Inside Story
@insidestory.bsky.social
Books, ideas, current affairs and culture from a (mainly) Australian perspective
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Lea Ypi's new book Indignity: A Life Reimagined was inspired by her discovery of the photograph below of her grandparents on their honeymoon. I reviewed the book for @insidestory.bsky.social
insidestory.org.au/finding-the-...
insidestory.org.au/finding-the-...
Finding the right words • Inside Story
Accusations that her grandmother was a communist spy or a fascist collaborator — or both — sent Lea Ypi back to Albania and into her own imagination
insidestory.org.au
November 17, 2025 at 12:59 AM
Lea Ypi's new book Indignity: A Life Reimagined was inspired by her discovery of the photograph below of her grandparents on their honeymoon. I reviewed the book for @insidestory.bsky.social
insidestory.org.au/finding-the-...
insidestory.org.au/finding-the-...
“Baker was famous during the interwar period for her role in La Revue Nègre and her scandalous ‘banana skirt’ dance at the Folies Bergères… Yet here she was, being honoured in the Panthéon alongside Voltaire and Victor Hugo.”
A spy in the Panthéon • Véronique Duché
Audacious African-American singer, dancer and actor Josephine Baker earned her place among France’s wartime greats
inside.org.au
November 14, 2025 at 11:46 PM
“Baker was famous during the interwar period for her role in La Revue Nègre and her scandalous ‘banana skirt’ dance at the Folies Bergères… Yet here she was, being honoured in the Panthéon alongside Voltaire and Victor Hugo.”
“Back in December 2009, Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership of his party was disposed of over climate change policy. Or was it? Deep down, his demise was driven by terrible opinion polls that put the federal Coalition way, way behind the Rudd government.“ Peter Brent on the Libs’ net-zero decision
Zero-sum game • Peter Brent
A change of Liberal policy will bring electoral pluses and minuses for the opposition
inside.org.au
November 13, 2025 at 5:13 AM
“Back in December 2009, Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership of his party was disposed of over climate change policy. Or was it? Deep down, his demise was driven by terrible opinion polls that put the federal Coalition way, way behind the Rudd government.“ Peter Brent on the Libs’ net-zero decision
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COP30 is up and running. What are the issues on the agenda? This is my first report from Belem, which is not actually ‘the capital of the Amazon’, but is nevertheless an appropriate venue for a conference in search of sustainable and equitable economic development. insidestory.org.au/for-whom-wil...
For whom will Belém toll? • Inside Story
President Lula’s climate summit failed to defy Donald Trump in the way some had hoped, but COP30 has the chance to tackle two key challenges — if they can get on the agenda
insidestory.org.au
November 12, 2025 at 9:26 PM
COP30 is up and running. What are the issues on the agenda? This is my first report from Belem, which is not actually ‘the capital of the Amazon’, but is nevertheless an appropriate venue for a conference in search of sustainable and equitable economic development. insidestory.org.au/for-whom-wil...
“When Josephine Baker’s ashes were transferred to the Panthéon in 2021 many French people were surprised. Why would an American-born performer, known mainly for her energetic performances in the music halls of 1920s Paris, take her place among the nation’s ‘great men’?” @yalepress.bsky.social
A spy in the Panthéon • Véronique Duché
Audacious African-American singer, dancer and actor Josephine Baker joined the ranks of France’s wartime greats
inside.org.au
November 12, 2025 at 6:33 AM
“When Josephine Baker’s ashes were transferred to the Panthéon in 2021 many French people were surprised. Why would an American-born performer, known mainly for her energetic performances in the music halls of 1920s Paris, take her place among the nation’s ‘great men’?” @yalepress.bsky.social
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My new book, The Stained Man, is being published next May by the good folks at Scribe.
Here's the cover:
Here's the cover:
November 12, 2025 at 6:26 AM
My new book, The Stained Man, is being published next May by the good folks at Scribe.
Here's the cover:
Here's the cover:
Reposted by Inside Story
Reviewed Sam Tanenhaus's William F. Buckley bio. insidestory.org.au/the-entertai...
