Howard brings a sense of balance to book

The former PM will publish a book of essays on modern politics, ­policy issues and international ­affairs.

Howard served as Australian prime minister from 1996 to 2007. Picture: Daily Telegraph / Monique Harmer

John Howard will publish a book of essays on modern politics, ­policy issues and international ­affairs, offering his thoughts on the 2022 Australian election, the Covid pandemic, Donald Trump, Brexit and the rise of China.

The book, A Sense of Balance, argues that having objectivity, perspective and honesty in how Australia has dealt with policy and political challenges in the past has served us well and should continue to guide decision-­making.

The optimistic book, Mr Howard said, is set against the backdrop of the pandemic and the economic challenges of recent years, the “carousel” of Australian prime ministers and the political upheavals in the US and Britain.

“(The book is) a collection of reflections on contemporary Australian politics, including an assessment of the recent election and the Australia-China relationship,” Mr Howard, 82, said.

“In addition, there will be comment on the Trump phenomenon and the Brexit debate.”

Publisher HarperCollins has described the book, to be released in mid-August, as about how a sense of balance has helped to ­define Australia as a nation and ­people in the past, and will safeguard the country’s future.

The cover of John Howard's latest book titled "A Sense of Balance". Picture: Supplied

“In the years that John Howard served in the national parliament, he came to understand the special character of Australia; to appreciate its strengths and weaknesses; and most importantly to respect the sense of balance in the formulation of public policy that has long defined us as a people and made Australia an attractive destination for people from across the world,” it writes.

“He explores this balance, its foundations and future … (touching) on how Australia has ­responded to pressure over the last decade or so. Commentary … from politicians, opinion writers and social media can sometimes seem shrill and divisive.”

The title of the book was a theme of Mr Howard’s prime ministership. He argued that “balance” in public policy was “the handmaiden of national growth and renewal” and had helped Australia “respond creatively to an uncertain world”.

In a 2006 speech, he said Australia’s sense of balance was “the secret of Australia’s greatness”.

This book will be Mr Howard’s third, following his 2010 autobiography, Lazarus Rising, and a history of Australian politics from 1949 to 1972, The Menzies Era, published in 2014. Lazarus Rising is the best-selling recent prime ministerial memoir, with more than 105,000 copies sold.

Mr Howard is Australia’s 25th prime minister, serving from 1996 to 2007, and is the second-longest serving overall.