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Jacqueline Maley

Jacqueline Maley is the Canberra-based Parliamentary Sketch Writer for The Sydney Morning Herald.

Labor MP Kate Ellis

One of politics' saddest trends strokes again

It is a straight-up case of what I would call the Enormous Pull of the Tiny Face. It was also confirmation of one of politics' saddest trends – those politicians who have their priorities straight, often leave politics, because they have their priorities straight.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull: his character divides into "good Malcolm" and "bad Malcolm".

Men, are they just too emotional to govern?

It seems they have difficulty mastering their anger, resentment and jealousy, and resisting the emotional surges that cause them to forget national interest in favour of self-interest.

Yiannopoulos's self-named "Dangerous Faggot" speaking tour has sparked protests on college campuses for the past year.

Vulgar insult machines are edging towards mainstream here, too

Provocateurs such as Milo Yiannopoulos, the alt-right, performatively gay internet fake-news punk who this week lost his "journalism" job and his book deal, will always have the same safe space they retreat to when their views are deemed to have crossed a line.