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Battlelines
New introduction on why good policy matters and why books debating big policy ideas matter.
Abbott argues the battle of ideas helps ensure political parties come to power knowing who they are, what they stand for, what the impact of the policies might be and how they can best be implemented.
Good policy is 1% headline and 99% implementation—a lesson Labor has failed to heed.
Liberal Party leader and parliamentary pugilist Tony Abbott offers a frank analysis of the way forward for the Liberal Party. Here he draws lessons from the dying days of the Howard Government, and gives his views on his contemporaries, including Kevin Rudd, Peter Costello, Julia Gillard and Malcolm Turnbull.
In Battlelines, Abbott looks at the values and instincts that drive the Liberal Party and proposes policy that the party should adopt.
This is the often humorous story of his own political development. He describes the truth about politicians' lives; his 'days from hell'; insider moments from the halls of power; and how a would-be priest believed he had fathered an unknown son. Battlelines outlines a state of play for the Liberal Party, cementing Tony Abbott's reputation as one of the Liberal Party's most interesting thinkers and fearless advocates.
Abbott argues the battle of ideas helps ensure political parties come to power knowing who they are, what they stand for, what the impact of the policies might be and how they can best be implemented.
Good policy is 1% headline and 99% implementation—a lesson Labor has failed to heed.
Liberal Party leader and parliamentary pugilist Tony Abbott offers a frank analysis of the way forward for the Liberal Party. Here he draws lessons from the dying days of the Howard Government, and gives his views on his contemporaries, including Kevin Rudd, Peter Costello, Julia Gillard and Malcolm Turnbull.
In Battlelines, Abbott looks at the values and instincts that drive the Liberal Party and proposes policy that the party should adopt.
This is the often humorous story of his own political development. He describes the truth about politicians' lives; his 'days from hell'; insider moments from the halls of power; and how a would-be priest believed he had fathered an unknown son. Battlelines outlines a state of play for the Liberal Party, cementing Tony Abbott's reputation as one of the Liberal Party's most interesting thinkers and fearless advocates.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
8 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
About the author
Tony Abbott
210 books403 followersTony Abbott (born 1952) is an American author of children's books. His most popular work is the book series The Secrets of Droon, which includes over 40 books. He has sold over 12 million copies of his books and they have been translated into several other languages, including Italian, Spanish, Korean, French, Japanese, Polish, Turkish, and Russian. He has also written the bestseller Firegirl.
Abbott was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1952. His father was a university professor and had an extensive library of books which became one of Abbott's first sources of literature. When he was eight years old, his family moved to Connecticut where he went through elementary school and high school.
Abbott attended the University of Connecticut, and after studying both music and psychology, decided to study English and graduated from the University of Connecticut with a bachelor's degree in English literature. He attended the workshops of Patricia Reilly Giff to further develop his writing after college.
Abbott currently lives in Trumbull, Connecticut, with his wife, two daughters, and two dogs. Tony had one brother and two sisters.
Abbott was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1952. His father was a university professor and had an extensive library of books which became one of Abbott's first sources of literature. When he was eight years old, his family moved to Connecticut where he went through elementary school and high school.
Abbott attended the University of Connecticut, and after studying both music and psychology, decided to study English and graduated from the University of Connecticut with a bachelor's degree in English literature. He attended the workshops of Patricia Reilly Giff to further develop his writing after college.
Abbott currently lives in Trumbull, Connecticut, with his wife, two daughters, and two dogs. Tony had one brother and two sisters.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 5, 2014
I'm sure there is plenty that COULD be said about this book. However, I'll just include a few direct quotes and their context:
Abbott was concerned that me might dissolve into "manly tears" if he would have ever met his illegitimate child (p4).
Abbott boasts that he is just like the biblical 'Good Samaritan'. He was exposed to the teachings of the Catholic Jesuits in his formative years, where he says he tries to live by the "greatest Christian truths... to love your neighbour as yourself" (p10). Abbott was awarded Rhodes Scholarship, where at the time, one of the primary criteria to be considered for the award was "to have demonstrated 'sympathy for and protection of the weak'..." (p13).
Abbott first entered politics whilst at the University of Sydney, where he joined the group that was "working against the 'land rights for gay whales' type of activist" (p12).
Regarding the now infamous incident with fellow student Helen Wilson, "I touched her on the back" (p9).
Reading this book did provide a better understanding of the political stance that Abbott takes.
Abbott was concerned that me might dissolve into "manly tears" if he would have ever met his illegitimate child (p4).
