An elderly writer, South African but living in Australia, known only as Senor C, has been commissioned to write a rant. Political essays about anything, based on any strong positions he cares to hold, for a German publisher's future collection. They turn out to range from Hobbes and what he says (apparently) about citizenship, through The Seven Samurai to a hatred of Blair and all that is Iraq, Guantanamo Bay, and the Australian efforts to catch up with the Bushites as regards anti-terrorism laws.