One way to lose an election

Was it the economics or the politics of John Hewson’s Fightback! strategy that failed, asks Norman Abjorensen

08 May 12 | Comments (2)

Tea-leaf time

Does the tidal wave of polls help predict how Romney and Obama will fare in November, asks Lesley Russell

26 Apr 12 | Comments (2)

Wipeout 2012

Pundits are predicting a long period of opposition for Queensland Labor, writes Brian Costar, but Campbell Newman faces his own challenges

27 Mar 12 | Comments (0)

The double-decker election campaign

Up against cumbersome major parties, Bob Katter’s Australian Party has fielded a better-than-expected group of candidates, writes Jane Goodall. But the leader has steered the fledgling party into trouble

19 Mar 12 | Comments (0)

Presidential elections in Timor-Leste: what’s at stake?

Michael Leach previews this month’s poll

04 Mar 12 | Comments (0)

Gough Whitlam’s close-run thing

William McMahon’s famously ill-starred prime ministership has been back in the news, not necessarily to the advantage of the federal Labor government. Paul Rodan recalls the election of nearly forty years ago

17 Feb 12 | Comments (5)

Old figures, new money

This week’s release of data on political donations and spending hides as much as it reveals – and is already many months out of date, write Graeme Orr and Brian Costar

03 Feb 12 | Comments (0)

A storm in a teacup

Norm Kelly in Wellington analyses the National Party’s election win

30 Nov 11 | Comments (0)

Labor’s shrinking core

Party reform won’t solve Labor’s broader problem, writes Paul Rodan

18 Nov 11 | Comments (3)

Why does Labor exist?

Labor’s search for meaning needs to go beyond the failures of the post-1996 party, writes Frank Bongiorno

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Political integrity: Victoria goes part of the way

More reforms are needed to ensure the integrity of party fundraising and regulate lobbyists in Victoria, writes Joo-Cheong Tham

09 Nov 11 | Comments (0)

A hundred years later, it’s time for another vital voting reform

Out of the clash of interests in federal parliament in 1911 came an enduring electoral reform, writes Brian Costar. An update is long overdue

06 Oct 11 | Comments (0)

What is the voter voting for?

Norman Abjorensen looks into the mind of the Australian voter

02 Sep 11 | Comments (0)

The Greens’ preference problem

A Liberal decision to direct preferences away from the Greens could hit the party hard in the lower house, writes Paul Rodan. But the evidence suggests that not all Liberal voters will cooperate

11 Jul 11 | Comments (0)

Third-party politics

Political advertising isn’t new, but third-party ads are a relatively recent, unregulated and potentially influential feature of political debate in Australia, writes Graeme Orr

31 May 11 | Comments (1)

Be careful what you wish for

In New South Wales, the bishops opposed the Greens and the Coalition sought a record majority. Both aspirations have created problems for the future, writes Tony Smith

01 Apr 11 | Comments (0)

Can Turnbull do a Menzies?

A former high-profile lawyer who rose rapidly in politics but was dumped as leader by his own party… Yes, Robert Menzies did bounce back, writes Norman Abjorensen

30 Mar 11 | Comments (0)

How the Greens took Baden-Württemberg

Thirty-two years after Three Mile Island, an accident in a far-away nuclear facility has once again altered Germany’s political landscape. Klaus Neumann looks at two turning points in the fortunes of the nuclear industry

28 Mar 11 | Comments (2)

Over the top with Campbell Newman

The lord mayor of Brisbane might be a politician of his times, but he’s adopted a risky course, writes Graeme Orr

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New South Wales: the verdict

Radio National’s The National Interest, presented by Inside Story contributor Peter Mares, looks at the implications of the 2011 New South Wales election result

27 Mar 11 | Comments (0)