Catch Margaret Simons at the following Bendigo Writers Festival sessions:
The Fifth Estate: Powers That Be
Saturday 13 August 6:00PM-7:00PM
Lord John Acton’s famous remark is among the most oft-quoted in politics: ‘Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely’. But did Acton take the cynicism too far when he later wrote that ‘great men are almost always bad men’?
At this special Fifth Estate event, presented in partnership with The Wheeler Centre, host Sally Warhaft will be joined by three guests whose careers have brought in close proximity to power for many years. Journalists Dennis Glover, Kerry O’Brien and Margaret Simons will share their thoughts and observations on the nature of of power in Australia today.
What kind of people seek power? Are our politicians overstating their capacity to influence economic events that are largely out of their control? Is the nature of power changing in the 21st century? How much influence is wielded by people the public didn’t elect? And why is power so difficult to relinquish?
Hunger for power has been at the heart of the last tumultuous decade in Australian politics. Join us for a conversation about this irresistible force; its allure and its pitfalls.
Location: Capital Theatre, 50 View St Bendigo
Digging Deep
Sunday 14 August 1:45PM-2:45PM
Alongside her award-winning writing about current affairs, Margaret Simons shares her passion for gardening, in newspapers and books, including her latest, Six Square Metres.
She talks to Robert Kretschmer about how her small city garden is both a refuge and a canvas on which she paints the rich story of her life.
Location: La Trobe University Visual Arts Centre, 121 View St Bendigo
