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Party Animals: The secret history of a Labor fiasco
Secrets, lies, lawyers and covert recordings. If you thought the 2019 election was just about a death tax that didn’t exist, you’re in for a surprise.
From the dark arts of the dirt units to the role of billionaire Clive Palmer, this is the untold story of an election debacle.
The Labor Party was the unbeatable favourite to win the 2019 election right up until the polls closed and voters delivered the surprise verdict.
If the results staggered pundits, they also shocked Bill Shorten and his frontbench, who had spent the final weeks of the campaign carefully planning for their first days in office.
Party Animals uncovers the secret history of a Labor fiasco, the untold story behind Scott Morrison’s miracle
From the dark arts of the dirt units to the role of billionaire Clive Palmer, this is the untold story of an election debacle.
The Labor Party was the unbeatable favourite to win the 2019 election right up until the polls closed and voters delivered the surprise verdict.
If the results staggered pundits, they also shocked Bill Shorten and his frontbench, who had spent the final weeks of the campaign carefully planning for their first days in office.
Party Animals uncovers the secret history of a Labor fiasco, the untold story behind Scott Morrison’s miracle
236 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 3, 2020
16 people are currently reading
130 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
March 5, 2020
An informative, honest review of the Labor Loss.
What an excellent read. As a labor supporter the loss of the 2019 election was heartbreaking but I always suspected that Labor would lose. This was for me a genuine healing read. The party was disorganized, pompous, totally believing polls. Led by a man who was deeply distrusted with good reason. Samantha has written a review of the loss that is engaging, informative and a delight to read. I found it to be a balanced review of the lead up of the election.
Clive Palmers intervention was extraordinary. So much wealth resting with one man who was determined to see 49% of the population not get the government of their choice. That was the reality check for me in this book. Democracy is certainly lost to the nation when one man can invest so much to make sure that a Labor Government remains in opposition.
Ultimately I was also left with a degree of sadness. I’m by nature a progressive, I want Australia to always strive to be the best. To be innovative and adventurous. This book confirms I’m out of step with the nation. Australians are conservative by nature and that’s acceptable. It means that I walk a different path to many.
So raise a glass to the next Labor PM being a Queenslander, that coal will be dug out of the ground until our beds are burning.
Thanks Samantha I’ve always been a fan of your journalism and this book cements you as one of my go to political commentators.
What an excellent read. As a labor supporter the loss of the 2019 election was heartbreaking but I always suspected that Labor would lose. This was for me a genuine healing read. The party was disorganized, pompous, totally believing polls. Led by a man who was deeply distrusted with good reason. Samantha has written a review of the loss that is engaging, informative and a delight to read. I found it to be a balanced review of the lead up of the election.
Clive Palmers intervention was extraordinary. So much wealth resting with one man who was determined to see 49% of the population not get the government of their choice. That was the reality check for me in this book. Democracy is certainly lost to the nation when one man can invest so much to make sure that a Labor Government remains in opposition.
Ultimately I was also left with a degree of sadness. I’m by nature a progressive, I want Australia to always strive to be the best. To be innovative and adventurous. This book confirms I’m out of step with the nation. Australians are conservative by nature and that’s acceptable. It means that I walk a different path to many.
So raise a glass to the next Labor PM being a Queenslander, that coal will be dug out of the ground until our beds are burning.
Thanks Samantha I’ve always been a fan of your journalism and this book cements you as one of my go to political commentators.
October 28, 2021
An entertaining and informative account of events surrounding the 2019 Federal Election. Great reading and lots of insights for a political junkie like me.
7.5/10
7.5/10
May 20, 2020
There were some interesting tidbits in here, and some interesting historical detours (by which I mean, things that happened like five years ago that feel like an entire life time ago but also only yesterday, including pretty much everything Tony Abbott did ever). But, I'm not sure it ever really presented much of a coherent argument or interrogated a lot of the stories except to make the occasional witty aside. I know Samantha Maiden is a journalist, not a historian, but I would have liked some of the analysis to go a bit deeper.
April 9, 2020
At first I wondered if there would be anything to learn from a book about pre-pandemic politics. But, as I got further in to this analysis of Labor’s 2019 performance, I discovered there was plenty of juicy details in there that will be relevant as Australian politicians confront the impact of the coronavirus.
April 2, 2020
"Albanese was the last to declare his support for the challenger in a tearful press conference where he sobbed that he just liked 'fighting Tories'."
I feel that.
I feel that.
