Continuing my attempts to write the most pretentious music reviews here is a exploration of Strawberry Switchblade's pair of Hobbesian songs Since Yesterday and Trees and Flowers. Featuring 1980s nuclear war dread and the crippling fear of agoraphobia.

This seems to have fallen a bit flat. There's a certain cohort of 40-something British men to whom this is gold. If you happen to know one, flick it into their eyeballs.

A new essay of mine that argues we are seeing the end of the the era of the nation-state and an emerging era of nations versus states.

Here is a review essay I've written about "Rise Above" by Dirty Projectors – the band's reinterpretation of Black Flag's "Damaged" album.

A piece of mine on why the persistent use of "The End of History" as an analytical trope is a lazy misreading of Fukuyama's actual arguments.

You can find my personal writing – on a range of subjects from foreign affairs, politics, philosophy, music, and urbanism – here at Jumbled in the Common Box. www.grantwyeth.com

My latest essay on the emerging political order, where the interests of states and the feelings of cultural nationalists are diverging. Creating greater internal instability. Link in next reply.

A short story of mine on becoming a different kind of writer

A piece of mine on why the persistent use of "The End of History" as an analytical trope is a lazy misreading of Fukuyama's actual arguments.

A short piece on India's census – which began counting last week – and how this data will be used to expand and reconfigure the parliament. Which will create major domestic and foreign policy implications.

Continuing my attempts to write the most pretentious music reviews here is a exploration of Strawberry Switchblade's pair of Hobbesian songs Since Yesterday and Trees and Flowers. Featuring 1980s nuclear war dread and the crippling fear of agoraphobia.

Some analysis of mine on the recent South Australian election and the rise of "circuit-breaker politics", where people feel a desperation to overload political systems.

A short piece on India's census – which began counting last week – and how this data will be used to expand and reconfigure the parliament. Which will create major domestic and foreign policy implications.

Some analysis of mine on the recent South Australian election and the rise of "circuit-breaker politics", where people feel a desperation to overload political systems.

You can find my personal writing – on a range of subjects from foreign affairs, politics, philosophy, music, and urbanism – here at Jumbled in the Common Box.

Here is a review essay I've written about "Rise Above" by Dirty Projectors – the band's reinterpretation of Black Flag's "Damaged" album.

My latest essay on the emerging political order, where the interests of states and the feelings of cultural nationalists are diverging. Creating greater internal instability. Link in next reply.

A new essay of mine that argues we are seeing the end of the the era of the nation-state and an emerging era of nations versus states.

This seems to have fallen a bit flat. There's a certain cohort of 40-something British men to whom this is gold. If you happen to know one, flick it into their eyeballs.

A journey through record stores, across continents, pop mythology, eccentric artists and improbable schemes — chasing the belief that somewhere between music, mischief and memory lies the spark that makes a writer.

A short story of mine on becoming a different kind of writer

A piece of mine on the meeting held last week between the US State Department and the Alberta Prosperity Project – which is seeking a referendum on Alberta's separation from Canada.

A piece of mine on the meeting held last week between the US State Department and the Alberta Prosperity Project – which is seeking a referendum on Alberta's separation from Canada.

An essay of mine seeking to explain the Trump administration's worldview after comments by Trump and Miller last week. As well as the emotional drivers of their authoritarianism.

With the WEF meeting in Davos this week it's a good time to re-up my essay on the shift in global archetype that is currently taking place from Davos Man to DARVO Man.

With the WEF meeting in Davos this week it's a good time to re-up my essay on the shift in global archetype that is currently taking place from Davos Man to DARVO Man.

You can find my personal writing – on a range of subjects from foreign affairs, politics, philosophy, music, and urbanism – here at Jumbled in the Common Box.

An essay of mine seeking to explain the Trump administration's worldview after comments by Trump and Miller last week. As well as the emotional drivers of their authoritarianism.

A short piece of mine on Trump and Putin. The animal spirits, and chimp chaos, we are once again bonded to.

I recently jumped on the ferry from Turku in Finland to Åland. Offering me a chance to write about a fascinating group of islands with a unique culture, history and political status.

A brief-ish piece of mine on @drshashitharoor.bsky.social – a man of considerable talent and accomplishment, but increasingly poor judgement as he allows himself to become a Russian tool.

A short piece of mine on Trump and Putin. The animal spirits, and chimp chaos, we are once again bonded to.

A brief-ish piece of mine on @drshashitharoor.bsky.social – a man of considerable talent and accomplishment, but increasingly poor judgement as he allows himself to become a Russian tool.

I recently jumped on the ferry from Turku in Finland to Åland. Offering me a chance to write about a fascinating group of islands with a unique culture, history and political status.

A piece of mine on Canada's "Reagan ad", and how it was designed to create cognitive dissonance within MAGA, and how to nationalists like Trump, it is actually Adam Smith who is their number 1 enemy.

A piece of mine for @lowyinstitute.bsky.social on Finland's decision to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention on the banning of landmines, and how Russia's aggression is starting to unravel the international agreements around arms control, and the norms of daily behaviour in border regions.

A piece of mine on Canada's "Reagan ad", and how it was designed to create cognitive dissonance within MAGA, and how to nationalists like Trump, it is actually Adam Smith who is their number 1 enemy.

A piece of mine for @lowyinstitute.bsky.social on Finland's decision to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention on the banning of landmines, and how Russia's aggression is starting to unravel the international agreements around arms control, and the norms of daily behaviour in border regions.

September in Australia saw two national recognition days. National Wattle Day and Australia National Flag Day. But what if we merged the two and made the Golden Wattle the national flag? My piece outlining the case. thediplomat.com/2025/09/does...

Over the past couple of years I've occasionally been seeing how pretentious I can make an album review. Find an album's context and its philosophical ideas and expand them out. Luke Haines's concept album about the Red Army Faction obviously offered fertile material.

With Trump's new regime of tariffs being introduced this week, I thought I'd re-up this piece on the worldview that is driving this protectionism. Markets as agents of change, and the enormous emotional stress this change creates in some people.

The decline in global birth rates has many explanations, but one we may be overlooking is that women now have higher expectations on partnership and fatherhood, and men are failing to rise to the task.

A piece of mine on what the Australian idiom "she'll be right" reveals about the country's national character, both positive and negative.

There doesn't need to be a trade-off between building housing and neighbourhood character. We can build and build with style!

There doesn't need to be a trade-off between building housing and neighbourhood character. We can build and build with style!

A short piece of mine on how low birth rates will affect our ability to invest in public transport, and why public transport is so important for economies, sociability, democracy and health.

Why did the Trump Administration decide to describe a meeting between Australia's minister of defence, Richard Marles, and US secretary of defence, Pete Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance as a "happenstance encounter"?

Why did the Trump Administration decide to describe a meeting between Australia's minister of defence, Richard Marles, and US secretary of defence, Pete Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance as a "happenstance encounter"?

A piece of mine on what the Australian idiom "she'll be right" reveals about the country's national character, both positive and negative.