Tin foil hats aplenty

Some brief thoughts about Queensland One Nation Senator, Malcolm Roberts. Senator Roberts isn’t the only conspiracy theorist in One Nation. It is disingenuous for him to claim, as he has, that the media is trying to make him look bad.

I can name at least two others. I know for a fact that a One Nation candidate in the 2017 WA state election, and is still involved in the party, runs an active anti vax group on Facebook. Without the permission of the relatives of the deceased, he posts stories of people who have died prematurely, and claims this was caused by the Covid vaccine.

Another one privately believes that the 1996 Port Arthur Massacre was a false flag operation to disarm the Australian people. This person is also adamant that Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s real surname isn’t Albanese, and that he has created a fictional life story for political purposes. 

It concerns me that such people are already walking in Australia's corridors of power, and if opinion polls are accurate, there will be many more in future Parliaments. 

Can hate and tolerance coexist?

As any thoughtful student of history will be aware, antisemitism is the oldest hatred. In this recent presentation to the Sydney Institute, David Harris, former Chief Executive Officer of the American Jewish Committee, gives an overview of historical and contemporary antisemitism. 

One hundred proof drivel

The internet is full of vile content pushed by so called influencers such as Nick Fuentes and Ana Kasperian. It is well past time they were put in their place. 

Pushback

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The problems with Christian nationalism & why It’s one of the most dangerous false teachings of our day?

1. It Confuses the Kingdom of God with Earthly Nations

The Bible consistently teaches that God’s kingdom is not tied to any earthly nation-state.
• John 18:36 – Jesus…

— Dr. Eric Mason (@pastoremase) March 10, 2026

Unity over division

While recognising that some Australians, Australia Day is a day of pain, it can still be celebrated in a reflective frame of mind. Australia Day brings people together to celebrate in different ways, with  community events, recognition of local achievements, and by sharing food, music, and laughter. I cherish the chance to slow down, reconnect with loved ones, and celebrating the unique outdoors, humour, and diverse cultures that define Australia.

Editorial. Australia Day protests show much work to do on civics | The Australian

Secularised Christmas

Clickbait article from the Daily Mail Australia about Carols by Candlelight, held in Melbourne, Australia, on Christmas Eve. This is lazily written. All the writer needs to do is collate some social media activity, with anonymous attribution for legal reasons, and the article writes itself.

As for the event itself, it was well done as a television production. Unlike in recent years, none of the performers forgot the stage etiquette of appearing in an ensemble setting, by upstaging other performers.

This is what did not sit well with me. Why did it take almost an hour of running time before an actual Christmas carol was sung? And why was not Jesus mentioned, even once? 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-15411465/Nine-Carols-Candlelight-viewers-slam-Sammy-J.html

Guilty before proven otherwise

Just like Lady Macbeth's "damn spot," some Australian critics see that Australia has a great collective national guilt that it can never assuage. 

Somebody had to say it

Josh Frydenberg, former Australian federal treasurer, and prominent member of the Australian Jewish community, delivered an impassioned speech at the makeshift memorial to the victims of the December 14 Islamist terror attacks. Evil cannot go unchallenged.  

https://thenightly.com.au/opinion/ben-harvey-power-pain-and-a-path-forward-why-josh-frydenbergs-bondi-speech-was-so-important-c-21033867

Down in the gutter

Our journalism at Sky News is under attack from pro-Palestinian activists.
It was deeply disturbing to be told two months ago that a group of pro-Palestinian activists had lodged a formal complaint with the Australian Human Rights commission about my reporting in the wake of the…

— Sharri Markson (@SharriMarkson) November 13, 2025

 

Broken shards

Potter's House, a controversial, to put it politely, Christian sect, has made national headlines amidst reports of alleged spiritual abuse of its members. The reader is encouraged to read the full article. I wish to take issue with their teachings on marriage. Ex members report pressure from leaders to get married young.  

One of them reported: 

“If you are single, your pastor will tell you if someone is a good choice to marry. And they firmly believe in marrying them young. If you are not married by 25, something is wrong.”

I once bumped into some Potter's House members in a suburban shopping strip. They asked me how old I was, and if I was married. I told them my age, and that I was single. They tried to tell me that being single was a sin. It appears that this is what they teach their members, and cause a lot of damage to peoples' lives as a consequence. 

At the time, I was too polite to challenge their rebuking of me. I can only speculate that they take the Adamic procreation mandate, initially given to Adam, and later reiterated to Noah, Ishmael, Jacob, and Jacob's sons, as a binding Christian command. (See Genesis 1:28, 9:1, 7, 17:20, 28:3, 35:11, and 48:4). 

This takes some very creative hermeneutics, to say the least. No Christian member of the clergy should teach such nonsense. While the Bible teaches that marriage is a good thing, as the apostle Paul taught in his first letter to the Corinthians, marriage and singleness are choices. Regardless of their situation, faithful obedience to God is commanded.

It would be a good thing if news stories like this cause people to leave Potter's House. It is disheartening to think about all the people whose lives they have negatively influenced. 
 

https://www.news.com.au/national/former-pastor-linked-to-the-potters-house-breaks-silence-they-believe-in-marrying-them-young/news-story/ce85706b7f9e2546a051cf7b4265e819

Where's the authoritarian?

From Gerard Henderson's Media Watchdog blog, a commentary of the week's news. And so it came to pass that Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, made his first official visit to the White House to meet President Donald Trump. Somewhat predictably, news commentators such as Peter Hartcher, ran with the line that Trump is an authoritarian, and this a few days after the No Kings rallies across the United States:

"...Trump doesn’t believe in democracy. What we see here is an authoritarian leader trying to consolidate power as an authoritarian..."

As Henderson rightly points out,  Hartcher sounded like an American leftist running a “No Kings” message – despite the fact that the Trump administration cannot get its budget through the United States Congress. A real King would have no such problem.

https://thesydneyinstitute.com.au/blog/issue-751/

A life not wasted

 

Besmirching good people

It has been interesting to see the mixed reaction to the tragic death of American political activist, Charlie Kirk. His many armchair critics, using their social media megaphones, described him as evil. Those who actually knew him in person knew him to be a good and decent man. Rather than the evil man his critics assert Kirk was, I will go with the man his family, friends, and acquaintances knew instead. 

Genocide? What genocide?

In the Israel-Gaza conflict, the reality of the situation does not match the assertions of the anti-Israel movement, who claim that it is carrying out a genocide. While one can genuinely grieve the avoidable and unnecessary loss of life in war, calling it a genocide is overstating things. 

10 Questions 'Genocide in Gaza' Accusers Cannot Answer. By Aizenberg - Tribune Juive

Feeble fanatics

Not much to disagree with here. Antisemitism is a poison on the Christian world. Unmanly Anti-Semitism - First Things

Looking after the pennies and the pounds

The miserly frugal Scots can be relied upon to deliver a cost effective Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2026. Victoria, Australia was the original host, but had to relinquish them, citing unforseen cost blowouts. Glasgow is planning to offset part of the cost of staging the event by using the millions of dollars in compensation that the Victorian government had to pay to the Commonwealth Games Federation. 

A potted history of the Middle East

This tweet (I still use this term) is irreverent in tone, but nonetheless makes some valid observations on the Israel-Palestine conflict. 

You gotta laugh.

Some of the most ironically laughable things about this war and the hypocrisy surrounding it.

Gaza pre October 7th:
“Gaza is an open air prison! We must resist Israel’s occupation!”

Gaza post October 7th:
“Before October 7th, Gaza was paradise. We had an… pic.twitter.com/UMEwGjfZtv

— Hillel Fuld (@HilzFuld) May 26, 2024

The order of snarkiness

How about this, eh? JK Rowling, the highly successful novelist, and creator of Harry Potter, has again fallen foul of the progressives, with a poorly received attack article published about her in the political and cultural magazine, The New Statesman. The dark theme explored in Rowling's crime novels apparently reveal her own dark heart. 

To some minds, publishing a magazine called The New Statesman may be highly problematic. Let's define the word itself, and then break it down, examining it syllable by syllable. 

A statesman is defined by the Collins Dictionary as "a person who shows wisdom, skill, and vision in conducting state affairs and dealing with public issues, or one engaged in the business of government." This word is not gender exclusive, but some writing style guides recommend using a gender neutral descriptor such as "political leader."

A state is a political entity in a defined territory, with a a permanent population, Peer reviewed articles published in academic journals debate the question of whether or not national borders are inherently racist. 

Looking at the noun, man, defined as an adult human male, this excludes women, and also non-binary people. Does this title exclude the non-binary? Do the publishers want to rename their magazine to something less sexist and heteronormative? Such matters are best left to its publishers to mull over. 

A hot take on the Trump indictment

The indictment of former American president Donald Trump was certainly historic. He is the first former President to face criminal charges. 

Writing on his Substack, Steven Beschloss, the well known writer, journalist, and film maker, and brother of the prominent historian, Michael Beschloss, is not celebrating; rather, he sees it as  a sad occasion, not only because a former president has been indicted, but also:

"that he was voted into office in 2016 despite his history of criminality—and that we spent the following four years watching his shameless degradation of American justice, the rule of law and the presidency itself. While I am not in the mood to celebrate, I am nourished by this assertion of justice in which this man—no matter his station in life or the office he held—has been criminally indicted and now must attempt to defend his plea of innocence."

Trump has always come across to me as volatile. While I was glad that he defeated Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election, I was concerned that he would do something self destructive during his presidency, just like Nixon before him, or that eventually, his past would come back to haunt him. There was always the risk that his character, with highly credible allegations of womanizing, his well documented impulsive temperament, together with unanswered questions about his business ethics, would bring him undone. The constant conflict and polarisation he has brought to political discourse is also tiresome. 

Even if these charges are a political hit job, Trump has brought it on himself by letting his long list of enemies exploit his weaknesses. He could have avoided it by being honest. Then, whatever mud was thrown at him would not stick. 

https://america.substack.com/p/donald-trump-is-a-criminal-defendant

Act your age and not your shoe size

Well said. Senator Lidia Thorpe, who is too radical even for the Australian Greens, conducts herself like a student activist, and not a federal politician. 

https://www.3aw.com.au/grow-up-neil-mitchell-reacts-to-lidia-thorpes-clash-with-police-at-protest/