January 31, 2021
‘Consider the evidence of federal elections in Australia’s recent history – the winner is frequently the party that can paint its opponent as more risky and radical.’
A lifetime ago, back in 2019, we had a federal election. It seemed like almost everyone thought that the Labor Party would win. But Labor did not win, and in this book Ms Maiden examines some of the reasons why.
‘High expectations of a Labor victory led to little consideration being given to querying Labor’s strategy and policy agenda.’
What went wrong? It is easy to blame the Murdoch tabloids and the Clive Palmer effect. It is easy, as well, to point at the franking credits policy that was poorly explained and easily used by the government to scare self-funded retirees and pensioners. And what about Bill Shorten’s unpopularity? But there were internal factors as well: a disorganised party believing polls, and keen to make big-spending promises. The irony: A Labor party, keen to push an agenda that suited some voters (mostly white-collar, well-educated, and living in urban areas) at the expense of other traditional Labor voters (including the blue-collar workers who have been watching their employment prospects diminish for years). This is not the Labor Party that many members of my family have supported for over 100 years. I am torn between wanting to see some of Labor’s progressive policies enacted and wanting Labor (once again) to listen to, understand and represent the needs of the voters they seem to have lost in Queensland and Tasmania.
I agree with this quote:
‘What Labor is left with as rusted-on supporters are inner-city, university-educated, middle class voters. People that look a lot like most Labor MPs and the staffers that work for them.’
And I wonder what Labor intends to do to address this before the next federal election.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
A lifetime ago, back in 2019, we had a federal election. It seemed like almost everyone thought that the Labor Party would win. But Labor did not win, and in this book Ms Maiden examines some of the reasons why.
‘High expectations of a Labor victory led to little consideration being given to querying Labor’s strategy and policy agenda.’
What went wrong? It is easy to blame the Murdoch tabloids and the Clive Palmer effect. It is easy, as well, to point at the franking credits policy that was poorly explained and easily used by the government to scare self-funded retirees and pensioners. And what about Bill Shorten’s unpopularity? But there were internal factors as well: a disorganised party believing polls, and keen to make big-spending promises. The irony: A Labor party, keen to push an agenda that suited some voters (mostly white-collar, well-educated, and living in urban areas) at the expense of other traditional Labor voters (including the blue-collar workers who have been watching their employment prospects diminish for years). This is not the Labor Party that many members of my family have supported for over 100 years. I am torn between wanting to see some of Labor’s progressive policies enacted and wanting Labor (once again) to listen to, understand and represent the needs of the voters they seem to have lost in Queensland and Tasmania.
I agree with this quote:
‘What Labor is left with as rusted-on supporters are inner-city, university-educated, middle class voters. People that look a lot like most Labor MPs and the staffers that work for them.’
And I wonder what Labor intends to do to address this before the next federal election.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
January 12, 2021
A very good analysis of the Labor Party's loss in the 2019 Federal election. There was no one killer reason why they lost - it was a combination of many factors all of which are analysed in great detail and some are dismissed. The factors that the author considered most important were: the complicated and unpopular policies of the Labor Party paricularly franking credits and negative gearing which were exploited in Liberal scare campaigns, the fundamental unpopularity of Bill Shorten, Clive Palmer's expensive anti-Labor campaign, the Liberals death tax scare, the failure of the Labor Party to change strategy when the Liberals dumped Turnbull in favour of Morrison, and Australian voters are cautious and saw the Labor Party under Bill Shorten as too risky.
September 8, 2020
A good read. Author undertook a substantial amount of research and analysis. A good insight into the operation of a political party facing an election. Does show how complex it is to convince the electorate and win an election. Small things can sometimes become very important.
May 3, 2022
I was pleasantly surprised. Insightful and appeared fairly balanced. Not bad.
December 12, 2020
A really frustrating book.
Maiden tackles the 2019 election through a thematic rather than chronological structure, which makes sense given how much was going on during the election. But the approach is poorly executed and results in a book that feels unfocused and all over the place.
The content steers much more towards press gallery gossip, with scandals, leaks, and personality politics taking centre stage. Maiden seems indifferent to the significant policy stakes of the election and has little interest contextualising 2019 into a broader narrative of what is happening with Western politics.
If you're a 'systems thinker' who wants a book about economic stagnation, elite failure, and political realignment along urban/rural and educated/un-educated axes and how all of this applies to an Australian context then look elsewhere.
But if you're a Labor party tragic who wants the inside scoop of how Shorten et al massively fucked things up you may get some mileage out of it.
