THE MONTHLY ESSAYS

“‘Stillness’ has been James Murdoch’s smartest tactic in the contest, if a contest it is, for the Murdoch succession … Being away from Dad, while Lachlan flew too close and was burnt, helped James’ stature, because family status is always – literally – relative.”

In “Rising Son”, Malcolm Knox reflects upon the James MacTaggart Memorial Lecture delivered by James Murdoch at the end of August this year. Knox uses the philosophy and politics revealed in the lecture as a springboard for a wider discussion about Rupert Murdoch’s fourth son – the “alternative”, “digital” Murdoch – suggesting that James is toeing the family line very nicely and that he may well become the real successor.

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“There was no regard for the legal and human rights of the Aboriginal owners of the land: no explanations, no consultations. In just four years, the Aboriginal population of at least 4000, composed of 15 tribes or language groups, was dispossessed of every inch of land. Profound cultural and emotional consequences flowed from this, made more acute by the complex spiritual link that traditional Aboriginal people have with their country.”

Tony Roberts’ confronting article, “The Brutal Truth”, reveals fresh evidence of the horror and scale of frontier massacres committed in the Gulf Country, Northern Territory, up until 1910. Roberts has uncovered harrowing details of this hidden chapter in Australian history, exposing government knowledge of the implication of pastoral settlement – the dispossession and degradation of the Aboriginal population – and of the killing sprees themselves.

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“On the morning of 19 December, we will likely wake to read the results of the United Nations Climate-Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. The meetings will be … the most important to have occurred since World War II, and whatever their outcome they will have a lasting effect on our planet.”

– Tim Flannery

In “Copenhagen and Beyond”, Tim Flannery, John Gray and Peter Doherty provide a range of insights into the issue of climate change and our political and social responses to it. Flannery discusses the conference itself – what it hopes to achieve and where potential conflicts lie; Gray argues it is vital we recognise the gravity of our predicament and embrace more drastic policy; and Doherty considers the role scepticism has to play in the ongoing debate, highlighting the need for rigorous critical dialogue, but warning of the dangers of unreflective denialism. Despite their differing concerns, each essay emphasises the urgency of a reassessment of our response to an impending crisis.

“No technological fix can fully resolve the world’s climate crisis, which is a result of the excessive demands humankind has made on the planet. Even so, technological fixes will be indispensable in navigating the rapids that lie ahead; the technologies that may prove most useful may well include those that are most commonly demonised.”

– John Gray

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“If the Nationals showed up tomorrow promising to drop the half-witted 1950s social agenda and really represent the bush – not more bloody jobs and businesses, but roads, schools, doctors and telephones – I wouldn’t just vote for ’em. I’d join up, go to the meetings, wave the placards … and I bake a mean pumpkin scone.”

- Dirk Flinthart

In “Changing Frontiers”, John Birmingham surveys the Australian political landscape and reflects upon the future viability of the Nationals. Exploring the richness and pitfalls of country life as experienced by two writers, Birmingham highlights the changing expectations of rural communities and the subsequent demands they will place on political leaders. The essay argues that if the Nationals fail to modify their policy agenda and incorporate the needs and values of the constituents of their traditional heartland, they risk becoming a footnote in Australian political history.

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THE NATION REVIEWED

“A republic must be about much more than simply removing a foreign citizen from the position of head of state. It must be a vehicle for invigorating our democracy and strengthening the bonds of citizenship. Pushing for a republic shouldn’t be a separate activity from adopting a charter of rights and responsibilities, or from achieving fuller reconciliation with Indigenous Australians.”

In the first Monthly Comment, Tim Soutphommasane takes the tenth anniversary of the republic referendum as an opportunity to reconsider the movement. He asserts that a new push for a republic must focus on the notion of civic necessity and be expressed in an energetic new language that moves beyond the flat call for a break with the past.

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“The [National Human Rights Consultation] Report’s simple finding is that our wealthy and allegedly egalitarian society disrespects many classes of its citizens … These indignities and iniquities would be ameliorated, the report’s authors reason convincingly, by the adoption of a federal bill of rights.”

In the second Monthly Comment, Geoffrey Robertson argues for the adoption of a uniquely Australian bill of rights. Robertson contends that such a bill could assist our nation’s underdogs by enabling the law to be interpreted in line with human rights principles without impinging on the power of parliament. He shows that objections to the bill have mostly been political, based on the misconception that the campaign is a “left-wing plot”.

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Plus, in “Masterchef”, Gay Bilson considers the TV sensation and its potential impact on our culinary landscape; and in “Golden Eye”, Gail Bell reflects on the mystery and fleeting joy of a very unusual medical condition.

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ARTS & LETTERS

“We know we’re heading towards something big in Eden; von Trier has an aptitude for turning anticipation into dread and foreboding, then tightening his grip on our anxieties further. Antichrist’s sound design is spine-tingling, but it is the director’s command of the visually surreal that is truly exceptional.”

In “Tooth and Claw”, Luke Davies reviews Lars von Trier’s highly contentious new film Antichrist, finding it to be an entrancing and deeply unsettling study of pathology. Notwithstanding its power to move and its ability to make the audience feel as if they’ve been “flayed”, Davies finds its flaws to be as numerous as its successes.

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“Vividly aware of his alienation from his audience, Waters wished he could erect a wall to separate himself physically from them. The Wall is the cathartic expression of the unintended consequences of success; it could not have existed without Dark Side.”

On the thirtieth anniversary of the release Pink Floyd’s album The Wall, Waleed Aly traces the development of the iconic band and celebrates the artistic achievements of Syd Barrett and Roger Waters in “Obscured by Clouds”. He studies the character of Pink Floyd as he appears in the narrative album and the movie Pink Floyd The Wall, demonstrating his relevance to our current celebrity culture with its tendency towards over-exposure and exploitation.

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“With Parrot and Olivier in America, Carey’s ambition to invent and discover a country turns its focus to America … Carey returns to the full-dress historical novel that has provided him with some of his biggest triumphs.”

In “Sub-prime”, Philip Hensher appraises Peter Carey’s Parrot and Olivier in America, revelling in the imaginative force of Carey’s prose and his complex engagement with ideas of place, idyll, loss and history. Ultimately, though, he finds something lacking behind the masterful surface.

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Plus, in “Animating Spirits”, Sebastian Smee examines Janine Burke’s series of biographical essays, Source; and in “Stockholm Syndrome”, Kirsten Tranter reviews Stieg Larsson’s enormously popular Millennium trilogy.