Labor continues to shoot itself in the foot. The more it does the more it loses public support.

The ALP needs to open itself up its members and it needs to become more democratic. Any such democratic reform will be resisted by the unions

The controversy around Joe Bullock, Labor's lead candidate for the WA Senate election, highlights some of the party's biggest problems:

(1) its failure to attract and select quality candidates:

(2) the power of the factions:

(3) the links with the union movement that give the unions too much power;

(4) change the way candidates are selected, especially for the Senate so that members have say.

It has the opportunity to reform itself whilst it is in opposition.

I cannot see such fundamental reform of the ALP happening. The ALP will slowly become fossilised.

It does look as if the ALP will never again govern in its own right without major party reform to its union-dominated preselection system and become more democratic.

It needs to change its preselection process to allow membership ballots to choose senate candidates.

Will Joe Bullock jump ship once in the Senate--ie., leave the ALP and join the DLP + Senator Madigan?

I'm sure that many in the ALP have little trust in the new sociality conservative senator from WA.

Bullock took Senator Pratt's number one spot on Labor's Senate ticket during a bruising preselection ballot. He used his union muscle to secure his position.

The ALP allowed it to happen.

The right wing Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association is up to its old tricks.

Joe de Bruyn, National Secretary, the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association, uses his union muscle to

(1) pursue a Catholic hardline anti-gay marriage, anti-abortion, and anti-stem cell research agenda:

(2) divvy up federal and state upper house spots among members of the Shop, Distributive and Allied industries union.

The ALP has had lots of reports (and books and papers) all pointing to the need to make the party more representative of its voter base.

"Will Joe Bullock jump ship once in the Senate--ie., leave the ALP and join the DLP + Senator Madigan?"

The Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association was disaffiliated from the ALP in the 1955 Labor split and its roots are with the DLP.

Like de Bruyn Bullock is part of a kind of moral fifth column within the Labor Party. A right-wing Catholic in a largely secular Centre Left party.

de Bruyn and the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association were affiliated with the National Civic Council, the DLP, and B.A. Santamaria.

The DLP lives on inside the ALP

Whilst I agree with the points made above I need to point out that this election was a bigger vote disaster for the COALition than it was for Labor.

At this stage [Monday] Labor has dropped 4.8% on the September result.
The Liberals dropped a larger amount, -5.5%, and their coalition allies the nationals an extra decline of 2% for a COALition decrease of 7.5%.

That's clearly a worse result for the COALition than the ALP result.

They look like being lucky enough [and luck, via micro party preferences is a large chunk of the situation] to hold onto the 3rd senator [by a matter of only 100s of votes] but if the drums are bearing for the ALP they should be pounding remorselessly for the COALition.

Of course the media will, is, downplay such.

Fair points Fred

Joe Bullock has an image problem

No,in the end I've been left with an aftertaste of disappointment in my mouth too, particularly after the strategic release of Bullock's sentiments of contempt for the sort of people Pratt represents.

I dream nightly of being offered a sub-machine gun, to do the job with the right faction.