Relaxed & Comfortable: The Liberal Party's Australia

Judith Brett

Mar 2012 · Quarterly Essay Book 19 · Bolinda · Narrated by Marie-Louise Walker

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2 hr 50 min

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About this audiobook

What is the Liberal Party's core appeal to Australian voters? Has John Howard made a dramatic break with the past, or has he ingeniously modernised the strategies of his party's founder, Sir Robert Menzies? For Judith Brett, the governmeant of John Howard has done what successful Liberal governments have always done: it has made its stand firmly at the centre and presented itself as the true guardian of the national interest. In doing this, John Howard has taken over the national traditions of the Australian Legend that Labor once considered its own. Brett offers a lucid short history of the Liberals as well as an original account of the Prime Minister, arguing that, above all, he is a man obsessed with the fight against Labor. She explores both his inventiveness in practising the politics of unity and his great ruthlessness in practising the politics of division. She incorporates fascinating interview material with Liberal voters, shedding light on some of the different ways in which the Liberals appeal as the natural party of government. Full of provocative ideas, Relaxed & Comfortable will change the way Australians see the last decade of national politics.

About the author

Judith Brett is the author of two bestselling Quarterly Essays, Exit Right and Relaxed and Comfortable. She is also the author of the award-winning Robert Menzies’ Forgotten People, Ordinary People’s Politics (with Anthony Moran) and Australian Liberals and the Moral Middle Class: From Alfred Deakin to John Howard. She is professor of politics at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia.

Marie-Louise Walker has worked extensively in Australian television, film and theatre. She trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and has appeared in stage productions in both the UK and Australia. Her work includes roles in popular outdoor productions including Romeo and Juliet, Alice in Wonderland and Macbeth. Her television work includes roles in The Saddle Club, Blue Heelers, Water Rats and Ocean Girl and she has loved giving voice to books for over 12 years now.

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