Yeah it's been barely 5 minutes but I'm gonna have a whinge AND talk about politics.
Today in The Australian (http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/opinion/pm-fiddles-while-apparatchiks-plunder-alp-empire/story-e6frgd0x-1226142979550), Rodney Cavalier (a former Labor Minister from NSW) has written an article lamenting the state of the Labor party, the federal government and how reforms are needed to keep the party from dying (of largely self inflicted wounds).
But here's the thing, I'll bet the party's supporters (whether they be true believers or casual followers) have no understanding of Labor's problems or the solutions needed. Cavalier remarks:
Thankfully we have all moved on from the days of mass strikes, go-slows, closed shops and absurd wage claims (or have we?). Equally thankfully, Industrial relations is no longer a classed based, adversarial fighting ground where battles must be won to gain concessions as much as be seen to winning the war against the evil businessmen/careless union thug. The problem being, that the Labor party hasn't moved on.
The Unions still hold sway over pre-selections. They can still kybosh policy at conference. And most importantly, they can still determine policy by threatening sitting members by withdrawing factional support. All this is done by a sectional interest, or more accurately a minority sectional interest. I think we both know that this is bad, not just for Labor, but for the country as a whole.
The broader issue, is that when Labor reforms, it takes years of internal warfare or incredibly strong leadership (Whitlam, Hawke & Keating). Whitlam fought hard to enable the parliamentary party of elected representatives (!) to write party policy, instead of the faceless union men. It took Hawke & Keating's sheer leadership and policy ability to cut through old shibboleths (with the ground work laid by Bill Hayden). But these types of people come around every few decades. Labor was more than lucky to have 3 in 30 years. Simon Crean fought valiantly to decrease union sway at party conference, but in effect (as we have seen in NSW) it accomplished little.
So now, in 2011 we have a Labor party made up of nothing former union hacks and political staffers. Hacks and staffers, that are mere puppets of their union masters who still pine for the days of political domination over the left side of politics. (Sadly, the Liberal Party is also going down the same road of homogenous & incestuous representation). And union masters who have a quickly dminishing role in Australian society.
You may ask why I'm writing about Labor so much. Well, Labor was and still could be the natural party of government; but it refuses to focus on it's faults and correctly remember it's successes.Why is the Labor brand damaged and in free-fall? Because they're not sure whether they are a class based party for workers or a centrist party for all Australians with a social democratic basis.
Today in The Australian (http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/opinion/pm-fiddles-while-apparatchiks-plunder-alp-empire/story-e6frgd0x-1226142979550), Rodney Cavalier (a former Labor Minister from NSW) has written an article lamenting the state of the Labor party, the federal government and how reforms are needed to keep the party from dying (of largely self inflicted wounds).
But here's the thing, I'll bet the party's supporters (whether they be true believers or casual followers) have no understanding of Labor's problems or the solutions needed. Cavalier remarks:
The most recent figures show 92 percent of the electorate do not belong to an
affiliated union. In March the majority of NSW workers and unionists voted for
the coalition. Indeed, it has been long time since a majority of workers voted
Labor. The ALP is controlled by auxillaries whose own members do not vote Labor.
Thankfully we have all moved on from the days of mass strikes, go-slows, closed shops and absurd wage claims (or have we?). Equally thankfully, Industrial relations is no longer a classed based, adversarial fighting ground where battles must be won to gain concessions as much as be seen to winning the war against the evil businessmen/careless union thug. The problem being, that the Labor party hasn't moved on.
The Unions still hold sway over pre-selections. They can still kybosh policy at conference. And most importantly, they can still determine policy by threatening sitting members by withdrawing factional support. All this is done by a sectional interest, or more accurately a minority sectional interest. I think we both know that this is bad, not just for Labor, but for the country as a whole.
The broader issue, is that when Labor reforms, it takes years of internal warfare or incredibly strong leadership (Whitlam, Hawke & Keating). Whitlam fought hard to enable the parliamentary party of elected representatives (!) to write party policy, instead of the faceless union men. It took Hawke & Keating's sheer leadership and policy ability to cut through old shibboleths (with the ground work laid by Bill Hayden). But these types of people come around every few decades. Labor was more than lucky to have 3 in 30 years. Simon Crean fought valiantly to decrease union sway at party conference, but in effect (as we have seen in NSW) it accomplished little.
So now, in 2011 we have a Labor party made up of nothing former union hacks and political staffers. Hacks and staffers, that are mere puppets of their union masters who still pine for the days of political domination over the left side of politics. (Sadly, the Liberal Party is also going down the same road of homogenous & incestuous representation). And union masters who have a quickly dminishing role in Australian society.
You may ask why I'm writing about Labor so much. Well, Labor was and still could be the natural party of government; but it refuses to focus on it's faults and correctly remember it's successes.Why is the Labor brand damaged and in free-fall? Because they're not sure whether they are a class based party for workers or a centrist party for all Australians with a social democratic basis.
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