Culture / Books

Reflections on Resilience: What Priscilla Presley’s Melbourne Reflections Tell Us About Political Fortitude As she touches down in Melbourne, Priscilla Presley, at 80, offers a poignant moment of personal reflection on a life lived under intense scrutiny – grappling with love, loss, and the more enigmatic question of “why Elvis went through so many TVs.” For us in political journalism, such reflections, even from the seemingly distant world of celebrity, often echo deeper societal currents. They invite us to ponder not just the visible events, but the underlying pressures and systemic factors that lead to breakdowns, be they personal or political. ...

From Brooding Fiction to Moody Billionaires: A Political Lens on This Week’s Reads You know, after 15 years in political journalism, wading through countless policy briefs, parliamentary debates, and election campaigns, sometimes the most insightful political commentary doesn’t come from a think tank report or a minister’s speech. Sometimes, it emerges from the pages of a novel, a historical account, or even speculative fiction. This week, as the political news cycle spun with the usual churn of government policy debates and emerging political trends, I found myself drawn to a diverse collection of new books. And what struck me was how each, in its own way, offered a unique lens through which to conduct vital political analysis and ponder the policy implications of our current moment. ...

Alright, pull up a chair, grab a coffee. We need to talk about this. You know, I’ve been covering politics for, well, let’s just say a lot of election cycles. More than 15 years now, tracking everything from obscure policy debates to the raw, visceral aftermath of national campaigns. And honestly, there’s nothing quite like the post-mortem of a lost presidential race. It’s like watching a high-speed train derail in slow motion, and then everyone scrambles to figure out who pulled the switch. ...