Ideas@TheCentre
By their scandals ye shall know them
As long as we can get excited over something as trivial as Utegate, our condition may be hopeless but not serious.
Month: June 2009
Uncategorised
G8 loses way to point of nothing
The G8 deserves a special mention in the history books for its role in the 1970s and ‘80s, but only to the history books does it belong. In its current form, the G8 has managed to be even weaker than the sum of its parts. Wisdom has become nonsense, and the wise thing to do now is not to make the G8 bigger or more representative but to abolish it.
Uncategorised
Does Europe still matter?
Where is the European Union heading? How are Europe’s economies dealing with the repercussions of the financial crisis? And where will the continent be when the crisis is over? These are the questions that should be asked in Australia because the state of Europe still matters to our economy.
Uncategorised
The Rotten State of Britain
In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the play ends with the death of all the main characters, upon which Denmark is taken over by a foreign force. For Britain, there may soon only be the International Monetary Fund to turn to. Hamlet’s last words were ‘the rest is silence.’ Maybe that would be the best national motto for Britain as well.
Uncategorised
Parliament without a people
The elections for the European Parliament are at least as bizarre as the song contest. And just as nobody can remember last year’s Eurovision winners, the results of the EU elections are likely be forgotten soon after they are declared.