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Published: 1st June 2012

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In the Australian election of 2010, more than a million voters chose not to cast a ballot. Of those who did vote, almost 730,000 voted informal. The figures provide a statistical confirmation of what had already become apparent during the campaign – namely, that vast numbers of Australians find the policies of neither major party appealing. And the million-and-a-half votes for the Greens show that many of those people are now prepared to countenance ideas to the Left of the two-party consensus.

Left Turn is a book aimed at such people, at the many, many Australians disillusioned with the political process. It includes controversial, topical and challenging essays by writers and thinkers who openly identify with the Left – from Larissa Berendht to Christos Tsiolkas, Lee Rhiannon to Nazeem Hussain, and editors Antony Loewenstein and Jeff Sparrow. They do not all agree with each other; they do not present a complete package or a consistent manifesto. But they do open some windows in Australian public life and let some much needed fresh air in.

Left Turn shows why the Left should be taken seriously. It is neither a policy document for a political party or a comprehensive list of ways to improve Australia. The essays are passionate, relevant, radical, controversial and topical; voices that are dying to be heard in an increasingly barren, media landscape.

About the Author

Antony Loewenstein is a Sydney-based independent journalist, author and blogger. He has written for the Guardian, The Nation, The Sydney Morning Herald, Haaretz and many others. His first book, My Israel Question (2006), was a bestseller and shortlisted for the 2007 New South Wales Premier’s Literary Award. His second book, The Blogging Revolution, on the internet in repressive regimes, was released in 2008. Both titles have been re-released in new, updated editions and translated across the world. He is currently working on another book for MUP, on disaster capitalism, due in 2013 and a book in 2012 called After Zionism. Antony appears regularly in the media in Australia and overseas in print, radio and TV.

Jeff Sparrow is the editor of Overland literary journal, and works at Victoria University. He is the co-author, with sister Jill, of Radical Melbourne: A Secret History and Radical Melbourne 2: The Enemy Within, and the author of Communism: A Love Story (shortlisted for the Colin Roderick Award) and Killing: Misadventures in Violence (a finalist in the Melbourne Prize for Literature Best Writing Award 2009). His work has appeared in a range of print and online publications and journals.

ISBN: 9780522861433
ISBN-10: 0522861431
Audience: Tertiary; University or College
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Number Of Pages: 288
Published: 1st June 2012
Dimensions (cm): 21.0 x 14.0  x 2.3
Weight (kg): 0.31