Sword Watch

Updated Thursday 11 March 2010

Sword Watch is an index that lists in chronological order, with the most recent at the top, the postings to The Political Sword since its inception in September 2008, together with a brief description of the item and the date of posting. To view an item, click the link.

Is there a widening chasm between the Canberra Press Gallery and the people? 11 March 2010
Is Rudd tying the bootstrappers’ shoelaces for them? The media's bootstrapping habit dissected. 6 March 2010
The Great Big Home Insulation Program Beat-up An acerbic apprasal of the insulation saga. 2 March 2010
So you think you’re a journalist? An acerbic critique of contemporary political journalism. 25 February 2010
A Triumphant Return or the Last Hurrah? Bushfire Bill on the media's handling of our leaders. 19 February 2010
More of Shanas’ Magic Looking Glass Another dose of Shanahan's Magic Looking Glass 18 February 1010
Newspoll through Shanas’ Magic Looking Glass A critique of Shanahan's Newspoll reporting. 16 February 2010
A sparrow farts in Queensland... Bushfire Bill exposes some classic Abbott hypocrisy. 12 February 2010
How can the Government sell its CPRS? An assessment of selling the CPRS. 9 February 2010
Tony – this is as good as it gets An appraisal of Tony Abbott's first two months. 5 February 2010
So you think you can dance? A delightful metaphor for contemporary politics. 1 February 2010
The political dilemma of an ageing population The political consequences of an ageing population. 28 January 2010
The Grumpy Old Denialist Party An extension of Bushfire Bill's tag for the Liberal Party. 25 January 2010
The Grumpy Old Party Bushfire Bill's analysis of the demeanour of the Libral Party. 22 January 2010
Why I am annoyed with Kevin Rudd...and why I’m not Bushfire Bill's first guest contribution. 19 January 2010
Bushfire Bill joins The Political Sword as a guest contributor 8 January 2010
The Rudd years One aspect of the first two years of the Rudd Government. 20 December 2009
The pugilistic politician An account of Tony Abbott's highly combative approach to politics. 10 December 2009
Dennis Shanahan is at it again An account of how Shanahan has reverted to his old form. 8 December 2009
Liberals turn up another dud A first appraisal of the Abbott era. 4 December 2009
He did it his way A 'pre-spill' review of the Turnbull era. 30 November 2009
The Formula One Coalition Race An overview of the frantic race for Coalition leadership. 27 November 2009
The sad state of Australia’s MSM A comparison of Australia's MSM with oversease papers. 22 November 2009
Foreign Ministers’ quiet voice of reason Voices of calm amid the Oceanic Viking saga. 29 October 2009
Which journalists do you trust on asylum seekers? An account of the asylum seeker debate. 25 October 2009
'The Insiders' gives us ‘insight’ on border protection A critique of the 18 October Insiders. 21 October 2009
Don’t poke the media – it might bite A critique of the media's sensitivity to criticism. 19 October 2009
The folly of resurrecting the dead The Coalition rolls out the old brigade. 16 October 2009
The curse of the electoral cycle Tony Abbott's latest delusion. 13 October 2009
After Turnbull An appraisal of the post-Turnbull candidates for Liberal leadership. 10 October 2009
Disingenuousness resurfaces The same mindless mantras are out and about. 7 October 2009
What will Turnbull do now? How will Turnbull handle the ETS issue? 5 October 2009
Who is this man called Kevin? A search for the real Kevin Rudd. 2 October 2009
Loathing kills logic An assesment of poor and quality political blog-sites. 28 September 2009
Memo to journalists – don’t praise the PM A piece about the reluctance to praise the PM. 24 September 2009
Milne sinks deeper into it A acerbic critique of the latest Milne piece. 21 September 2009
How do you rate our federal politicians? A game of rating our politicians' performance 18 September 2009
Beyond infancy Celebrating the first anniversary of The Political Sword. 13 September 2009
The dark art of opposing A cynical appraisal of the performance of the federal Opposition. 10 September 2009
The fatal march of the fiscal lemmings Will the Opposition follow Turnbull over the cliff? 8 September 2009
What value are economists to our society? Questioning the value of media economists. 5 September 2009
A state of unhealthy denial afflicts the Coalition Denial of the effect of the stimulus on GDP. 3 September 2009
How to imply a sinister twist from almost nothing A critique of a Paul Maley piece on OzCar. 30 August 2009
Political planning using Maslow’s pyramid An account of how the pyramid applies to politics. 27 August 2009
The corrosive effect of political anger An account of Coalition anger and its effect. 23 August 2009
Are Coalition scare campaigns running out of steam? Reasons for this are proposed. 19 August 2009
