In politics, you sign up to a struggle on behalf of those you claim to represent. You owe them everything you can manage to stitch together to achieve victory. If you want to be a grand failure, better to pick religion, philosophy or art. Not politics. So says Nicholas Gruen in this reposting of his 2008 article on Bob Hawke. Read More
Former prime minister Paul Keating does, and he sparked a kerfuffle last night by saying senior foreign intelligence and domestic security officers should be turfed out. He thinks they have "lost their strategic bearings" and unnecessarily soured diplomatic relations with China. Read More
Lucy Turnbull, former Sydney lord mayor, and Paul Keating, former prime minister, will work together to develop a long-term vision for the historic Macquarie Street East precinct. Read More
Nicholas Gruen reviews a book review by Clive James and ponders the decline of serious debate. He says James joined the culture wars and attacked weaker, dumbed-down versions of opposing views, as expressed by ideological fringe-dwellers. Read More
Were the Labor years of Hawke and Keating good for the public service? That's been in dispute, with a senior minister of the time insisting mandarins weren't subordinate to the government. Read More
Australia's devaluing of the public service is not just about politicisation — bright young recruits have lost access to the experience of their elders, writes Laura Tingle. Read More
The APEC leaders' forum is one of the key foreign policy legacies of the Keating era. The former PM recounts the manoeuvring that got the puzzle pieces in place — and why it was necessary to make a strategic initiative look like a trade forum. Read More
