What has the caronavirus pandemic revealed about Scott Morrison, and where is he taking the country?
Epidemics are mirrors. What has COVID-19 revealed about Australia, and about Scott Morrison and his government? In this gripping essay, Katharine Murphy goes behind the scenes to tell the story of the response to the crisis. Drawing on interviews with Morrison, Brendan Murphy, Josh Frydenberg, Sally McManus and other players, she traces how the key health and economic decisions were taken.
Her account is twinned with a portrait of the prime minister. She explores his blend of pragmatism and faith, and shows how a leader characterised by secrecy and fierce certainty learnt to compromise and reach out - with notable exceptions. Now, as the nation turns inwards and unemployment rises, our faith in government is about to be tested anew. What does 'We're all in this together' truly mean? Will Morrison snap back to Liberal hard-man, or will he redefine centre-right politics in this country?
'Morrison's a partisan, blue team to the core, but his political philosophy is hard to pin down, because it is predominantly trouble-shooting. By instinct, Morrison is a power player and a populist, not a philosopher; a repairer of walls, not a writer of manifestos... his
conservatism is extreme pragmatism in defence of what he regards as the core of the nation.'
Katharine Murphy, The End of Certainty
By:
Katharine Murphy Imprint: Black Inc Country of Publication: Australia Dimensions:
Height: 233mm,
Width: 167mm,
Spine: 17mm
Weight: 210g ISBN:9781760642761 ISBN 10: 1760642762 Series:Quarterly Essay Pages: 128 Publication Date:21 September 2020 Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format:Paperback Publisher's Status: Active
Katharine Murphy is political editor of Guardian Australia and the author of On Disruption.
