menu_open Columnists

The Sydney Morning Herald

We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

Is this the beginning of the end for Trump?

Cracks are appearing in Donald Trump’s armour. Let’s consider his self-inflicted wounds.

latest 20

The Sydney Morning Herald

Bruce Wolpe

Economic turmoil created by Trump’s tariffs will affect everything from coffee to interest rates

The turmoil caused by Trump’s “Liberation Day” has been more wide-ranging than even the president could have expected. But what does it mean for me...

latest 9

The Sydney Morning Herald

Shane Wright

Albo, please tell me you haven’t bought into this ‘wellness’ con

You know the industry is cooked when you have a Married at First Sight groom calling himself a “wellness advisor”.

latest 10

The Sydney Morning Herald

Kate Halfpenny

Ange Postecoglou took on Tottenham fans and lost ... this feels like the end

Postecoglou had clashed with Spurs fans in the past, most notably after the defeats at Bournemouth and Fulham, but this felt different. This felt...

latest 9

The Sydney Morning Herald

Sam Dean

Does my brand look big in this? How influencers sold their souls

I want to follow people who wear the “wrong” thing and stay out too late.

latest 8

The Sydney Morning Herald

Brodie Lancaster

Dogs of four: Why Canterbury are undefeated

Canterbury are back on top after a decade of despair, thanks to the simplest rugby league revival of all.

latest 10

The Sydney Morning Herald

Dan Walsh

Implementing NSW drug summit recommendations should not be delayed

The 2024 NSW drug summit has called for a shake-up of criminal justice and policing, and an end to the use of strip searches and sniffer detection...

latest 3

The Sydney Morning Herald

The Herald&x27S View

Melting down: Trump has put America on the road to a deep economic crisis

Donald Trump thought markets would help beat his victims into submission. Instead, they have turned on him.

latest 20

The Sydney Morning Herald

Ambrose Evans-Pritchard

St George Pell? Now that would be a miracle

The late cardinal George Pell has been credited with interceding to save the life of a little boy. But a sign of Pell’s humanity was always the...

latest 1

The Sydney Morning Herald

Thomas Keneally

Independents wield the power of balance

Kerryn Phelps broke through as an independent when she won the seat of Wentworth in 2018. The sky didn’t fall in.

latest 3

The Sydney Morning Herald

Kerryn Phelps

If you want to stay young, always follow these three rules

If you want to stay young, always follow these three rules

I was totally humiliated recently. Don’t get excited. It had nothing to do with leaked photos of me in bondage gear. No, it happened during a hot...

latest 7

The Sydney Morning Herald

Kathy Lette

Isaah Yeo only wanted to outdo his old man. Fair to say he’s done that ... and much more

Isaah Yeo only wanted to outdo his old man. Fair to say he’s done that ... and much more

Isaah Yeo had one aim when he started his rugby league career – to eclipse his father, Justin, who played 11 first-grade games for Balmain and...

latest 7

The Sydney Morning Herald

Christian Nicolussi

The fine print costing Australians a pay rise

The fine print costing Australians a pay rise

Hidden in the job contracts of about one in five Australians are little clauses weighing down their chances of landing a pay rise or a...

latest 7

The Sydney Morning Herald

Millie Muroi

They don’t know the half of it: Failing Blues look inward for answers

They don’t know the half of it: Failing Blues look inward for answers

First, consider the unvarnished, unflattering facts of Carlton’s serial capitulations in the first four rounds of 2025. The Blues led lowly...

latest 6

The Sydney Morning Herald

Jake Niall

Can I refuse to contribute to a gift for a colleague I dislike?

Can I refuse to contribute to a gift for a colleague I dislike?

A colleague is having a major anniversary in a few months and plans are already under way to celebrate it at work. This is a person who has been at...

latest 7

The Sydney Morning Herald

Jonathan Rivett

Bosses are firing more Gen Z workers. But are they just misunderstood?

Bosses are firing more Gen Z workers. But are they just misunderstood?

With an increasing number of Generation Z entering the workforce, the young, tech-savvy cohort are beginning to make waves. But not in a good way....

latest 7

The Sydney Morning Herald

Emily Chantiri

Brexit for the US: Trump’s tariffs are the sign of a nation in decline

Brexit for the US: Trump’s tariffs are the sign of a nation in decline

Pop quiz: which country is the world’s leading producer of soybeans? Instinct might say China, or perhaps Japan, given the traditional centrality...

latest 7

The Sydney Morning Herald

Waleed Aly

Does skipping your lunch break make you a better worker?

Does skipping your lunch break make you a better worker?

