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Norman Abjorensen
Norman Abjorensen is a political historian.
National affairs
State of exception
Norman Abjorensen
3 October 2021
The distinctive political culture of New South Wales could reach its apogee — with national effects — when Dominic Perrottet takes the top job
National affairs
Shock turns to surprise
Norman Abjorensen
26 July 2021
The fallout from Queensland’s Liberal–National merger continues with the resignation of former premier Campbell Newman
National affairs
Crashing through
Norman Abjorensen
18 June 2020
The last time federal Labor intervened in Victoria, Gough Whitlam had his sights on The Lodge
Books & arts
Before the triumphs and the tragedies
Norman Abjorensen
2 June 2020
Books
| A new book rescues two Labor prime ministers, James Scullin and John Curtin, from caricature
Books & arts
Dickensian democrat
Norman Abjorensen
15 April 2020
Books
| London-born Graham Berry took on the forces of reaction in colonial Victoria
National affairs
Collateral damage
Norman Abjorensen
10 April 2020
Australia’s greatest upheavals haven’t always been kind to prime ministers
National affairs
Rural rebels
Norman Abjorensen
20 February 2020
National Party infighting has a long but generally subterranean history
National affairs
Big-hat blues
Norman Abjorensen
4 February 2020
Will a Victorian MP save the National Party from itself?
National affairs
Cometh the hour, cometh the leader?
Norman Abjorensen
18 November 2019
Australia’s most transformative prime ministers were in the right place at the right time
National affairs
Country politics, city impact
Norman Abjorensen
30 October 2019
Organised rural voters first made their voices heard a century ago, with enduring implications
National affairs
With friends like these
Norman Abjorensen
19 September 2019
Tetchy relations between business and the Liberal Party are far from new
National affairs
Liberals taking liberties
Norman Abjorensen
13 June 2019
The longstanding conflict between the Liberal Party’s conservative and liberal wings continues
National affairs
Timing is everything
Norman Abjorensen
23 January 2019
The clamour for an early federal election continues, and it’s loudest in New South Wales
Essays & reportage
What is the Liberal Party for?
Norman Abjorensen
7 December 2018
History could help the Liberals out of their malaise
Books & arts
Fighting on all fronts
Norman Abjorensen
3 December 2018
Books
| A new biography paints a nuanced picture of the man widely seen as Australia’s greatest prime minister
National affairs
Big tent, narrow visions
Norman Abjorensen
22 October 2018
Malcolm Turnbull’s critics were looking through the wrong lens, and Saturday’s defeat was just the first of the aftershocks
National affairs
Who is David Coleman?
Norman Abjorensen
31 August 2018
The new immigration minister likes multiculturalism and wants an Australian head of state
National affairs
Protest politics
Norman Abjorensen
20 August 2018
Malcolm Turnbull’s predicament reflects the crisis of modern conservatism
National affairs
The negotiator
Norman Abjorensen
3 July 2018
Viewed warmly on both sides of politics and in the media, the finance minister is playing a vital role for the government
National affairs
The Liberal Party versus the ghost of Robert Menzies
Norman Abjorensen
18 June 2018
The weekend’s call to privatise the ABC wouldn’t have impressed the founder of the party
National affairs
Sometimes, everyone gets it wrong
Norman Abjorensen
1 June 2018
Wayne Swan looks back on twenty-five years in politics, and a big mistake
National affairs
Another Downer bound for Canberra?
Norman Abjorensen
16 May 2018
Australian political dynasties aren’t as rare as you might think
National affairs
Time for the PM to seize the day?
Norman Abjorensen
5 April 2018
Party hardheads know that a change of leader would be a disaster. That leaves only one alternative
National affairs
Keeping the country in the Coalition
Norman Abjorensen
23 February 2018
Over almost a century, relations between the two major non-Labor parties haven’t always been smooth
National affairs
Malcolm Turnbull and the Liberal Party’s identity problem
Norman Abjorensen
11 December 2017
Bad luck has played a part, but that doesn’t explain why the PM has had such a bad year
Correspondents
No power, but plenty of symbolism
Norman Abjorensen
22 November 2017
A Marcos-era project has caught the imagination of Philippine politicians who favour a return to authoritarian rule — despite its failure to produce a single watt of saleable…
Correspondents
Duterte opens up a new front
Norman Abjorensen
10 November 2017
Letter from Manila
| Even the highest reaches of the law might not be immune to Rodrigo Duterte’s assault on accountability
Essays & reportage
Reading about a revolution
Norman Abjorensen
10 October 2017
A gathering flow of news about the revolutionary movement in Russia reached Australian readers during 1917
Books & arts
The art of being prime minister
Norman Abjorensen
29 September 2017
Books
| How did eleven men and one woman fill the most difficult role in Australia’s postwar political dramas?
Books & arts
For reasons known only to himself
Norman Abjorensen
24 August 2017
Books
| An outstanding new biography traces the life of the man who dominated early federal politics
Older posts