M2 February 2026 Issue Editor’s Letter
Okay, as of going to print, we are full steam ahead into the new year, and there is no shortage of global and local political and economic intrigue. Europe/US relations, Iran, Venezuela, Ukraine and so on. Throw a dart at an atlas, and you will likely hit a hotspot. At the same time, throw a dart at a market ticker, a commodity future, or a cryptocurrency, and you’ve got a good chance of popping a bubble. Speaking of bursting bubbles, 40 years of computer-nerd-public-relations strategy has been set back by the latest dump of Epstein files. Who would have thought that some tech billionaires have a malleable moral compass?
Closer to home, it is an election year, so, of course, we are going to see more sensible dialogue between our political factions that just sticks to the facts, ideas, policy and doesn’t descend into personal attacks.
So a lot is going on. But it’s not really top of my mind. As of print, my ten-year-old daughter is into her second week in year 7 at a new school. She has left a small primary school down the road and made the leap to an intermediate/high school many times larger. She is now managing a strict uniform, a timetable more intimidating than what I had at university and a 20km bus commute. I’m not sure who has found this to be more of a struggle, her or me. Actually, I’m pretty sure it’s me. While I am trying to hide the lump in my throat as I see her go off in the morning, she leaps off into each day like she is on a wild adventure. She has even dealt with some slight bullying with a perspective and pragmatism that I wouldn’t be able to muster now. For her, every subject and a raft of extracurricular options are a wonderful opportunity to learn and try new things, which she is embracing with awe and excitement. And while I deal with the fact that she is probably more emotionally mature than I am, she also reminds me that whatever is going on in the world, and whatever we can catastrophise, we shouldn’t forget the beauty, magic and opportunity right under our noses.