Australia
Can't Bat, Can't Bowl, Can't Field: Is this the worst Australian cricket team ever?
Stuart Law. Darren Lehmann. Jamie Cox. Phil Jaques. Brad Hodge. Michael di Venuto. Chris Rogers. Martin Love. Tom Moody. Nine men who count as some of the unluckiest cricketers ever… Continue reading
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80 years ago, Bodyline ended and English cricket enjoyed a triumph
Today, February 28th 2013, is the 80th anniversary of the conclusion to one of the finest – and certainly the most controversial – test series ever played. Eighty years ago… Continue reading
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Ricky Ponting's Recessional - Spectator Blogs
With the Don at three and Keith Miller inked for the all-rounder’s role at six there are only two open spots in Australia’s all-time middle order. It is a measure… Continue reading
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Julia Gillard: Rather More than Just a Man's "Bitch" - Spectator Blogs
I have little to say on the subject of the, er, colourful scandal that has been entertaining Australians lately. The Speaker, one Peter Slipper, has been pushed to resignation following… Continue reading
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RIP Robert Hughes: Enemy of the Woozy
Few books have had a greater effect on me than Robert Hughes’ Culture of Complaint. The clarity of Hughes’ style in his dissection of the discontents of the 1980s was… Continue reading
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Vivat Regina
This article appears in the latest issue of Spectator Australia. We thought that CoffeeHousers would like to read it. The trick to monarchy is not queening it. In The Radetzky… Continue reading
93 CommentsAn Epidemic of Not Scoring
Watching Andy Coulson answer the Leveson inquiry’s questions with a dead bat yesterday, the likes of Robert Shrimsley and Tim Montgomerie tweeted that viewing Coulson testify was akin to watching… Continue reading
10 Comments‘My view is what the Prime Minister’s view is’
Our Orwell Prize-shortlisted colleague Alex has already posted this video, but it certainly deserves a repeat airing here. It has all the hallmarks of political parody, except it’s not political… Continue reading
4 CommentsThe Interview of the Year
Since I discovered this interview on Armando Iannucci’s Twitter feed I wondered if it was actually a spoof. But no, it seems Bill Shorten really is an Australian politician and… Continue reading
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Australia’s Labor party is infighting its way to an electoral hiding
This morning a friend from London emailed to find out what the hell has happened to the Australian Labor Party? He was responding to the news overnight that, in a… Continue reading
12 CommentsAn Australian bloodbath
Australian politics is all aflutter at the resignation of Kevin Rudd as Foreign Minister. What happens now? Will he challenge Julia Gillard for the job of Prime Minister? Here’s tomorrow’s… Continue reading
13 CommentsTest Cricket, Eh? Bloody Hell.
It would take a heart of stone not to laugh when reading about Australia’s latest cricket crisis and, reader, I’ve no heart of stone. Much more of this and we’ll… Continue reading
13 CommentsReigning for dummies
What is the Queen’s secret? She seems to defy political gravity. Right now, an English monarch is in Australia being feted by her subjects, who seem delighted by this very… Continue reading
20 CommentsBrooks stands firm
More fuel for the firestorm: this time, a letter by Rebekah Brooks, answering questions put to her by the Home Affairs select committee. It truth, it doesn’t say much that… Continue reading
32 CommentsDepartment of Law Enforcement
Via Johnson, a remarkable statute in Victoria which criminalises: Any person who in or near a public place or within the view or hearing of any person being or passing… Continue reading
2 CommentsWhy AV will cost £250 million
Today the NO to AV campaign has published research showing that the change to AV will cost the UK an additional £250 million, and – judging by the Yes campaign’s… Continue reading
39 CommentsAussie rules
William Hague has been visiting Australia in the last couple of days, alongside half of the National Security Council. But you would not know it. Except for a few comments… Continue reading
22 CommentsHelping Australia
William Hague is in Australia and the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary has been tweeting bits and pieces about his visit: In Sydney for the AUKMIN discussions with our Australian counterparts.… Continue reading
2 CommentsA flooded world
It looks like the opening of a Hollywood disaster film. The South African government has declared parts of the country disaster areas, after 40 people died in floods in a… Continue reading
12 CommentsThe Australian Way of Love
Noted without comment: A bizarre decision to ride an inflatable doll down a flood-swollen Yarra River blew up in a woman’s face yesterday when she lost her latex playmate in… Continue reading
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