How has almost a decade in power left such a severe dent in the Liberal Party’s reputation & viability?

On this week’s Afternoon Light special guest hosts Alexander Downer and Chetna Mahadik speak with Paul Kelly about his latest book The Twilight of Exceptionalism. Exploring the failures, contradictions and redeeming achievements of Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull, and Scott Morrison, and how the limitations of their prime ministerships have played into the rise of One Nation.

Paul Kelly is editor-at-large and a former editor-in-chief of The Australian. He writes on Australian politics, policy, history and international relations, and has covered every prime minister from Gough Whitlam to Anthony Albanese. He has written or co-authored twelve books on our politics and history, with the latest being The Twilight of Exceptionalism: The Liberal and Conservative Era 2013-22. Kelly is a regular television commentator. He has been a fellow at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, a visiting fellow at Kings’ College London and a fellow at the Lowy Institute in Sydney. He has a doctorate from the University of Melbourne and is a fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia.