Unravelling Tony Abbott

Wednesday, 17 March 2010   Political figures   8 comments 

Like One Nation, Abbott’s accession to the leadership is being confused with another phenomenon – the revival of the right.

Opposing on empty

Monday, 15 March 2010   Tactics   4 comments 

If Howard couldn’t sustain a distinctive agenda in the run up to the 2007 election, why should Abbott after 2010?

What we are seeing here is the second stage of the problem of undermining of the Australian political class, that began with the exhaustion of the domestic program twenty years ago, and has now extended to the international sphere.

Let’s all forget about 2007

Monday, 1 February 2010   Media analysis   11 comments 

Hartcher is doing the same thing that Antony Green did in his piece in The Drum undermining current polling – belittling the significance of the 2007 election

No going back – an update

Friday, 29 January 2010   Tactics   5 comments 

There is some sign that in responding to Abbott’s threat to turn the clock back and resume the old left-right ding-dong, there is part of the government’s strategy that is conceding to it much as Labor did in the last election.

At no time has the party ever had its leadership calculations so openly determined by their complete loss of confidence in their ability to recover government in the foreseeable future.

The coming political recession

Wednesday, 16 January 2008   State of the parties  Comments Off 

Now with Howard out of the way, the party is the main target as the leadership uses the economic scare to restrict any alternative agendas in the party.

A staged implosion – an update

Monday, 26 November 2007   Political figures  Comments Off 

Howard could use Costello as a pretend challenger to manage the party’s dilemma in wanting an alternative but not knowing what it is. That strategy has now collapsed and the dilemma has now come out in what to do about Malcolm Turnbull.

Some furniture saved

Sunday, 25 November 2007   Key posts, State of the parties  Comments Off 

For a party that had just lost its leader and completed a rout from every government in the country for the first time ever, the Liberals were in a remarkably sanguine mood last night.

The biggest focus group of all

Saturday, 24 November 2007   Key posts, State of the parties  Comments Off 

At a guess then, this blog thinks Labor will win comfortably with 87 seats, a majority of 24.

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