This Month
- Opinion
- Opinion
From Cro-Magnon to COP: how to stay on the wrong side of history
Chris Bowen is calling the end of fossil fuels. But the record of his ancestors suggests that you should not count them out just yet.
- Rowan Dean
- Opinion
- Review
We apologise for this email, which may offend everyone
A newspaper expresses regret for mentioning the merry, the dead, the Romans and Barack Obama.
- Guy Kelly
- Opinion
- Opinion
How to survive the office Christmas party with career intact
The only reason for going to the office Christmas party is so that the boss remembers who you are. Until it’s for all the wrong reasons.
- Rowan Dean
- Opinion
- Opinion
Harry, Meghan and the pain of relevance deprivation disorder
What happens when you are the world’s most beloved couple but no-one seems interested?
- Rowan Dean
November
- Opinion
- Opinion
‘So we stop firing at them now, sir?’ ... and other military epics
The stories of Hannibal, Henry V and General Custer almost turned out quite differently.
- Rowan Dean
- Opinion
- Opinion
Napoleon Elbanese. He came from nothing. He conquered nothing either
How a one-time emperor spent his final years in exile on the board of a major superannuation fund.
- Rowan Dean
- Opinion
- Opinion
Giving the traditional ABC viewer what he/she/they/ze/zir wants
Prepare for some imaginative new, merged and revamped shows from the ABC in 2024.
- Rowan Dean
October
- Opinion
- Opinion
Albo Di! Albo Da! A PM’s life just ain’t that great, bro
Sir Paul McCartney has been back in Australia, with lyrics that never seem to go out of date.
- Rowan Dean
- Opinion
- Opinion
A funny thing happened on the way to the Vox Populi
The ancient scrolls and oracles foretold of the voice that was to come.
- Rowan Dean
- Opinion
- Opinion
The Voice is the stuff nightmares are made of
In the cinematic version, the ill-defined but oddly malevolent force plays tricks on the minds of its most fervent supporters.
- Rowan Dean
September
- Opinion
- Opinion
No shortage of second career possibilities for a talented ex-premier
Who wouldn’t fall for non-stick cookware promoted by Teflon Dan, or book a room at the exclusive Dan Andrews Quarantine Hotel chain?
- Rowan Dean
The Shovel’s satirical take on the PwC affair
Has outsourcing public service matters fallen out of favour and should the federal government pivot for a quick win?
- James Schloeffel
- Opinion
- Opinion
A taste of the Hunter Valley’s vintage Chris Bowen
Launched to great fanfare with a much-hyped $275 discount off your annual cellaring bill, Brokenwood Promises is now massively overpriced for what you get in the bottle.
- Rowan Dean
- Opinion
- Opinion
An airline hijack saga that should be streaming gold
The game is up when the passengers realise they have paid a fortune and just arrived on a flight that never existed!
- Rowan Dean
August
- Opinion
- Opinion
Who’s who among new Qantas Chairman’s Lounge members
Your guide to the great and the good recently invited to join Anthony Albanese in one of the country’s most exclusive clubs.
- Rowan Dean
- Opinion
- Opinion
Words that echo through history: ‘Of course I haven’t read it ... ’
If in doubt, read the instructions. The world might have been different if a few people had.
- Rowan Dean
- Opinion
- Opinion
The Mona Ruddster and the art world’s most enigmatic stare
What will all those TV art docos make of this portrait of Australia’s own renaissance politician?
- Rowan Dean
- Opinion
- Opinion
Global boiling: Australia’s political class done to perfection
The list of endangered political species gets ever longer, as habitats vanish and wind turbines move in.
- Rowan Dean
July
- Opinion
- Opinion
Australian politicians test the limits of improbable excuses
Walked into a door while looking at your phone? Could happen to anyone.
- Rowan Dean
- Opinion
- Opinion
Reality pops Labor’s bubble wrap in Canberra blockbuster Bowbie
“The film is a triumph,” said one amazed critic. “It’s simply impossible to tell the shallow, fake, phony Chris Bowbie doll from the real thing.”
- Rowan Dean
