from Crikey ….

Alan Jones' new porkies test: fact-checker for shock jock

Senator Bob Carr

The federal opposition has called for a police investigation into Prime Minister Julia Gillard's role in establishing a union association her former boyfriend used to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Our nation might be rich but rampant consumerism is not making us any happier

The government has blocked the disclosure of a set of confidential letters written by Prince Charles to ministers.

Memo to those on the hill: be mindful, the electorate may be catching on that all your noise is sound and fury that signifies nothing, Nicholas Stuart writes.

Cabinet Office proposals to expand the use of secret courts will create a "secret justice system straight from the pages of a Kafka novel", an Amnesty International report will warn on Monday.

Broadcaster Bill Deller discusses WikiLeaks, the CIA and the ALP, and why Australia won’t get a seat on the UN Security Council.

Physicists say they may have evidence that the universe is a computer simulation.

How? They made a computer simulation of the universe. And it looks sort of like us.

from politicoz ….

The week reached peak silliness yesterday when it was declared that a function room should have been immediately evacuated when a comedian made a bad joke. It seems everyone has been caught up in the moveable feast of outrage and victimhood.

from politicoz ….

what they knew before ….

Julia Gillard's speech on Tuesday is the subject of much debate, and for good reason. It was an important moment in the life of this parliament.

Former Speaker Peter Slipper has already exercised his newfound power as an independent MP by voting with Labor to change standing orders against the wishes of the Coalition.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott suggested yesterday Mr Slipper should always side with the Coalition and that he would be happy to accept his vote.