WHY is student debt even a thing in our wealthy country? The imposed burden ruining young people's lives - affecting their choices on partnerships, raising kids, buying a house? It's barely spoken of, but I see it every day with my young adult friends. And I hate it for them.

No one in govt is talking about before the budget, but just FYI, the level of Jobseeker is now 42% below the poverty line - worse than it was during the Howard years... live.thepoint.com.au

Looking for a new audiobook? I’ll just reup my Murders of Old China from 2019. It was commissioned as an Audible Original so has never been published in book form…. www.audible.co.uk/pd/B08287RLK...

This 1952 memo from the Pentagon UFO files is superb There is no point preparing for aliens ‘because no one of consequence is going to take this rubbish seriously unless it happens. At that point, our policy will be determined in the traditional manner of grand panic.’ 🤣 www.war.gov/medialink/uf...

Gold Coast looking south from Skypoint.

1.5 days into two days away & I’m wishing I was back home with my cats. 🫤

Last night’s view…

This morning’s view…

How many new Reform councillors will, on closer examination, turn out to be ineligible, have criminal convictions, or just be stark raving nuts, by the end of the month, let’s open a book on it…

Osric, king of the Northumbrians, died #OTD in 729 after appointing Ceolwulf, brother of his predecessor Coenred, as his successor. Galloway seems to have been brought under Osric’s authority in the course of his reign. Bamburgh Castle 📸Clive Hicks

#UKPolitics It’s depressing that yet again, the UK voters, (the few that bother to turn out) have been sucked in by the same grifters who sold them Brexit. But being honest, it’s not surprising. Keeping the working class undereducated is a feature of the system, not a glitch. 😕

I’m sending out my most positive and supporting thoughts to Michelle Milthorpe today in the Farrer by-election! Michelle will be a great representative for the people of Farrer. 🍀🤞🍀🤞🍀🤞🍀🤞🍀🤞🍀🤞🍀 #auspol #Farrervotes

The corporate media will only frame political contests through the lense of the far right nexus of higher profits, lower taxes and obedience to authoritarianism. If you start giving equal airtime to anti-capitalist viewpoints, who knows what could happen !?!

Laura excellent as always. I did not know about Saudi Arabia refusing to participate #auspol https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-09/iran-us-israel-russia-ukraine-war-military-parade-ceasefires/106657116?utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=other

Really..Is anyone surprised...

Got to start early up here…

Oh my. This is spectacular. sinceyouarrived.world/taken

HBG has launched their anti-union campaign by spreading anti-union flyers via our company portal and common spaces. The flyers use tired talking points, framing the union as a third party that will harm our existing benefits & workplace culture. But the union is all of us, & we won’t be intimidated

May 8 2026 - ChinaRhyming on Substack... A new bio of JG Ballard & my thoughts on his Shanghai childhood, Last Emperor preorders in Australia, a book giveaway on China at Versailles, hanging out at the China Club and recently on ChinaRhyming... paulfrench.substack.com/p/may-8-2026...

A journalist grilled Albanese about Minister for Communications Anika Wells who was forced to repay $10,000 in travel expenses after four breaches of travel rules (including a trip her husband took to the 2025 AFL grand final). His response? To bizarrely side-step into a shoutout to News Corp.

Stunning the way so many stupid people continue to support their wealthy ‘betters’ even when they get to vote. In some ways we have barely advanced beyond serfdom. 🙄

We voted out the Tories, only to find that, after a long 14 years of waiting, a Labour government adopts and extends some of their worst policies, while entirely failing to excite or inspire. Now Labour and its supporters on this platform blame us for turning away. What aren’t they seeing here?

Happy Birthday David Attenborough! From the earliest days of television, to controller of BBC2, to bringing the wonders, beauty and fragility of the natural world to our eyes & attention - you’re a legend! www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...

My book is available as an eBook for £18.99 link.springer.com/book/10.1057...

#Auspol “Crimes Against Humanity” charges for being married to a terrorist. Yet IDF fighters are free to come & go as they please. What a fucking joke. 😡

Why do they keep sending me links to jobs that suck?

How can it be legal to steal poor people's stuff & force them to go kms away to get back their bedclothes, in winter? Family photos? Sanitary products? But not on weekends? Which Port Phillip councillors voted for this? Can't tell on the website. Not sure how to find out but I will. And I vote here.

The Gov has arrested some of the Aus women returning from Syria with ‘crimes against humanity’. Are they going to apply the exact same morality & laws to anyone from the Israeli gov & IDF when they come to our country? Or are they going to continue being hypocrites & cherry pick their morality?

