The coalition is desperately trying to hold on to a more fundamental plank in its policy than China-baiting.

A political morality play

Friday, 10 April 2009   Key posts, Tactics   9 comments 

To make a morality play out of this economic crisis it is first necessary to make it a financial one.

The period of domestic initiatives is now over and the global dimension to this crisis is now becoming unavoidable.

Whitlam takes on the neo-Liberals

Monday, 9 February 2009   Key posts, Tactics   9 comments 

However deliberate it was, Rudd has set up a delicious trap.

Review of 2008 – Labor

Wednesday, 24 December 2008   Key posts, State of the parties  Comments Off 

It was the political assault on the old power bases of the party that was the underlying theme of federal Labor in 2008.

The last thing they need are ideas

Wednesday, 29 October 2008   Key posts, State of the parties  Comments Off 

Peter Van Onselen is clearly miffed that not only could Julie Bishop not be bothered writing an essay for his collection “Liberals and Power: The Road Ahead”, but neither could the staffer she dumped the job onto …

The Day The Right Died

Monday, 27 October 2008   Key posts, State of the parties  Comments Off 

The public stoning of Dr Henry in Wednesday’s Senate hearing and George Brandis’s bizarre behaviour on Lateline on Friday shows that the coalition had more in mind than political point-scoring last week.

The pointless search for a narrative

Monday, 11 August 2008   Key posts, Media analysis  Comments Off 

If there is one thing that distinguishes Rudd, and infuriates the media and clearly annoys the old Labor luminaries, is his refusal to create such a political agenda from thin air.

Hard to move forward, can’t stand still

Thursday, 17 July 2008   Key posts, Tactics  Comments Off 

Environmentalists may cry that Rudd is bowing to political expediency by cutting petrol excise to offset any price impact from an ETS, but actually the politics of this decision aren’t that great.

The rats’ problem with Rudd

Monday, 16 June 2008   Key posts, Media analysis  Comments Off 

As the media continues to portray the Rudd government as the most popular ever to stumble from crisis to crisis, it is clear that something has happened to the media’s relationship with the government.

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