Maiden tackles the 2019 election through a thematic rather than chronological structure, which makes sense given how much was going on during the election. But the approach is poorly executed and results in a book that feels unfocused and all over the place.
The content steers much more towards press gallery gossip, with scandals, leaks, and personality politics taking centre stage. Maiden seems indifferent to the significant policy stakes of the election and has little interest contextualising 2019 into a broader narrative of what is happening with Western politics.
If you're a 'systems thinker' who wants a book about economic stagnation, elite failure, and political realignment along urban/rural and educated/un-educated axes and how all of this applies to an Australian context then look elsewhere.
But if you're a Labor party tragic who wants the inside scoop of how Shorten et al massively fucked things up you may get some mileage out of it.
March 29, 2020
I found this book chaotic to read. I was expecting sharp political analysis and I got anecdotes that sometimes didn't add up. It felt as if you had to know or be a Labor insider to truly understand the stories Maiden tells. I'm super disappointed, I really wanted to enjoy this book and walk away from it feeling more confident and educated about why Labor lost and I still dont really understand.
There was also an entire paragraph repeated from page 216 and page 222 which lent to very confusing reading.
There was also an entire paragraph repeated from page 216 and page 222 which lent to very confusing reading.
May 9, 2020
What a book.
A good account of 2013-19 era Labor. An era in which Labor won the twitter/social media 'gotcha' moments but failed where it counted at the ballot box.
Full of details about the failure to sell mostly good policy along with failures in the campaign office.
The most useful part of the book is the future threats to Labor - those being the China faction in NSW and the failure of the Sally McManus leadership of the ACTU. Every Labor supporter needs to read and digest this book.
A good account of 2013-19 era Labor. An era in which Labor won the twitter/social media 'gotcha' moments but failed where it counted at the ballot box.
Full of details about the failure to sell mostly good policy along with failures in the campaign office.
The most useful part of the book is the future threats to Labor - those being the China faction in NSW and the failure of the Sally McManus leadership of the ACTU. Every Labor supporter needs to read and digest this book.
May 23, 2020
Having read Viki Savva's book about the Liberal Party in the last election I've now balanced the scales with this examination of the Labor Party's electoral loss. I found both these books interesting for what they reveal about human nature and not in a good way. No matter the party in power I can't help but think that politics is a dirty game and it doesn't inspire confidence in the way our country is run. Surely we can and should do better.
March 28, 2020
How did Labor lose the unloseable 2019 federal election to “the Muppet Show”? Sam Maiden presents an interesting series of political anecdotes, cracking open some of the many glaring inefficiencies in the Labor party machine. Worth a read.
November 25, 2021
The choice to focus on micro stories rather than lay the book out chronologically was painful. Some of the stories and claims also seemed to pull conclusions from weak links - however for the by and large it was an interesting read, even if I had to go back and forth.
November 20, 2022
I have been listening to this book on Audible for approximately 6 months. It was interesting however I found it a bit choppy at the end due to moving back and forth before, during and after the 2019 election and Albanese’s perspective.
March 8, 2020
Incisive and insightful with input from a great range of Labor and non-Labor actors in the 2019 Federal election.
January 24, 2023
Good reading, all the day from the man shouldn't have lost to the one who shouldn't have won. A great emetic.
October 10, 2024
10/10 pauline hanson impression
April 9, 2024
obnoxiously bad. if you're looking for a single coherent narrative on what happened and why, it's not here. the timeline jumps years into the past and present, often without context, and fails to draw meaningful connections between the often excruciatingly long discussions of individuals and their histories. maiden clearly sees politics as a sport, and offers what appear to be attempts at witty asides. these largely take the form of a "get of a load of this guy" type of joke, and they are universally unfunny.
normally with this sort of book, there's at the very least an interesting political story to read, even if the author is trying to get in the way (see: niki savva's entire body of work). this is barely the case here, because the focus of the content jumps wildly around between chapters. there's no narrative and no building to a final conclusion, the book just kind of ends with an ironically incorrect prediction by some guy that "albo won't win the next election"
it all comes down to the core issue running through the entire work, which is that maiden has no real position or point of view to make. the book is essentially a series of loosely connected blog posts, with the theme of "things that happened to labor in the lead up to the 2019 election". there's no central "this is what went wrong" or "this is who messed up" or even "this is what could be done differently", it's just a bunch of shit that happened. i'd imagine the response to this is that it's meant to be a historical record of events but, well, why's it written in this bizarre non-chronological timeline then? why do important events that occurred before the election show up in the text well after the election was discussed? it feels like maiden looked at the notes she had saved in her computer after the election and thought "i can probably make a book out of these, without much effort"
it's disappointing for a lot of reasons, not least because this particular election is fertile ground for re-examination and re-evaluation post the 2022 election. the dire position the libs are in seems to have been significantly exacerbated by their win here, and i'd love to have this book as a good reference to that time period. as it is, it's hard to recommend to anyone except those who want to read tepid zingers about bill shorten.
