12 years later, Kelly returns with another insightful assessment of modern Australian politics
Twilight of Exceptionalism is the third part in Paul Kelly's remarkable trilogy on modern Australian politics, following The March of the Patriots (2009) and Triumph and Demise (2014).The book traces the most turbulent era in the history of Liberal and Conservative politics since Sir Robert Menzies founded the Liberal Party, tracing the crisis that engulfed the coalition and how Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison struggled to govern.
From 2013 to 2022, Australia struggled to remain a leading democracy in the face of the challenges of the 21st century – economic performance, climate change, cultural polarization, technological transformation and geopolitical threats.Paul Kelly examines how the Liberal Party lost its firm hold on Australian public opinion with the succession of three prime ministers of varying character and ideological orientation. Despite its many achievements, the ruling coalition's rule was characterized by a period of mediocre performance and doubts about the political system's ability to serve the national interest.Australian exceptionalism, started by Bob Hawke and Paul Keating in 1983 and continued by John Howard and Peter Costello, has fallen into a disappointing abyss. Kelly stresses that Australia must rise again and regain its health, otherwise it will face a disturbing stage of decline and the betrayal of its highest aspirations.
