Imagine the reaction had Barack Obama said “praise be to Allah” on Easter Sunday, in literally any context

From Catherine Belton, on why Vance is going to Budapest www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/0...

It’s a setback for your cu-u-un-try

Brutal www.betootaadvocate.com/cooker-final...

To patrons: I promise I’ll be back very soon. Just did a bit of a thing

Rubbish treatment by @thequietus.com: first, they commissioned me to write a long read (5000-6000 words) on the Saints, then summarily withdrew the offer, told me they’d have to park the idea - then turned around and got another writer to do this on Ed Kuepper instead. thequietus.com/interviews/s...

Vale Bernie Lynch, who gave us this m.youtube.com/watch?v=dhC7...

Not so long ago this would have been described as an invasion #auspol

If we made the green energy transition this war would be unthinkable and these authoritarians wouldn’t be in power — not in the US, not in Iran, not in Saudi Arabia, not in Russia. Hydrocarbons are killing our freedom and just plain killing us.

Why are our owls dying?? It’s all about which rat bait that you, your neighbours, your council, and pest controllers are using. Read this excellent article by @andrewstafford.bsky.social , with expert comment from myself among others. www.canberratimes.com.au/story/919290...

Au contraire: I will dance on it, then I will piss on it - unless it is on fire, in which case I will pour petrol on it ⛽️

from the ephemeral lakes to the sea

Centimetre perfect by @jonathanhorn.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2...

Fascinated at the disinterest of Australian media in the visit of Canada's PM Mark Carney - or indeed his schedule just before flying into Australia. After his "disruption" speech, calling for middle powers to take action... he's literally signing nations to a reset www.bbc.com/news/live/cw...

As the laid off Middle East News Editor, I concur. Management eliminated the positions of every single staff correspondent and bureau chief in the Middle East.

Once again the @walkleys.bsky.social have conflated judging arts journalism and arts criticism. As a 30+ year practitioner of both, these involve very different skill sets. I predict criticism - already endangered in Australia - will continue to be sidelined. It's a regressive decision.

An important piece in a string of important pieces by @garethhutchens.bsky.social, who’s doing the lord’s work stitching together threads by @jeremywalker.bsky.social @lucyham.bsky.social @anthonyklan.bsky.social for a bigger readership www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03...

On difficult women, the great Renée Geyer in particular. Free (subscribe! From $1/month) www.patreon.com/posts/song-f...

The thing I can’t work out is why the PM felt the need to talk to the HUN at all 🫠

As we continue to see everyday <points around at literally any random thing>, elites are mostly children who mistake their luck and family connections for talent.

We are all this guy RN and the worst part is, we was right #epstein

Definitely seems like they destroyed the country on purpose.

The Epstein Files ought to comprise the easiest political case against the billionaire class ever conceived. Any politician who supports policies favouring the ultra-wealthy should never be able to escape this association.

We absolutely cannot let techbro dweebs and grifters take the term “grindcore” away from the punks playing short, sharp songs with as many downtuned riffs and blastbeats as humanly possible to cram into 30 seconds

Here's one of the rare smart & ethical big men of local music, John Watson, arguing the future is export first, conquer home next. thepoint.com.au/news/260202-...

Lord have mercy on the soul of the total stranger who just asked me to appraise his unedited manuscript

Cool, please send all the billionaires 🚀 www.theguardian.com/science/2026...

I wrote a belated tribute to one of my teachers, the late, legendary Graeme Turner. An enormous loss to Australian cultural studies and critical thinking. www.patreon.com/posts/149223...

So important. What they say is not the story. That is never the story. What happened is the story. Write what happened.

It took me a while to fully appreciate the wisdom of that song, and how beautifully written it is. “These are the years between” - wow. And those years are just about at an end.

This is a formidably great obituary for a formidably great artist. Rest in Peace Rob Hirst. Good job @andrewstafford.bsky.social

I wrote this some time ago - with all of us knowing this day would come, and Rob, of course, fighting like the bloody-minded bastard he was to the very end. He irrevocably changed my life - and how our country saw itself. www.theguardian.com/music/2026/j...

Review of David Byrne at Brisbane Entertainment Centre last night (first show of Oz tour). As good a piece of performance art as you're likely to get www.theguardian.com/music/2026/j...

The idea that we need to deport 100 million people - almost one out of every three Americans! - was, a year ago, a deranged claim you’d hear from neo-Nazis to give themselves permission for limitless mass violence. Now it’s coming directly from this horrific agency’s horrific press office

Ron Asheton celebrates the new year.

I was doing a good job of looking after myself better, then the flu wiped out my entire Xmas break and now I’m comfort eating a packet of biscuits before going back to work

Buyer - makes me an offer on marketplace Me - accepts, asks when they’d like to pick up Buyer - … … …

This is the greatest Xmas cover I’ve ever heard or seen m.youtube.com/watch?v=22O8...

The fact that This Is Spinal Tap and its sequel, The End Continues, were the first and last films Rob Reiner made is enough to make me cry by itself. The first was revolutionary, the last merely excellent, but they both had the enormous heart and nub of truth that characterised all his best films

No problem unfollowing a few people who opened their mouths before engaging their brains last night

Now here is a man with no friends.

State funeral. My @smh cartoon.

It's not even New Year and the scoldings have begun www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Forgot to post this yesterday, a review of Life in One Chord, a new doco on the brilliant Shayne Carter (Straitjacket Fits, Dimmer, DoubleHappys and more). Hopefully more Oz screenings TBC; Shayne's in the country for a couple of dates www.theguardian.com/music/2025/d...

“I find it mind boggling . . . the fact that [Australia is] giving away these natural resources”. – Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Prize-winning economist Explore how other leading thinkers are finding the courage we all need. Preorder ‘A Time for Bravery’ today: australiainstitute.org.au/store/a-time...

This is a terrible, terrible shock to hear. Graeme was an influential teacher and mentor at the University of Queensland and a giant in his field. He left a huge imprint on me

I really wish we'd stop calling them climate "skeptics" or "vaccine skeptics", if you jump off a cliff we don't call you a "gravity skeptic"

On par with @birmo.bsky.social’s legendary obituary for Joh Bjelke-Petersen

NT News headline tomorrow morning: Great Head beats dud Root every time. #ashes

Face Value- my Saturday cartoon for @australia.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...