As someone who has become increasingly disinterested in professional sports in recent years, I was surprised by my level of interest in the Commonwealth Games. However, the spectacle of the opening and closing ceremonies wasn’t the drawcard; I was captured by the outstanding performances of the athletes.

It’s easy to play the patriotic card and cheer when our national team-members do well, but the contests proved worthy no matter what the result.

After a wonderful Easter break, I wish I had better news for you. Unfortunately it is back to the dangerous reality of creeping socialism.

Last week we saw Labor’s further financial assault on self-funded retirees and anyone else who invests to get ahead. Radical reform of capital gains, franking credits and borrowing cost deductions are just the start of engorging government at your expense.

There are so many events of note occurring in the world, one scarcely knows where to start.

Donald Trump, Russian spies, a Chinese dictator, cricket cheats, football, South African farmers, the stock market…there are dozens of important topics I’d love to cover in this blog but I’ll be exploring some of those in the podcast. If you haven’t yet tuned in, you can listen at my website or subscribe through iTunes.

Post-election analysis is always sober reading for political parties. History is written by the victors, flattering the outcomes of those who win and diminishing the significance of those who lose.

Over the last weekend my wife said words to the effect of “society is now working in such a way that we scarcely have contact with our neighbours but we invite complete strangers into almost every aspect of our lives.”

I have never been a supporter of trade tariffs. Whilst some will find the jingoistic arguments for trade barriers superficially appealing, in the end the consumer pays every time.

One of the most important roles of government is to defend our nation. There are internal and external threats that must be neutralised or mitigated to protect us all. Perhaps the most potent threat are the Islamic extremists at work here and abroad to attack our culture, undermine our values and destroy our way of life.

The South Australian election has officially started and whilst a number of the issues are localised, others are part of the national agenda.

There is an ancient principle: “You reap what you sow.”

Never has this been truer than what we have witnessed this week in Canberra. The Deputy Prime Minister is in all sorts of bother due to his personal choices, but that is all I am going to say about that today.

It has been said a week is a long time in politics so you can only imagine what a year is like - and today marks one year since the Australian Conservatives launched as a political party.

The twelve months has passed so quickly and yet so much has been achieved. Thanks to the support of so many Australians, we have laid the foundations for a sustainable and formidable political movement that will deliver a better way for our nation.