The entertaining insurgent • Dominic Kelly
Conservative activist William F. Buckley cajoled America along the road to the Reagan revolution
insidestory.org.au
November 10, 2025 at 5:20 AM
Reviewed Sam Tanenhaus's William F. Buckley bio. insidestory.org.au/the-entertai...
“You might have thought that the emissions gap would be the key item on the COP30 agenda — and most countries in the world would agree with you. But a powerful bloc, including China, India and Saudi Arabia, is insisting otherwise.” Michael Jacobs reports from Belém insidestory.org.au/for-whom-wil...
For whom will Belém toll? • Inside Story
President Lula’s climate summit failed to defy Donald Trump in the way some had hoped, but COP30 has the chance to tackle two key challenges — if they can get on the agenda
inside.org.au
November 10, 2025 at 7:15 AM
“You might have thought that the emissions gap would be the key item on the COP30 agenda — and most countries in the world would agree with you. But a powerful bloc, including China, India and Saudi Arabia, is insisting otherwise.” Michael Jacobs reports from Belém insidestory.org.au/for-whom-wil...
The Brazilian president’s climate summit failed to defy Donald Trump in the way some had hoped, writes @michaelujacobs.bsky.social, but COP30 has the chance to tackle two key challenges — if they can get on the agenda insidestory.org.au/for-whom-wil...
For whom will Belém toll? • Inside Story
President Lula’s climate summit failed to defy Donald Trump in the way some had hoped, but COP30 has the chance to tackle two key challenges — if they can get on the agenda
inside.org.au
November 9, 2025 at 2:43 AM
The Brazilian president’s climate summit failed to defy Donald Trump in the way some had hoped, writes @michaelujacobs.bsky.social, but COP30 has the chance to tackle two key challenges — if they can get on the agenda insidestory.org.au/for-whom-wil...
“The temptation is strong to imagine that today, at the end of the tale, we have arrived at a nirvana of toleration, quietly mocking readers before us who not only had silly values but were also dumb enough to judge the past by them.”
A gateway drug to history • Kate Fullagar
The curious afterlife of Samuel Pepys’s diary
inside.org.au
November 6, 2025 at 6:15 AM
“The temptation is strong to imagine that today, at the end of the tale, we have arrived at a nirvana of toleration, quietly mocking readers before us who not only had silly values but were also dumb enough to judge the past by them.”
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Thanks to Ien Ang and @insidestory.bsky.social for this very thoughtful review of my new book! inside.org.au/screening-mu...
Screening multicultural Australia • Ien Ang
How migrants have made their presence felt in an evolving TV landscape
inside.org.au
October 30, 2025 at 11:39 AM
Thanks to Ien Ang and @insidestory.bsky.social for this very thoughtful review of my new book! inside.org.au/screening-mu...
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“A marvel of narrative art … it’s the very best book I’ve read in quite a while.”
Sara Dowse (@saradowse.bsky.social) reviews 'Marseille 1940' by Uwe Wittstock (@uwewittstock.bsky.social) for @insidestory.bsky.social
insidestory.org.au/perilous-ref...
Sara Dowse (@saradowse.bsky.social) reviews 'Marseille 1940' by Uwe Wittstock (@uwewittstock.bsky.social) for @insidestory.bsky.social
insidestory.org.au/perilous-ref...
Perilous refuge • Sara Dowse
Uwe Wittstock’s Marseille 1940 is a marvel of narrative art
insidestory.org.au
October 30, 2025 at 11:38 AM
“A marvel of narrative art … it’s the very best book I’ve read in quite a while.”
Sara Dowse (@saradowse.bsky.social) reviews 'Marseille 1940' by Uwe Wittstock (@uwewittstock.bsky.social) for @insidestory.bsky.social
insidestory.org.au/perilous-ref...
Sara Dowse (@saradowse.bsky.social) reviews 'Marseille 1940' by Uwe Wittstock (@uwewittstock.bsky.social) for @insidestory.bsky.social
insidestory.org.au/perilous-ref...
