Latest commentary and opinion
Museum Friends feud inevitable part of volunteer divide
Kate Clark 7:52am The current stand-off between Sydney Living Museums and the separate volunteer-run Friends organisation is nothing new in the world of museums, or indeed in voluntary organisations in general.
In the Herald: November 1, 1966
Brian Yatman Escape in stolen truck, no way to spend a penny, expert critical of zoo.
Analysis
Equality more than just a matter of language
WALEED ALY Symbolism is important when it comes to the divisive issue of same-sex marriage.
Comment
In truth, the spying game is a necessary evil
Paul Monk However unpalatable, eavesdropping on our neighbours is vital for our own protection in a world of confusion and mistrust. There's just no way around it.
Opinion
We can surpass even our most inspiring neighbours
Rupert Murdoch Australia needs the best and brightest immigrants, provided they are willing to abide by our way of life.
Compliant media fed on leak soup and other titbits
RICHARD ACKLAND Images of The Secret Seven come to mind. The exact number of journalists who came to Tony Abbott's dinner at Kirribilli last Saturday is a state secret.
NSW bill is about marriage, just not equality
WALEED ALY Amid all the pyrotechnics surrounding same-sex marriage this week, it's important to remember that this is overwhelmingly a symbolic debate.
Twiggy Forrest unauthorized biography a book that needed to be written
Bob Maumill 10:03pm After reading the unauthorized biography of John Andrew Henry (Twiggy) Forrest written by Andrew Burrell a colleague of mine remarked, "Twiggy is going to hate this book".
Time to demystify brain cancer
Charlie Teo 8:49am The care of patients with brain tumours has been my passion for the last 25 years. I see on average 20 patients each week – that's about 1000 people per year. Yet brain cancer, like the brain itself, remains largely a mystery.
Spying, in all its tedious glory, is nothing new
Simon Morris 8:59pm If you'd been walking along the seafront in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, in the 1970s, you might have noticed a pleasant three-storey colonial-era building with the British coat of arms over its entrance.
Rupert Murdoch: The 21st century is Australia's for the taking
Rupert Murdoch 6:18pm Australia should not be angst-ridden over its place in the world. Australia should seize its place in the world.
Dangerous words precede dangerous deeds
Nick Dyrenfurth 2:25pm Bondi shows us that now is not the time to water down anti-discrimination laws.
In the Herald: October 31, 1933
Brian Yatman The graziers' best friend, a bad year for bachelors, playgrounds and butter.
A superannuation blow for low-income earners
Andrew Leigh Opinion Superannuation policy must be more equitable.
Winning office has its perks
John Warhurst Opinion Governments get to extend their influence by making appointments to advisory councils and boards.
Analysis
Coalition friction: it's a tension it doesn't need
JOSH GORDON Denis Napthine might have to make some tough decisions early in the new year as many MPs reach retirement age.
Opinion
Guilty verdict for Napthine government
Greg Barns The shunting of people from cell to cell is a recipe for mental and physical illness.
Comment
Labor hurting, but not all was lost
MARK KENNY Opinion The ALP's campaign director did a remarkable job of keeping the party alive.
Comment
Real music rings out over noise of fakery
Warwick McFadyen Even the real stuff is fake, if only we had the ears to listen, and the acumen to discern.
Chaos led to exodus of true believers
MARK KENNY Opinion Nobody likes losing but the former AFL half-back flanker-turned-politico George Wright wanted us to know this week he really hates it.
Hard to fight war on drugs when we are the ones fuelling it
Peter Hitchens The hunt for the Mr Big behind the drug trade is over at last. We have found him. It is you.
Labor abandons policy at its peril
Sean Kelly In April 2010, I had to brief Kevin Rudd before the news conference in which he would announce he was postponing his pursuit of a carbon price.
iPhone no longer the apple of my eye, but fellow who returned it is reliable to the core
PAUL SHEEHAN Late-night phone calls are usually not good. The stranger who called my wife late at night last week had a heavy accent and he wanted something.
We're battling to keep quiet about all our secrets
Philip Dorling Opinion Australia has long spied on its neighbours, especially Indonesia, and we've long sought to take advantage of that in our diplomacy.
Dirty dozen words to keep off your tongue
Alexandra Petri If you want a list of words to incorporate into your conversation to make you sound more intelligent, this is not the place. Frankly, I am not sure what you hope to gain by working random vocabulary into your conversations. Lists always result in conversations in which you pause for a few seconds and then say, your brow furrowing with intense concentration, “Dang, that lady makes a fine crepitation! I'd like to show her a machicolation or two, or would I?” And that never impresses anyone quite as much as you would like. Instead, here are a few words to purge from your speech immediately.
When October 31 is scary for all the wrong reasons
Petula Dvorak It's time to take the sexy out of Halloween and return the holiday to the kids.
Disadvantaged students deserve a mentor rise
Lisa O'Brien Australia's latest report card on educational achievement makes for depressing reading.
In the Herald: October 30, 1878
Brian Yatman ''It appears that the Mansfield district is alive with notorious characters, who express sympathy with the bushrangers and act as their confederates, as the movements of the police would seem to have been known to the Kelly gang …"
Comment
East-west link will drive Melbourne renewal
Maxwell Lay The proposed tunnel will transform the city's road transport network.
Comment
Popping the bubble on Reed's rock star authenticity
James Delingpole Elton John may not be happy with processed music, but it didn't do Lou Reed any harm.
