Peter Lewis
EMC Director Peter Lewis used to describe himself as ‘spinning for lost causes’, until his campaigns started to work, thanks largely to the political research that underpins his offerings to the Punch. He has worked previously for Unions NSW and helped advise the ACTU on its Workchoices strategy ahead of the 2007 election.
Articles by Peter Lewis
Call me troppo but I reckon Abbott’s onto something
Forgive me for my sins, but I couldn’t help feeling a little sorry for Tony Abbott last week when he…... Read more
Is your pocket vibrating or are you just an iAddict?
Here’s a challenge. Try getting to the end of this article without fidgeting. That means no phone calls, checking text…... Read more
A nation of stressed-out, time poor, lonely worker bees
The short-term fix of Olympic glory aside, Essential’s weekly poll suggests Australia is a pretty miserable place right now. We…... Read more
In the race to get along, you’ve got to take a stand
Four beers into the barbeque and the host is waxing lyrical. He launches into to a joke about a certain…... Read more
10 reasons why the Liberals are right about the interweb
It’s time to put an end to all this partisan negativity. At a time when people are looking to our…... Read more
Stop the presses: the media aren’t that crap
Sometimes a response to a polling question comes along that makes you re-evaluate your preconceived ideas, where the public’s refusal…... Read more
10 handy stress-relief tips for furious Aussie conservatives
As a long-suffering leftie, I thought it was just my fragile ego that was picking up an increase in the…... Read more
10 reasons we want to go back to the polls
Just when it looked like the prospect of a hung Parliament had taken us to a new paradigm of political…... Read more
This election was not the ranga revolution predicted
When the political history of 2010 is written, every element of the closest election in a generation will be rightly…... Read more
Yes we will: remembering a campaign that never was
What a great night to be Labor. As the Party swept back into office with a mandate to lead global…... Read more
Seven cautionary tales for people who want to win
The last week of elections is white line fever time. It’s the moment when history is written and the stakes…... Read more
Remembering ‘Abbott’s dad’: top 10 Howard era memories
Goldfish have a neat survival mechanism to prevent them ever getting bored – by the time they have swum around…... Read more
Gillard dumps focus groups, focus groups will like that
Our Prime Minister has joined the bandwagon complaining that this is a focus group- driven election - but isn¹t this…... Read more
Why the election has got nothing to do with you
If you are a political junkie like me, chances are you found Sunday night’s debate a little like watching a…... Read more
Even with a strong economy, jobs are a top concern
With the major parties flexing their muscles on border protection, the Australian public has sent Canberra a message that it…... Read more
The angry fish that could change Australia
There is a wildcard hanging over the upcoming election, a factor outside the control of the any politician – it…... Read more
Leadership change should spark primary rethink
The Australian public’s reaction to last week’s execution of their Prime Minister came in two courses. The first: “Don’t break…... Read more
The real leadership story: Abbott remains unelectable
This is the week when another round of disastrous opinion polls was meant to spark a mass uprising within the…... Read more
Minutes of the first meeting of the Rich Bastards’ Union
Congratulations to all comrades who attended the official launch of the Rich Bastards Union (RBU) at our official launch in…... Read more
We’re all at sea on the facts about boat arrivals
When businesses take out advertisements making claims about how great they are or highlight the adverse characteristics of a competitor…... Read more
It’s the retro election as Rudd and Abbott stuck in a funk
The accepted political wisdom that you can only win an election on a particular issue once is about to be…... Read more
Election 2010 – Who will call the tune?