Reposted by Inside Story
Freue mich sehr: Schriftstellerin Sara Dowse hat eine großartige Rezension geschrieben für "Inside Story" in Australien. "Uwe Wittstocks 'Marseille 1940' ist ein Meisterwerk der Erzählkunst. Glauben Sie mir: Es ist das beste Buch, das ich seit langem gelesen habe." insidestory.org.au/perilous-ref...
October 30, 2025 at 7:01 AM
Freue mich sehr: Schriftstellerin Sara Dowse hat eine großartige Rezension geschrieben für "Inside Story" in Australien. "Uwe Wittstocks 'Marseille 1940' ist ein Meisterwerk der Erzählkunst. Glauben Sie mir: Es ist das beste Buch, das ich seit langem gelesen habe." insidestory.org.au/perilous-ref...
Reposted by Inside Story
Donald Trump’s impact on global climate policy is not as great as feared. In this piece for Inside Story I give both the ‘glass half full’ and ‘glass half empty’ versions: what Trump is doing, and how rapid the clean energy transition has now become, despite him. insidestory.org.au/trump-vs-ear...
Trump vs. Earth • Michael Jacobs
Threatening behaviour at this month’s maritime negotiations continued the US administration’s efforts to turn back the sustainability tide
insidestory.org.au
October 29, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Donald Trump’s impact on global climate policy is not as great as feared. In this piece for Inside Story I give both the ‘glass half full’ and ‘glass half empty’ versions: what Trump is doing, and how rapid the clean energy transition has now become, despite him. insidestory.org.au/trump-vs-ear...
“In an economy worried about its capacity to innovate and grow, Joel Mokyr tells the biggest story of all, a story informed by the full sweep of human history. You might think we should have seen his Nobel coming.”
Joel Mokyr’s Nobel shows a path towards economics’ holy grail • David Walker
A profession’s history viewed through the lens of its most famous prize
inside.org.au
October 20, 2025 at 8:56 AM
“In an economy worried about its capacity to innovate and grow, Joel Mokyr tells the biggest story of all, a story informed by the full sweep of human history. You might think we should have seen his Nobel coming.”
“Journos love a leadership stoush, and quite a few have cited the at-first-glance-impressive statistic that at this year’s election Hastie picked up 5.4% in Canning. But all sitting Libs in WA achieved positive swings, and Hastie’s was the smallest.” insidestory.org.au/less-hastie-...
More Hastie, less speed • Peter Brent
The pretenders to the Liberal throne are united by one thing — a lack of electability
inside.org.au
October 17, 2025 at 10:03 PM
“Journos love a leadership stoush, and quite a few have cited the at-first-glance-impressive statistic that at this year’s election Hastie picked up 5.4% in Canning. But all sitting Libs in WA achieved positive swings, and Hastie’s was the smallest.” insidestory.org.au/less-hastie-...
“Hawke’s over-the-top response to the pilots’ strike in 1989 was surely, as Day indicates, as much about his relationship with Peter Abeles, half-owner of Ansett, as it was about the threat the pilots’ salary claims posed to the Accord arrangements.”
Larrikins, legends and legislators • Frank Bongiorno
Three new books reveal the labour movement’s many faces
inside.org.au
October 16, 2025 at 5:42 AM
“Hawke’s over-the-top response to the pilots’ strike in 1989 was surely, as Day indicates, as much about his relationship with Peter Abeles, half-owner of Ansett, as it was about the threat the pilots’ salary claims posed to the Accord arrangements.”
Reposted by Inside Story
What on earth is happening in British politics? A far right party topping the polls barely a year after Labour won an election landslide, 100,000 white nationalists marching through London…
I have written an article for Inside Story trying to explain.
insidestory.org.au/disunited-ki...
I have written an article for Inside Story trying to explain.
insidestory.org.au/disunited-ki...
Disunited kingdom • Michael Jacobs
Keir Starmer’s Labour government is struggling to position itself in a fragmented political landscape
insidestory.org.au
October 13, 2025 at 10:14 AM
What on earth is happening in British politics? A far right party topping the polls barely a year after Labour won an election landslide, 100,000 white nationalists marching through London…
I have written an article for Inside Story trying to explain.
insidestory.org.au/disunited-ki...
