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March 7, 2006
So the factions are rolled back for the moment:
Geoff Pryor
Crean has come out fighting, calling for a massive cultural change in the Labor Party that involves an end to factional infighting, a call for Senator Conroy's sacking and a different style of leadership from Beazley. Crean appears to by invigorated by the preselection battle he has just won, he's really angry at how he has been treated by the Right faction, and looks to be deadly serious about taking it the factional warlords he holds responsible.
The latter became Crean's enemies when he pushed through reforms by trying to reduce the unions representation in party forums from 60 per cent to 50per cent, and to push through a set of rule changes designed to nobble the branch-stackers.The Right factional warlords wanted payback.
Crean is sounding very much like Mark Latham these days as he calls upon Beazley to develop more policy differentiation.
What is the Beazley style of leadership in opposition? Mark Lathan offers a succinct description in the Latham Diaries in May 27 2006, just after the ruins of the federal election:
Beazley tells the Shadow Ministry that 'Opposition is all about pissing on them and pissing off---a hit-and-run style of politics. He sees our political recovery as hinging on the exploitation of the Government's failings and public discontent, issue by issue. I've got a sinking feeling that Kim, for all his rhetoric, is not going to deliver a new modern Labor agenda. That's his philosophy: piss on them and piss off. (p.48) Latham comments that this strategy will never suffice as a political party in opposition needs a 'philosophy of government, a set of ideas that inspires our supporters and gives the show some purpose beyond an opportunistic grab for power.'
The factional warlords are just about a opportunistic grab for power offering a tinkering around the edges of past policy, or that of the enemy. The low target strategy by default.
That's Beazley's style: everything is about today's political opportunities with nothing about the future. Nothing about taking the traditional statism of the ALP and making it modern and relevant to the everyday lives of Australians.
Latham comments that:
Opposition politics feels like dogshit on the boot of democracy.
That was back in August 1996. That is why the GST suited Beazley's opportunistic style: He's comfortable campaigning on the things that he opposes than what could be proposed. It is why he can get his teeth into the IR reforms--he can just opposes them. And the corruption in AWB wheat bribe scandal allows Beazley to piss on the Government.
The difficulty Beazley faces in changing his style is that he owes his leadership to factional such as Victorian big fish Stephen Conroy, Queenslander Wayne Swan and West Australian Stephen Smith, and they are his close confidants. Will the Right change? Their machine is bereft of talent and ideas and appears to be intent only on payback and power grabs. They are only about rewarding and punishing friends and enemies.
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