Jeff Sparrow
Jeff Sparrow is a writer, editor and broadcaster, and an Honorary Fellow at Victoria University.
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Lurks, perks and entitlements: how MPs consolidate themselves as a distinctive casteThe history of the payment of politicians gives some insight into today’s grotesque entitlement scandals
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Class and identity politics are not mutually exclusive. The left should use this to its benefitMany on the left think that relating to class anger means we can’t call out bigotry. But a recognition of class shouldn’t be an alternative to combatting oppression
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We need to save our cities. The fate of the Corkman pub and Sirius is social destructionAs places in which ordinary people once lived are transformed into sterile playgrounds for the rich, we should recapture the spirit of the ‘green bans’
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The 'bring Abbott back' push is completely delusionalUnlike Kevin Rudd, there’s no public appetite for the return of Tony Abbott. And the policies he’s championing to differentiate himself are hugely unpopular
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We can’t build a progressive political agenda without tackling bigotryMuch has been written on how to combat racist rhetoric and attitudes. Yes, we need a different kind of politics but that depends on defeating racism
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Workers have been banned from calling out 'scab'. Where are the freedom senators?The anti-18C campaign is being pushed by the privileged, invoking high principles only to obscure how little skin they have in the game
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A yes vote for marriage equality could show politicians we won't stand for bigotryIf a marriage equality plebiscite is upon us, we must make sure it’s a victory for equality. The implications of that would be felt across the political landscape
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Terror and rage: what makes a mass murderer different to a terrorist?The contrast between mass killings labelled as ‘terrorism’ and those that aren’t becomes even starker when the crimes look the same
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The greyhound ban and the working man: what exactly does 'working class culture' mean?The greyhound controversy provides an interesting illustration of why the class label remains attached to some cultural activities and not to others
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The liberal left is trapped in a death spiral: progressives need to throw the reset switchAt a crucial moment in history, it’s worth thinking about the evolution of progressive ideas, in the US, the UK and in Australia
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The more the Liberals flounder, the more credible an Abbott comeback seemsA Tony Abbott return to Liberal leadership seems far-fetched until you consider the political landscape that enabled the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd melodrama
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War, patriotism and academic 'culture wars': we've been here beforeA campaign against German academics during the first world war is a minor example of the social polarisation of the time. But it’s familiarity today makes it a story worth retelling
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The Panama Papers told us what we already knew. How we respond will be the storyThere’s nothing more demoralising than understanding the world is rigged against you but you can do nothing about it. But can recent leaks spark a revolt?
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The scapegoating of America's poor has echoes of the 'lifestyle choices' of Indigenous AustraliansThe call for white working class Americans to get out of their dead-end towns to find jobs is reminiscent of the call for Indigenous Australians to participate in the ‘real economy’
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Training children to obey authority doesn't keep them safe, it puts them in dangerIn light of Cardinal Pell’s testimony and the Safe Schools fiasco, it’s more important than ever to empower children with information about sexuality
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Why does the Australian Christian Lobby enjoy a privileged position in public debate?In an era in which political parties have lost their automatic hold on their constituency, a small cadre of reactionaries can exert an outsized influence
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Can anyone imagine Alan Jones demanding more white kids be stolen?Two speeches a year apart – one apologising to black children for being taken from their families, another to white children for the same injustice. Why is only one speech still controversial?
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There are obvious democratic reasons for Australia to become a republicThe current pitch for an Australian republic promises a change that will make no difference at all. But getting rid of the whole damn family would actually make a huge difference to our democracy
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Mal Brough may lose his job over Ashbygate. He should have lost it over the interventionWhy has Mal Brough never been forced to answer questions about his disastrous intervention into Indigenous communities policy?
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'Wayward suffragette' Adela Pankhurst and her remarkable Australian lifeResented by her mother, Emmeline’s rebel daughter has only a glancing reference in the film Suffragette. But her journey to exile Australia, and through socialism, fascism and Catholicism, would be worthy of a movie itself
Paul Robeson's songs and deeds light the way for the fight against Trump