Abbott boasts that he is just like the biblical 'Good Samaritan'. He was exposed to the teachings of the Catholic Jesuits in his formative years, where he says he tries to live by the "greatest Christian truths... to love your neighbour as yourself" (p10). Abbott was awarded Rhodes Scholarship, where at the time, one of the primary criteria to be considered for the award was "to have demonstrated 'sympathy for and protection of the weak'..." (p13).
Abbott first entered politics whilst at the University of Sydney, where he joined the group that was "working against the 'land rights for gay whales' type of activist" (p12).
Regarding the now infamous incident with fellow student Helen Wilson, "I touched her on the back" (p9).
Reading this book did provide a better understanding of the political stance that Abbott takes.
January 8, 2022
The author has a tendency to ramble and would probably benefit from reviewing the second and third chapters. Inconsistencies and contradictions seem habitual. I have the impression the author has taken too many hits to the head after his Rhodes scholarship. I'm guessing his views on fertility and maternity leave are based on his personal relationships. He has some interesting thoughts on constitutional amendments.
September 7, 2011
It was interesting that I was reading "Battlelines" when the Labor party replaced Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister with Julia Gillard.
Tony Abbott comes across as a reasonable man, contrary to his sometime hard right religious public persona. He indicates the following as some of the Howard Governments' achievements (1996 - 2007):
between a996 and 2006 Australia's economic growth averaged 3.6% a year (US 3.2%, UK 2.8%, OECD 2.7%);
average unemployment 6.3% (8.5% under the Hawke and Keating governments);
24.4% increase in real average earnings (0.1% under the former Labor government). I wonder how much of these extra earnings are now tied up in our houses;
net Commonwealth debt, which reached $96 billion under Labor, disappeared;
average inflation 2.5% (5.5% under Labor);
the wealth of the poorest 10% of the population increased at about the same rate as the richest 10%. This surprised me;
Private health insurance coverage increased from 34% to 44% of the population;
Life expectancy at birth increased by three years;
real Commonwealth spending on schools increased by 77%, on vocational and technical education by 87% and on universities by 13%.
Tony Abbott comes across as a reasonable man, contrary to his sometime hard right religious public persona. He indicates the following as some of the Howard Governments' achievements (1996 - 2007):
between a996 and 2006 Australia's economic growth averaged 3.6% a year (US 3.2%, UK 2.8%, OECD 2.7%);
average unemployment 6.3% (8.5% under the Hawke and Keating governments);
24.4% increase in real average earnings (0.1% under the former Labor government). I wonder how much of these extra earnings are now tied up in our houses;
net Commonwealth debt, which reached $96 billion under Labor, disappeared;
average inflation 2.5% (5.5% under Labor);
the wealth of the poorest 10% of the population increased at about the same rate as the richest 10%. This surprised me;
Private health insurance coverage increased from 34% to 44% of the population;
Life expectancy at birth increased by three years;
real Commonwealth spending on schools increased by 77%, on vocational and technical education by 87% and on universities by 13%.
July 7, 2020
Tony Abbott's book makes at times incredibly dry reading, but there are some good, well-thought-out insights into what modern conservatism should be that I can't entirely write it off. When at its worst, it's either a starry-eyed apologetic for the Howard parliament (I agree though, they were the days), or its a sleep-inducing lecture on economic policy. At its best, Abbott makes a case for why the Liberal party is still and generally always will be the better alternative for Australia's leadership. It made me feel kind of sorry for the guy - he clearly is a very intelligent, hard-working person who gives a lot to his community and country. He just doesn't know how to present himself to the public, hence the country's lack of appreciation for him.
March 30, 2016
Tony Abbott's Battlelines is indicative of who Tony Abbott is at his very core, a deeply confused politician. I remember reading David Marr's essay on Abbott, and one passage stuck out on how Tony Abbott "walks back" his views over the years and apologises for or indeed completely changes his thinking on any given topic. You never quite know where his real views lie.
This book is the distilling of that theory. All throughout his pet line is "on the other hand", a phrase used when discussing his multiple subjects to somehow remove his real opinion from the discussion, which I'm sure would be stark, instead explain the opposite opinion, and then leave a vague endorsement of doing something. Watering down his own beliefs to sound caring and ponderous when Abbott merely dressed up his extreme conservative stance to be palatable for the Turnbull opposition who he served under at the time of the book's writing.
Battlelines' discussion of Abbott's vision is in no way as forceful as 'battlelines', his ruminations come across as more hasty squiggles in the sand for the Liberals to try to interpret. Hell, he even ends the book with "well, I could be wrong, climate change could be a serious threat, and there could be a social revolution in society, and things could radically change by 2020, but who knows really", thus dismissing everything Abbott proclaimed beforehand.
