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- Written by: Op-Ed Happy Expat
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I REMEMBER WHEN Armistice Day was commemorated spontaneously, reverently and universally.
As a kid at state (primary) school we were taught about the sacrifice of the soldiers who died in the war to end all wars and assembled at 11.00am to salute the flag, the Union Jack, and have 2 minutes silence with heads bowed.
That was in the 1940’s when there were many veterans of WW1 still among us.
The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month was instilled into us with the utmost reverence and seriousness.
Read more: Remembrance Day Down Under - Armistice Day remembered
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- Written by: The PR Blog
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E.D. Butler (1916–2006) was an influential Australian nationalist and founder of the Australian League of Rights, known for his opposition to international financial power and his advocacy for national sovereignty.
In The Planned Surrender of Australia, E.D. Butler warned that Australia was gradually losing its sovereignty to foreign powers and international financial institutions. It was back in 1989 that he argued that the country’s policies were increasingly dictated by external interests rather than by Australians themselves, leading to an erosion of economic independence, democratic control, and national identity. Butler urged Australians to resist this trend, advocating for economic self-reliance, protection of local industries, and a focus on national welfare over global obligations. His message was a call to safeguard Australia’s future by rejecting foreign influence and prioritising Australian autonomy.
The speech is almost Australia's equivalent to George Orwell's 1984 but tailored to Australia. Strangely enough this speech can easily be relevant to every Western Nation at the moment.
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- Written by: The PR Blog
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Sir Winston Churchill and Donald Trump are two towering, if unlikely, figures in the political landscapes of Britain and the United States.
Despite differences in their backgrounds and political eras, both men rose to power with a blend of unshakable confidence, bold rhetoric, and a magnetic appeal that captured the imagination of millions. In short, they had charisma. They were powerfully individual.
Each experienced the sting of political defeat only to retain influence and return to the public stage with undiminished resolve.
Churchill’s legacy as Britain’s wartime leader and Trump’s as a leader of a group of deplorables and garbage offer fascinating parallels in the power of resilience and the enduring connection to their supporters.
Examining their political journeys reveals how these leaders, in their own unique ways, came to embody national pride and defiance, forever shaping how their countries think about leadership in uncertain times.
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- Written by: Op-Ed Shaydee Lane
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This morning I went outside to sit in the sunshine and have a morning cup of tea. The manager of my building complex was mowing the lawn and the smell of the freshly mown grass was in the morning air.
Most of us know that smell so well and it triggers memories of childhoods and happy days. For my American readers, you are heading into winter as we down under head into summer.
But we, throughout the world, are all heading into a new season of light and I sense a happy and optimistic spring after 4 years of a winter of discontent.
America is now truly unburdened by what has been!
It is time to metaphorically mow the lawns, take out the trash and clean up the mess. And what a job it will be.
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- Written by: Op-Ed Monty
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When I was young, I had the honour of voting in my first election. It was in New Zealand back in the 1970's when there were two parties that most people voted for. Right or Left, I voted for neither. I cast my vote for a thing called Social Credit.
Now don't confuse this with the modern perception of China's Social Credit system..... in fact the two could not be more different. In fact, the very name that Douglas chose was something that gave it a bad reputation before it ever really got off the ground.
The Social Credit system, proposed by C.H. Douglas in the 1920s, aimed to solve a common economic problem: people often don’t have enough money to buy everything businesses produce, which leads to waste and financial hardship. Douglas’s solution involved giving everyone a basic income, called a “National Dividend,” and adjusting prices to make goods more affordable. By putting money directly into people’s hands and controlling the money supply through government rather than banks, Social Credit envisioned a fairer, more stable economy without taking away individual freedom or relying heavily on taxes.
You see, back then, I actually trusted my government to do the right thing.
Was I right or wrong? I will never know. I have voted staunchly conservative in every election since then. Was it the folly of youth? But my young ideological brain rather liked the idea and I have obviously become far more cynical since those heady days of youth.
Read more: Bridging the Money Gap to Create Fairer Economies...?
