism development inside national parks, undermining conservation, equity and public benefit.

The little house on the corner

The future won’t be held together by big speeches, but by small rooms with plastic chairs, by kettles boiling, by noticeboards full of flyers, by circles of people learning to speak, to parent, to recover, to belong.

The power of the powerless

Czech dissident hero Václav Havel helped overthrow the Russian imposed communist regime of his country in 1989, but a decade before, in a famous essay, he noted how such oppression requires internal collaboration as well as external coercion.

Crisis? What crisis? A question of balance

Bernard Corden concludes his hard hitting three part series on the failures of neo-liberalism with a plea for a better future for us all.

Call for crackdown on youth gambling

Hundreds of international experts in gambling addiction are urging a more coordinated approach to enhance interventions and therapies, while aligning research priorities to tackle the escalating problem.