And I haven't even started on his actual views. Whitewashing the White Australia Policy by cherrypicking a few instances where non-white people were given a part in Australian society, referring to the Stolen Generation as not being a bad thing, simply bringing Aboriginals into line with modern society. Praising the missionaries who had Aboriginal kids forget their past. Branding Rudd and Swan's $900 starter to keep the economy running throughout the GFC as mere "sugar hits" and warning the then Rudd government that it will (hilarious reading now) have dire consequences for the country and will not prevent recession. Saying climate change isn't really going have the sea levels rise much, and that it's not man-made, but yet another ice age.
Similarly, his opening with a select few fairly concerning life events from his formative years does not instill the reader with optimism, as he hastily tries to brush over accused sexual harassment, along with his pre-marriage dalliances, like this is some sort of opportunity for him to get his testimony down for the non-existent court case.
The book's writing is dull, each sentence too long and unbalanced. Despite the shortness of the book, the writing is so dry as to take double the time of most other books I've read these past few months. I mean this is a whole different level -- boringly turgid. You can tell Abbott didn't have this ghostwritten because Battlelines reads like a policy document.
As well, within the views, you see pre-leader Abbott, the Howard Health Minister Abbott, and by extension, I was reminded a lot of the Howard Government reading this book. Perhaps it was the constant references and exultations of Howard's governance that did it, but I had a feeling that some of these policy suggestions were what would've been had Howard won the 2007 election.
What's possibly worst about reading Battlelines now is that after seeing through Abbott as PM, I did not spot a single thing in this book that became a policy under him. None of this book, not in its relatively optimistic tone or its policy detail, showed up in any of the Abbott government. The closest thing was an offhand remark that may or may not have resembled the GP co-payment in Hockey's first budget.
So really, this book has little to no relevance, and Battleline's ideas are moot. Upon finishing, I felt as if Abbott had "walked back" this entire book upon taking up the position of Opposition Leader. I mean, even in the post-2009 spill introduction, he dismisses the few overly positive policies he had and dumps his political slogans that were to define his time wholesale in dot point form.
You're better off probably reading that rather than the whole book, which was either an exercise in futility or indeed somehow fruitless for Abbott that politically for some reason he couldn't implement one shred of Battleline's content into his mark on Australia. It's probably for the best anyway. Actually no, he still became PM and did a lot of dumb things, but I guess they were other dumb things than the ones he wrote about in Battlelines.
This book is the distilling of that theory. All throughout his pet line is "on the other hand", a phrase used when discussing his multiple subjects to somehow remove his real opinion from the discussion, which I'm sure would be stark, instead explain the opposite opinion, and then leave a vague endorsement of doing something. Watering down his own beliefs to sound caring and ponderous when Abbott merely dressed up his extreme conservative stance to be palatable for the Turnbull opposition who he served under at the time of the book's writing.
Battlelines' discussion of Abbott's vision is in no way as forceful as 'battlelines', his ruminations come across as more hasty squiggles in the sand for the Liberals to try to interpret. Hell, he even ends the book with "well, I could be wrong, climate change could be a serious threat, and there could be a social revolution in society, and things could radically change by 2020, but who knows really", thus dismissing everything Abbott proclaimed beforehand.
And I haven't even started on his actual views. Whitewashing the White Australia Policy by cherrypicking a few instances where non-white people were given a part in Australian society, referring to the Stolen Generation as not being a bad thing, simply bringing Aboriginals into line with modern society. Praising the missionaries who had Aboriginal kids forget their past. Branding Rudd and Swan's $900 starter to keep the economy running throughout the GFC as mere "sugar hits" and warning the then Rudd government that it will (hilarious reading now) have dire consequences for the country and will not prevent recession. Saying climate change isn't really going have the sea levels rise much, and that it's not man-made, but yet another ice age.
Similarly, his opening with a select few fairly concerning life events from his formative years does not instill the reader with optimism, as he hastily tries to brush over accused sexual harassment, along with his pre-marriage dalliances, like this is some sort of opportunity for him to get his testimony down for the non-existent court case.
The book's writing is dull, each sentence too long and unbalanced. Despite the shortness of the book, the writing is so dry as to take double the time of most other books I've read these past few months. I mean this is a whole different level -- boringly turgid. You can tell Abbott didn't have this ghostwritten because Battlelines reads like a policy document.
As well, within the views, you see pre-leader Abbott, the Howard Health Minister Abbott, and by extension, I was reminded a lot of the Howard Government reading this book. Perhaps it was the constant references and exultations of Howard's governance that did it, but I had a feeling that some of these policy suggestions were what would've been had Howard won the 2007 election.
