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When I started this blog I had no idea that it would help me stop worrying about a whole lot of stuff that isn’t worth worrying about.

Today I was approached by the Australian Council of Learned (sic) Academics for my input into some self-serving fantasy they are preparing for our tabloid right federal government.

Without a second thought or any remorse I said no and wished them well in their endeavours.

Bliss.

But what to care about?

Actually I am thinking of writing a crime novel.

I watched the Jack Irish TV series and loved it but then was appalled by the poor quality of the original books.

In fact Australia has never produced a single great crime novel.

The closest we got was ‘The Empty Beach’ by Peter Corris. But it was a case of a false dawn as the author descended into trite facsimiles of Chandler thereafter.

We have had no Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Damon Runyon or even a John le Carre. The last two stretch the category a little I know.

Great, great authors all. Yet they don’t win major awards because of the genre. Le Carre for example has to be one of the living greats; much better than a handful of laureates that I can think of.

Even this I can’t get worked up about.