A bizarre rerun of the political intrigues of the 19th century South Seas aristocracy is being played out at a stately royal residence on the waterfront of the sleepy Tongan capital, Nuku’alofa. Consular House was once the home of the British High Commissioner to Tonga and the lion and the unicorn still gaze majestically down from the wall in the … [Read more...] about #25 THE KING AND I : A PACIFIC INTRIGUE
#24 AUSTRALIA’S PACIFIC FANTASY
The Australian foreign policy establishment has been plunged into an agonising debate with the gradual realisation that Canberra’s long-standing hardline approach to events in Fiji has failed. The bipartisan consensus between Labor and the Coalition that the diplomatic cold shoulder and targeted sanctions would eventually bring the Bainimarama … [Read more...] about #24 AUSTRALIA’S PACIFIC FANTASY
#23 THE SERPENT DECAPITATED
The capture and killing of Osama Bin Laden has triggered joyous scenes at "Ground Zero" in New York - the scene of his greatest crime - and outside the White House, where Barack Obama is also celebrating the sweetest victory of all in the global war on terror. But while the serpent's head has been removed, the body -in the form of a global jihadist … [Read more...] about #23 THE SERPENT DECAPITATED
#22 HAPPY AND GLORIOUS
For ardent republicans, this is the most testing of weeks, and those of us who support the notion of Australia remaining a constitutional monarchy ought to be especially sensitive to the appalling spectre that confronts these tortured souls. A new opinion poll puts support for an Australian republic at the lowest level in 17 years, with 41 per … [Read more...] about #22 HAPPY AND GLORIOUS
#20 A NATION HOSTAGE TO ONE MAN’S EGO
It's inconceivable that in any other western democracy, a national leader would tolerate a cabinet minister behaving as a parallel figure on the world stage and actively undermining the whole edifice of government at home. Yet that's precisely what Australia's Julia Gillard is doing through her failure to crush the audacious come-back campaign … [Read more...] about #20 A NATION HOSTAGE TO ONE MAN’S EGO
#19 SAVING THE MANGY FLYING KANGAROO
Grubsheet boards a Qantas flight to Perth this weekend with the same trepidation that now routinely accompanies our every trip on the iconic national carrier. For once, our client is paying for us to fly in the "pointy end" but we still share some of the burdens of those less fortunate souls in "cattle class" - the same fetid air and disconcerting … [Read more...] about #19 SAVING THE MANGY FLYING KANGAROO