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- Written by: Op-Ed Monty
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Phar Lap, the legendary Australian racehorse, and Donald Trump, the American business magnate turned political figure, share a unique legacy of resilience and controversy that captivates people worldwide.
Phar Lap defied the odds to become a symbol of hope during Australia’s darkest economic times, achieving legendary status through sheer speed, strength, and a fighting spirit. Similarly, Trump, rising from the business world to the highest office in the U.S., has become a polarising figure whose defiance of political norms has sparked both fervent support and heated opposition.
While one’s fame comes from winning races on the track and the other’s from dominating the political stage, both embody an unstoppable drive that either inspires or divides, showing how champions...of the racetrack or of the ballot box... leave lasting marks on history.
When I was a lad and lighting fires, blowing things up and burning things was just old fashioned fun
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- Written by: Op-Ed Flysa
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When I was a lad in Western Australia, the 5th of November used to be an eagerly awaited event.
That was Guy Fawkes Night, commemorating the apprehension in 1605 of conspirators who plotted to blow up the British Parliament and were hanged and quartered.
Just the sort of thing a young Flysa could get excited about.
The Catholic conspirators led by Fawkes, placed thirty-six barrels of gunpowder in an undercroft beneath the House of Lords in order to assassinate the Protestant King James 1 during the opening of Parliament, and place his young daughter Elizabeth on the throne as a puppet Queen.
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- Written by: Op-Ed Shaydee Lane
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Of recent days, it has come to my attention that being thrifty is something that is not much admired these days. And it all started with a teabag.....
There’s a razor-thin line between prudence and being, well, a miser.
And it got me thinking about the leprechaun ... Leprechauns, with their legendary pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, seem to be poster figures for hoarding wealth. But are they truly misers, or are they just exceptionally prudent?
So here we go down a Shaydee rabbit hole all about Leprechauns, teabags and misers....
Let’s be real: Leprechauns don’t exactly share their wealth freely. They guard their pots of gold like it’s the only thing tethering them to reality.
Much like we feel today when our banks refuse us access to our money. Are leprechauns merely little chaps who got a handle on it long before we did?
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- Written by: Op-Ed Shaydee Lane
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A recent court decision has left many Australians angry.
The case involving Senator Pauline Hanson and Senator Mehreen Faruqi highlights significant issues around racial discrimination and freedom of speech in Australian politics. In September 2022, after Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi criticised Queen Elizabeth II and the legacy of British colonialism in the wake of her death, Senator Hanson responded on social media, telling Faruqi to “piss off back to Pakistan.” This comment sparked widespread debate and led to legal action, with Faruqi pursuing a complaint under Australia’s Racial Discrimination Act.
A federal court judge recently ruled that Hanson’s statement did indeed constitute racial discrimination, as it implied that Faruqi did not belong in Australia due to her Pakistani heritage and Moslem background. The court found that Hanson's remark was not simply a response to political discourse but was instead tied to Faruqi’s race and ethnicity, making it discriminatory. This ruling underscores the limits of public officials’ comments, even under the protection of parliamentary privilege and free speech in Australia.
Well, I feel moved to write about this from an Australian perspective.
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- Written by: Op - Ed Anthony Hammill
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I’ve started and restarted this article, pondered how to avoid hurting anyone’s sensitivities, and in the end have decided to accept Admiral Farragut’s advice at the Battle of Mobile Bay in 1864: Damn the torpedoes - full speed ahead!
I have an intellectual and emotional stake in this matter of the Charge of Beersheba (Be’er-Sheva). My maternal grandfather, 2788 Trooper John Joseph McGrath, was a horse breaker who served in the 2nd Remount Unit for more than three years under Major A.B. ‘Banjo’ Paterson in Egypt and Palestine.
My father, QX 17611 S/Sgt James Hammill served in the 2/ 14th LHR between the wars, then in Tobruk and the Middle East, including Palestine, with the 2/9 Bn. The subject of the Charge of Beersheba was not an infrequent topic at home and in places that I visited.
Read more: Real or Re Enactment? The Charge at Beersheba... a photograph full of mystery
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