2023 Recap

A collection of longer-form writing that I published here this year

Fitzroy Gardens, Melbourne

This newsletter has been going for over a year now. It hasn’t taken off the way I had hoped, but I’m grateful for all those who have subscribed and continue to read my work.

Aside from the weekly posts that provide some small commentary or reflections on my activities for the week – alongside links to articles from the week – I have also published some longer form writing. I haven’t had the chance to be as productive as I would have liked, as there’s a pipeline of ideas or unfinished pieces I’m yet to get to, but there have been several pieces that I’ve put a lot of effort into and am proud of.

This year I’ve been concerned about the language we use in political writing – whether it be through conventional or social media. Much of my thinking about this is due to realising that our current political lexicon is no longer capable of describing our political era. So several pieces I published have focused on these problems.

Below is some of my better work for the year, with a short description of each piece. Most of these articles are written to have a certain timelessness to them, rather than be tied to certain events. So I’m hoping that they all still have a bit of life in them out there on the internet (feel free to share!).

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Our “So-Called” Problem

The bane of my existence is the incessant use of the phrase “so-called”. It is not only a lazy use of language, but due to the various ways that it is used it is indicative of the cynicism and constant in-group signalling that have overwhelmed modern politics.

America’s Liberal Dilemma

For those of us outside the United States the way the term “liberal” is overwhelming used in the U.S is an irritant. So in this piece I tried to explain what liberalism actually is, and try to understand why Americans use the term in their distinct way. This led to the recognition that as long as both the Democrats and Republicans believed in enough of liberalism there was a failsafe within the system. Unfortunately, due to the Republican Party abandoning liberalism, and a number of new progressive ideas equally as suspicious of it, the stability of U.S politics is under threat.

What About Whataboutery

Although I am a reluctant participant in social media, from the time I do spend on Twitter it is clear that whataboutery is its primary currency. So in this piece I used George Orwell’s Notes on Nationalism as a way to illustrate the psychological impulses behind whataboutery and the groupism that drives it.

Captured By Chaos

This piece was an attempt to explain why such chaotic political figures like Donald Trump and Boris Johnson are able to appeal to significant constituencies – and counterintuitively those who claim to value stability. How they operate on a frequency that many of us hear as a piercing static, but others feel in tune with.

Adam Smith vs the Ultra-Nationalists

The return of ultra-nationalist parties in Europe is a challenge to the way we have understood the left-right spectrum over recent decades. In this piece I explained why parties like Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National are not “moving left” on economic ideas – as a deep suspicion of economic liberalism is where these kinds of parties have always been.

Problematic Progressivism

In October Australia held a referendum on recognising Indigenous Australians in the constitution, and proposed the creation of a new advisory body on indigenous affairs. I voted yes, as I believe that new ideas are necessary to close the gap between Indigenous and other Australians. However, I argue in this piece one factor (of many) for the referendum’s failure was a (justified) suspicion of the new neat moral binary of “decolonisation” and the strange shift in progressive politics that has become obsessed with race.

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Later this week I’m heading to Taiwan for their forthcoming election. I’ve never been before so I am looking forward to it. Even if I am still carrying a couple of broken bones. I’m hoping to speak to as many people as possible and gain some new ideas to write about that are not solely connected to the election. Stay tuned!

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