The Long-Read Essay: Democracy, Power and Australia at the Crossroads

The Long-Read Essay: Democracy, Power and Australia at the Crossroads

2025 was the year the comforting myths finally fell away. In this long-read essay, we trace how democratic institutions – globally and in Australia – proved far more fragile than many assumed, as misinformation, authoritarian politics and media failure reshaped the political landscape. From Trump’s return and Elon Musk’s political interference, to the catastrophic war on Gaza and Australia’s own shallow election campaign, the year exposed a deep crisis of leadership, media courage and moral clarity. Yet amid the disillusionment, there are faint but real signs of renewal: growing scepticism of mainstream media, the rise of independent voices, and a questioning of Australia’s place in a changing world. This long-read episode asks a simple but urgent question: at the crossroads revealed in 2025, will Australia choose to continue to drift, or seek a democratic renewal? #AUSPOL

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Song listing:
  1. ‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.

Jaksot(305)

That Sinking Feeling of Falling Polls and a Drunk in Parliament

That Sinking Feeling of Falling Polls and a Drunk in Parliament

The federal government and its best friend – the NSW Government – are sinking in the polls because of one key issue: the mismanagement of the pandemic. Qualitative and quantitative research is showing...

6 Elo 202141min

Vested Interests in NSW and Leaders Who Want To Be Loved

Vested Interests in NSW and Leaders Who Want To Be Loved

There are too many vested interests in Sydney and it makes it difficult for the NSW Government to act in the public interest and, because of this, the city is now in a nine-week lockdown, with no end ...

30 Heinä 202140min

The Sydney COVID Disaster And Olympic Dramas

The Sydney COVID Disaster And Olympic Dramas

Political games are never far away when it comes to COVID-19 management in Australia and, of course, it’s across the political divide: the Liberal Party of NSW and the federal government on one side, ...

23 Heinä 202141min

Ignoring COVID Lessons From The Past And Who Is The Real Prime Minister?

Ignoring COVID Lessons From The Past And Who Is The Real Prime Minister?

Australia has become lockdown central, with its two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, going into two different types of lockdowns – Sydney has a modified version where shops are still open and peo...

16 Heinä 202141min

Spinning In The Face Of A Crisis And The Modern Liberal Party

Spinning In The Face Of A Crisis And The Modern Liberal Party

The Sydney lockdown continues into its third week and the Gladys Berejiklian show moves into the full public relations mode and spin cycle to get itself out of political trouble. It’s almost as though...

9 Heinä 202144min

The Lockdown Schadenfreude in NSW And A Two Jobs Failure: Vaccination and Quarantine

The Lockdown Schadenfreude in NSW And A Two Jobs Failure: Vaccination and Quarantine

The NSW Government’s ‘gold standard’ in COVID management has soured into a more tarnished puce colour, with Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s reluctance to shut down Sydney a week earlier, resulting in a m...

2 Heinä 202145min

Pfizer Phuck-Up, Failure Of The G7 Meeting, Locking Up Journalists

Pfizer Phuck-Up, Failure Of The G7 Meeting, Locking Up Journalists

Australia could have been close to reaching herd immunity but a poor Australian government decision to turn its back on an excellent Pfizer deal means the national level of vaccination is at 3%, one o...

23 Kesä 202144min

Quarantine Fiasco Continues, Media Clampdown, The Beast Of The NSW Labor Right

Quarantine Fiasco Continues, Media Clampdown, The Beast Of The NSW Labor Right

Victoria will complete a two-week lockdown soon but if the Morrison government had done its job properly on quarantine management and the vaccination rollout, the lockdown – which will cost around $2 ...

9 Kesä 202153min

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