The dark side of J K Rowling Thanks to Bettina Arndt for ventilating a side of J K Rowling that escaped my attention up to date. Rowling makes no attempt to hide her blinkered view about women’s vulnerability. A blog two years ago revealed that key to her concern about trans activism was her belief that women’s…

Penton (1904-1951) is forgotten because he died in mid-career. He almost certainly would have been the standout editor and commentator through the 1950s and the 1960s., flying the flag for classical liberalism and especially free speech. Fortunately there is an excellent biography by Patrick Buckridge and a short version on line. He was born in…

Britain and Germany are in deep trouble with their power supplies and wind droughts are the root of the problem. You can imagine a book to be written one day called How Wind Droughts Destroyed Western Civilization. Texas in 2021 gave us a glimpse of the future when the wind died and the temperature fell…

Book here. Mark Lawson, a versatile writer and fellow traveller with energy realism, has put together a book on the dismantling of the power grid. Those who want to buy the book Dark Ages, the looming destruction of the Australian power grid  can follow the link. There will be a launch & lunch in Melbourne, with veteran…

The Lumberjack Song first appeared in 1969. This takes you back to 1979.

The conservative vagabond poses the question. Is there a coherent strategy for all the different groups that are under attack? Can we work together or are our disagreements too large to overlook? What do we need to do differently to be more effective? Who are the most interesting/challenging/helpful/original thinkers in this space?

The process of self-transcendence through mutual growth and feedback is something that can be achieved in all walks of life and in all fields. It is possible for us to achieve it in our personal relations. It may not depend only on us, and it may lead to disappointments. But isappointments are met with in…

Mark Lawson, a versatile writer and fellow traveller with energy realism, has put together a book on the dismantling of the power grid. This grew out of a project to publish the briefing notes of the Energy Realists of Australia in a book. He took up the idea but abandoned the structure of the notes…

Lets try hippie conservatism A few thoughts, inspired by the example of Brian Penton, Karl Popper, Barry Humphries, Zorba the Greek (a man needs a little madness,) Yossarian (Catch 22) and the meditations of Montaigne, Oakeshott, Scruton and the conservative vagabond. Some want the party to be more conservative and some people want it to…