Inside Story

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

National affairs A vote-changer? Peter Brent 15 April 2010 Have party strategists got it right about the electoral appeal of targeting asylum seekers? National affairs Exit, stage right Peter Brent 6 April 2010 Acting lessons? Tony Abbott was right to say no, says Peter Brent National affairs Election-year tweeters Peter Brent 1 April 2010 Simon Birmingham has breakfast at Tiffany’s, and it’s another day in parliament’s social media landscape, writes Peter Brent National affairs The debt truck crunches its gears Peter Brent 10 March 2010 The Coalition’s focus on debt could easily backfire, argues Peter Brent

National affairs Sprucing up the horse and buggy Peter Brent 8 July 2009 New recommendations for electoral reform are a step in the right direction, but the pace continues to be perplexingly slow, writes Peter Brent National affairs Bad timing Peter Brent 17 June 2009 As Peter Costello’s fortunes show, politics can be a matter of being in the right place at the right time, writes Peter Brent National affairs Senator Ronaldson’s own goal Peter Brent 29 April 2009 Michael Ronaldson’s criticism of the electoral system is undermined by some very strange reasoning, writes Peter Brent National affairs The benefits of incumbency Peter Brent 22 April 2009 The Coalition isn’t making headway with its asylum seeker campaign, writes Peter Brent