I have quite a lot of time for Dennis Glover when it comes to ALP politics and matters relating to social democracy in Australia. Philosophically speaking I often find myself agreeing with his point of view – though I can’t say I agreed quite so much with Mark Latham, whom Glover previously served as speechwriter! In retrospect, given how things turned out, we might well consider that Latham could have done with a “bit more Glover” in him.
Glover had an interesting op/ed in The Australian yesterday – interesting because he seems to be firmly of the belief that the Gillard putsch is unequivocally a step forward for Federal Labor. From a purely “polling in suburban marginals” standpoint, events look set to bear this out, but there is no denying that the putsch has damaged the Labor brand, and junked a guy who could have lead Labor to victory in the process. The picture is indeed a fuzzy one, and to gloss over the negative aspects of the last few weeks for Labor is to do it a disservice.
Glover, for example, describes Gillard’s rather self-conscious hop to the right as follows:
… she has set out to bring Australians from across the political spectrum to her cause by paying them the courtesy of listening.
It seems a little egregious to represent what has certainly been an agenda (e.g. asylum seekers, population, de-greening) guided by targeted polling as a noble willingness to listen to the people. Is this a veiled barb directed at Rudd, whose non-consultative style of operating has been under the skin of many Labor folk since the days of The Latham Diaries were published?
Glover goes on to praise the “fishing” of Gillard, first in relation to the RSPT:
On mining, having listened to all sides, she found a way to allay fears while keeping the tax alive.
Let’s be frank – the manner in which she allayed fears was basically to reduce the size and scope of the tax. Yes, a deal of some description was necessary, but this was less deal than backdown, and reportedly very similar to a deal Rudd was about to announce before being rolled.
On asylum seekers, Glover notes:
And on refugee boat arrivals she found a way to maintain control without talking about “invasions” or making hollow promises to “turn the boats back”.
Once again, a solution was needed, but there is little denying that the Timor Solution is currently half-baked at best, and could have done with a bit more flesh on the bones before it was bobbled out there into the media spin cycle.
Yes, Gillard Labor is still an infinitely preferable proposition to Tony Abbott’s team of out-of-touch bunglers. But let’s also call a spade a spade – there is still a lot of work to be done before Gillard Labor can be held up as a shining beacon of political credibility and true Labor values.
I suppose the question is, given regional and globalised politics as it functions in our time, would it be possible for any politician to “do better”?
If you dont want Abbott, you do what I did and put it behind you; after all Rudd wasn’t taken out and hung, drawn and quartered and its too close to an election.
Had the alternative been less competent than Gillard, I think it wouldn’t have got off the ground.
As for the rest of your post, if its any comfort you are not the only one discomforted by politics, just at the mo.
I agree – the best that can be hoped for is that Gillard triumphs and expands her policy horizons after election, the Lib moderates knock Abbott off and restore Turnbull or promote Hockey, and the Greens find a way to exert some meaningful influence.
None of this entirely exonerates Labor for their recent foolishness, however. Post-election, they need to pay some penance to all of us.
Like you I loath that po mo labor has been hollowed out and become a shopfront for other activities. It’s a defacto liberal party, operating within and for the system, you have to hope the remnant of good intentions that once drove labor keeps it on the right track for long enough for the libs to clear out the remnants of their old guard, move back toward the “centre” and by implication, rationality.
There are just too many atavistic pathologies rampant within the libs at the moment for them to be electable; labor is heading for the same destination, so it will be important for genuine social liberalism to reassert itself, maybe to the point of coming to an arrangement with the Greens.
More likely, liblab will combine to block out the Greens, following the Tasmanian model.
The Libs look set for a long period in the political wilderness, assuming that Labor can get its act together. It is a nonsense for anyone to suggest that Abbott has a strong team behind him; they need an injection of new talent and for some of the old guard to retire.
Faced with this, the challenge for Labor is to not fall into the trap of occupying power whilst not doing terribly much of note (e.g. NSW Labor). Recent events do not augur well on this front, but I have some hope that they can turn it around once the election hubbub is dispensed with.
Are the op polls going to make idiots of us?
Gillard’s understandable hesitancy so new to the job is making things harder for them.
The media have been cowardly too, but if Australians follow closely they will see what’s papered over with the opposition, too.
All we can reasonably predict is that Australia will get the government it deserves – one way or another!