Although waiting in airports can be a tiresome activity, it is also an ideal time to sit down and relax with a good book. New South Wales Opposition Leader John Robertson used his wait at Armidale airport to catch up with his copy of How to Be In Opposition by Nigel Fletcher.
Mr Robertson was in Armidale on Monday to support Labor candidate Herman Beyersdorf in the Northern Tablelands by-election. He clearly thought he might pick up some tips from Fletcher’s book, and we hope that they will prove useful when the by-election is held in a few weeks, Saturday 25 May. Fletcher himself spent years in opposition as a Conservative policy adviser and his book is an essential read for anyone who finds themselves in a similar position, acting as a handbook to shadow ministers in particular, whose job it is to keep government honest and prepare to take power themselves one day.
How to Be In Opposition features essays from leading academics and practitioners, combining first-hand accounts of the challenges of life in the shadows with detailed analysis of its opportunities and vital importance.