That the former prime minister was an active participant in our toxic political culture should not make us less sympathetic to his own difficulties.
Language can help us see things as if for the first time. When it fails,though,the problem does not really lie with language but with us.
Never more than in the past week have we seen national discussion on major issues marked by the mass silencing of everyone outside the extremes.
Sometimes in politics – like when you realise your opponent will always punch harder – you should exit the ring and try another approach.
The politics of inequality are shifting rapidly,and the major parties are desperate not to get caught on the wrong side of the debate.
Rather than offer a genuine solution on energy,the opposition leader is attempting to avoid two fights:one with Labor,the other within the Coalition.
There is a clear analogue to one of Albanese’s traits as PM:his careful attention to planning and sequencing,his belief that a large part of political strategy is doing things in the right order.
The focus of both major parties for the Dunkley byelection was fairly trivial. Let’s hope they can do better for the looming federal election.
The Albanese government has talked a good game on significant education reform. Soon,it will be time for action.
Nostalgia is a powerful political force,but it should be distrusted – left and right – as a motivation for political change.
Alcohol is a force in our national politics,but the way Australians read the act of drinking depends both on the times and the person,and the ways the two are entangled.