Twenty-three years ago, the British political thriller House of Cards gave the world the now-classic line: ‘You might very well think that, I couldn’t possibly comment.’ There are very few British television programs that benefit from an American remake. House of Cards is one of them. The final episode of the US version aired in Australia on Tuesday night. I was sceptical that anyone could successfully reprise Ian Richardson’s haunting portrayal of the manipulative Chief Whip Francis Urquhart. But Kevin Spacey’s Francis Underwood does his British soulmate proud. Richardson and Spacey both drew on their experience playing Shakespeare’s manipulative Richard III to inspire their compelling performances. Although not a Shakespearean actress, Robin Wright is brilliant as the Lady Macbeth-like Claire Underwood, the steely and ruthless wife of the Congressman. The adaptation of the plotline to match the US political system is skillfully done. Connoisseurs will argue over which version is better. I lean towards the British original. However, the US House of Cards is well worth the viewing hours that it consumes. Those who fondly remember Francis Urquhart’s soliloquys explaining to the viewer the rationale for the last layer of political intrigue would do very well to take the time to acquaint themselves with the Democratic Majority Whip, Congressman Underwood. One or two of the episodes are a touch slow and it is not a show that can be watched casually, as there is much fine detail to concentrate on. But the news that a second series is currently in production is most welcome.

The final episode of the aforementioned House of Cards contains a snap of Francis Underwood’s desk as his intriguing and plotting reaches its dénouement. On it, lies a copy of Robert Caro’s Passage of Power, the fourth and penultimate volume of his biography of Lyndon Johnson. The producers are clearly making a connection between the anti-hero Underwood and LBJ. This is a tenuous link. But I will take any opportunity to talk about the Caro masterpieces. There is a small but dedicated cross-party group of parliamentary admirers of Caro. It consists of, among others, Foreign Minister Carr, Shadow Attorney George Brandis, and Liberal and Labor backbenchers Jamie Briggs, Scott Ryan and Nick Champion, as well as your humble columnist. As among House of Cards aficionados, there is a degree of disagreement over which is the best volume. Some say that the latest edition, Passage of Power, which deals with Johnson’s ascension to the Presidency, is the best. Personally, I think it is very hard to go past the Pulitzer Prize-winning Master of the Senate. (This disagreement crosses party lines. While Nick Champion and I vote for Master of the Senate, we are joined by Senator Scott Ryan, while Mayo MP Jamie Briggs gives his vote to Passage of Power.)

In Master of the Senate, Caro captures Johnson’s ability to cajole and control a legislative chamber. It is also as good a social and political history of America over those decades as you will read anywhere and a remarkable guide to the inner workings of the congressional system of the time, which still has relevance today. Caro also provides a compelling backstory for the main protagonists. Johnson, for example meets Richard Russell of Georgia and becomes a key acolyte of the senior senator. There follow 40 or so pages of background on Russell which serves as perfectly suitable mini-biography. But whichever you prefer, the LBJ series of biographies has earned its place in the pantheon of the best political writing. The attention to detail is compelling. For the first two volumes, Caro and his equally impressive and learned wife went to live in the Texas hills to immerse themselves in the world of young Lyndon Johnson of Johnson County to inform every detail of the early story. The second volume, Means of Ascent, tells the remarkable story of Johnson’s less than above-board election to the Senate in 1948 in much, never before revealed detail. Johnson is a man who does bad things to achieve very good means. A combination of this intriguing personality with Caro’s almost obsessive dedication to detail and sympathetic but not hagiographic approach to Johnson’s career makes this series of biographies a must-read. Because of Caro’s meticulous nature, it is likely to be several years before we see the emergence of the fifth and final volume. In the meantime, it would be good to get the 77-year-old Caro out to Australia for a speaking tour to discuss this and more. If I knew anybody who worked at the US Studies Centre, maybe I could ask them to arrange such a coup.

Last week, this column suggested that Malcolm Fraser sounds like a Greens candidate for the Senate these days. On cue, Fraser took to Twitter to recommend a vote for the Greens in the Senate to deny either party a majority there. I suppose if one party had a majority in the Senate they might do something outrageous like block supply.

The post Across the aisle appeared first on The Spectator.