Welcome to the bumper holiday edition of Side View, in which my Crikey colleagues have joined me to curate their favourite pieces of writing, talking, reporting or filmmaking of 2018 (or, for some of us who cheated, other years). Whether you've got your feet up enjoying a break, or are back at it already, we hope you'll find plenty of entertainment in our recommendations, and we'll see you all in a couple of weeks.

Welcome to Side View -- a curated guide to new and overlooked content on politics, policy, and public affairs. This week: reflective fish, immigration stoushes, it's just a flesh wound, and the ghostwriters of Christmas Past.

Welcome to Side View — a curated guide to new and overlooked content on politics, policy, and public affairs. This week: the new French right, birds versus drones, who ya gonna call? Trust-busters! And how many anti-depressants are we taking?

Welcome to Side View — a curated guide to new and overlooked content on politics, policy, and public affairs. This week: the Chinese do infrastructure as badly as the rest of us, education and inequality, and voices from beyond the grave.

Welcome to Side View — a curated guide to new and overlooked content on politics, policy, and public affairs. This week: socialising in Finland, the mighty erections of tyrants, and when white people get scared.