Mr Murdoch buys and sells papers
Friday, 31 August 2007 Media analysis Comments Off on Mr Murdoch buys and sells papers
In this move from the business club lounges of the nation’s airports into the corridors of power in Canberra, and for The Australian to be seen shaping opinion, it must keep in step with it. One of the problems for The Australian this year is to keep up with the change in power that is already underway in Canberra and is about to become a formal reality.
A change in the wind for the Greens
Thursday, 30 August 2007 State of the parties Comments Off on A change in the wind for the Greens
Minor parties like the Greens never like to face up to it, but their development is often less dependent on their own initiatives than what goes on in the major parties. The Greens have especially been influenced by developments in Labor.
IR: an internal, irrelevant debate
Wednesday, 29 August 2007 Media analysis Comments Off on IR: an internal, irrelevant debate
Labor and government IR policies are basically similar because they are both driven by the same reality, the unions have been neutralised as a social force.
The state of the parties – the ALP
Tuesday, 28 August 2007 State of the parties Comments Off on The state of the parties – the ALP
Keating’s solution during his last term was a project to create a more assertive and independent Australian nationalism based on three R’s; reconciliation, regionalism and republicanism. In reality much of it was about boosting the stature of the political class – rehabilitating it over past mistakes (the ‘sorry’ campaigns) and aggrandising it through the republican push.
A credible softening of support
Tuesday, 28 August 2007 Tactics Comments Off on A credible softening of support
Poor Mr. Morgan. For the second time this year his polling organisation has suggested a possibly interesting turn in polling trends that was ignored until picked up by a rival organisation.
The state of the parties – the Liberals
Monday, 27 August 2007 Key posts, State of the parties Comments Off on The state of the parties – the Liberals
The usual response to any talk of Liberal crisis on defeat is to remind that similar talk went on in the 1990s that was proved wrong by Howard coming to power. Yet the Howard government has shown exactly what this discussion was about.
Rudd’s anti-politics coup de grâce
Friday, 24 August 2007 State and federal politics Comments Off on Rudd’s anti-politics coup de grâce
A fight where there is nothing really at stake is the most annoying type of politics and has left Howard open to an anti-politics move at the federal level by Rudd.
Let’s all forget about 2004
Thursday, 23 August 2007 State of the parties Comments Off on Let’s all forget about 2004
Although Rudd is now re-making the ALP to make what will turn out to be a very different Labor government than what has gone before, so far the Labor party going to this election under Rudd is not really that different than the one that followed Latham. But the immediate news of this election will be to see exposed federally what has already happened in the states, the crisis of the Liberal party.
A victory for the judiciary, not civil liberties
Wednesday, 22 August 2007 Key posts, The Australian state Comments Off on A victory for the judiciary, not civil liberties
To read much of the Judge’s decision and the media comment about it, you could get the impression that this is all about the detention of Haneef and the excessive use of anti-terrorism powers.
Time to leave Howard in the swamp
Tuesday, 21 August 2007 Tactics Comments Off on Time to leave Howard in the swamp
Rudd’s job now is to stop boring the nation on how drunk he was four years ago.