Bonus Episode: Sweet Election Victories From The 1990s

Bonus Episode: Sweet Election Victories From The 1990s

The 2019 election is on, but to look forward, we always need to look back, and we go far back into the archives to look at the events of elections from 1992 and 1993. But that's over 25 years ago: are age-old events from history still relevant today?

Of course! The similarities between UK Labour leader Neil Kinnock in 1992 and Bill Shorten in 2019 are striking. Like Shorten, Kinnock had been ahead in the polls for almost three years and everyone was backing Labour to win. And he also faced attacks from the Murdoch-backed media, culminating in the infamous and grammatically-challenged newspaper headline: "It’s The Sun Wot Won It".

The election systems are slightly different in the two countries: Australia has two-party preferred and compulsory voting; the UK has first-past-the-post and voluntary voting. Shorten is still favoured to win here, but we think he'd be looking at the 1992 UK election campaign for all the things to avoid; the biggest issue would be hubris and assuming victory just falls into the leader’s lap.

Scott Morrison will be trying to emulate Paul Keating’s feat in 1993 of winning the unwinnable election. Yes, in a two-horse race, anything is possible, but Morrison is not Paul Keating, he leads a very damaged Coalition, and is papering over all forms of corruption (alleged). So we still think it's very very unlikely.

But don't forget the big clichés: the only poll that matters is on election day, and it's not over until it's over.

Jaksot(311)

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 misi...

19 Joulu 202510min

The Review of 2025 Part 4: AUKUS, cancel culture and how Labor governs

The Review of 2025 Part 4: AUKUS, cancel culture and how Labor governs

Australia enters 2026 facing deep strategic uncertainty: AUKUS costs have blown out to $1.3 billion with little clarity about what Australia is actually buying, while fear-driven national-security pol...

12 Joulu 202538min

The Review of 2025 Part 3: All the way with the US forever

The Review of 2025 Part 3: All the way with the US forever

As the United States slides into institutional decay under Donald Trump’s return to the White House – with sweeping tariffs on global trade, mass deportations, rolled-back civil rights and an increasi...

11 Joulu 202510min

The Review of 2025 Part 2: A big Labor win, Liberal collapse and silencing Palestine

The Review of 2025 Part 2: A big Labor win, Liberal collapse and silencing Palestine

In our continuing review of the 2025 year in Australian federal politics, we discuss the federal election held in May, analysing one of the worst campaigns by a major political party in modern history...

5 Joulu 202545min

The Review of 2025 Part 1:  Culture wars, Treaty and the collapse of the politics of fear

The Review of 2025 Part 1: Culture wars, Treaty and the collapse of the politics of fear

To commence our review of the 2025 year in Australian federal politics, this bonus episode examines the continuing culture wars, the Australia Day and Invasion Day debate, and a federal election that ...

4 Joulu 202514min

The Seat Warmers: What Is The Purpose Behind Labor?

The Seat Warmers: What Is The Purpose Behind Labor?

In the final week of Parliament, New Politics asks a blunt question about Australian federal politics: what is the Albanese Labor government actually for? This episode turns its focus to Labor’s recor...

28 Marras 202553min

Hanson’s Burqa Stunt and the Political Nihilism of the Right

Hanson’s Burqa Stunt and the Political Nihilism of the Right

We look at the political theatre of the right, including Pauline Hanson’s latest burqa stunt in the Senate, the rise of One Nation in the polls, and the growing battle for reactionary votes between mi...

27 Marras 202511min

Retail Politics is Killing the Liberal Party

Retail Politics is Killing the Liberal Party

This week, we examine how the Liberal Party has abandoned serious policy for retail politics, scare campaigns and culture-war theatrics – strategies aimed at clawing back voters drifting to One Nation...

21 Marras 202550min

Suosittua kategoriassa Politiikka ja uutiset

uutiscast
aikalisa
ootsa-kuullut-tasta-2
politiikan-puskaradio
rss-ootsa-kuullut-tasta
tervo-halme
rss-pinnalla
rss-podme-livebox
otetaan-yhdet
rss-asiastudio
aihe
et-sa-noin-voi-sanoo-esittaa
the-ulkopolitist
radio-antro
rss-vaalirankkurit-podcast
rss-ulkopoditiikkaa
rss-mina-ukkola
rss-girls-finish-f1rst
linda-maria
rss-raha-talous-ja-politiikka