Articles by Margot Saville


No winners, but Jodee Rich gets back on his bike

For Jodee Rich, the One.Tel issue does not end with yesterday’s judgement: he’s still seeking the payment of the $132 million that PBL and News had originally committed for the rights issue, plus interest and damages.

Sexual consent, Sydney University and me

The current and former students of Sydney Uni’s St Paul’s College responsible for a “pro-rape” Facebook page deserve to be named and shamed; but don’t blame St Paul’s for the actions of a few.

Talking the Town: John Pilger receives the Sydney Peace Prize

John Pilger, winner of the Sydney Peace Prize, has always positioned himself as outside the mainstream media. But his age and location – he hasn’t lived in Australia since the early 1960s – mean that his criticisms of the local media are outdated.

Talking the Town: Harry M, superstar

Not everyone in this town is wild about Harry M Miller, but he can really pull a crowd, with Lindy Chamberlain, Stuart Diver, Michael Kirby, Marcia Hines, Stuart Wagstaff and many more turning up to a Kings Cross nightclub for the launch of his autobiography last night.

Talking the Town: Ray Martin’s book launch

Last night we time-travelled back to a kinder, gentler time, at the launch of Ray Martin’s autobiography, complete with an introduction from Sir Michael Parkinson and music by Geoff Harvey.

Talking the Town: Don Watson’s Bendable Learnings launch

Management language has spread to the most unlikely places and has “seeded itself” — mainly through consultants, according to Don Watson. Margot Saville reports from his book launch.

A board without women is …. Fairfaxed!

Lost in the details of the great schism in the Fairfax boardroom is the news that after the annual general meeting next month, there will be no women on the board.

Talking the Town: bookmaker Bill Waterhouse’s autobiography launch

There was no more fabulous place to be in Sydney yesterday than at Tattersall’s Club for the launch of colourful bookmaker Bill Waterhouse’s autobiography, What are the Odds? The Bill Waterhouse Story.

Thank God for Richard Wilkins!

On a day that Sydney’s dust storms felt like the end of the world, it’s appropriate that it was ended in the company of Max Markson’s notorious clients.

Talking the Town: The 86 Biggest Lies on Wall St launch

There was no better way to commemorate one year since the fall of Lehman Brothers than in the company of esteemed economics editor Ross Gittins and author John R. Talbott.

Advice for Arthur on winning back Bennelong

Some free advice for former Howard staffer Arthur Sinodinos on how to win back Bennelong for the Libs in 2010. For a start, keep Jackie Kelly’s husband away from the printer…

McGurk’s body takes on political smell

Last weekend in Balmain we had a whole new scandal to discuss — Michael McGurk and any links to the ALP. Although the standover man and his cohorts are not locals, the aftershocks from his shooting quickly spread.

Talking the town: a complete vice-regal frock up

The John Della Bosca affair and its aftermath, a classic tale of a woman scorned, was the talk of the tables at last night’s Sydney Institute dinner.

Talking the town: Tony Abbott gets down on his knees

Margot Saville relives all the glitz and glamour (ahem) of Tony Abbott’s booklaunch.

The agony of the Tour de France (and middle-aged cyclists)

While Julius Caesar feared the Ides of March, for those of us lucky enough to live with a cyclist, it is the whole month of July that we dread.

Talking the town: talking heads at the Toxteth

Grumpy Old Women, in descending age order, confront Margot Saville with tales of God and pilates.

Talking the town: the Australian Book Industry awards

Like Christmas in the trenches, all hostilities were suspended last night as the local book industry got together for the Australian Book Industry Awards.

Talking the town: CEO Sleepout at Luna Park

This may not be the day to ask your boss for a pay rise, if he or she took part in the St Vincent de Paul CEO Sleepout last night, writes Margot Saville.

Talking the town: Therese Rein launches into a sea of hugs

Although Ms Rein’s pre-Kiliminjaro fitness program is strictly off-limits to the fourth estate, Crikey can exclusively reveal that she looked fantastic.

Talking the town: Turnbull tales and Gillard among the chosen

Julia Gillard has revealed that she relaxes by reading “very bad” detective novels, walking on the beach and “going out to dinner with friends, the usual things,” writes Margot Saville.

Talking the Town: white people like writers’ festivals

The Sydney Writers’ Festival has verged very close to a bunch old farts talking about their apparently hilarious sex lives, writes Margot Saville.

Talking the Town: mutants and deviants at Bob Ellis’ book launch

Bob Ellis was his usual cantankerous, curmudgeonly, vastly-entertaining self at the launch of his new book last night, writes Margot Saville.

Talking the Town: Bettina Arndt at The Sydney Institute

Bettina is a fine performer, and seems to have that vital prerequisite of a sex researcher – a sense of humour.

My night with PJ O’Rourke and a room full of white, middle aged men

I really wanted to love last night’s lecture by satirist P J O’Rourke to the Centre for Independent Studies. Unfortunately I didn’t.