Hannah Arendt was one of the most significant and profound political thinkers of the twentieth century. Recently the German director, Margarethe von Trotta, has produced a film about her, centring on the period when she wrote her book on the Eichmann …

The political empire of the News Corp chairman

The legendary war correspondent was in the pay of the KGB

Dear Robert:  Here are my reactions to your review.  They appear as comments in your text.  While I disagree with most of your views, I thank you for expressing them in a dispassionate way. Best, Alex   We …

This documentary’s sympathies are not with Julian Assange

Lest we forget

Tragedy of Errors

Before the Second World War a very small minority of the population in Western societies, predominantly men, predominantly from the social elite, went to universities. From the late 1950s that changed, with a progressively larger number of people on the …

A Dark Victory

Sometimes the choices politicians have to make are excruciatingly difficult. However in the case of the present leadership bid being waged by the pro-Rudd forces, the choice before members of the federal Labor Party caucus is really very simple. In June …

Rupert is finally reaping what he sowed

If you are not a reader of the Australian, you will find the story I am about to tell difficult to believe. On October 26 last year a member of the secretariat of the Finkelstein media inquiry, Brian Kelleher, phoned and then emailed …

On life in politics

Almost every political observer recognises that unless something altogether unexpected happens, by late 2013 Australia will have an Abbott government. The more contentious question is what has gone wrong for Labor. This piece is offered as a contribution …

The Australian is not a subtle newspaper. But it certainly has a genius for timing. Within hours of the publication of the Finkelstein report, which documents the widespread public disillusionment with the ethical standards and the political …