Inside Story

National affairs Timing is everything Peter Brent 30 September 2015 Connecting with voters, exhibiting the common touch, developing a nice line in self-deprecation – none of it works if you become leader at the wrong time, writes Peter Brent National affairs Not as easy as it looks Peter Brent 24 September 2015 The pressure has intensified for the government’s top two office-holders, writes Peter Brent National affairs A little bit of Turnbull honesty might need to go a long way Peter Brent 15 September 2015 The new prime minister brings with him a reputation for levelling with voters, writes Peter Brent. But how frank will he be now he has the top job? National affairs The by-election that won’t tell us much but means a lot Peter Brent 28 August 2015 By-elections sometimes reflect important political trends, and sometimes they don’t, writes Peter Brent. So why are we watching Canning so closely?

National affairs The art of misinterpreting election victories Peter Brent 2 April 2015 Unexpected wins in 1993, 1998 and 2001 have distorted the way we interpret election results, writes Peter Brent. The effects are still influencing how political players… National affairs Back to base Peter Brent 16 March 2015 Are the self-appointed consciences of the Liberal Party helping the government? Peter Brent doesn’t think so National affairs How to stop the leadership turnstile Peter Brent 26 February 2015 John Howard had an enormous stroke of luck, writes Peter Brent. To realise that is to recognise that imitating him is counterproductive National affairs Queensland: why the pollsters (and most pundits) were wrong Peter Brent 5 February 2015 State-specific factors are part of the story, writes Peter Brent. But there's also a longer-term pattern

National affairs Who’s losing their base? Peter Brent 21 August 2014 When “Howard’s battlers” defected from Labor in 1996, political commentators shifted their focus to Sydney’s western suburbs, writes Peter Brent.… National affairs If an election had been held on the weekend… Peter Brent 7 August 2014 What happens when you add a hypothetical to a hypothetical? Peter Brent casts a sceptical eye over the polling industry National affairs And the rest say “no” Peter Brent 17 July 2014 There’s a pattern to the success of attempts to change the Australian constitution, writes Peter Brent, with lessons for advocates of Indigenous recognition National affairs Dancing in the dark Peter Brent 3 July 2014 Both the major parties have made a habit of misinterpreting the polls on climate change. The latest results shouldn’t provide any comfort to the Coalition