-
The people’s vote
This week in The Spectator Mike Ryan revived the idea of the citizen-initiated referendum. This is a welcome suggestion and it recalls the memory that in 1987 the Centre For Independent Studies published a very well researched book on the various forms of the citizen’s vote, including the provision for recalling politicians who don’t take…
-
Why Tucker Had To Go
No one at present has been a thorn in the side of established liberal regime than Tucker Carlson. On any range of issues, whether immigration, gender ideology, endless war, COVID policy, Tucker has been relentlessly providing a platform to heterodox opinions across both the left and right, and by doing so, has done the most…
-
Open Thread – Tues 2 May 2023
-
Captain Cook, seaman
We read in The Spectator this morning that Captain Cook has been effectively cancelled in the National Curriculum for schools. To set the record straight, there is a stirring account of Cook’s career in the very first edition of Quadrant in 1956 which appeared in 1956. This is the article, with the editor’s introduction to…
-
On the disputed origins of Woke ideology
Over the weekend, a lot of interest was generated by the following video of James Lindsay at the EU parliament exploring the origins of woke ideology: Here is a transcript of the talk provided by Gilas: The definition of Equity – Woke is Maoism with Western characteristics. Hello. Thank you. I’m glad to be here.…
-
Dark deeds of the official wind watchers
Cockup or conspiracy? The fourth in the series of Spectator articles on wind droughts pointed a finger of suspicion at the meteorologists for failing to issue wind drought warnings. Was it just bad luck and bad judgement that accounted for the failure of the meteorologists to notice wind droughts? Or did it suit them to…
-
Famous last words “green investment opportunities”
Australia is on the cusp of a surge of private investment in climate initiatives, according to the new chairwoman of the Climate Council, well-known businesswoman and philanthropist Carol Schwartz. “What’s exciting now for business is that we have a government that’s very supportive of initiatives to address climate action, and we have businesses that are…
-
J K Rowling as a #MeToo grifter
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…
-
Open Thread – Weekend 29 April 2023
-
Bits and Pieces
Barry Humphries leaving us is a sad event. In my view he was he was the best comedian ever. I’m not talking about duos (e.g., Laurel and Hardy, Amos and Andy) or sit comms (e.g., Fawlty Towers, Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm) or sketch shows (Monty Python’s Flying Circus, Little Britain, The fast Show) or Joke…