Labor's new "Dream Team"

[Revasser]

Well, the caucus vote is through and the Australian Labor Party has new leadership. Big Kim Beazley and Jenny Macklin are gone. Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard are now leader and deputy leader of the party, respectively.

I'm not entirely sure what to make of Kevin Rudd. He strikes me as an unashamed intellectual, which I admire (though this is not, perhaps, a good trait for a potential prime minister to demonstrate too much, unfortunately.) It's difficult to really pick up a strong personality from him, however, despite his frequent comments on foreign policy from his time as shadow foreign minister. Hopefully that will change now that he's in a real leadership role, but time will tell whether it does or whether he'll suffer from the same problems as Simon Crean as leader.

In all honesty, I would have loved Julia Gillard to have run for and gained leadership of the party. She strikes me as principled, strong-willed and down-to-earth. She is also rather strongly left-wing by Australian federal standards, which is another point in her favour, in my opinion. Unfortunately, with the NSW Right wing faction exerting so much control of the party, there was probably little chance she could have taken the leadership for herself at this point. I really hope that will change in future.

So, what do my fellow Aussies think of this change? Will it be another Lathamesque disaster, or do you think this will energise the Labor party and voters and bring them into power at next year's election?

 

[tcprowling]

hi Rav,
While I am not a labour support myself I do reckon it was time for a change in leadership. John Howard said the problem with the labour party was not the salesman but the product! But I feel if they are to win, both are in need of an over haul. I don't think they will be in a position to win the next election. To present themselves as a viable alternative Government they first have to prove themselves an effective opposition. A new leader hopefully is a step in the right direction

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

Australian politics is a mystry to me, even more so then the American sort.

How do the Australian Labour party relate to the UK new labour.

 

[Revasser]

hi Rav,
While I am not a labour support myself I do reckon it was time for a change in leadership. John Howard said the problem with the labour party was not the salesman but the product! But I feel if they are to win, both are in need of an over haul. I don't think they will be in a position to win the next election. To present themselves as a viable alternative Government they first have to prove themselves an effective opposition. A new leader hopefully is a step in the right direction

Much as agreeing with Dear Leader gives me a burning sensation in my gut, he's probably correct about the "product", though a new sales team helps too. Labor has been floundering and not simply because the leadership team was - and I'm sorry to say this of Big Kim, because I do like him - getting stale. They haven't been presenting a viable alternative at all and the missed opportunities are painful.

It's all well and good to seize on the scandals. There are plenty of scandals to seize on, especially recently, but this government has been blatantly corrupt for years and it seems Australians just don't care to throw them out on that basis. But without a coherent policy foundation, something that is clearly differentiated from Coalition policy, I don't see them pulling off a victory. In the last couple of years, Labor has spent too much time pandering to "middle Australia" while quietly and sweeping their working class support base under the carpet. Labour parties all over the world have shown this doesn't work. You can't try to play "conservative lite" or try to out right-wing the right-wingers and expect success. In Europe we see this happening and a lot of voters simply swing further left and vote for more avowedly socialist parties. In Australia, where we run under a ridiculous two-party system, there is simply no alternative.

All that being so, I do think Labor is in a position to win the next election. While you can't put too much stock in polls, it does appear that people want to vote Labor, but they just didn't like Kim Beazley. Unless the new leaders royally screw things up, I think Labor will win on the back of dissatisfaction with the Coalition, though not so much under their own steam, which is unfortunate.

 

[Ozzie]

Well, the caucus vote is through and the Australian Labor Party has new leadership. Big Kim Beazley and Jenny Macklin are gone. Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard are now leader and deputy leader of the party, respectively.

I'm not entirely sure what to make of Kevin Rudd. He strikes me as an unashamed intellectual, which I admire (though this is not, perhaps, a good trait for a potential prime minister to demonstrate too much, unfortunately.) It's difficult to really pick up a strong personality from him, however, despite his frequent comments on foreign policy from his time as shadow foreign minister. