Kim Wingerei blog posts
“Without idealists, the pragmatists would have nothing to do…”
Art Encounters of the Jones Kind
Alan Jones’ bullying knows no bounds. And when Gladys Berejiklian instructed Opera House CEO Louise Herron to allow Jørn Utzon’s iconic sails to be defaced by advertising for a horse race, she enables it.
The Ghosts of Eureka
The Ghosts of Eureka are still haunting us. Terra Australis has come a long way since the rebellions of 1854, but that last crucial step to becoming a fully independent nation again remains elusive.
The Politics of Change
As trust in our political leaders continue to decline, writings and commentary decrying the malaise in which our democracy finds itself in is booming, including Facebook-, Murdoch- and ABC-bashing, lamenting populism, trashing Trump-ism and generally blaming all the other ‘ism’s’ except one’s own.
The Responsibility of Free Speech
Free speech means the freedom of having any opinion, promoting any religion or ideology, distorting history and declaring that climate change is a hoax and that earth is not a planet but a pancake.
A Message to Canberra from a Young Australian
“If only you could see that a true man knows how to stand by, and with, his emotions, rather than voiding all responsibility for them.”
Au dair – it may be legal, but it ain’t right!
Power politics in Australia is getting ugly. Cabinet ministers are misusing their power and people in power are taking advantage of it.
The Laughing Stock of the World
I love the infectious laughter of the Kookaburra. It is the epitome not just of the Australian bush, but of the larrikin Australian. The ones that don’t take themselves too seriously. But lately the joke is on us, our politicians are making a laughing stock of our country, and for all the wrong reasons.
The Legacy of the Lucky Generation
Mine is the lucky generation – our parents endured hardship, enjoyed unsurpassed economic growth and shielded us from the past. But what will be our legacy?
A Lack of Leadership Stops Progress
The game of musical chairs played in Canberra reveals yet again one of the fundamental problems with our political system – the lack of leadership.
Party politics is the real elephant in the room!
Seeing the self-destruction of a political opponent is, of course, more important than taking action against the destruction of our planet. Party politics is failing democracy in Australia.
The major parties are failing democracy – it’s time to act!
The latest poll shows that the two major parties combined now only have support from two thirds of voters. The latest in an endless series of leadership ructions is part of the problem. Voters just don’t trust politicians and it is the party system that is to blame.
Condemning neoliberalism
Condemning neoliberalism as Richard Denniss does in his recent Quarterly Essay is all well and good, but to change how policy formulation is done in our broken democracy we need to look at the root causes and reform the system, not just change the labels.