John Howard's politics of conviction and principle are in stark contrast to Julia Gillard's lack of values, argues Robert Katsambis:

“If you just set out to be liked, you would be prepared to compromise on anything at any time, and you would achieve nothing.” - Margaret Thatcher

The opposition frontbencher Bronwyn Bishop has revealed that Tony Abbott would have called another election had he succeeded in negotiating with the independents in 2010 to form minority government.

Ms Bishop's revelation confirms the long-held suspicions of the independents, Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor, who never trusted Mr Abbott's assurances he would govern for the full term.

Of all the weasel words available to politicians, one phrase appears to be particularly in vogue. The use of ''no plans'' is infecting the political discourse and the disease is especially bad in NSW. The rot began before last year's election, when in late 2010 the Herald ran a front page story revealing that the then opposition roads spokesman Andrew Stoner, who was in line to become deputy premier, favoured time-of-day tolling to reduce congestion.

Counter-terrorism laws have swung too far in favour of police power at the expense of civil liberties and should be repealed, according to legal experts and lawyers contributing to a government review of the legislation.

JULIA Gillard was involved in the "conspiracy" to topple Kevin Rudd as prime minister days before the coup, according to new claims that contradict her own account.

FORMER federal Liberal leader John Hewson has questioned the perceived "probity of process" surrounding the NSW government's first-stage approval for a new Sydney hotel and casino.

hey bob, is it safe to assume that you’ll raise the following issues with our ‘special friends’ on the UN Security Council?

Complete with a newly coined, creepy Orwellian euphemism – 'disposition matrix' – the administration institutionalizes the most extremist powers a government can claim.

The special treatment that state Liberals and Labor were giving James Packer's hotel and VIP casino would deliver NSW back to the dark days of the ALP's part 3A planning laws, the Australian Shareholders' Association has warned.

''What about due process?'' the association's chief executive officer, Vas Kolesnikoff', asked yesterday.

Barbara Ramjan, the woman who accused Tony Abbott of intimidating her physically at Sydney University, is suing the Victorian Liberal Party powerbroker, Michael Kroger, and The Australian newspaper, over comments during the recent fallout from the saga.

As Rhonda is about to be kissed by Ketut, we are in the middle of a fairytale but the watermelons that fall on the bonnet of the car remind us of commercial imperatives.

It's make-believe for profit... Welcome to your mind being manipulated into a malleable commodity. This is not new of course, the churches, the mosques all have used illusions and fruit of some sorts, for centuries, in order to make you believe and make sure you belong to the huddle — or to the mob — or to the hanging party... 

South-East Asia's top diplomat has rejected as ''counterproductive'' Tony Abbott's policy to tow back asylum seeker boats to Indonesia, warning the plan could jeopardise Australia's ties to the neighbourhood.