The Longest Decade

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This fully revised and updated edition of the most influential political book of recent years includes two new chapters on the decline and fall of the Howard government. Before the 1990s, the decades in Australia used to run to a predictable script of bust, boom, and bust. They'd commence with the economy in the pits, assume the personality of the good times that followed, and conclude with another collapse. Conveniently, this cycle took about ten years to play out. Paul Keating and John Howard altered the nation's body-clock. Between them, they have dominated the past 30 years of power, as both treasurers and prime ministers. Typically, they are seen only as antagonists with competing visions of Australia and its place in the world. In The Longest Decade, George Megalogenis argues that they also deserve to be seen as the twin architects of the political, economic and social revolution that took Australia through a period of trauma and recovery, and then on to an era of unprecedented affluence. Based on exclusive interviews with both Keating and Howard, and on Megalogenis's many years experience as a member of the Canberra press gallery, The Longest Decade is a brilliant, non-partisan analysis of the forces that shape Australia today - from the rise of working women to the triumph of the McMansion. This is the story of how an era came to be defined by Keating and Howard, but it is also the bigger story of how Australia became a more complex society, and how the nation's evolution, in turn, forced its leaders to adapt. It is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand Australia in the 21st century.

Reviews

""The Longest Decade" avoids the scattergun approach of "The Howard Factor," effectively analysing the Keating and Howard years from 1990 to 2005 . . . Megalogenis supports interesting generalisations with sourced data to give the reader the sense of rigour one wants when comparing governments . . . Of the two books, "The Longest Decade" is the superior read. It is more interesting and, unlike the edited collection "The Howard Factor," there is a common thread throughout, well supported by hard facts." --Peter Van Onselen and Wayne Errington, "Australian Journal of Political Science"
""The Longest Decade" promises to set a new benchmark for books about politics . . . the bar will be raised for those who follow." --Paul Daley, "The Bulletin"
"[George Megalogenis] has done something quite remarkable: on the one hand he has produced a scholarly, yet first-hand, understanding of the Paul Keating-Howard years and on the other he has fashioned a riveting analysis of Australia's recent political and cultural history . . . This book is a brilliant primer for those who wish to understand the Keating years and Australia under Howard." --Ross Fitzgerald, "The Weekend Australian"
"A complex, closely woven book that is packed with information . . . this book is a good read for those wanting to understand two politicians who have made a real difference to modern Australia." --Michelle Grattan, "The Age"
"A strongly argued tale of the supremacy of two starkly different but interlocked characters--the slightly mad genius of Paul Keating and the plodding but surprisingly radical John Howard--who shaped who we are now as a nation." --Kerry-Anne Walsh, "Sun Herald"
"Megalogenis's book has much valuable economic and social analysis, along with interviews with Howard and Keating where each talks about his view of the other . . . Howard and Keating seem to have taken to conversing with one another through Megalogenis." --Gerard Henderson, "Sydney Morning Herald"
"This is an excellent history bursting with policy and personal detail. Megalogenis' political preferences are discernible, but it does not hinder the enjoyment of a brilliant expose." --Andrew McIntyre, "IPA Review"
"Written in clear, jargon-free prose, "The Longest Decade" is required reading for anyone who wants to understand who we've become, and why." --Jose Borghino, "Marie Claire"
"Megalogenis' s book has much valuable economic and social analysis, along with interviews with Howard and Keating where each talks about his view of the other . . . Howard and Keating seem to have taken to conversing with one another through Megalogenis." -- Gerard Henderson, "Sydney Morning Herald"

Author Bio

George Megalogenis is an author and journalist with three decades' experience in the media. The Australian Moment won the 2013 Prime Minister's Literary Award for Non-fiction and the 2012 Walkley Award for Non-fiction, and formed the basis for his ABC documentary series Making Australia Great. George is also the author of Faultlines, The Longest Decade, Australia's Second Chance, and Balancing Act, which contains his two Quarterly Essays, No. 40- Trivial Pursuit - Leadership and the End of the Reform Era and No. 61- Balancing Act - Australia Between Recession and Renewal. His latest book is The Football Solution.