Gerard Henderson
Gerard Henderson is executive director of The Sydney Institute, a forum for debate and discussion. His books include Menzies Child: The Liberal Party of Australia and he publishes the Media Watch Dog e-newsletter each Friday.
Coalition can lay blame at its own door
Gerard Henderson Perhaps the least reported fact of the election is that the Greens candidate Adam Bandt won the seat of Melbourne on Liberal Party preferences.
Abbott's detractors must be in denial
Gerard Henderson The Labor Party needs more Graham Richardsons and fewer Karl Bitars, irrespective of whether Julia Gillard or Tony Abbott is commissioned to form the next government.
Hung parliament would be a pain in the neck for everyone
Gerard Henderson On Sunday, the Gary Morgan poll predicted the election would end in a hung parliament. The previous Wednesday it forecast a comfortable Labor victory.
Latham and Fraser can afford to intervene in the news
Gerard Henderson The Stockholm syndrome, the phenomenon by which the kidnapped grow fond of their captors, is well known.
Labor top of the list misjudging Abbott
Gerard Henderson It's official. According to Julia Gillard, from now until election day, we will see the ''real Julia''.
Radical roots seep through at the heart of Greens
Gerard Henderson Senator Bob Brown gave some good advice to voters last week. Asked about the preference deal negotiated between the Greens and Labor, the Greens leader declared he agreed ''with those people who last...
MPs ignore job needs of the less educated
Gerard Henderson Most of the political interviews and debates before the election will be useless in the news sense. Skilled politicians are proficient at running lines and it is rare that an interviewer can get them...
Before moving forward, have a look in the rear-view mirror
Gerard Henderson Julia Gillard's address to the Lowy Institute last week was titled ''Moving Australia forward'', one of the cliches of our time. No doubt it will be given a thorough workover before the election.
NZ puts nation first, war second
Gerard Henderson New Zealand may be a nation of warriors when it comes to football codes. But such courage does not extend to elected politicians in Wellington, whether they be conservatives or social democrats.
It's game on with some new rules
Gerard Henderson Julia Gillard is correct. Following her appointment as prime minister, it is "game on". The leadership change restores Labor as the favourite to win this year's election.
Here God is anything but dead
Gerard Henderson Religion still matters if last night's roll-up at the 2010 Make It Count event, organised by the Australian Christian Lobby, is any guide.
High-handed intransigence can sink even a new PM
Gerard Henderson Contrary to the prevailing cliche, history does not repeat itself - either as tragedy or farce. However, at times historical comparisons are useful and precedent plays a part in all democratic...
Polls, hype and a dose of reality
Gerard Henderson The latest Herald/Nielsen poll had the Coalition ahead of Labor by 53 per cent to 47 per cent and the Greens with 15 per cent of the primary vote, a result which ignited some media hyperbole.
Angry old leaders - Libs lots, Labor 1
Gerard Henderson Malcolm Turnbull's implied criticism on Sunday of Tony Abbott's policy on asylum seekers was not surprising.
Disdain from a lofty height, but funded by the masses
Gerard Henderson From New York to Sydney and on to Melbourne, many an inner-city intellectual is full of contempt for their fellow men and women. It's just that not many 'fess up to what they really think.
Lesson for O'Farrell in Tories' uneasy power deal
Gerard Henderson In 1974 the Liberal Party leader, Billy Snedden, obtained some unintended notoriety when he declared that the Coalition was not defeated at the federal election.
Rudd's task is to justify mining tax
Gerard Henderson A majority of Australians probably accept that mining companies should pay more tax. But it is one matter to increase the tax and quite another to make mining the most heavily taxed mining industry...
Admirers suffer a Rudd awakening
Gerard Henderson It seems Kevin Rudd has become a significant disappointment to many members of the parliamentary press gallery.
Stick to your guns, Malcolm, the party doesn't need you
Gerard Henderson The question about Malcolm Turnbull's political future evokes the refrain: will he or won't he? A more appropriate query is: should he? To which the sensible response is: definitely not.
Significant change still eludes PM
Gerard Henderson Most politicians declare that they do not take much notice of opinion polls, that election day is the only poll that counts and so on.
