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A moment in time.
When I was seven years old I was a flower girl for one of my female cousins. Twenty-five years later I attended the couple’s silver wedding anniversary. In all that time I had not seen the bridesmaid whom I had been paired with. So when Jenny and I were brought together on that special day,…
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Keeping the Peace in the State of NSW
On Monday night, as is the case on every other night of every other week here in NSW, the police were charged with keeping the peace. But the peace was not kept despite law enforcement being aware of and in the presence of those who were intent on violently disturbing the state’s peace. A large…
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A surprising number of votes? Or not.
When in 2016 the United Kingdom voted in record numbers – 17.4 million people to be exact – to leave the European Union (EU) many head explosions on the left ensured. Everything from racism and the pejorative “little englander” to the level of education, or lack thereof, were cited subsequently as reasons why the British…
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Getting them young / telling it like it is.
One of the effects of the left’s long march through the institutions is the almost universal capture of young minds. Generally speaking, at least until the financial reality of life arrives – job, spouse, children and a mortgage – there they will remain. Consequently, the young and the left do not depict a normal distribution…
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makarrata: is it really better than a poke in the eye with a blunt stick?
Along with the proposed referendum for an aboriginal voice, the word ‘makarrata’ – a Yolngu word – has become a noticeable feature in the proposed three stage process of reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous Australia. But as with the voice, confusion surrounds the notion of makarrata. What it is and how it will work, should…
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What’s in a name?
To commemorate the Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous round in the AFL this year, three teams – Melbourne, Fremantle and Port Adelaide – will change their names to an aboriginal “in-language” name, with Port Adelaide announcing that their “new” name will be a permanent feature of the round. But what maybe undertaken as an enhancement to…
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An antipodean constitutional arrangement in King Charles’ Court (with apologies to Mark Twain).
Next week in Westminster Abbey, Charles Philip Arthur George will be crowned King Charles III of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of His other Realms and Territories. But not everyone is happy at this renewal of the monarchy and would prefer in place of it a republic. Of course each…
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A female trans-Jizya is now upon us.
The Jizya is an Islamic poll tax that was levied on those who would not convert. The Jizya was designed to both penalise and humiliate the non-believer. For their tribute the non-believer both buys protection from the overlord and submits themselves publicly before the Collector of the Jizya. In this way, the unbeliever – and…
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A flurry of “voice” own goals.
Australians have been warned that if the voice does not receive approval then it will be the end of Welcome to Country, says Marcia Langton. I suspect that for many, many Aussies a future without WtCs is an agreeable thought. If the voice referendum fails with the result that the WtC recitations permanently became a…
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A constitutional change that we all can agree on.
This year, constitutional change is in the air. But like so many previous attempts to alter the Australian Constitution, this one – the creation of an Aboriginal Voice – is being shown to be every bit as controversial as most earlier attempts at change. In medical parlance: “the patient is not looking good.” But the…