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December 1, 2006
Is the federal ALP a party in search of a spine, as Laura Tingle argues in the Australian Financial Review? Well, I reckon that it has lacked political courage. Tingle says that:
These days, much of the federal parliamentary Labor party is beyond even being depressed about the lack of spine the party appears capable of showing collectively. And at the end of the day, its a lack of spine that is Labor's problem. The electorate has judged Kim Beazley and decided he's weak and people are not listening to what he has to say... But what the last two years have revealed is a more systematic weakness in Labor's ranks...The party seems unable to mobilise itself to successfully provoke a change--either with or without Beazley.
There have been murmurs all week about the need for change with the behind-the-scenes backgrounding and undermining---called a destablisation campaign by the press. Currently, the right wing ALP, ruled by an inner circle of mates headed by Swan, Smith and Conroy, has been going nowhere on the issues that count and which flow Labor's way:- interest rates, climate change, Iraq. These have been placed to one side in favour of industrial relations. So we have a one card trick. It's not enough to make the case for a change of government at next years election. The ALP has looked depressed and dispirited all week. It has lacked courage to tackle the issues that matter.
Bill Leak
Well, we will see about the spine bit won't we? The Rudd/Gillard team have issued a challenge to Beazley. There is to be a spill of all leadership and frontbench positions on Monday.The challengers are calling for a change in the leadership of the party and strategic direction. That's a welcome move. It's time for change. Beazley is yesterday's hero.
It would appear that the dominant NSW right wing faction, which once stood behind Beazley, has split into two. Will Rudd/Gillard deliver on the fresh ideas, fresh vision and a bucketload of energy that they promise? How will that happen given the diminished talent pool, and the Stasi trend described by Senator Ray:
A whole production line of soulless apparatchiks has emerged: highly proficient and professional, but with no Labor soul; control freaks with tunnel vision; ruthless leakers in their self-interest; individuals who would rather the party lose an election than that they lose their place in the pecking order
Presumably the strategy of relying on resentment over Coalition policies is coming to an end.
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That's about it in a nutshell. It's time.
(And Robert Ray is channelling Latham, I see.)