In today’s professional world, the pressure to be constantly available, perpetually productive, and always switched on has become the norm. But the...

latest 7

The Sydney Morning Herald

Téa Angelos

Trump delivers ‘huge advantage’ to China with self-destructive tariffs

Trump delivers ‘huge advantage’ to China with self-destructive tariffs

Follow our live coverage of the 2025 federal election here. Donald Trump’s self-destructive tariff blitz has forced Prime Minister Anthony Albanese...

yesterday 30

The Sydney Morning Herald

Peter Hartcher

Donald Trump’s dumb war just got much, much dumber

Donald Trump’s dumb war just got much, much dumber

Donald Trump has just announced the most self-destructive set of policies in modern American economic history. The United States built the post-war...

yesterday 20

The Sydney Morning Herald

Stephen Bartholomeusz

Bondi has seen big waves before, but nothing like Black Sunday

Bondi has seen big waves before, but nothing like Black Sunday

Yes, that does indeed appear to be mother of all waves that hit the Bondi Icebergs in the very early hours of Wednesday morning, causing so much...

yesterday 10

The Sydney Morning Herald

Peter Fitzsimons

Australia’s best hope: wait for Americans to turn on Trump

Australia’s best hope: wait for Americans to turn on Trump

Nobody needed a ceremony in a rose garden to know that Donald Trump wanted a divorce from the global economic system that has delivered wealth and...

yesterday 40

The Sydney Morning Herald

David Crowe

Players fear Matildas are ‘wasting time’ as coach search drags on

Players fear Matildas are ‘wasting time’ as coach search drags on

Caitlin Foord is tired of waiting. Most of her Matildas teammates feel the same way. It has been eight long months since Tony Gustavsson’s contract...

yesterday 10

The Sydney Morning Herald

Vince Rugari

Trump’s ‘reciprocal tariffs’ look to be a hoax. Here’s how you can tell

Trump’s ‘reciprocal tariffs’ look to be a hoax. Here’s how you can tell

For weeks, Donald Trump has built up “Liberation Day” as a form of payback. The tariffs levied by the United States would be reciprocal, he said: “...

yesterday 9

The Sydney Morning Herald

Michael Koziol

The transformative power of a single cup of tea

The transformative power of a single cup of tea

I’ve long marvelled about the power of tea, but it was only this week that I understood how it could be used as a weapon against the police. The...

yesterday 10

The Sydney Morning Herald

Richard Glover

How the Allen situation shows the AFL’s outrage machine is out of control

How the Allen situation shows the AFL’s outrage machine is out of control

The outrage machine is out of control this week, even by the AFL bubble’s hysterical standards. The reaction to West Coast co-captain, and...

yesterday 1

The Sydney Morning Herald

Marc Mcgowan

The digital age is a pain in the digit – and my texting thumb is over it

The digital age is a pain in the digit – and my texting thumb is over it

While I was grabbing the peanut butter the other day, a sharp pain shot through some obscure tendons in my thumb, making me shriek. A preliminary...

yesterday 8

The Sydney Morning Herald

Cherie Gilmour

Trump’s tariffs will hurt the world and the ones who love him most

Trump’s tariffs will hurt the world and the ones who love him most

US President Donald Trump’s imposition of tariffs punishes foreign friend and foes but confoundingly damages those he claims to help: American...

yesterday 9

The Sydney Morning Herald

The Herald&x27S Voice

One April day, when a crazy dream got two cities flying high

One April day, when a crazy dream got two cities flying high

The citizens of the twin cities were in a frenzy. Hundreds of cars revved up, heading to the airport. Traffic soon snarled the streets and the main...

yesterday 2

The Sydney Morning Herald

Tony Wright

Are uni degrees really that important any more?

Are uni degrees really that important any more?

I’ve spent a lot of my working life looking at resumés. When I helped to build a growing media company over 15 years, we didn’t have a fancy HR...

yesterday 2

The Sydney Morning Herald

Tim Duggan

Melbourne’s problems seem overwhelming. Here’s where Gawn should start

Melbourne’s problems seem overwhelming. Here’s where Gawn should start

“Any minute now, my ship is coming in. I’ll keep checking the horizon.” – Colin Hay Years ago, a friend pleaded with me to stop introducing...

yesterday 2

The Sydney Morning Herald

Bob Murphy

Nicho Hynes is already struggling. And Ricky Stuart is about to make life even harder

Nicho Hynes is already struggling. And Ricky Stuart is about to make life even harder

Craig Fitzgibbon has been coached by Ricky Stuart at club, state and international level, and the Sharks coach will know what he’s walking into on...

yesterday 3

The Sydney Morning Herald

Andrew Johns

Lunch is sangers, dinner is bangers. Learn the rules, people!

Lunch is sangers, dinner is bangers. Learn the rules, people!