We’re not angry enough. www.thenewdaily.com.au/news/politic...

Cheers for the shoutout and support from The Australian who just adore women who win. Some additional tickets have been released to our previously sold out event this Saturday night as part of Melbourne Writer's Festival. Come along ! mwf.com.au/program/anto...

We have a toxic combination of low wages and high bills. We need to make life affordable for everyone. Make hope normal again & Vote Green. 💚 (& remember to take photo ID to the polling station!)

Australians who fight for IDF are free to enter the country with almost no scrutiny after possibly committing war crimes, but some women who married ISIS members and travelled to Syria were arrested once the plane touches down. We asked experts why. www.ettemedia.com/women-isis-c...

This is stunning reporting: Donald Trump’s so-called “Project Freedom” reportedly collapsed after Saudi Arabia blocked the U.S. military from using key Saudi bases and airspace for the operation, according to new reporting from NBC News. Link to the article in the reply.

NEWS: The Epstein files are now bound into 3,437 physical volumes in a new exhibition space in Tribeca. Millions of pages. Two stories tall. And yet only two people have ever faced accountability. Katie Phang discusses the rage she felt walking through the space.

Sharing, without comment, British newspapers’ depictions of the only Jewish person currently leading a UK political party . Times. Mail. Telegraph. Sun.

I don't only think that college should be FREE but I think young people should also receive living stipends while in school. Finally, I do not care what they major in because education needs to actually BE DECOUPLED from a future job. You are welcome. You should have 4 years to study anything.

and when will returning “Australian” Israeli Defence Force soldiers be investigated for war crimes & genocidal slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza? Waiting for answers Burke, Albanese, Wong!🤬 @tonyburkemp.bsky.social & @albomp.bsky.social & @senatorwong.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

IT'S NOT EVEN A REAL FIGURE! THE CLAIM THAT 7.5 MILLION AUSTRALIANS TOOK SICK LEAVE IN 2023/24 IS AN ASSUMPTION PLUCKED FROM FUCKEN THIN AIR! THEY TOOK THE TOTAL NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT THEY THOUGHT WERE ELIGIBLE FOR SICK LEAVE AND MULTIPLIED IT BY 0.8! WHERE DOES 0.8 COME FROM? IT'S A FUCKEN GUESS!

Look, whatever runs the universe, just give me his life. I promise to keep only a couple %, and spend half the rest on therapy, the other half on the poor. Could it be any worse?🤷‍♂️

Finally some common ground.. I agree Marco.. people blowing up ships are bad guys…. Now do some research…

I don’t understand how the Albanese government can morally justify keeping the jobseeker rate way below poverty level, when their economy requires that some people need to be unemployed bc “labour market”. I guess morality doesn’t come into it.

Things will only get better when we realize that just because someone has a lot of money doesn’t mean they’re not a stupid asshole with nothing worthwhile to say.

When you see the relentless attacks from other parties on the Greens across the media remember this: They hate our plan to end Rip Off Britain. They don't want a wealth tax. They don't want public ownership & lower bills. They're trying everything in their power to stop us.

This is Brutal reality check by Iran 🇮🇷 🇺🇸 Hegseth at 10:00 AM : Entire world knows Iran is the clear aggressor. 🇮🇷 Iran at 10:05 AM : Shut up. The entire world knows who started the war, starting with blowing up our school and killing 168 children. 🔥 Absolute lie exposed by Iran 🇮🇷

The big four banks - CBA, NAB, Westpac & ANZ - made a profit of $16.9 billion from owner-occupier home loans in 2025. Over an average 30 year owner-occupier mortgage these banks make nearly $229,000 in profit. That's just over $11,000 in the 1st year of a new loan, $926 each month or $214 per week.

So many of us turning up everyday working for better for our communities and our kids and our grandkids -speaking out against a genocide and growing fascism - while the billionaire class are in NYC showing off some frocks. Upside down world #auspol

Today, the day of the Met Gala, the unionized workers of the Met posted this image to their Instagram. www.instagram.com/p/DX64ioYjecG/

#Auspol Becoming Red Tories is not evolution, it’s societal regression. Anyone who thinks we’ve done enough to improve people’s lives now & should just maintain the status quo, is a political dead end.

I always feel like the #MetGala is like the opening scene from an allegorical movie where moments later aliens land & just start wiping out all the useless humans… or maybe it’s just wishful thinking…

I’ve got a massive mosquito bite on my arse cheek. How’s your day started?😕