Absolutely Crabb-ulous! – The political commentary of Annabel Crabb

Who she is

ABC’s chief online political writer. She is insightful, informed and frank, but her greatest asset is her wit, which makes the dry stuff of politics accessible and fun. Also brings her warmth and enthusiasm to TV on Insiders and The Drum.  Read her columns here.

What I love (feel the need to add “about her writing and commentary” before this gets creepy)

Her conversational style and bitingly funny, deadly-accurate pop-culture similes lay bare the absurdities, hypocrisies, challenges and, very occasionally, triumphs of the Australian Democratic system. On Julia Gillard:

“Where her predecessor ached to be popular, this prime minister has made unpopularity into something of a personal art form. There’s a compelling, almost cinematic quality to her determination; it’s like watching a slalom downhill skier deliberately hitting every peg.”

Tells it like it is. Keeps it real. Straight up OG (Observer of Government). Her style brings politics down a peg to a more engaging, honest level:

“that [the mining tax] did not apply to ordinary activity but only to the whoopingly, hilariously over-profitable kind, was not fully understood during the Mining Tax Massacre of 2010.”

And being such a clear communicator, one of her chief hates is obfuscation. As she puts it, “give me a clanger-dropper over a fudger any day.”

Quarterly Essay 40: Trivial Pursuit – Leadership and the End of the Reform Era – George Megalogenis

I’ll say this upfront: George Megalogenis’s Quarterly Essay, Trivial Pursuit, is awesome.  Published at the end of last year, it is a response to the dismal 2010 Australian Federal election, which many political commentators labelled the worst election in Australian history due to the stage managed, petty politics employed by the leaders of the major parties, and the complete absence of meaningful policies.  The electorate became disengaged, with high numbers of informal votes recorded (Australia has compulsory voting, for those from overseas), while those in politics in the media were left asking, Where did Australian politics go so wrong?  Megalogenis (despite having a name that is very difficult to get right) offers up some answers.