What's possibly worst about reading Battlelines now is that after seeing through Abbott as PM, I did not spot a single thing in this book that became a policy under him. None of this book, not in its relatively optimistic tone or its policy detail, showed up in any of the Abbott government. The closest thing was an offhand remark that may or may not have resembled the GP co-payment in Hockey's first budget.
So really, this book has little to no relevance, and Battleline's ideas are moot. Upon finishing, I felt as if Abbott had "walked back" this entire book upon taking up the position of Opposition Leader. I mean, even in the post-2009 spill introduction, he dismisses the few overly positive policies he had and dumps his political slogans that were to define his time wholesale in dot point form.
You're better off probably reading that rather than the whole book, which was either an exercise in futility or indeed somehow fruitless for Abbott that politically for some reason he couldn't implement one shred of Battleline's content into his mark on Australia. It's probably for the best anyway. Actually no, he still became PM and did a lot of dumb things, but I guess they were other dumb things than the ones he wrote about in Battlelines.
January 4, 2024
"Battlelines" by Tony Abbott MP is a painfully misguided and remarkably uninspiring political manifesto that manages to achieve the feat of being both intellectually vacuous and ideologically perplexing. This paperback is a tedious journey through Abbott's narrow worldview, leaving readers questioning the wisdom behind subjecting themselves to such a mind-numbing ordeal.
The central flaw of "Battlelines" lies in Abbott's apparent disregard for nuanced policy discussions. Rather than engaging with complex issues in a thoughtful manner, the book reads like a simplistic, ideological rant that fails to provide any substantive solutions to the challenges faced by modern societies. Abbott's inability to rise above partisan platitudes and offer genuine insights renders the entire work a vacuous exercise in political posturing.
Furthermore, the prose is surprisingly lackluster, even by political memoir standards. Abbott's writing style is devoid of any flair or rhetorical finesse, resulting in a text that is as dull as it is dogmatic. The book's lack of intellectual depth makes it a struggle for readers to find any redeeming value in its pages.
The memoir's self-congratulatory tone is nothing short of cringe-worthy. Abbott's relentless promotion of his own perceived virtues and the unapologetic defense of his controversial stances make "Battlelines" read more like a hagiography than a serious political treatise. The absence of self-awareness or humility robs the book of any semblance of credibility.
Additionally, "Battlelines" suffers from a notable lack of empathy. Abbott's failure to connect with the diverse perspectives and concerns of the broader population makes this memoir an exercise in political solipsism. Readers seeking a genuine exploration of complex issues will be sorely disappointed by the book's simplistic and myopic approach to policy matters.
In conclusion, "Battlelines" is a tedious and intellectually bankrupt foray into the mind of Tony Abbott MP. Its lack of substance, coupled with an absence of genuine introspection, renders it an unconvincing and thoroughly unimpressive addition to the realm of political literature. Readers would be better served by seeking out works that offer thoughtful analysis and constructive solutions rather than wading through the shallow waters of Abbott's banal manifesto.
The central flaw of "Battlelines" lies in Abbott's apparent disregard for nuanced policy discussions. Rather than engaging with complex issues in a thoughtful manner, the book reads like a simplistic, ideological rant that fails to provide any substantive solutions to the challenges faced by modern societies. Abbott's inability to rise above partisan platitudes and offer genuine insights renders the entire work a vacuous exercise in political posturing.
Furthermore, the prose is surprisingly lackluster, even by political memoir standards. Abbott's writing style is devoid of any flair or rhetorical finesse, resulting in a text that is as dull as it is dogmatic. The book's lack of intellectual depth makes it a struggle for readers to find any redeeming value in its pages.
The memoir's self-congratulatory tone is nothing short of cringe-worthy. Abbott's relentless promotion of his own perceived virtues and the unapologetic defense of his controversial stances make "Battlelines" read more like a hagiography than a serious political treatise. The absence of self-awareness or humility robs the book of any semblance of credibility.
Additionally, "Battlelines" suffers from a notable lack of empathy. Abbott's failure to connect with the diverse perspectives and concerns of the broader population makes this memoir an exercise in political solipsism. Readers seeking a genuine exploration of complex issues will be sorely disappointed by the book's simplistic and myopic approach to policy matters.
In conclusion, "Battlelines" is a tedious and intellectually bankrupt foray into the mind of Tony Abbott MP. Its lack of substance, coupled with an absence of genuine introspection, renders it an unconvincing and thoroughly unimpressive addition to the realm of political literature. Readers would be better served by seeking out works that offer thoughtful analysis and constructive solutions rather than wading through the shallow waters of Abbott's banal manifesto.