Will anyone who really understands emissions trading please speak up The CPRS again. 16 August 2009
Brendan Nelson says leadership is everything - how does Malcolm Turnbull rate? 12 August 2009
The Turnbull reply to the latest Rudd essay A brief analysis of the Turnbull essay. 9 August 2009
The Turnbull endgame? A review of the warning signals of Turnbull's downfall. 6 August 2009
Killing him softly with his words An account of the Costello interview on Lateline. 4 August 2009
Is the latest Rudd essay all spin? An analysis of the essay and the Gittins response. 1 August 2009
Living in a bubble of unreality A critique of an SMH editorial Rudderless leader. 30 July 2009
The great heath care awakening Comment on NHHRC Report - A Healthier Future For All Australians. 28 July 2009
Is the CPRS really a dog? An attempt to dissect out the so-called 'flaws' in the CPRS. 26 July 2009
The Garrett enigma A discussion about activist Peter Garrett as environment minister. 22 July 2009
The media versus the politicians A debate about the way the media treats politicians. 20 July 2009
Let’s leave it to Kevin A critical appraisal of the indifferent journalism around the Hu affair. 17 July 2009
Media flounders over the Hu affair An account of the media coverage of this affair. 15 July 2009
Turnbull in a China shop A discussion of Malcolm Turnbull's role in the Stern Hu affair. 13 July 2009
Site upgrade - more one-stop blogsites A description of upgrades to The Political Sword. 10 July 2009
Media wars – where does the blogger fit? An analysis of the Hartigan address to the Press Club. 8 July 2009
The PM to the media – I have a message for you The PM's satirical response to media antagonism. 5 July 2009
Will the Coalition ever learn? A critical analysis of Coalition attitudes, strategy and tactics. 2 July 2009
Don’t blame me A satirical open letter to the people of Australia from Malcolm Turnbull after the OzCar affair. 29 June 2009
Diagnosing cronyism The Opposition has accused Labor of cronyism over the OzCar affair. What is it? 28 June 2009
Stop at nothing – Malcolm Turnbull’s fatal flaw? An analysis of Turnbull's character and style. 24 June 2009
The old rusty ute The story of how an old ute loaned to the PM blew up into a political storm 20 June. 2009
The Costello exit? The final saga in the Costello story. Or is it? 17 June 2009
The media to the PM – we have a problem An satirical account of the media's antagonism to the PM. 13 June 2009
The sauce bottle saga A follow up to the media obsession with the PM's use of Queensland colloquialisms. 11 June 2009
Have we just experienced a crucial week politically? Written after emergence of good economic data 9 June 2009
The Fitzgibbon affair – endgame? The end of the Fitzgibbon saga and how it came about. 6 June 2009
Barack Obama's speech in Cairo A link to the Obama speeh. 5 June 2009
The media and the PM – is there dissonance? A dissection of the media's relationship with the PM. 2 June 2009
More on the Fitzgibbon affair, Bolt, and other trivia A follow-up to the Fitzgibbon saga. 31 May 2009
The Rudd essay on the GFC – was he right? Five economists evaluate the Rudd essay on the GFC. 29 May 2009
How do you rate our TV and radio journalists? Part 2 of a commentary on the quality of journalists. 25 May 2009
How do you rate our political journalists? Part 1 of a commentary on the quality of our journalists. 21 May 2009
How should we rate the quality of our political journalists? An analysis of how to rate journalists. 17 May 2009
The Coalition’s Budget Rap – deficit and debt, deficit and debt Coalition and deficit and debt. 13 May 2009
Liberals and Power – The Road Ahead A summary of the Peter van Onselen-edited book. 11 May 2009
The curious case of the man who forgot the GFC A satirical piece on the man who forgot the GFC. 8 May 2009
Is the GFC a manifestation of chaos? A parallel is drwan between the GFC and chaos theory. 5 May 2009
The logic of Joe Hockey A satire on the Shadow Treasurer's dubious logic 1 May 2009
What has become of the Fitzgibbon affair? An update on this saga. 27 April 2009
A hopeless Government? Ask the Opposition The Opposition's view of the Government. 24 April 2009
The arrogance of the media The media is taken to task over asylum seekers boat tragedy. 20 April 2009
Kids overboard all over again? A parallel is drawn to the 'kids overboard' scandal 17 April 2009
The NBN saga The debate about the national broadband network. 14 April 2009
Why is Malcolm Turnbull so unpopular? An attempt to analyse Turnbull's unpopularity. 11 April 2009
Why is our PM so popular? An analysis of the reasons for the PM's popularity. 7 April 2009
The media scum An attack on the media over its handling of the RAAF hostess affair. 3 April 2009
The Costello Memoirs A summary of Costello's book. 31 March 2009
The China intrigue China connections, the Fitzgibbon affair, and anti-China feelings. 28 March 2009
