What does Australia Day mean to me?

Nothing says Australia Day like Aussie flags made in China, sold by Germans, with Mardi Gras beer. 

Tomorrow, I'm gonna wave my Aussie flag, made in China, sold by Germans, while drinking my cans of Mardi Gras-badged Little Creatures Pale Ale, because I bloody can because that's what Australia Day means to me.

Tomorrow, I'm gonna wave my Aussie flag, made in China, sold by Germans, while drinking my cans of Mardi Gras-badged Little Creatures Pale Ale, because I bloody can because that's what Australia Day means to me. pic.twitter.com/B3dBdeO4bx

— Le Flâneur Politique (@FlaneurPolitiq) January 25, 2023

This came about after Telstra's CEO decided to abandon the Australia Day holiday and certify their wokeness. As a customer, I am not impressed.

So I put in a complaint to Telstra via the Telstra App. Surprisingly, the helpdesk was on to it toot sweet! Perhaps they have had enough of woke bosses, too?

Decolonising ends up where, exactly?

Brittania Rules the Waves. Nicholas Habbe, 1876 [CC0]

Before the Christmas holidays, one of my mates jokingly said something about ‘soon you’ll be writing about the left’s war on Christmas’. I hadn’t thought about it until I noticed all of Australia’s universities, apart from two, had ‘Happy Holidays’ or ‘wishing you a happy festive season’ as their Christmas messages on LinkedIn. A commenter suggested to one of our oldest universities, ‘it’s OK to say Merry Christmas, you know’. I’m all for celebrating and respecting the various religious holidays but why is it so difficult to say ‘Merry Christmas’? Christmas, it seems, like much of the great tapestry of Western civilisation, is routinely demonised. It stems from an emerging academic trend known as ‘decolonising’ and it represents a misguided attempt to undo history and the foundations of the Western tradition. But to what end, exactly?

Here is my latest article in The Spectator's Flat White, Decolonising ends up where, exactly?

The endpoint of 'decolonisation' is the destruction of Western Civilisation itself - the version of civilisation that has brought more wealth, liberty, and progress than any other system in history.

We should be celebrating, not destroying, our history.https://t.co/PfiYo9lGYI

— The Spectator Australia (@SpectatorOz) January 24, 2023

A Grassroots Revival of Conservative Politics

Dr Michael de Percy presenting at the Public Policy Network 2020 Conference.

John Howard and Peter Costello are right to remind the federal government that we are 'robbing the future to pay for [the] present'. With Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ warning about Australia’s ageing population setting up the scene for an 'important announcement' (which will probably mean the stage 3 tax cuts will be removed and taxes will be increased), the time is ripe for the Coalition to put forward what they do best – reforms. Coinciding the reforms required within the party (as set out in the recent review of the party) with a policy platform based on conservative values will provide a clear distinction between Labor and the government-in-waiting. But that alone will not be enough. What is needed is a grassroots revival of conservative politics in Australia.

Here is my latest article in The Spectator's Flat White, A Grassroots Revival of Conservative Politics:

Australian conservatism needs a revival - is @PeterDutton_MP the man to do it?

Labor are robbing our children to furnish their regime, but as it stands, no one is trying to stop them.https://t.co/hpOdTCZ09H

— The Spectator Australia (@SpectatorOz) January 10, 2023