John Howard
John Watson
Let me remind you: it's 2001, John Howard is facing disaster
John Watson When reporters use the word 'historic' they mean: 'not in the time that I've been here'.
Would male PMs face the same treatment?
Rachel Browne Prime Minister Julia Gillard's predecessors have faced their fair share of nasty labels but they've been mild compared to the invective which has flown Julia Gillard's way, and well before she became...
Uneasiness about a woman in power unleashes a sexist maelstrom
Stephanie Peatling One thing no one can dispute about the prime ministership of Julia Gillard is the impact a woman's elevation to the top job has had on political discourse.
Abortion debate: the blast from the past no one wants
Jacqueline Maley Of all possible '90s throwbacks - high-waisted jeans, scrunchies, the music of Mariah Carey - a renewed debate about abortion law has to be the least welcome.
Lack of maturity on display
Chris Johnson So we are expected to believe that a busy business owner knocks up a classy-looking but offensively written menu targeting the Prime Minister in a vile and disgusting fashion, only for his own...
A private pessimism now a public despair
Michael Gordon For more than two years, Rod Cameron's pessimism about Labor's prospects has been a strictly private affair.
Naivety to put hope in new broom
Ross Gittins The way our pollies play the political game perpetuates the cycle of cynicism and the ever-declining credibility of their profession.
Why it takes a flying crust to burst the political bubble
Jacqueline Maley Was there a harried Canberran mother who watched the news on Thursday night, or perhaps logged on to smh.com.
Smart politics from a leader who's growing up
Peter Hartcher Tony Abbott came on Thursday not to demolish the Labor government as a tribal leader but to chide it as an adult alternative prime minister.
Seeing sense as end nears
Peter Hartcher Labor's budget this week is like the pyramid of an Egyptian pharaoh, says one of the party's federal MPs: "Gillard is building the monuments for her legacy, and she's sacrificing us slaves in the...
When the numbers don't add up, Swan is surplus to requirements
Chris Berg They say every political career ends in failure. But some more than others. All the evidence suggests Wayne Swan's sixth budget, released last Tuesday, will be his last.
What sort of prime minister will this man be?
Tim Soutphommasane It is simplistic to think we are entering a new conservative stage in our national politics.
Abbott, O'Farrell have equal claim to Menzies' legacy
Gerard Henderson Premier Barry O'Farrell is a proud follower of Robert Menzies (1894 to 1978), the founder of the modern Liberal Party.
Taxing matters as GST takes centre stage again
Mark Kenny Hypersensitivity over the GST dates back to Howard and Costello.
Making a poll win a breeze
John Warhurst Pressure groups and organised interests are the weathervanes of political shifts.
GST may be the answer to balancing the books
Mark Kenny Politician after politician has squibbed it, making florid gestures but avoiding serious discussion of the goods and services tax.
HOLDINGHOLDINGHOLDING
A goat in sheep's clothing?
Jack Waterford The personality, temperament, character and reliability of Tony Abbott is pretty much the primary issue that voters should be weighing up.
Ex-PM becomes a free spirit
Chris Johnson Kevin Rudd did his best to continue that Australian tradition of former PMs wanting to seem more moderate out of office than they ever did while in the top job.
Why I quit the ALP
Andrew Macleod We don't need new leaders of the two main parties, we need new parties.
How we lost our place in the global car industry
Tim Colebatch Without a much lower dollar and painful reforms to cut costs, world markets will be out of reach.
