Charles Firth

By this time next year, Australia’s political system could be controlled by pirates. In June this year, Sweden’s Pirate Party secured 7.1% of the vote in the European elections. Then, in September, the Australian Pirate Party opened nominations for …

Some questions are taboo. At 7.49 pm on Friday, 24 October, two twenty-something women, both about 170 centimetres tall and with brunette hair, parked a freshly washed black late-model Volkswagen Polo outside Tabou restaurant, in Sydney's Surry Hills. …

My mum has been lying to me. It's either her or Telstra, and I always take Telstra at its word, so it must be Mum. This month marks the first anniversary of Justice Peter Gray's ruling that Optus offers better value than Telstra. Telstra had tried to …

In the advertising business, there is a phenomenon called the Puppy Dog Effect. When a firm is pitching several different concepts for a television commercial, they will often slip footage of a puppy dog into the mock-up of their favourite idea, even …

It is vitally important to the health of Australian democracy and the economy that everyone buys a flatbed scanner. A few weeks ago I was standing in front of my mirror, practising my smug-yet-sombre look, when I was informed of a rumour that John Howard …

My sister recently became the minister for cancer, women and climate change in the New South Wales government. That is an absurd thing for any person to become, but it's especially absurd when the person is your big sister. In fact, I lied about her title, …

A few years ago, I was asked to speak at the Screen Producers Association Fringe Conference, in Byron Bay. I can't remember what my area of expertise was, but I do remember one television executive who specialised in getting shows ‘to market'. She explained …

It is a hard life bending to the whims of Sally Warhaft. Sally is The Monthly's editor - for the moment, at least - and she is a tough taskmaster who has been on a concerted campaign to drive this publication into the gutter ever since she arrived. …

As destitute universities count their pennies, students at one Australian institution count their blessings