a note specifically for the audiobook version: the reader attempts to do different voices for every person in the book, and it's fucking awful. the extent of her capacity for imitation is to do a big boofy voice for people she doesn't like, a pompous voice for people she thinks is pompous, and an absolutely atrocious american accent. the pompous voice gets pulled out for kevin rudd, a man who, despite many faults, does not sound like an oxford professor.
normally with this sort of book, there's at the very least an interesting political story to read, even if the author is trying to get in the way (see: niki savva's entire body of work). this is barely the case here, because the focus of the content jumps wildly around between chapters. there's no narrative and no building to a final conclusion, the book just kind of ends with an ironically incorrect prediction by some guy that "albo won't win the next election"
it all comes down to the core issue running through the entire work, which is that maiden has no real position or point of view to make. the book is essentially a series of loosely connected blog posts, with the theme of "things that happened to labor in the lead up to the 2019 election". there's no central "this is what went wrong" or "this is who messed up" or even "this is what could be done differently", it's just a bunch of shit that happened. i'd imagine the response to this is that it's meant to be a historical record of events but, well, why's it written in this bizarre non-chronological timeline then? why do important events that occurred before the election show up in the text well after the election was discussed? it feels like maiden looked at the notes she had saved in her computer after the election and thought "i can probably make a book out of these, without much effort"
it's disappointing for a lot of reasons, not least because this particular election is fertile ground for re-examination and re-evaluation post the 2022 election. the dire position the libs are in seems to have been significantly exacerbated by their win here, and i'd love to have this book as a good reference to that time period. as it is, it's hard to recommend to anyone except those who want to read tepid zingers about bill shorten.
a note specifically for the audiobook version: the reader attempts to do different voices for every person in the book, and it's fucking awful. the extent of her capacity for imitation is to do a big boofy voice for people she doesn't like, a pompous voice for people she thinks is pompous, and an absolutely atrocious american accent. the pompous voice gets pulled out for kevin rudd, a man who, despite many faults, does not sound like an oxford professor.
January 22, 2024
"Party Animals: The Secret History of a Labor Fiasco" by Samantha Maiden offers a detailed examination of a political setback, but it falls short in delivering a truly comprehensive narrative. While Maiden skillfully dissects the internal dynamics of the Labor Party, the book occasionally lacks a broader contextualization of the events, leaving readers yearning for a more panoramic view of the political landscape.
The strength of the book lies in its insider perspectives and insider accounts, shedding light on the behind-the-scenes machinations. However, there's a notable absence of a more critical analysis of the systemic issues within the Labor Party that may have contributed to the fiasco. A deeper exploration of the historical roots and structural challenges could have provided a more insightful understanding of the party's missteps.
Maiden's writing style is engaging, making the complex world of politics accessible to a wider audience. However, the narrative occasionally veers into a more sensationalized tone, potentially detracting from the objective analysis that readers might expect from a political exposé.
While "Party Animals" succeeds in uncovering the internal turmoil, it lacks a comprehensive examination of the broader political landscape, leaving readers wanting more context and analysis. A more thorough exploration of the party's history and structural issues would have elevated the book beyond a detailed account to a more profound analysis of the Labor Party's challenges.
The strength of the book lies in its insider perspectives and insider accounts, shedding light on the behind-the-scenes machinations. However, there's a notable absence of a more critical analysis of the systemic issues within the Labor Party that may have contributed to the fiasco. A deeper exploration of the historical roots and structural challenges could have provided a more insightful understanding of the party's missteps.
Maiden's writing style is engaging, making the complex world of politics accessible to a wider audience. However, the narrative occasionally veers into a more sensationalized tone, potentially detracting from the objective analysis that readers might expect from a political exposé.
While "Party Animals" succeeds in uncovering the internal turmoil, it lacks a comprehensive examination of the broader political landscape, leaving readers wanting more context and analysis. A more thorough exploration of the party's history and structural issues would have elevated the book beyond a detailed account to a more profound analysis of the Labor Party's challenges.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews