Ten years, and still planning to go on

摘要

When he was sworn in as Australia's prime minister on March 11th 1996, John Howard probably had no idea that he would still be in office ten years on. Indeed, he came close to losing his next election, two years later. Since then, however, his electoral popularity has climbed to the point where he has never seemed more in control nor, at the age of 66, more determined to plough on. As his government celebrates his triumph, Mr Howard brushes aside questions about retirement by insisting that he will stay as long as his conservative Liberal Party wants him. This means that he is likely to contest a fifth election, due in late 2007. And another win would put him in sight of equalling the achievement of Sir Robert Menzies, Australia's longest-serving prime minister (a total of 18 years), the Liberal Party's founder and Mr Howard's hero.