The ‘toxic bore’ stakes Tony Abbott's use of 'toxic bore' to describe Kevin Rudd. 26 March 2009
Dear Malcolm Some advice to Malcolm Turnbull after poor polling results. 23 March 2009
The power of one The extraordinary power exerted by Steve Fielding in the Senate. 19 Mrach 2009
The Turnbull Twist An account of Malcolm Turnbull's regularly changing position. 16 March 2009
Silly questions A critique of silly questions journalists ask. 12 March 2009
Has the Costello comeback begun? Another episode in the comeback saga. 13 March 2009
The Turnbull answer to the Rudd essay Turnbull's reply in The Australian. 8 March 2009
The Costello enigma Peter Costello's prospects for leadership. 6 March 2009
Who do you want at the helm? Captain Rudd or Admiral Turnbull? 5 March 2009
Dangerous and dishonest predictions Good data is needed to make predictions. 1 March 2009
What makes good online journalism? A set of criteria for su to follow. 27 February 2009
Mummy, I’m bored Comment on Abbott's 'toxic bore' description of Rudd. 25 February 2009
The Turnbull ETS wild card Turnbull raises the 'carbon target' stakes. 24 February 2009
Malcolm Turnbull’s intelligence Turnbull lacks political intelligence. 24 February 2009
Advice for The Opposition Some PR advice for the Coalition. 23 February 2009
A heart-warming remembrance The Day of Mourning for bushfire victims. 22 February 2009
The problem with economists A critique of their faulty predictiions. 18 February 2009
Matthew Franklin’s having a bad ‘scare’ day Rudd accused of plagiarising. 16 February 2009
Devine, van Onselen and Shanahan sit in judgement Three experts have a shot. 16 February 2009
At last Julie Bishop exits the Shadow Treasurer role She couldn't hang in any longer. 16 February 2009.
Why did Janet Albrechtsen write ‘Who is the real Rudd?’
What is Malcolm Turnbull up to?
Kevin Rudd’s essay on the global financial crisis
What does the Opposition believe should be done about the GFC?
I have a dream – no, I have a hope
The Political Sword 2009
Added features on The Political Sword
Time for hibernation
The convoluted politics of climate change
Year end – how do the parties stand?
Opposition ship docks for repairs
The curse of adversarial politics
Why does Malcolm Turnbull make so many mistakes?
Turnbull’s benchmarks for failure
The genius in the Opposition
The ‘deficit’ wedge
Rudd’s First Year – What the papers say
Blog Watch
The gathering media assault on Rudd-speak
The Rudd Report Card one year in
Will world leaders do a climate change Nero?
The emerging Opposition strategy
The hazard of uncertainty
Barack Obama’s message to Australian politics
Glenn Milne – the mischievous journalist
The CPRS, Treasury modelling, and the predictable reaction
The bank guarantee – what does the Opposition and the media really believe?
The national interest versus political expediency
Where has reason flown?
A plain man’s glossary of finance market terms
Much ado about nothing
The great media awakening
The economy – who can we believe?
Media melancholy
To quibble or not to quibble
Kevin Rudd – all action, no talk
Malcolm’s at it again
What’s got into our TV interviewers?
Andrew Bolt – Pied Piper to his bloggers
The corrosive effect of political slogans
Why is the Opposition antagonizing the banks?
So will interest rates now always be lower under Labor?
Why do so many in the media enjoy a beat-up?
What should we expect from the Shadow Treasurer?
Could the media tide be turning?
The Cringe Dwellers
The Turnbull Report Card 10 days in
Integrity in journalism A critique of poor quality journalism. 24 September 2008
Do we want our Prime Minister to travel overseas? A critique of PM travel. 23 September 2008
Political commentating as a blood sport About journalists' love of a cockfight. 22 September 2008
The ‘ain’t it awful’ syndrome The Coalition's lament after losing Government. 22 September 2008
Will the real Malcolm Turnbull please stand up? Who is the new Opposition Leader? 19 September 2008
The hardest job in politics Some satire about being Opposition Leader 17 September 2008
Peter Costello’s painful parting Revelations from The Costello Memoirs. 15 September 2008
In search of the political Holy Grail – the Rudd Government narrative What narrative? 14 September 2008
Welcome to The Political Sword blog A description of The Political Sword 13 September 2008

Posted on The Possum Box

A plain man’s guide to an emissions trading scheme A simplified account of this complex scheme. 21 July 2008
Is adversarial politics damaging our democracy? An argument that this is damaging our democracy. 10 July 2008
Awaiting the awakening-The Media and Kevin Rudd The media's misunderstanding of Rudd. 23 June 2008
Is the media in Australia suffering from groupthink? An argument that indeed it is. 14 June 2008

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