Quarterly Essay 40

Trivial Pursuit: Leadership and the End of the Reform Era

George Megalogenis

Release Date:
November 2010
Our Price:
$15.95
ISBN:
9781863954983

Hard copies of QE40 have now sold out.

Buy the eBook

Booki.sh
Apple iBookstore
Amazon Kindle
Kobo

Buy the Audio Book

Bolinda

Description

In the aftermath of the 2010 election, George Megalogenis considers what has happened to politics in Australia. Have we entered a new phase with minority government and the rise of the Greens and independents?

The Hawke, Keating and Howard years were ones of bold reform; recently we have seen an era of power without purpose. But why? Is it down to powerful lobbies, or the media, or a failure of leadership, or all of the above? And whatever the case, how will hard decisions be taken for the future?

In a brilliant analysis, Megalogenis dissects the cycle of polls, focus groups and presidential politics and explores what it has done to the prospect of serious, difficult reform and the style of our leaders. He argues that politics-as-usual has become a self-defeating game and mounts a persuasive case for a different model of leadership.

This is also an essay that looks at the fate of progressive politics after the three years of opportunities lost. In distilling the meaning of election 2010, it offers a thought-provoking guide to the challenges to come. Now that the political landscape has changed, where to next?

 

Correspondence

This issue also contains correspondence relating to the previous issue QE39 Power Shift by Hugh White. Correspondence relating to QE40 Trivial Pursuit will appear in the next issue.


About the Author

George Megalogenis is a senior writer with The Australian and the author of Faultlines and The Longest Decade.


Author Video

George Megalogenis talks about Trivial Pursuit: Leadership and the End of the Reform Era
Part One | Part Two