February 21, 2015
Tony Abbott's work cannot truly be described as an autobiography as it is more a selective representation of his conservative beliefs and how it relates to modern day Australian society. Having been written during the Rudd government it is a great preview into the inner working of Tony Abbott's mind. I recommend reading David Marr's work on Tony Abbott 'Political Animal' which originally had been an essay published in 'The Quarterly Essay' journal. Having read David Marr's work first it was astonishing to see the predictive behaviour of Mr Abbott as well as the gargantuan hypocrisy of his own beliefs versus actions in his past and current Australian political events. Mr Abbott comes across as a self confessed anti-pragmatist, with the desire to amend the Australian Constitution to have effective control in how the states carry out their business. The bill itself is included as an Appendix in this edition. At times he comes across as caring for the disadvantaged (market liberal mode switched off) in wanting to abandon all means testing for welfare recipients so that when they start to earn a stable living they won't be penalised by such a testing process and actually end up considerably worse then when they had been unemployed in the first place. What's interesting is in the last 2 days, the newly proposed Childcare rebate for Australians is one that is means tested and that a single mother on a wage of AU$37,000 receives a benefit of AU$3 more than a family with a joint income of AU$250,000. Examples like these a fascinating to watch, no to mention the current leadership spill between no-one except himself. Interestingly the afterward describes when Mr Abbott had called a leadership spill on Mr Malcolm Turnbull in 2009. The irony of it all is that Mr Turnbull is the country's favourite to replace Mr Abbott, although at the verge of announcing his challenge had chosen to remain politically dormant.
March 13, 2012
Not something that would make you sit on the edge of your seat. There are moments that gave me a sense of awe (such as the statistical comparing) but did not make me feel like anything Tony Abbott had to say was bookworthy. He states why some policies would be good in the long run but hurt in the short time and vice versa which was somewhat interesting. I think in some parts of the book - he needs to take his own advice, but I think a few more personal anecdotes might have "won" people over - but other than that - there are no real conclusions at the end and it's an easy one to fall asleep to.
October 19, 2013
A fascinating and relatively engaging read particularly with the hindsight of the recent federal election. Written in 2009 it dissects previous federal governments and espouses Mr Abbot's views on subjects like what makes a good leader and prime minister - such as conciliation and "A good government is one that governs for all Australians - including those who haven't voted for it," I guess time will tell whether he is able to put into practice what he purports.
November 14, 2016
Putting all political views aside, it was interesting to read this book after he was replaced as Prime Minister. Some of his views and opinions made sense but I was left with the feeling that he had the opportunity to put what he preached into practise but failed to do so. He struck me as being honest and believing what he opined.
June 1, 2014
Contained Abbott's predictable thoughts on climate change, the NT intervention, etc., but also featured some interesting thoughts.
August 26, 2016
A political manifesto so difficult to get excited about. I did like his references to Hayek and Friedman et al and Abbott clearly is extremely well read in classical liberalism. A smart guy.
December 24, 2013
A terrible read. Poorly written and self-indulgent.
February 25, 2015
Self indulgent; enough said.
April 11, 2017
Gives an interesting (but perhaps too verbose for some) summary of Abbott's understanding of the philosophy of the contemporary Liberal party, linking to modern and historical thinkers.
Reading this after his period as leader of the Liberal Party and Prime Minister, I can't help but feel that he didn't live up to the image presented in this book.
Tony Abbott is not a typical conservative, and some of the positions he advocates for come refreshingly close to supporting a basic income, at least for families. This reflects Abbott's traditionalist perspective on family. The concept of government support for families clearly excludes unemployed, single, and child-free young adults.
Parts of the book have aged poorly already, particularly discussion of Iraq and Islamist terrorism, but this doesn't detract too much from the points being made.
At the very least, it's worth reading to gain a better understanding of the philosophy of one of Australia's most divisive leaders.
Reading this after his period as leader of the Liberal Party and Prime Minister, I can't help but feel that he didn't live up to the image presented in this book.
Tony Abbott is not a typical conservative, and some of the positions he advocates for come refreshingly close to supporting a basic income, at least for families. This reflects Abbott's traditionalist perspective on family. The concept of government support for families clearly excludes unemployed, single, and child-free young adults.
Parts of the book have aged poorly already, particularly discussion of Iraq and Islamist terrorism, but this doesn't detract too much from the points being made.
At the very least, it's worth reading to gain a better understanding of the philosophy of one of Australia's most divisive leaders.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews