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Vale, Mercator
March 10, 2025
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It must have been 2004 when the invitation came from Michael Cook and his team in Sydney to become the editor of a new email newsletter called FamilyEdge. I had been free-lancing for a couple of years writing institutional histories and opinion pieces for New Zealand newspapers, and a regular gig sounded good.
It was the beginning of a steep learning curve and a great adventure. I had only a vague idea of what “email newsletter” meant, but if it would do something for the family, I was in. Michael was already sending out BioEdge so I had a model and plenty of help. As an IT ignoramus I needed it all.
When we launched out into the deep a year later with MercatorNet to address human dignity issues on a broader front, it was challenging, to say the least. We were attempting to give people good arguments to bring to public debates about human life, the family, the role of the state, identity…. Such fundamental realities can only be fully understood in the light of faith, of course, but there are a lot of reasonable things that can be said before invoking Christian beliefs and ethics. That is what we tried to do, and largely succeeded I believe.
For myself, writing articles quickly enough and finding other writers who could contribute was difficult, however, and most of the burden fell on Michael, whose vision and commitment has always kept the good ship Mercator afloat and sailing.
At the same time, there was a lot of goodwill among friends, bloggers and established columnists scattered around the world. I made friends with many and have kept in touch with a few. Among earlier contributors the names of Sheila Liaugminas (US journalist and true patriot), Francis Phillips (whose elegant book reviews won her a fan club) and Barbara Kay (a no-nonsense columnist for Canada’s National Post) spring immediately to mind.
Ann Farmer’s daily letters to The (London) Telegraph became the basis of lively articles, along with articles from partner sites like The Conservative Woman (thanks, Kathy Gyngell and Laura Perrins!), Karl Stephan’s Engineering Ethics, and Prof. J Budziszewski’s blog The Underground Thomist. Fellow Kiwis Marcus and Shannon Roberts informed (and entertained) us with the demography blog for a decade, highlighting a population implosion that now everyone is talking about.
There are so many others. In recent years it has been encouraging to see people like Louis March, Kurt Mahlburg, and cartoonist Brian Doyle providing excellent commentary and research on politics and demography on a regular basis.
The spark of genius unique to Mercator, however, is and always has been that of its editor. A Harvard graduate, widely read, with a brilliant mind, ready wit, and wisdom that has its roots in a deep and lively faith, Michael is able to go quickly to the heart of any issue or event, show who the heroes are, slay the villains with a snicker-snack or two of gentle sarcasm, and leave us better armed to fight for human dignity than we were before.
And in a better humour. Rarely do I read one of his articles without a chuckle, and never without getting a fresh angle on some vexed question. Humour aside, who else would be quoting Schopenhauer in a critique of JD Vance’s speech to European leaders, or (as in a recent piece on the Trump-Zelensky dust-up) Benjamin Franklin’s visit to Louis XVI in 1776 to beg for help with the American revolution?
It was a pleasure to work with Michael as deputy editor until 2018 and I learned a huge amount from our collaboration. Some years ago, he published a collection of his bioethics articles. (Yes, he also kept up BioEdge until a few months ago.) I, for one, would like to see a collection of his Mercator articles. Any takers?
I know there have always been generous people in the background, supporting Mercator with fundraising and the nuts and bolts of the website (Hi, Tim Lee and Jean Seah!) and I am grateful to them all for what that meant for me personally as well as for the whole, inspired project.
Above all, I want to congratulate Michael on an awesome 20-year stint as the editor of what will remain, for me, the best little website in the world.
Carolyn Moynihan writes from New Zealand. She served as the deputy editor of Mercator.
Image: Nik on Unsplash
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Andy Mullins commented 2025-03-13 10:51:14 +1100Thank you Carolyn. You have been such a part of this. I have greatly enjoyed your work.
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Tim Lee commented 2025-03-11 09:55:24 +1100Carolyn, you have been a joy and an inspiration to work with through the years. Thank you and best wishes for the future! I will be in touch via my personal email.
After my book launch later this year, perhaps we can work with Michael on a compilation of quintessential articles from two decades of Mercator, in particular those written by him and you? -
Tim Lee commented 2025-03-11 09:49:14 +1100You’re most welcome, Mrs Cracker! I have enjoyed reading and responding to your comments too. Though we’ve not met, I feel like I’ve made a good friend and hope to meet you in person someday :)
Best wishes for the future! If you like, I can contact you through my personal email and we can keep in touch. -
mrscracker commented 2025-03-11 07:47:28 +1100God bless you each for all you’ve done. I’ve really enjoyed Mercator & being able to add comments from time to time. And thank you Mr. Lee for your courtesy & charity.
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Tim O'Sullivan commented 2025-03-11 02:49:30 +1100Thanks to Michael and Carolyn and all the team for a really excellent publication, always lively and informative as well as being thought-provoking and hope-filled. Warmest wishes to the editorial team in the future! Tim O’Sullivan Ireland. -
Tim Lee commented 2025-03-10 18:53:55 +1100Michael Cook has done an incredible job steering this barque of reason in a sea of unreason. Cheers, old friend! ☕
It has been a fascinating journey for me as Comments Editor, from which I have gained much more than I have put in. I have had intense fun following the debates in our comments column, which have been on the whole quite sensible and courteous – at least when compared to those seen on other sites.
The world is increasingly connected yet paradoxically fragmented. We find ourselves straddling multiple fault lines – traditional vs progressive, orthodox vs liberal, Left vs Right. The Left of old has become the Middle; the Far Left is now the Left while the Right of old is now the Far Right. These divides are reflected in our community of commenters but, as Kurt notes in his farewell piece, the sands are shifting.
As a busybody commenter myself, I am guided by Socrates’ three tests for when to speak up and when to be silent – whether what we say is truthful, necessary and kind. In a global village of folks who share a passion for the truth, I hope to meet some of you again – online or in person. 🙏🏻 -
