A Christmas Carol for Gordon BrownOn Christmas Eve, Gordon Brown is visited at Downing Street by three spirits and the spectre of Tony Blair. Bah, humbug!
December, 2009
Copenhagen’s nasty negotiations
The spirit of the Copenhagen summit was marked by a degree of fractiousness, pig-headedness, selfishness and deviousness not seen at previous UN conferences.
Crikey Says: SBS v Crikey: game on
SBS claims that Crikey is profiting from the term “the world game” by selling our tea towels, socks and other paraphernalia off the back of their brand. To which we say, get your hand off it SBS, we’ve got Kevin Rudd’s pets.
The OTHER miracles of Mary MacKillop, as told to Walter Slurry
Mary MacKillop has been granted Sainthood for performing two miracles … but what about the other miracles she is alleged to have performed? Walter Slurry takes a look at her lesser know saintly acts.
SBS v Crikey: SBS pursues legal action over “the world game”
The battle between SBS and your very own Crikey has progressed, but sadly is about to be aborted by Crikey agreeing to change the tag for that section of its site that has been (until today) aggregating coverage of soccer under the tag “the world game”.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: Copenhagen, the glass is half full
Crikey readers weigh in on the pessimism surrounding Copenhagen, the Conroy’s filter fight and hiding the Emirates mistake.
China’s economy: swan or swansong?
There is one major economy whose great fall may be at hand. And no, it’s not Greece. Be mindful of China and its growing economic problems, writes Planet Wall Street’s David Hirst.
Big lie theory explains how the bubble inflates
Why are seemingly rational people paying so much more for property than they did even as recently at 10 years ago? They fall for the “property lie”: the myth that property “never falls in value” and will be “more expensive next year”.
Guy Rundle: Windschuttle screams blue murder over Quadrant funding cut
Quadrant has had its Australia Council Grant cut by $15,000 and is screaming blue murder and about the fix being in, because every left wing magazine –- Overland, Meanjin(!), Australian Book Review (!!) — has seen its funding maintained or bumped up.
Twenty favourites for 2009: Part Two (songs edition)
From Australian Idol whiz kid Lisa Mitchell, to a “choral/chant/funeral/wedding piece” by Serbian composer Goran Bregović, Tim Dunlop gives his top twenty songs of the year.
The swift takedown of stephenconroy.com.au
Just hours after a bit of media publicity, an anti-Stephen Conroy website was pulled down by authorities. Was this a routine domain deregistration or something more sinister?
Reporters Without Borders: Don’t do it, Rudd!
Reporters without Borders is so furious with Stephen Conroy’s planned internet filter that it has penned an open letter to the PM, reports Colin Jacobs — a development which should be alarming to anyone concerned with our image as an open democracy in the world.
Media briefs: How Tiger kept his privates covered … Wogan leaves the Beeb .. Idol goes internet-only
How Tiger Woods squashed a 2007 story revealing his scandalous private life, Terry Wogan (aka, the voice of Eurovision) signs off from the BBC, the new Idol will be online-only and more news from the media.
Don’t write off the fundamentalists just yet
We have got ourselves politicians who seem determined to pander to fundamentalism: either because they share its values, or because their party machines are captive to its lobbying power.
Political snippets: The Rudd family Christmas card
The PM, his wife and the Abigail the dog say cheese for the official Rudd family Christmas card. Jasper the cat had too much self respect to appear…
Crikey readers’ choice awards 2009: The finalists
The nominations are in, time to count the votes in this year’s Crikey Readers’ Choice Awards.
Quadrant blames political decision for funding cut
Conservative magazine Quadrant is accusing the Australia Council of a “patently political decision” in cutting its funding from $50,000 to $30,000, thus threatening its literary content. But was it politics that caused the cut?
Tips and rumours: Tips and rumours: Maccas really do care about your opinions
McDonald’s do some sly online surveys about which experts you most trust. Plus, a pretty clear sign that MySpace has lost its cachet with online social networkers.
Video of the Day: Single Ladies: The Pigs with John Williamson on jaw harp
A “thigh-slapping country version” of Beyonce’s Single Ladies, featuring John Williamson on jaw harp and the Hotfoot Linedancers. Yee-haw.
2009: like Groundhog Day, only worse
Bernard Keane looks back on the year that was in Australian politics: a lot like 2008, and 2007, only far, far worse.