I have written an article for Inside Story trying to explain.
insidestory.org.au/disunited-ki...
“Ravel, the younger man, was always happy to admit Satie’s influence — especially harmonic — on his music and Satie was mostly pleased to hear it.” @fitzcarraldoeds.bsky.social @reaktionbooks.bsky.social
The dandy and the eccentric • Andrew Ford
Two very different books mark the anniversaries of two very different composers
inside.org.au
October 11, 2025 at 3:22 AM
“Ravel, the younger man, was always happy to admit Satie’s influence — especially harmonic — on his music and Satie was mostly pleased to hear it.” @fitzcarraldoeds.bsky.social @reaktionbooks.bsky.social
“It’s easy to forget that Australian governments tend to change not because the opposition has set voters’ pulses racing but because the incumbent has worn out its welcome. We’re talking about voters who elected Tony Abbott as PM with a seriously big majority.”
Who’ll swing the next election? • Peter Brent
The electoral pendulum tells only part of the story
inside.org.au
October 11, 2025 at 3:18 AM
“It’s easy to forget that Australian governments tend to change not because the opposition has set voters’ pulses racing but because the incumbent has worn out its welcome. We’re talking about voters who elected Tony Abbott as PM with a seriously big majority.”
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Me on One Nation’s recent poll surge, overseas counterparts, and the big fat potential disinformation weakness in our electoral system.
insidestory.org.au/one-nations-...
insidestory.org.au/one-nations-...
One Nation’s warning • Pauline Hanson
Far-right disinformation has had a limited impact on Australian elections. But it would be wise to plan ahead
insidestory.org.au
October 2, 2025 at 5:27 AM
Me on One Nation’s recent poll surge, overseas counterparts, and the big fat potential disinformation weakness in our electoral system.
insidestory.org.au/one-nations-...
insidestory.org.au/one-nations-...
““The hardest thing to reckon with about this whole rotten business is that it remains unresolved. Leveson left the inquiry with stern recommendations that weren’t acted upon, despite David Cameron’s promise to do so. Phase two of Leveson has never happened.” Jane Goodall reviews The Hack…
A rollercoaster of spoilers • Jane Goodall
A pacey dramatisation of News International’s phone-hacking and influence-wielding leaves the story necessarily unfinished
inside.org.au
October 4, 2025 at 2:09 AM
““The hardest thing to reckon with about this whole rotten business is that it remains unresolved. Leveson left the inquiry with stern recommendations that weren’t acted upon, despite David Cameron’s promise to do so. Phase two of Leveson has never happened.” Jane Goodall reviews The Hack…
Reposted by Inside Story
Reposted by Inside Story
I reviewed a new biography of the historian Asa Briggs, by Adam Sisman, for Inside Story:
insidestory.org.au/now-down-to-...
insidestory.org.au/now-down-to-...
Now, down to business • Patrick Mullins
“A catalyst, a provocation, and a reassurance,” Asa Briggs combined prolific history-writing with an extraordinary range of other activities
insidestory.org.au
October 2, 2025 at 1:44 AM
I reviewed a new biography of the historian Asa Briggs, by Adam Sisman, for Inside Story:
insidestory.org.au/now-down-to-...
insidestory.org.au/now-down-to-...
“There’s a let-me-entertain-you spirit running through the movie that is sometimes expressed in dynamic, kinetic fashion, sometimes with cartoonish vigour, and sometimes through Anderson’s trademark needle drops.” Philippa Hawker’s review of ‘One Battle After Another’ and Anne Fontaine’s ‘Bolero.’
Whatever happened to the revolution? • Philippa Hawker
Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest feature, and the story of an orchestral work said to be performed somewhere in the world every fifteen minutes
inside.org.au
September 29, 2025 at 7:28 AM
“There’s a let-me-entertain-you spirit running through the movie that is sometimes expressed in dynamic, kinetic fashion, sometimes with cartoonish vigour, and sometimes through Anderson’s trademark needle drops.” Philippa Hawker’s review of ‘One Battle After Another’ and Anne Fontaine’s ‘Bolero.’