Kim Wingerei blog posts
“Without idealists, the pragmatists would have nothing to do…”
Accountable Leadership
As much as we like to talk about the failures – or absence – of political leadership in Australia over the last decade, there is an equal dearth of responsible and accountable leadership everywhere – including in our favourite sport – Cricket.
The Australian Spring of Politics
Democracy reform is long overdue. Is the election of independent Kerryn Phelps at the Wentworth by-election a sign of things to come – an Australian spring – led by independents? Or led by Bill Shorten? Or both.
Wentworth Democracy
The Wentworth by-election may be the most hotly contested in living memory, and it also reveals much about why our democracy is broken and needs fixing!
A Secular Nation
Australia is a secular nation. It is enshrined in our constitution, yet we have a Prime Minister and many others in Parliament who don’t quite seem to understand what that means. The Ruddock report reveals not only state laws in possible conflict with federal law, but with the constitution and the principles of secularism.
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?