Julia Thornton
Julia Thornton is an unashamed Gen X, post modernist and iconoclast. Trained in public relations, she spent 13 years in government and corporate communications and knows a disaster when she sees it.
She lives in Queensland with her husband and daughter, both of whom appreciate her keeping her maiden name, where she writes and dabbles with her own microbusiness.
Articles by Julia Thornton
Single parents who don’t “work” still contribute
Only a few days ago I was talking about how manageable babies are. They sleep when they’re put down, eat…... Read more
I want to save the planet AND my Christmas traditions
I had just bought eight large silver balls for the new 2.3 metre (7ft for you who haven’t caught onto…... Read more
Loyalty doesn’t matter for Parliament’s party hoppers
I remember an MP saying to me once that we were due for a death of an MP or Senator.…... Read more
Your second kid’s not worth as much as the first
As the second child, I grew up in the shadow of the first one. The photos were fewer for a…... Read more
Sorry, Nicola - Tony’s just not that into you
One of the best books I’ve ever read in my life is He’s Just Not That Into You. It was…... Read more
Anna’s flood of empathy won’t wash with the public
Queensland finally is in real election mode and I finally saw an election ad on television last night. During a…... Read more
Politicians don’t have to live in their own electorates
How far do you commute to work? One hour? Twenty minutes? Do you work from home? Where’s head office? Do…... Read more
The QLD election decoded
We’re off to the polls on 24 March. If you’re confused about what’s happening in Queensland with our State election,…... Read more
Is it naughty or nice to keep the Santa lie alive?
I don’t usually quote Rodney Adler. He’s not really my type of role model. But he said something during the…... Read more
A lack of smacks is behind the attacks
Child psychologists everywhere will hate me for what I am about to say but I hope they take a good…... Read more
The benefits of being an invisible woman
Every woman hits a time in her life when she suddenly becomes invisible. I am at that age. Except yesterday.…... Read more
Try before you buy. Then buy.
Queensland retailers are revolting. Well, they’re fighting back against the trend of people who enter their shops, try on their…... Read more
Cringe. Julia and Tim are off to the Palace
It’s been a long time since I heard anyone bag Queensland the way they used to. Wayne Goss (Queensland Premier…... Read more
It’s political correctness gone maaaaaaad!
It’s been a big week this week for the politically correct. Tracey Spicer is worried her children are being indoctrinated…... Read more
Don’t let today’s technology control you
It’s no secret that I am a fan of Facebook. It should be no surprise that I like it. I…... Read more
It’s going to take more to keep mothers working
I find it amazing that policymakers have oversimplified the paid parental leave debate, saying it will increase the workforce participation…... Read more
One woman’s junk mail is another’s goldmine
Since November 1 to December 9, our household has received 121 pieces of junk mail. Why am I counting this?…... Read more
But seriously, where will the NBN cables go?
I love progress. I’ve got an IPad and a desktop computer. I shop online. I work from home. I even…... Read more
How many kids is the right number of kids?
I remember reading sometime late last century that the Chinese were producing a generation of Little Emperors. The only child…... Read more
The metric system works, let’s use it all the time
In 1971, Australia converted from the Imperial measurement system to metric. That was 39 years ago. In fact, the last…... Read more
Girls, with the right to drink comes the need to do it safely
You don’t grow up in Brisbane with a name like Thornton and not know who Merle Thornton is. For those…... Read more
When it comes to women’s fashion, size does matter
For those of you with dirty minds or obsessed with margins, you might want to skip to the next article,…... Read more
Hang time: Government limbo’s not entirely new
On Friday my daughter turned 2. By the end of the month, she may have had more Prime Ministers in…... Read more
Workaholics always end up losing in the end
I make no apology for being lazy. If there’s a corner, I’ll cut it. If there’s a fast way, I’ll…... Read more
It’s understandable Gillard doesn’t get it on gay marriage
I’m relatively proud of what I’ve achieved professionally and personally. I wrote a letter of complaint that got me a…... Read more
I hope I didn’t buy a $1000 calculator with WiFi
In an old episode of MASH, the doctors are talking about missing television, in particular missing watching Milton Berle at…... Read more
The tale of a bad mother
Frown on me. Put me in the corner, stone me or just hang me: I chose not to breastfeed. I…... Read more
The labour movement’s about as healthy as its tree
It was a pretty cruel act: killing the Tree of Knowledge at Barcaldine. Take away your own personal political views…... Read more
QLD’s got it right on daylight saving, the other states don’t
By now the debate over whether Queensland should have daylight saving might have filtered down south so you could all…... Read more
A super idea for supporting new parents financially
There is no point in complaining to my parents about what the Rudd Government has done to people in higher…... Read more
Childless singletons - the grass is always greener
I have the overwhelming feeling that I should ‘put up my dukes’ and rstep outside with Carrie Mille, who seems…... Read more
Road deaths - statistically, boys, it’s not good
A strange thing happened when I became a parent. I started to get upset when I saw stories like the…... Read more
Once a Grubb… what’s in a name and can you defy yours
Well, Tiger Woods’ long-standing mistress is a woman who’s last name is Grubbs. Does that say it all, or what?…... Read more
The movie is never as good as the book
Watership Down – remember it? It was a cartoon about bunnies on a common in England. Fiver has a weird…... Read more
Yes, books are great but we said that about CDs
Don’t you just hate it when you’ve bought a new toy and before you’ve even got it out of the…... Read more
What’s in a name? Everything when you think about it
For a few years now I’ve noticed a weird phenomena with names where a person ends up in something associated…... Read more
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Up to the minute Twitter chatter
@nigelmcbain I don't see the nexus between gay marriage and gay sex education in schools. ACL does. Health issues should be taught whatever
@jennijenni a few companies are known to do that - ask for story ideas from job applicants so they can steal them later
: Bruce Springsteen: "I get roughed up crowdsurfing… people try to pull chunks out of me" http://t.co/jiHqt8agt9” it was him, @patricklion
Recent posts
The latest and greatest
The Punch is moving house
Good morning Punchers. After four years of excellent fun and great conversation, this is the final post…
Will Pope Francis have the vision to tackle this?
I have had some close calls, one that involved what looked to me like an AK47 pointed my way, followed…
Advocating risk management is not “victim blaming”
In a world in which there are still people who subscribe to the vile notion that certain victims of sexual…
Nosebleed Section
choice ringside rantings
From: Hasbro, go straight to gaol, do not pass go
Tim says:
They should update other things in the game too. Instead of a get out of jail free card, they should have a Dodgy Lawyer card that not only gets you out of jail straight away but also gives you a fat payout in compensation for daring to arrest you in the first place. Instead of getting a hotel when you… [read more]From: A guide to summer festivals especially if you wouldn’t go
Kel says:
If you want a festival for older people or for families alike, get amongst the respectable punters at Bluesfest. A truly amazing festival experience to be had of ALL AGES. And all the young "festivalgoers" usually write themselves off on the first night, only to never hear from them again the rest of… [read more]Gentle jabs to the ribs
Superman needs saving
Can somebody please save Superman? He seems to be going through a bit of a crisis. Eighteen months ago,… Read more
