Guy Rundle will be known to most readers as a long-time politics contributor to Crikey.com. Between the Last Oasis and the Next Mirage is a selection of his writing, primarily from the decade up to 2020. There are essays on many of the major political figures of this period – Rudd, Abbott and Turnbull – and on the 2013, 2016 and 2019 elections. In addition, we get essays on Australian culture, universities and some excellent obituaries.
Guy Rundle makes no secret that his sympathies lie on the left, but his political writing is devoid of self-deception. Thus, in Can Labor Stuff This Up, published before the 2019 election, he called the result based on the evidence before him.
As we approach a federal election there is a lot to be said for contemplating the last decade through Rundle’s eyes. And what a spectacle it is. The book is full of great literary eviscerations. Consider this extract from ‘Contemptible’, published in February 2018: ‘Kevin Rudd floats across the political landscape like an escaped hot air balloon with face painted on.’
There’s plenty more where that came from but also a lot of thoughtful and often anguished reflection at the state of our politics and culture. The book does not cover the politics of the current regime and one can only steel oneself for the eviscerations that await.
Reviewed by Grant Hansen
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Guy Rundle is writer-at-large for Crikey. He has previously been the editor of Arena Magazine, producer of TV shows from Comedy Inc to future retro cult classic Vulture, the writer of four hit shows for the satirist Max Gillies.
He is also the author of numerous books including A Revolution in the Making: 3D Printing, Robotics and the Future, Down to the Crossroads: On the Trail of the 2008 election. Also Clivosaurus: The Politics of Clive Palmer and Inland Empire: America at the end of the Obama era.
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