Political Upheaval: Why Nothing is Permanent

The Liberals are in the deepest political valley and the conventional wisdom has written off the party of Menzies and Howard. Meanwhile, Labor and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese are on the highest political mountain after their emphatic May federal election victory.

But history shows that in western politics, what’s down can only go up, and what’s certain can only come unstuck. No downfall is permanent. Ideas matter. Decisions have consequences. The apparent hegemony of any political party is always largely illusory. Governments stuff up; and when they do, a capable opposition with a sound public-policy agenda can take advantage.

Join us in Sydney on Wednesday, 13 August to hear CIS Senior Fellow Tom Switzer and Michael Stutchbury, the new Executive Director, address British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan’s thesis, “Events, dear boy, events,” which described the unforeseeable triumphs and disasters that alter political party fortunes.

Tom Switzer is a senior fellow and former Executive Director of CIS (2017-25). He is author of a forthcoming CIS Occasional Paper “Events, dear boy, events: why nothing is certain in politics.”

Michael Stutchbury is the incoming executive director of CIS and former editor-in-chief of the Australian Financial Review (2011-24) and editor of The Australian (2001-06).