I will leave it to others to talk about what Keir Starmer did right and wrong in his two years as UK Prime Minister. (more…)
Catriona Jackson
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Pauline’s poisonous politics – Message from the Editor
A little while after Pauline Hanson graduated from Ipswich City Council politics to take the Queensland seat of Oxley, I ran into her in a Canberra pub. This isn’t as unlikely as it sounds. Journalists and politicians often drink together, or at least in close proximity to each other, and in the late 1990s Canberra had so few drinking holes that collisions were inevitable.
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Hanson, Morrison and Trump: lies, fear, and how to fight back – Message from the Editor
Fear and panic aren’t just bad in themselves; they often lead to stasis. (more…)
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That sinking feeling – Message from the Editor
Sometimes you just have to wait.
I’m not a very patient person, but I have learned two things about patience and persistence:
the hard, really important stuff never comes quickly; and
issues run in cycles. If you don’t hit the finish line this time, hang on: there will almost certainly be another opportunity. (more…)
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Politics and sport: what’s really in our heads and hearts?
Opinion polls – and the women and men who devise, conduct and analyse them – often get a bad rap. And some of the time that is understandable. (more…)
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Compassion does not end at the front gate – Message from the Editor
Like many I was revolted by the video of Itamar Ben-Gvir taunting and humiliating courageous international citizens determined to get supplies to Palestine. If you haven’t seen it, the video shows the Israeli Minister humiliating Gaza flotilla activists, who are shown kneeling in rows, heads bowed, hands cable-tied behind their backs.
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Cannes and the courts deliver a sharp rebuke to political silencing – Message from the Editor
Two seemingly unconnected things happened this week, one at the Cannes film festival on the French Riviera, the other in the US District Court in Washington. The events concerned two women – Susan Sarandon and Francesca Albanese. So what connects an icon of the screen with an Italian human-rights lawyer, and why does it matter?
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Budget 2026: Leadership means more than keeping campaign promises – Message from the Editor
The obsession with whether governments have broken campaign promises is shrinking political ambition and discouraging the kind of leadership needed to tackle Australia’s deep structural problems, P&I Editor Catriona Jackson writes. (more…)
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New partner, new voices: message from the Editor
P&I is digging deeper into issues and, thanks to new partnerships, bringing you perspectives from leading thinkers both in our daily feed and in curated series about important topics. (more…)
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The ‘little’ things that matter – Message from the Editor
There were lots of ‘big’ stories this week, in the wider world and in P&I. The assassination attempt at the White House dinner, the anniversary of the Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania, rising debate over our place in the world in our Foreign Policy Rethink series, and constant violations of the Israel/Lebanon ceasefire. The list goes on. (more…)
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Is Trump actually helping? Message from the Editor
Wouldn’t it be ironic if Donald Trump made us see sense. (more…)
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The bad, the worse, and the need for glee – Message from the Editor
It has been a week where a number of world ‘leaders’ have exceeded even the lowest of expectations. Clearly the lion in this fight is Donald Trump as Jesus, but there are some other really notable, local contenders. (more…)
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Pope 1, Trump 0 – Message from the Editor
You think things can’t get any worse and then they do! (more…)
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Albanese’s big moment a clanger – Message from the Editor
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Resistance and the ‘Regime’ – Message from the Editor
Something is happening in the United States. It’s not just the rise of a tyrannical, anti-democratic, narcissist President. It’s a people’s movement in response. It is the rise of a nationwide resistance, led by skilled truth-tellers who defy the tsunami of post-truth bilge and document the death toll and other obscenities. (more…)
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Keeping your chin up – Message from the Editor
Around our dinner table we volunteer our ‘best bits’ for the day. My eldest daughter started it with her boys, and it has now become an evening ritual for us all. It forces you to articulate the good bits of the day, and to listen to what have been the good bits for others. So I thought I would start doing that with readers as well. Each week, as I filter through the hundreds of articles, podcasts, and Instagram posts that inform our coverage, I will pick a best bit. If you are reading this on social media I would love to hear your best bits. (more…)
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Grandstanding government right off-side – Message from the Editor
I have never been cynical about politics. At my 1980s high school, I confused many by having then Prime Minister Bob Hawke plastered across my A4 binder instead of Bruce Springsteen or Boy George. After starting life in journalism, where there were plenty of cynics, I horrified my editor by leaving to work for the Federal ALP. He dubbed the move the worst decision I had ever made. But I was unmoved. (more…)
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Message from the Editor
When I stared in newspapers it was often said that today’s paper is tomorrow’s fish and chip wrapper. It is a relief to know that some are not so casual about the press. John Menadue and Paul Keating both have long memories, and mark a special anniversary today. It is exactly three years to the day since The Age and SMH ran a series called ‘Red Alert – warning war with China would come within three years, making that deadline today.
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Message from the Editor
I tried very hard to comply with former US Labor Secretary Robert Reich’s call to boycott The US President’s State of the Union address this past week – but when the Al Jazeera prompt flashed up on my computer screen I caved. (more…)
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Message from the Editor
I gasped in disbelief when I heard our Prime Minster invoke his beloved mother, when blocking the return of family members of ISIS fighters to Australia this week. He said: “My mother would have said, ‘If you make your bed, you lie in it’.” And he doubled down the next day, saying of the 11 women and 23 children: “I have nothing but contempt for these people.”
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Message from the Editor
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When peaceful protest is allowed to work, democracy works
Melbourne’s mass protest against the visit of Israel President Isaac Herzog showed how large, diverse crowds can assemble peacefully when police exercise restraint and common sense. Sydney’s response points to a deeper failure of judgment about protest, power and democracy. (more…)
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Message from the Editor
The debate over the visit of the Israeli President has occupied much space in P&I this week, and for good reason.
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Message from the Editor
Hello all – I hope you got some much-needed respite during what turned out to be a January full of grief and turmoil for so many. (more…)
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Message from the Editor
I hope you have had time to read our offerings on the terrible shootings at Bondi this week. Amidst a thicket of coverage, here and overseas, many readers were struggling to process the tragic events. (more…)
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Pearlcast: a year that overturned the old certainties
As 2025 draws to a close, the temptation is to look for neat summaries and settled conclusions. But in the latest episode of our podcast Pearlcast, that impulse is firmly resisted. (more…)
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Message from the Editor
As we hurtle towards the chaos of Christmas, we are taking a moment to reflect on the high and lows of 2025, and what it all means for 2026.
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Don’t take it from us – here’s what great Australians think of P&I
At the time of writing, Pearls & Irritations is still $23,405 short of its critically needed fundraising target, with just four days remaining. Leading Australian thinkers explain why independent, expert-led analysis matters more than ever.
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Message from the Editor
Sometimes we run a piece that is much longer than our usual 1000 word upper limit because it is worth it. (more…)
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P&I provides a moral compass, keeps hope alive and spurs on action
‘Let me also take this opportunity to say thank you for what you are doing for Australia. P&I provides a moral compass, keeps hope alive and spurs on action.” Dr Jane Anderson Adjunct Research Fellow – Population and Global Health The University of Western Australia (more…)