http://www.thepunch.com.au/author-bios/scott-mackillop/ Scott MacKillop is a freelance writer, publicist, broadcast producer and author of the blog Pro Human Writes. Scott believes that sarcasm is the highest and most effective form of humour, despite what he is constantly told by friends, family and his long-suffering girlfriend. A strong proponent of civil liberties, Scott considers himself somewhat of a social commentator, which is often a source of amusement for professional social commentators. His tendency to throw tact to the wind and run, foaming at the mouth, toward any opportunity to be politically incorrect has earned him the nickname ‘Scott the Inappropriate’ from those who know him, and from the many who wish they didn’t. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/julia-gillard-return-of-the-ranga/ People always tell me that my hair isn’t red, it’s strawberry blonde. It’s as if they are paying me a compliment, like having red hair is something to be ashamed of. Well ladies and gentlemen, not today. Thanks to our new prime minister, being a redhead doesn’t just mean you have two copies of a recessive gene on chromosome 16, it means you are a winner. If you are one of the many people who followed the leadership challenge on Twitter, you would have noticed that references to Julia Gillard’s red hair were made almost as often as references to the fact that we have our first female prime minister. It’s clear that the red hair thing is an issue for us as a society. Those of us blessed with a fiery red mop make up only 1-2% of the human population. As much as our struggle pales in comparison to that of racial minorities, homosexuals and many other oppressed groups, the fact is that we are a minority. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Scott MacKillop) Article, Lightweight http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/julia-gillard-return-of-the-ranga/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/julia-gillard-return-of-the-ranga/#item3408 Thu, 24 Jun 2010 06:08:36 +0000 Scott MacKillop | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/meet-the-aussie-bieber-and-his-youtube-stage-mother/ It’s been almost a week since he left the country. Quarantine has again been established. As racing heartbeats slow and those who lost consciousness reawaken, the Bieber Fever epidemic that swept the nation is fast becoming nothing but a painful memory. For most of us, who hadn’t even heard of Justin before last week, headlines during his visit were confusing. Who the hell is this child on the cover of every newspaper? More to the point, why is Slash offering to take him to a titty bar? Does he need a feed? Is Slash going to burp him afterwards? You might be surprised, or possibly more confused, to learn that Justin’s rise to fame occurred as a result of Youtube. Three years ago the cherub-faced twelve year-old posted a video of him singing at a local talent quest. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Scott MacKillop) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/meet-the-aussie-bieber-and-his-youtube-stage-mother/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/meet-the-aussie-bieber-and-his-youtube-stage-mother/#item2987 Tue, 04 May 2010 19:50:49 +0000 Scott MacKillop | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/tony-and-julia-try-to-re-engage-a-disaffected-voter.-does-it-work/ Winston Churchill once said, “Democracy is the worst form of government, except all the others that have been tried”. I think Winston and I are on the same wavelength. The more I think about it, the less I care about politics, mainly because of all the distractions, stunts, negativity and opportunism that gets in the way of how the system is supposed to work, preventing our elected representatives from effectively governing the country. MPs trade their personal beliefs for the party line, governments are hesitant to green-light projects that will only show results past their term, and election promises are forgotten without consequence. In the political world, style trumps substance at every opportunity as candidates prioritise being seen participating in ironman events over providing meaningful political input. Then they get attacked for it, and the cycle starts again. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Scott MacKillop) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/tony-and-julia-try-to-re-engage-a-disaffected-voter.-does-it-work/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/tony-and-julia-try-to-re-engage-a-disaffected-voter.-does-it-work/#item2749 Wed, 31 Mar 2010 20:00:53 +0000 Scott MacKillop | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/gags-go-go-stick-is-too-big-for-little-minds/ A woman in her late thirties leaps out of her seat in a muggy Sydney Entertainment Centre, screaming as if she were a teenager again as a larger-than-life Lady Gaga, wearing skin-tight black leather, gyrates her genital region over the upper thigh of one of her female dancers. Good for her. She’s just letting her hair down, getting away from it all for a night, the house, the husband, the kids. Oh, my mistake, the kids are right next to her, cheering along to the hyper-sexualised live spectacle, and even doing a little gyrating of their own. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Scott MacKillop) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/gags-go-go-stick-is-too-big-for-little-minds/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/gags-go-go-stick-is-too-big-for-little-minds/#item2661 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 01:38:56 +0000 Scott MacKillop | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/surrendering-to-social-media/ When they hear that I don’t have a Facebook account or a Twitter page, some people look at me as if I’ve just announced that I want no part of some fundamental convention of society. It’s the same reaction that I would get if I told them that I don’t own a pair of underpants or a toothbrush. They look at me like I am some sort of commando-going, halitosis-suffering maniac who must be stopped for the sake of all mankind. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Scott MacKillop) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/surrendering-to-social-media/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/surrendering-to-social-media/#item2571 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:50:36 +0000 Scott MacKillop | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/mother-mary-im-six-foot-seven/ For as long as I can remember I have been asked how tall I am at least once every day. I can understand why. I am six foot seven inches tall, towering over most people. My exact height is not the only thing I am regularly asked by complete strangers, they often ask whether my parents fed me Weetbix as a child (they did) and how the weather is ‘up there’ (it is invariably the same). But something strange has been happening lately. For the first time in my life, questions relating to my height, its causes and its metrological consequences have been diminishing. A new line of enquiry dominates the minds of the people I meet. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Scott MacKillop) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/mother-mary-im-six-foot-seven/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/mother-mary-im-six-foot-seven/#item2426 Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:50:23 +0000 Scott MacKillop | Author bios | The Punch