Author Archives: andrew

Lawyers for Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews sued for damages by cyclist

Posted on June 23, 2023 by andrew

Michael Warner at the Herald Sun continues his reporting on the crash that nearly killed a young cyclist in January 2013 – and its aftermath.  The 000 call may contain the seeds of damnation … 

Posted in Democracy and Justice | Leave a comment

A T-bone impossible to swallow

Posted on May 14, 2023 by andrew

Andrew L. Urban After lunch, a little past 1pm on the hot summer afternoon of Monday, January 7, 2013, then Victorian Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews, his wife Catherine and their young children Noah then 11, Grace then 9 & Joseph … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy and Justice | 7 Comments

Terrorist rehab?

Posted on May 6, 2023 by andrew

Andrew L. Urban Two movies, screening in early May (in Sydney) and a Guantanamo Bay court hearing the case of Southeast Asia’s once most wanted terrorist, each confront the vexed issue of how society punishes terrorists. Is a terrorist a … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy And Terrorism | Leave a comment

The elephant in the US election room

Posted on April 30, 2023 by andrew

Andrew L. Urban Despite the recent A$1 billion defamation settlement by Fox News in favour of the Dominion voting equipment company, the subject of voter fraud in the 2020 US presidential election remains an open question. Misusing voting machinery is … Continue reading →

Posted in Organisations And Groups | Leave a comment

Why Russia shouldn’t lead the UN Security Council

Posted on April 18, 2023 by andrew

SVITLANA MORENET in The Spectator (April 16, 2023) has written a useful analysis of Russia’s position in the UN. Ukraine was a founding member of the United Nations, an organisation created to ‘maintain international peace and security’ after the Second … Continue reading →

Posted in Organisations And Groups, Regimes | Leave a comment

The Voice would rhyme

Posted on April 17, 2023 by andrew

Andrew L. Urban There’s a pub somewhere in the Aussie outback which displays a worn and fraying sign that says “Free beer tomorrow”. The larrikin spirit lives on. But could it also be a warning to Australians that not all … Continue reading →

Posted in Quotidian | Leave a comment

In the US, only ‘illigrants’ are above the law

Posted on April 6, 2023 by andrew

Andrew L. Urban April 6, 2023: As Donald Trump was arraigned in New York on charges by the DA to the chorus of US liberals in politics and media, that “in America nobody’s above the law”, nobody seemed conscious of … Continue reading →

Posted in By The Way | 1 Comment

What does reconciliation look like?

Posted on March 30, 2023 by andrew

What does reconciliation look like? Andrew L. Urban Reconciliation. The word is used almost automatically, especially in the context of the arguments about the Voice referendum. It sounds so …. positive, peaceful, in contrast to the stormy seas in which … Continue reading →

Posted in Quotidian | 1 Comment

Post-referendum blues

Posted on March 7, 2023 by andrew

Andrew L. Urban Come the referendum and the Voice will be dead or alive. But the shouting will  continue. Post-referendum Australia will have been socially and politically poisoned by this debate, as illustrated by the vitriol and general nastiness of … Continue reading →

Posted in Quotidian | Leave a comment

Play hardball with Putin, stop the carnage

Posted on February 26, 2023 by andrew

Andrew L. Urban The Western alliance against the Russian Federation’s Ukraine invasion is characterised by soft leather shoes, white shirts, diplomatic suits and dresses. The Putin side of things wears army boots and flak jackets, helmets, and carries a gun … Continue reading →

Posted in Organisations And Groups | 4 Comments