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Monthly Archives: December 2020

Read more about the article An argument in favour of Krampus

An argument in favour of Krampus

DOES Christmas feel like it's missing something? Maybe it's Krampus. A character from northern European folklore, Krampus is a sort of goat-legged devil with horns, a long sloppy tongue, a basket on his back and a bunch of birch rods in his hand. The basket is for carting off bad children and the birch rods are for giving them a bit of a smack, if required. Krampus is Santa Claus’s darker twin, although in countries where he is put to work most people regard him as a figure of fun. Edgy fun, but fun all the…

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Read more about the article A century of Australian Christmas
A 1960s Christmas. Photo from Barry Shoesmith.

A century of Australian Christmas

Going to sleep on Christmas Eve was difficult. As a child, growing up in Newcastle, Australia, in the 1960s and 1970s, I was unconsciously witnessing great changes in Australian "culture". The introduction and spread of television, consumer credit and the optimistic belief that increasing prosperity was a national birthright made for bright, shiny Christmases full of exciting material presents. Toys and games, big, brightly illustrated books, dragster pushbikes, Lego sets and endless supplies of sweet foods arrived with December 25, punctuating the long hot summer holiday like the bright star on the top of the tinsel…

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Read more about the article 2020 has been bad for democracy, but look what might be coming next.
The Australian Government (left)

2020 has been bad for democracy, but look what might be coming next.

OH 2020. What a year you have been. Bushfires, drought, Covid-19, President Trump’s mind-boggling swansong, the non-declaration of a new cold war between the West and China: you brought so much dismay. It’s seemed so surreal to me, in Australia. For a start I had assumed that the Covid-19 pandemic would take off here, as it did in so many other countries. But – not to belittle the awful impact on those who were affected – the virus has been contained so far, contrary to my expectations. And yet, the pandemic has brought far-reaching consequences, especially…

Continue Reading2020 has been bad for democracy, but look what might be coming next.
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