Gerard Henderson
Gerard Henderson is executive director of The Sydney Institute, a forum for debate and discussion. His books include Menzies Child: The Liberal Party of Australia and he publishes the Media Watch Dog e-newsletter each Friday.
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.
Foster ties with China, but do so in broad context
Gerard Henderson Perhaps the most compelling of the paintings in the 2013 Archibald Prize at the Art Gallery of NSW is Xu Wang's Self-portrait (interviewing Maoist victims).
'National interest' is in Labor's interest
Gerard Henderson There has been some suggestions that Stephen Conroy's attitude to the print media resembles that of Josef Stalin.
Spotlight on Labor failings misses what Abbott has got right
Gerard Henderson Prime Minister Julia Gillard's political pilgrimage to western Sydney once again focuses the debate on Labor's problems.
Labor must learn art of government
Gerard Henderson The sad truth is that Labor has run only one efficient government at the federal level since the Second World War.
Gerard Henderson
Political success does not hinge on how popular you are
Gerard Henderson On the evidence so far, Tony Abbott is the most successful opposition leader since Gough Whitlam four decades ago.
Gerard Henderson
Howard's popularity key asset in Abbott's push for The Lodge
Gerard Henderson In this election year, it's clear that history is not bunk. Last week, a Galaxy Research poll found that the former Liberal Party leader John Howard is regarded as the best Australian prime minister...
Gerard Henderson
Turns out Mayans weren't alone in getting carried away about 2012
Gerard Henderson WITH Mayan followers foretelling the end of the world before Christmas, it was to be expected 2012 would be replete with hyperbole, prophecy and odd behaviour.
Gerard Henderson
The ultimate dilemma - freedom to preach v freedom of speech
Gerard Henderson Jenna Price claims to be just an ''ordinary'' person who is ''sick of the way that Alan Jones speaks to us and tries to whip up hate''. Or so she told ABC Radio AM yesterday.
Gerard Henderson
It's not destroying the joint, but this double standard is a cow
Gerard Henderson Who would have thought that a throwaway piece of old fashioned Australian slang could, within a few days, become a matter of international interest? But that's the modern world of instant...
Gerard Henderson
Toss 'The Boss' palaver, leader's economic legacy the real issue
Gerard Henderson Wayne Swan's apparent addiction to Bruce Springsteen certainly cut through last week. Very few treasurers get such media attention away from the budget or a financial statement.
Gerard Henderson
Boats will keep coming until someone waves the red flag
Gerard Henderson It's not often that a government loses control over key areas of domestic or international policy. Yet it happens occasionally. Whitlam Labor lost control of economy policy around the middle of 1974.
Gerard Henderson
Abbott's realistic approach to China only offends fawners
Gerard Henderson In any debate on China, the voice of the ''whateverists'' can invariably be heard. This term was invented to describe the position, over the years, taken by many Western academics and others that we...
Gerard Henderson
Power of the press a lot less muscular than some imagine
Gerard Henderson There is delusion. And then there is self-delusion. When both forces come together, what follows is an absence of reality. This is evident in much of the debate about the future of the print media.
Gerard Henderson
Threat from enemy within makes anti-terrorism laws indispensable
Gerard Henderson Decisions have consequences, even if decision makers sometimes go into denial. In the weekend edition of the Herald, Debra Jopson provided case studies of the 21 men who have been convicted of...
Gerard Henderson
PM's steadily declining authority is all of her own making
Gerard Henderson The problems of the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, turn not on her gender but, rather, on her authority.
Gerard Henderson
Hold the hyperbole, Labor's problems are just same old same old
Gerard Henderson According to Barry Jones, a minister in the Hawke Labor government, the "current national situation" is at the lowest point he can recall.
Gerard Henderson
Swan's indulgent essay sidesteps the important questions
Gerard Henderson What's so strange about Wayne Swan's essay ''The 0.01%'' in this issue of The Monthly is that it appears to be a loser's script. As in: the Australian Treasurer representing 99.
Gerard Henderson
Newstart and unfair dismissal laws pour salt on wounds of jobless
Gerard Henderson There is a sound economic argument for the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, and the Treasurer, Wayne Swan, to bring in a surplus in next week's budget.
Gerard Henderson
Time to put to rest claims of Abbott's DLP tendencies
Gerard Henderson In politics it does not take long for throwaway lines to become established mythology and later perceived truth.
