MPs right and left brought to book

IF you thought the debate over misogyny in politics, the Labor Party's search for its political soul, Tony Abbott's university days, the ambitions of Bill Shorten or the wit and wisdom of Bob Katter were best left in 2012, steel yourself for more of the same next year.

The major political books due for release mirror the debates and personalities that shaped politics this year.

It was a bumper year for political books. Several made front-page news and sparked vigorous debate, including Lindsay Tanner's pointed criticisms of modern Labor, Maxine McKew's fantasy fiction about Julia Gillard, and James Button's get square on Kevin Rudd.

Katter wrote the book he had been talking about for decades, Steve Bracks wrote his memoirs and, with more books written about him than any other politician, two more books were written about Gough Whitlam: a biography by Jenny Hocking and Billy Griffiths's terrific account of his 1971 visit to China.

Labor's structural challenges, the loss of its policy compass and its political vitality remain a publishing staple.

One book causing a stir in Labor ranks is Takeover, by journalists Aaron Patrick and Jason Koutsoukis. It will tell the story of "the demise of Labor" with tales of "establishments of ill-repute, bags full of cash, text messages gone wrong, pole-dancing MPs, faceless men and the knifing of Kevin Rudd".

ABC Books confirms the book will have a big focus on Shorten. It is not a biography, but Labor figures approached by the authors say it started out that way. Although the focus is now wider, it is seen inside Labor as "a hatchet-job" on Shorten, who has refused to co-operate.

Former Labor leader Mark Latham is writing the next Quarterly Essay, On Labor and the Left (Black Inc). His focus, thankfully, is on solutions to Labor's problems.

Latham told me: "I'm applying a discipline of looking for practical, feasible solutions on questions of Labor's identity crisis, organisational reform, economic policy, education reform, climate change, the rise of the new aspirational class, how to handle the Greens, how to handle the new lunar Right/Tea Party fringe of the Coalition".

The Opposition Leader has written the introduction to a book of essays edited by senator Brett Mason and Daniel Wood, Future Proofing Australia (MUP). But where are the books on the modern Liberal Party? Like Labor, it is beset by factional warfare in outer-suburban branches and urgently needs to rediscover its policy purpose and better define what it stands for.

Staunch Gillard ally Anne Summers tackles the misogyny and sexism debate in a book about the state of feminism and equality in Australia titled The Misogyny Factor (NewSouth). It argues that Australians are "uncomfortable with the idea of women in power".

In a variation on this theme, Jane Caro is editing a collection of essays, Destroying the Joint (UQP), and Anna Goldsworthy is writing the 50th Quarterly Essay on "women, freedom and misogyny".

I doubt Abbott will be looking forward to David Marr expanding his Quarterly Essay, Political Animal, into a book with more scrutiny of the Opposition Leader's character.

Political mavericks always make for good books. Former controversial Howard government minister Peter Reith has written a political memoir of sorts, The Reith Papers, based on notebooks he kept while in politics (MUP).

On Boxing Day, my colleague Sean Parnell finished a draft of his biography of mining magnate Clive Palmer, Clive (HarperCollins). The account of Palmer's colourful life also serves as "part business expose, part political-insider piece".

Katter, another Queensland maverick who may benefit politically from Palmer's split from the Liberal National Party, has had his "wit and wisdom" collected in Kattertonia (Black Inc). It promises to reveal "what's going on under the hat".

Political history and biography can also make for great books. Heather Henderson, the daughter of Robert Menzies, follows up her collection of letters to and from her father with a book of reminiscences, A Smile For My Parents (Allen & Unwin).

In Air Disaster Canberra (NewSouth), former NSW Liberal politician Andrew Tink writes about the 1940 plane crash that killed three wartime ministers and contributed to Robert Menzies losing the support of his cabinet and resigning a year later as prime minister.

Stephen Dando-Collins promises the definitive biography of the father of Federation in Sir Henry Parkes: The Australian Colossus, (Random House).

The Australian's Rowan Callick has written the inside story on the Chinese Communist Party, Party Time: Who Runs China and How (Black Inc), which pulls back the curtain on the inner workings of China's ruling clique.

Another colleague, Nick Cater, is finalising The Lucky Culture (HarperCollins). This original and perceptive analysis of the culture of modern Australia unashamedly skewers several sacred cows and taboos. Having read a draft chapter, this timely book will generate much debate.

A few others worth looking out for are Malcolm Knox's book on how the mining boom is reshaping Australia (Penguin), Michael Pelly's biography of former High Court chief justice Murray Gleeson (The Federation Press) and Bob Ellis's latest ruminations on politics in The Year it All Fell Down (Penguin), which may not make the Prime Minister's reading list.

Overseas, look out for a book of essays on Margaret Thatcher, The Real Iron Lady (Biteback), written by people who know her intimately, and edited by Gillian Shephard.

If you enjoyed Mark Halperin and John Heilemann's Game Change on the 2008 US presidential election, look out for the sequel, Double Down: Game Change 2012 (Penguin,) on last month's election. Like Game Change, this will be made into a movie for HBO.

Many of the books slated for release in 2013 will, for good or for ill, echo the events, debates and personalities of the previous year. The coming election year and the clash between Labor and the Coalition is also certain to generate an array of new books for politicos in 2014.