Darcy Murphy

@darmurp.bsky.social

417 Followers 434 Following

Tasmania, Always Tasmanian Local Government, Japanese Politics, Brisbane Lions, law stuff that I don’t understand, occasional book post, exc He/Him

These spring-loaded shields, the old man said, have you seen them, they jump apart when they’re hit? Babies’ tricks. The old-time judges didn’t need a device like that to tell them when a man had got a touch – no, they used their eyes, they had eyes in those days. Look, he said: there are three ways to fail. Horse can fail. Boys can fail. Nerve can fail.

Fiction
1. The Narrow Road to the Deep North (Richard Flannigan) (9.5) [2014 Booker]
2. The rain heron (Robbie Arnott) (9.5)
3. The promise (Damon Galgut) (9.5) [2021 Booker]
4. Tyll (Daniel Kelhmann) (9.5)
5. Girl Woman Other (Bernadine Everisto) (9.5) [2019 Booker]
6. The Adversary (Michael Crummey) (9) [2025 Dublin]
7. The dangers of smoking in bed (Mariana Enrienquez) (9)
8. Mr Loverman (Bernadine Evaristo) (9)
9. Too Much Lip (Melissa Luchanshenko) (9) [2019 Miles Franklin]
10. Flames (Robbie Arnott) (8.5)
11. The Power and the Glory (Grahame Greene) (8.5)
12. Flesh (David Sazalay) (8.5) [2025 Booker]
13. Seascraper (Benjamin Wood) (8.5)
14. Taiwan Travelogue (8.5) [2025 Int Booker]
15. The director (8.5) (Daniel Kelhmann)
16. An imaginary life (David Malouf) (8)
17. Ghost Cities (Shiang Lu) (8) [2025 Miles Franklin]
18. Chai time at cinnamon gardens (Shankari Chandra) (8) [2023 Miles Franklin]
19. Gliff (Ali smith) (7.5) [2026 Dublin]
20. The Plains (Gerald Murnane) (7.5)
21. Past the Shallows (Favel Parett) (7)
22. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich () (7)
23. Anam (Andre Dao) (5)
24. At Night all Blood is Black (David Diop) (4) [2021 International Booker]
25. The witch (Marie NDiaye) (3)

Non-Fiction
- Stasiland (Anna Funder) (9) [2004 Samuel Johnston Prize]

I do not feel called upon to discuss the political theory of a referendum at length. I
have referred to the fact that they have no place in the constitutional theory and structure of a
unitary State in relation to matters within its sovereignty. In such matters Parliament has
legislative supremacy and I would add, with respect, responsibility. Neither are shared with,
though they derive from the electorate. A referendum is an innovation of Federal unions of
otherwise sovereign States 8• They no doubt reflect the uneasy union in which such Federal bodies
are often conceived and do so by reposing, generally as to a limited class of matters only, ultimate
sovereignty in a body which may be the electorate at large, but which at any rate is other than the
Parliament or elected assembly. In Federal unions of States they serve political purposes quite
removed from the exercise of constitutional powers of Government in unitary constitutions.

Andy Burnham

Taiwan Travelogue - Yang Shuang-zi - 8.5
The Director - Daniel Kelhmann - 8.5
The Adversary - Michael Crummey - 8.5