Last week, a friend suggested we catch up for lunch. I love lunch! I agreed. The friend suggested we catch up at a fancy burger joint for our lunch....

yesterday 9

The Sydney Morning Herald

Kerri Sackville

Dennis Lillee rang me up this week. Suddenly, I was 10 years old again

Dennis Lillee rang me up this week. Suddenly, I was 10 years old again

Dennis Lillee to me, yesterday, over the blower, as I sat in the carpark: “Is that you, Fitzy?” (Fitzy? FITZY?) Yes, Mr Lillee, it is me, all these...

yesterday 3

The Sydney Morning Herald

Peter Fitzsimons

Wakey, wakey: Dutton looks shaky as his aptitude is put to the ultimate test

Wakey, wakey: Dutton looks shaky as his aptitude is put to the ultimate test

Last year, some people felt comfortable predicting the winner of the 2025 election campaign was more likely to be Peter Dutton. Not because he had...

yesterday 3

The Sydney Morning Herald

Niki Savva

Elon Musk just had his own Liberation Day

Elon Musk just had his own Liberation Day

With all the focus on Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” and his tariffs on everything and everyone, the other great liberation in America hasn’t...

previous day 10

The Sydney Morning Herald

Stephen Bartholomeusz

Albanese slips up but Dutton picks the wrong fight

Albanese slips up but Dutton picks the wrong fight

Peter Dutton is staying true to his brand as the hard man of Australian politics by telling voters he wants to make the ABC more efficient, stop the...

previous day 30

The Sydney Morning Herald

David Crowe

Elon Musk bet it all on a judicial election in Wisconsin. He just lost

Elon Musk bet it all on a judicial election in Wisconsin. He just lost

With just a few hours to go until polls closed in Wisconsin, the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, declared the Supreme Court election in the US...

previous day 20

The Sydney Morning Herald

Michael Koziol

More fossil fuels? Inside Peter Dutton’s shock new gas proposal

More fossil fuels? Inside Peter Dutton’s shock new gas proposal

Follow our live coverage of the 2025 federal election here. Australians now have a shock new gas policy to consider when going to the polls on May...

previous day 10

The Sydney Morning Herald

Bronte Gossling

Victim or criminal? Le Pen appeal could deliver Trump-style shock to France

Victim or criminal? Le Pen appeal could deliver Trump-style shock to France

For over a decade, Marine Le Pen has fought, scrapped, and clawed her way towards the Elysee Palace. After three failed attempts, the 2027 French...

previous day 10

The Sydney Morning Herald

Rob Harris

You had me at October. Breaking down Eddie McGuire’s AFL grand final plan

You had me at October. Breaking down Eddie McGuire’s AFL grand final plan

The AFL grand final could be pushed back to the second week of October? Sold. Is it time to push the AFL season back, with the grand final held in...

previous day 2

The Sydney Morning Herald

Michael Gleeson

ABC funding is hardly at the centre of voters’ priorities this election

ABC funding is hardly at the centre of voters’ priorities this election

Funding of the ABC is hardly at the centre of voters’ priorities this election, yet the public broadcaster remains a curious and divisive obsession...

previous day 5

The Sydney Morning Herald

The Herald&x27S View

If NSW swings to Dutton, it’s curtains for the state Liberal leader

If NSW swings to Dutton, it’s curtains for the state Liberal leader

The federal election will be a litmus test for the NSW Liberals and their brand of conservatism. If prime ministerial hopeful Peter Dutton manages...

previous day 5

The Sydney Morning Herald

Alexandra Smith

It’s time to open up the outdated State of Origin eligibility rules

It’s time to open up the outdated State of Origin eligibility rules

In the 2005 State of Origin series, NSW used 22 players. None of them were eligible to play for any regularly playing rugby league nation other...

previous day 7

The Sydney Morning Herald

Michael Chammas

The leader most likely to lose their job after the federal election? Jacinta Allan

The leader most likely to lose their job after the federal election? Jacinta Allan

This week’s column is being written from a place unknown. Having joined the prime minister’s travelling press corps, I am in a state of suspended...

previous day 7

The Sydney Morning Herald

Chip Le Grand

I was an absent father until WFH changed everything

I was an absent father until WFH changed everything

The history of fatherhood is, too often, a history of absence. Being a dad was something I always aspired to do well, but what that meant in...

previous day 6

The Sydney Morning Herald

David Halliday

This is one of America’s most shocking economic defeats in 40 years

This is one of America’s most shocking economic defeats in 40 years

Donald Trump has achieved his first global peace deal. China, Japan and South Korea have kissed and made up after years of trade quarrels. They...

previous day 30

The Sydney Morning Herald

Ambrose Evans-Pritchard

What Dolphins need to reverse horror start and ignite their biggest star

What Dolphins need to reverse horror start and ignite their biggest star

Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf has leapt to Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow’s defence, but he also needs his star fullback to make his presence felt if the team...

previous day 6

The Sydney Morning Herald

Nick Wright

The Liberals have a Malcolm problem. It’s not their first

The Liberals have a Malcolm problem. It’s not their first

When I was a staffer with the Howard government – many moons, hair follicles and pants sizes ago – the government had a bit of a “Malcolm”...

previous day 1

The Sydney Morning Herald

Brad Emery

Dutton wants to know if you’re better off now. It’s a trick question

Dutton wants to know if you’re better off now. It’s a trick question

For most people, the simple answer to Peter Dutton’s repeated question – are you better off today than you were three years ago? – is “no,...

previous day 3

The Sydney Morning Herald

Ross Gittins