With the election drawing upon us our potential leaders must make a critical decision soon – what will be the…... Read more
Government won’t be turfed out for taxing miners
The Rudd Government has arrested its plunge in the polls by convincing Australians that last week’s Budget might not be…... Read more
We need to talk about Kevin
Believe the polls and something almost mystical has happened over the past few months – our Prime Minister has changed…... Read more
Climate change continues to wreak havoc for Rudd
Global warming has struck again, with the heat now on our Prime Minister whose approval ratings have dipped below 50…... Read more
Tax is still a four-letter word
It’s a political phenomenon as inevitable as a Troy Buswell indiscretion. Mention tax and people smell a rat. As the…... Read more
The key to coping with more people is to send them bush
It is easy to dismiss the growing backlash to population growth as a case of national NIMBYism, but the story…... Read more
Now for Kevin and Wayne’s excellent budget adventure
Spare a thought for Wayne Swan and Lindsay Tanner as they ferret away on Labor’s pre-election budget. At a time…... Read more
The population debate has nothing to do with boats
It’s begun. The dog whistle has been discarded in favour of an all-out symphony designed to convince mainstream Australia that…... Read more
Rudd better start cutting spending as well as ribbons
The first term of the Rudd Government is entering its end game and events in our nation’s playgrounds will have…... Read more
Rudd has already won today’s health debate
The Punch will be covering the Kevin Rudd/Tony Abbott debate live here from 12.30pm today. No matter what the superficial…... Read more
Parental leave: the moment Abbott jumped the shark
Tony Abbott’s foray into progressive social policy has backfired, with his conservative base rejecting has plan to tax big business…... Read more
Home-ground advantage counts in politics
Anyone trying to understand the politics of the federal health takeover purely from a policy perspective is only seeing half…... Read more
Tell us again why we need population growth
The political class is on a collision course with the punters they are elected to represent over the issue of…... Read more
With local candidates, there’s always a snag
Local candidates are the political equivalent of sausages – we might accept they are part of the democratic process, but…... Read more
Greens struggling to grow in heated political climate
It should be a great time to be a Green: a first term Labor Government governing from the centre; the…... Read more
I do not want sexual relations with these people
Barnaby Joyce’s move to clarify he is not in a homoerotic relationship with Tony Abbott is the latest example of…... Read more
Election 2010: It’s the year of the softie
If you are already sure who you are going to vote for at this year’s federal election then consider yourself…... Read more
A Christmas wish-list for the undeserving
Ever wondered what would have happened if Santa forgot to turn up one year? Well Copenhagen may not be quite…... Read more
Left should beware Tony Abbott’s war on wankers
A lot of my comrades on the Left of politics are walking around as if the ascension of Tony Abbott…... Read more
The only beauty contest that Joe Hockey will ever win
After a week when the Liberals took decisive action to reduce their political footprint Joe Hockey is sitting snugly between…... Read more
Elvis has left the building: a brief history of denialism
Today The Punch celebrates the ground-breaking policy work being undertaken by visionaries within the Coalition party room in an effort…... Read more
I love the taste of egg in the morning
I am wiping the egg off my face this morning. Last week I happily wrote off Newspoll’s recent findings of…... Read more
It’s a blip – Rudd maintains lead with interest
Evidence is now mounting that last week’s Newspoll poll showing a seven point drop in Labor support was a rogue…... Read more
Most Australians want a tougher stand on boatpeople
The debate around the Sri Lanka asylum seekers is beginning to spiral into Tampa territory with the Australian public ready…... Read more
Our beloved Kevin Rudd is a human pogo stick
Anyone wondering why Kevin Rudd continues to defy political gravity could do well to consider the latest Essential Report that…... Read more
Juggling family life - how leave doesn’t add up
What the hell was that? As a parent with a child in school for the first time I have just…... Read more
Still waiting for the invasion of the scary union overlords
Can anyone help me out? I’m looking for the fat bloke in braces who was meant to be running the…... Read more
Rudd needs to remind us why we elected him
The Punch’s unscientific Punters Poll is broadly in line with most of the “scientific” research – the PM is broadly…... Read more
What your sex life says about your voting habits
“Sex: Does It Affect Performance?” - the question that gave rise to the immortal response from former test cricketer Merv…... Read more
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Will Pope Francis have the vision to tackle this?
I have had some close calls, one that involved what looked to me like an AK47 pointed my way, followed…
Advocating risk management is not “victim blaming”
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Nosebleed Section
choice ringside rantings
From: Hasbro, go straight to gaol, do not pass go
Tim says:
They should update other things in the game too. Instead of a get out of jail free card, they should have a Dodgy Lawyer card that not only gets you out of jail straight away but also gives you a fat payout in compensation for daring to arrest you in the first place. Instead of getting a hotel when you… [read more]From: A guide to summer festivals especially if you wouldn’t go
Kel says:
If you want a festival for older people or for families alike, get amongst the respectable punters at Bluesfest. A truly amazing festival experience to be had of ALL AGES. And all the young "festivalgoers" usually write themselves off on the first night, only to never hear from them again the rest of… [read more]Gentle jabs to the ribs
Superman needs saving
Can somebody please save Superman? He seems to be going through a bit of a crisis. Eighteen months ago,… Read more
