Latest news with #GeoffreyRobertson
Daily Mail
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Revealed: Press officer who backed Palestine Action's fight against ban is celebrity author's privately-educated daughter who wore £6,000 gown to debutante ball
She once wore a £6,000 couture gown to one of the world's most glamorous debutante balls, rubbing shoulders with royals and Hollywood royalty. But now, Georgie Robertson, the daughter of a bestselling author and a celebrity human rights barrister, is making headlines of a very different kind. The 32-year-old former Labour aide has emerged as a backer of Palestine Action's fight against the controversial organisation being proscribed by the Government under the Terrorism Act. The same woman who dazzled Paris society at the exclusive Crillon Ball in 2009 - an event Tatler calls 'the world's most glamorous debutante ball' - is now helping to coordinate press coverage for the radical movement whose members have been arrested for staging civil disobedience across the UK. Georgie is the daughter of outspoken author Kathy Lette and eminent KC Geoffrey Robertson. In her youth, she was photographed posing for Tatler and mingling with the international elite, including Lady Kitty Spencer, Clint Eastwood 's daughter, and even Indian royalty. Writing about her experience at the Crillon Ball, Robertson once described a weekend of 'an endless flurry of hot hair rollers, make-up, trying on diamonds, couture fittings and fashion shoots.' She called the event a 'fairytale' where 'the aristocracy rub sequinned shoulder pads with the celebritocracy.' She added she had 'shared giggles and gossip' with fellow debutantes, including Angelica Hicks, the great-granddaughter of Lord Mountbatten. Other glamorous outings followed. Robertson attended the Elle Style Awards and the premiere of Blue Jasmine, starring Cate Blanchett, in 2013. Privately educated at Queen's College in central London, she later veered sharply leftwards, becoming involved in Labour politics during Jeremy Corbyn's leadership. She even stood for the position of Women's Officer for the London Young Labour committee, pledging to 'organise against patriarchy and all other forms of oppression.' Georgie worked in Corbyn's team when he was Leader of the Opposition and was later elected as a Labour councillor in Camden, north London. However, following Corbyn's departure, she was caught up in a legal row with Sir Keir Starmer's Labour Party over an alleged leak of an internal antisemitism report. The case was dropped last year. Her high-society connections remain intact with her social media showing her at the Cannes Film Festival and pictured with celebrities including Tim Minchin and Kylie Minogue. But it is her latest role that is causing a stir. Earlier this month, as Palestine Action fought its proscription in court, Robertson appeared to breach legal rules by posting a photograph from inside the Royal Courts of Justice. The image, which shows Mr Justice Chamberlain presiding over the case, was captioned: 'Nearly 9 hours so far, waiting with baited breath.' Taking photos inside a courtroom is a criminal offence. Yet just 24 hours later, she was back briefing journalists, this time on behalf of Defend Our Juries (DOJ), a new left-wing pressure group backing Palestine Action. The campaign, which Robertson described as an 'Orwellian nightmare,' encourages civil disobedience in defiance of the Government's ban. Her mother, Kathy Lette, once joked about her daughter's dramatic transformation, quipping that Georgie had gone 'from one extreme to the other, from Marxism to Marie Antoinette.' The Home Office's decision to outlaw Palestine Action last Saturday has already led to a wave of arrests. More than 70 protesters have now been detained during two weekends of coordinated demonstrations. In London alone, 41 people were held for showing support for a proscribed group, with some carrying cardboard signs reading: 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.' At a DOJ protest in Central London last weekend, supporters once again gathered with handmade signs, despite warnings from police. Similar events took place in Manchester and Cardiff. Greater Manchester Police arrested 16 people, while South Wales Police detained 13 protesters in Cardiff city centre. The Met said arrests were made for breaches of the Terrorism Act, including 'supporting proscribed groups through chanting, wearing clothing or displaying articles such as flags, signs or logos.' Despite the escalating crackdown, Palestine Action's founder Huda Ammori has called on activists to continue with 'organised civil disobedience.' The movement shows no signs of slowing down — and with Georgie Robertson now a central figure in the public campaign, it seems the girl who once sparkled in Parisian ballrooms has found a very different kind of spotlight.
Sydney Morning Herald
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
If this ceasefire doesn't hold, let's hit the streets again
I am so angry about the Albanese government's apparent support for Trump blundering into war in Iran ('US acted alone in Iran: Albanese', June 24). Have they forgotten so quickly Trump's erratic behaviour as US president and our own record in having supported George Bush's attack on Iraq's supposed weapons of destruction? It seems it's time for many of us to again take part in protest marches against this war and to raise serious questions about our involvement in AUKUS. Zeny Giles, New Lambton James Massola's attempt at nuance and ambiguity ('PM dodges war talk, but the visuals are awkward', June 24) is exposed when he compares and contrasts Anthony Albanese's position for not going gung-ho with America by sending a ship to the Middle East with what John Howard did do and what Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison would have done. We know how Iraq turned out. That war not only cost hundreds of thousands of lives, but it also resulted in the strengthening of Iran in the Middle East and surely must rank as one of the most egregious acts of stupidity in the history of US foreign policy. Now Trump has chosen to do it all over again. Frank Carroll, Moorooka (Qld) Thank goodness Albo and Penny are in charge and not Howard, Abbott or Morrison. Charmain Brinks, Newcastle The government's response to Trump flaunting his bunker-busting boy's toys in Iran was as careful and balanced as it should have been ('PM missed his chance to make point on Iran', June 24). It's the Coalition that deserves calling out for its unfailing and reflexive war-mongering, always demanding we ride along as junior belligerents as we did in Vietnam and Iraq, and cheering on Netanyahu war crimes in Gaza. Jeffrey Mellefont, Coogee Trump's ego is the real present danger Geoffrey Robertson's reasoned view that Trump's decision to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities is – under international law – no different from Russia's attack on Ukraine or the George W. Bush/Tony Blair/John Howard invasion of Iraq ('Trump's rap sheet is long, but this may top them all', June 24) – if anything suggests that Trump's big ego is more dangerous than Iran's nuclear threat. Steve Ngeow, Chatswood Although Geoffrey Robertson, KC, is correct and a breach of international law has been perpetrated by the USA, he overlooks the danger to Israel of Iran having nuclear weapons, capable of wiping out Israel in one blast. Surely, the bombing of the nuclear enrichment plants in Iran is the lesser of two evils? Pasquale Vartuli, Wahroonga We may debate whether the bombing was an act of aggression or an act of war, as does Geoffrey Robertson. We may go along with any setback to the Iranian nuclear program, as do others. But the optics of this happening right now are so clearly in tandem with Netanyahu's ambitions. Trump's contempt for the once much-vaunted rules-based order, and ours by proxy, is blatant. But it leaves Australia with little moral authority and nothing with which to back it up anyway. China must be delighted. Ian Bowie, Bowral It is an extraordinary time. The Australian government comes out in support of an action deemed by legal experts as illegal – an action that President Trump ordered after ignoring the information from his own intelligence experts. The repercussions of this decision remain to be seen but will certainly have a significant impact on all our lives. Louise Dolan, Birchgrove Clues in history Donald Trump would never be mistaken for a renaissance man, but shouldn't he at least show awareness of Iran's recent history, and the coup d'etat backed by the US and UK in 1953? That coup removed Iran's democratically elected leader, Mohammad Mosaddegh, who was nationalising the oil industry in which Britain held substantial interests. The pro-Western Shah was empowered, overseeing a notoriously corrupt, autocratic and repressive regime, with secret police, the Savak, who were infamous for their brutality. Anger at this regime, and its imposition by the West, has been described as sowing the seeds for the Iranian revolution of 1979. The CIA has admitted the coup of 1953 was detrimental. If it hadn't occurred, Iran may well have had a very different trajectory to the present. How, then, might the Iranian people feel about Trump's post that: 'if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change???' ('Iran warns Trump', June 24). Especially if 'regime change' were to install the son of the deposed Shah as Iran's leader. Barbara Chapman, South Yarra (Vic) There is much talk of regime change, but would it be for our betterment? JD Vance at least has a brain and is Yale-educated, but his hard-right, isolationist and misogynistic views could make him even more dangerous than the moronic show-pony who can change his mind several times a day. Oh, regime change in Iran? Sorry. Bernard Moylan, Bronte I'm all for regime change in Iran, but can we get a two-for-one offer and include the US? Corrado Tavella, Rosslyn Park (SA) If Iran really had developed to an advanced stage its alleged nuclear weapons program, there is no way the US would have bombed Iran's nuclear facilities. The US would never risk the likelihood of a retaliatory strike, particularly from a nuclear-capable nation. In what could only be described as a self-defeating argument, both Israel and the US have tried to manufacture a story about Iran planning an imminent nuclear attack against Israel (hence the US bombing run against Iran). However, if this were more than merely plausible, America's bunker-buster bombs would still be in their hangars. Frederick Jansohn, Rose Bay Poised to profit? As many news outlets have reported, it appears that Donald Trump, his family and members of his administration have greatly profited from his policies and actions since retaking office. Now the USA has bombed sites in Iran upon the orders of the president. It seems likely that this will result in oil rising in price, especially as one of the few retaliatory measures the Iranians can take is to choke off traffic through the Strait of Hormuz ('Tehran threatens to choke off strait crucial to world oil supply', June 24). What seems unlikely is that this would not have occurred to the Americans. 'Drill, baby, drill' was Trump's pre-election mantra. The question is, given that Trump and his administration would have known that attacking Iran in this manner would very likely result in increased oil prices, did any of them – Trump, his family, or members of his administration – position themselves to profit from this oil price rise? Peter Arthur, Artarmon It is strange that Jennifer Parker ('Canberra must heed strait threat', June 24), in her article about the effects that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz might have on oil supply to the world, particularly China and Australia, does not mention the opening of a railway between Tehran and China. The transit time between Iran and China is 15 days, about half the time taken by ships, and it will be able to carry all manner of goods. China would no doubt regard any disruption to the line by a nation state as an act of war, and as a nuclear armed state with about 3000 combat aircraft, would quickly wreak vengeance on the aggressor. Iran has more options than some have posited, and hubristic actions could have nasty consequences. Joe Goozeff, Leura Un-Trumpable! Amazing! Donald Trump has brokered an end to the Israel-Iran war ('Middle East ceasefire', June 24). He must be a near certainty for the Nobel Peace Prize. In fact, I would predict that if someone else wins, it will be because votes for Trump were stolen and awarded to the other candidate. Don Firth, Wooli Taxpayer stumps up for climate inaction The 10-fold increase in disaster relief is not the result of 'natural' disaster; it is a result of human-induced climate change ('Disaster relief spending shoots up', June 24). The headlining relief expense of the NSW budget is putting a price on climate change that even the most diehard denialist can't ignore. We are now seeing the long-predicted atmospheric changes and the real economic consequences of fossil fuel consumption. The costs to the public purse are obvious as taxpayers bear the brunt of inaction. The private costs to citizens and business are growing at a similar rate through direct damages costs and astounding insurance premiums. The knuckle-dragging go-slow by the Liberal National parties and the conservative elements of the Labor Party needs to be exposed. The slow momentum on climate action is leading us down a path our society cannot afford and is anything but natural. Peter Hull, Katoomba Perhaps Premier Chris Minns and Treasurer Daniel Mookhey could check with their mates in the insurance industry if they are unsure about rebuilding on floodplains, along rivers or allowing quaint timber cottages acting as tinderboxes when nestled in bush. Just as building codes and standards changed in Darwin and Cairns after cyclones, we face global warming and its attendant fires, floods, droughts and mudslides, so building codes and politicians must catch up. Jenny Forster, Manly Bezos blowout The law of matrimonial longevity states that 'the amount [in American dollars] expended on frivolous self-indulgence and ego-flattering nuptial ceremonies is inversely proportional to the longevity of the marriage so celebrated, but is also positively proportional to the acrimony and expense of the inevitable divorce'. Less formally, the law states 'the more expensive the wedding celebrations, the shorter the marriage'. It is supported by a trove of empirical data gathered over five decades, and the resulting PhDs have been published in several academic sociology journals of repute ('Wedding crashers ready to spoil Bezos' lavish nuptials in Venice', June 24). Philip Bell, Bronte Music in the moment There is one surefire way to avoid AI-generated music, and that is to buy songs only by artists you can go and see live ('AI goes pop online, and it's unsettling in so many ways', June 24). It will still be a while before AI robots can reproduce the rattle of strings on a thrashed guitar, a drumstick thrown into the crowd or croaky lead singer belting out an anthem for the third time in a row and loving it. Colin Stokes, Camperdown Make $3m limit There's a simple solution to Jim Chalmers' superannuation problem (Letters, June 24): limit super balances to $3 million. On June 30, each year, any amount exceeding that limit must be withdrawn. Invest it how you like, but pay full tax on the return. This solves a number of issues, including the use of super for tax minimisation and, of course, it gets around the thorny issue of taxing unrealised gains. The effect on revenue would be immediate and meaningful, and the fairness of super – and its original intention as a retirement funding mechanism – would be restored. Angus McLeod, Cremorne No, Noel Thompson (Letters, June 24). Tax reform does not need consensus. It requires courage to undo the tax scams inflicted on the country by economic rationalists over too many years. Paul Fergus, Croydon A number of contributors to the letters page have been having a good old whinge about being rightfully taxed on large superannuation balances. Most Australians (according to the polling) are very happy for this new tax to happen. A lot of Australians would like Jim Chalmers to go harder. I'm thinking that some people must live in the 'wealthy superannuation bubble' because they appear to be properly ignorant of the real-world concerns of the majority. My advice to them is to maintain your health and keep your family close – and do some charity work. That provides some purpose and clarity as to what's really important. It's not losing an undeserved tax break. Wendy Atkins, Cooks Hill Running, not flying To Avalon emu Dave Watts (Letters, June 24): Ms Carde is right, but there is an upside. Females will fight each other to mate with you. Swings and roundabouts. Jennifer Briggs, Kilaben Bay Ashes engendered It's not a bright idea to store ashes in post office boxes at Bondi Road Post Office ('Memorial plan may dig cemetery out of cash hole', June 24). The boxes are designed for male [sic] only use. Col Shephard, Yamba Wartime uplift With all the devastating news about war and destruction, it was good to read about a successful program at Western Sydney University that supports students who have come to Australia from war-torn countries ('Refugees thriving under uni program', June 24). They help each other, and the friendships they make give them confidence as they enter Australian society and make such a valuable contribution in various fields of endeavour. Josephine Piper, Miranda Meanwhile, in Gaza, the daily killing of civilians doing nothing more sinister than desperately seeking food to feed themselves and families continues. Where is the worldwide condemnation? Con Vaitsas, Ashbury Go and sit on a bench under a tree in a park somewhere, close your eyes, listen to the birds and imagine if all the money the bully boys are spending on armaments was instead invested in schools, universities, hospitals, medical science, conservation of flora and fauna, renewable energy, reafforestation. What a wonderful world it would be. Kent Mayo, Uralla First wattle flowers on my morning walk. Keith Russell, Mayfield West
The Guardian
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Kathy Lette looks back: ‘Older women are invisible, so I make sure to do something outrageous every day'
Born in 1958 in Sydney, Kathy Lette burst on to Australia's literary scene in 1979 with Puberty Blues. Co‑written with Gabrielle Carey, the irreverent portrait of teenage girlhood became a cult classic, a film and a TV series. Relocating to London in the 1980s, Lette has worked as a columnist, television writer and campaigner, and has published a string of bestselling comic novels. She lives in London and has two children, Julius and Georgina, with her former husband, the human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson. Her latest novel, The Revenge Club, is out now. When I was 19, I was in a band called the Salami Sisters. As well as the occasional gig in a pub, we'd busk. The problem was, we kept getting arrested. I was furious. How come we were getting arrested for singing, when actual rapists were running free? My sister was a police constable at the time, so one day I borrowed – stole, really – her uniform and went out busking, performing send-up songs about the police. Fortunately, I didn't get arrested for impersonating an officer. I'm a woman with the courage of my convictions, but I don't particularly want to go to prison. Mainly I just wanted to blow some raspberries at the police, which I happily did. Before busking, I was a surfy girl who spent a lot of time with surfy boys. While their blond hair, blue eyes and incredible ice-cream cone physiques were beautiful, they were emotional bonsai. You had to put fertiliser on them to get any feeling out. They were incredibly sexist, too – all brawn and no brain. So by the time I was 16, I was over good-looking guys and obsessed with creative geniuses instead. Specifically, Spike Milligan. I loved his books – Puckoon, Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall – and knew all of his poetry by heart. When I got news he was touring Australia with a one-man show, I ran away from school, to the horror of my mother, who was a headmistress. Along with my girlfriend, we hitchhiked across the country, relying on the kindness of passing serial killers to get us from Adelaide to Melbourne to Canberra. I would wait for Spike in hotel foyers, and bombard him with poetry and songs. He couldn't get rid of me, and in the end adopted me. He even wrote it on the back of an envelope: 'I, Spike Milligan, adopt Kathy Lette as my unofficial daughter.' I was crazy in love with him, and he could have easily taken advantage of that, but he didn't. It was love from the neck up, and often a little like having a sugar daddy, without the sex: me and my girlfriend were sleeping rough at the time, so he'd put us up in hotel rooms. Spike was always adorable, but some days he was so blue. If I could go back to that time, I'd try to talk to him about his depression. Perhaps I could have helped him, in exchange for all his kindness to me. Instead, on the days he was down, I'd sing to him. Sometimes that would depress him even more, other times I like to think it jolted him out of sadness. Spike was the first adult who took me seriously as a writer. At that tender age, all a writer craves is reassurance. I'd been sending my work to publishers for more than a year and received a whole forest of rejection letters in the form of patronising put‑downs from Conan the Grammarians – those men who've been at university for so long they've got ivy growing up the backs of their legs. Spike was their antithesis. Thanks to his encouragement, I wrote Puberty Blues. The book became a huge success and, much to my amazement, around the time this photo was taken, I went from overnight nonentity to overnight notoriety. It was quite a rollercoaster ride. A lot of parents banned their kids from reading it because it was about the sexist brutality of surfy culture and sexual initiations – in fact, Kylie Minogue, who is a friend of mine, says she read it secretly in bed at night with a torch. My mother only recently told me how many death threats and anonymous phone calls she got saying, 'You call yourself a teacher when you've raised a slut like that?' Luckily, she didn't tell me at the time. I would have been devastated. I have come to realise that there is nothing more powerful than a girls' night out. Swinging off a chandelier with a cocktail between your teeth is cheaper and more fun than therapy. Without it, without your girlfriends, you can lose your identity. The closest I came to feeling like that was when I had my first baby. I was walking through Harrods with my mum, saying, 'I think I'm back – I feel like I'm getting my brain back.' I proceeded to pick up a perfume spray and spritzed it on my neck. After walking around the entire department store, I realised it was actually white foam and I was covered in it. She said, 'Not quite back yet, darling.' Whether it's puberty, motherhood or menopause, I always write the book I wish I'd had when I was going through it. The only time I didn't do this was with my son. He is autistic, and I didn't want to invade his privacy, so I didn't write about him until he was 21 and had given me permission to. I regret that in a way, because it's always better to shine a light into a dark corner than to ignore it. Seeing the positive joys of neurodiversity, and seeing the stigma taken out of autism, is so wonderful, but that's only because people talk about it now. Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion The next battle is sexism and ageing. After 19 books published in 17 languages, my publisher dropped me. In fact, all the publishers I approached with The Revenge Club said, 'Nobody wants to read about middle-aged women.' One publisher even said to me, 'Middle-aged women are like Sudan or Mogadishu. We know they exist, but nobody wants to go there.' I kept thinking, 'But all of my women friends have such an incredible hinterland. They've had divorces, breakups, promotions, betrayals, affairs, breakdowns, and have so much wisdom and wit. Who wouldn't want to read that?' It turns out I was right, because the book was a bestseller. When you get to 50, a man becomes a silver fox, whereas a woman is a hag, a bag and a crone. There's a cloak of invisibility just when we enter the peak of our productivity. I am 66 now, and always say to women: have a sensational second act. You are in your prime, even if society says you're not. You're in your sexual prime, as well. But don't necessarily go for an alpha male. I've realised – as an alpha – I need a beta. Which I have. He is a classical guitarist, who adores me. He cooks, he cleans. He is nurturing and kind and happy. I've had two alphas now – two fantastic ex‑husbands – but it's lovely to be taken care of. In so many ways I feel this is the best time of my life. There's so much to look forward to, plus no period cramps, no pregnancy scares, and all that tampon money to spend. I make sure to do something outrageous every day – tonight I'm wearing a tiny black miniskirt and black boots to a party. It's not escaping the law by any means, but it's one small way to go forth and be fabulous.
