Politics with Michelle Grattan
News:Politics
Earlier this year, Australian writer Don Watson visited the United States, observing the race for president. Rather than examine the “rust belt” or “down-at-heel” cities, Watson chose America’s heartland.
“I found in Wisconsin many of the underlying themes of this election. And that sort of Gothic quality of the United States where everything has a very deep and often dark story behind it.”
Watson tells Michelle Grattan that what is happening in the United States now has “something to do with the religion of neoliberalism and the really nasty tactics of the Republican Party since Reagan”.
“We ought to be careful I think that we don’t go the same way. Certainly inequality is increasing here and we have seen the revival of Hansonism and we know that Australia is prone to bouts of xenophobia and even of racism,” he says.
Peter Whish-Wilson on his experience in banking and the need for a royal commission
Glenn Lazarus on the government’s industrial legislation
George Wright on Labor’s chances of winning the election
Ricky Muir’s fight to stay in the Senate
Tony Windsor on his bid for New England
Politics podcast: Mathias Cormann on Senate reform
Politics podcast: senator David Leyonhjelm on Malcolm Turnbull
Francis Sullivan on Cardinal Pell and the royal commission into child sex abuse
Politics podcast: South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill on the tax debate
Kelly O'Dwyer on tax reform
Nick Xenophon on launching a political party
Michaelia Cash on the government's push to restore the ABCC - as a tough watchdog on the construction industry
Tony Burke on Labor's fiscal challenge
Andrew Leigh on MYEFO
Peter Reith
Innovation Australia Chairman Bill Ferris
Simon Birmingham on education reform
Christian Porter on domestic violence
Peter Jennings on the danger of leasing the Port of Darwin to the Chinese
Katy Gallagher
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free