Category Archives: Humour and Democracy

Andrew L. Urban The Sneering Hubris Awards, nicknamed the SMUGGIES, were announced in the wake of the King’s Birthday Honours where the Companion of the Order of Australia awards list included Daniel Andrews and Mark McGowan, former premiers of Victoria and … Continue reading →

Nothing illustrates a wart on the body politic like satire and the Babylon Bee is up to the task. This week it led with a headline “Latest Polls Show Biden Will Need Twice As Many Fake Ballots To Win Election … Continue reading →

Totalitarian regimes forbid political satire, whereas democracies thrive on it. No subject is taboo; as writer, actor, philosopher Stephen Fry has said, “It is easy to forget that the most important aspect of comedy, after all, its great saving grace, … Continue reading →

Andrew L. Urban Hi Folks, welcome to our neck of the woods (mind the charred koalas). The dunny is down the back there and you’ll find it well supplied with paper. We had several copies of the Constitution that we … Continue reading →

Andrew L. Urban Once upon a time there was a girl called Anna, who lived in a lovely sunny house with a view of fields, forests and the sea. All was well in her family house, furnished with many lovely … Continue reading →

Andrew L. Urban. Things that may have happened in recent days or should have happened or maybe shouldn’t have happened or indeed shouldn’t happen  … Melbourne City Council, not to be outdone by Sydney Mayor Clover Moore’s declaration of a … Continue reading →

Andrew L. Urban. There is a dog-leg shaped room in the accommodation wing of the Kremlin where Vladimir Putin retires to watch tv. The main room has a lounge and several armchairs, the big tv screen on the wall, and … Continue reading →

A fourth-grade teacher asked the children what their fathers did for a living. All the typical answers came up – fireman, mechanic, businessman, salesman… and so forth. However, little Johnny was being uncharacteristically quiet, so when the teacher prodded him about … Continue reading →

Johannes Leak has the gift his late father Bill, had. Genes, maybe? Anyway, his cartoons are as funny as they are sharp-eyed. This one was published in The Weekend Australian, February 2/3, 2019, when one of the political news stories … Continue reading →

Andrew L. Urban’s entry in the 2017 Thawley Prize * at Spectator Australia. It didn’t win. The following speech was recorded on a mobile phone by the head waiter at the Climate Council’s ‘sorry dinner’ in December 2017, held at … Continue reading →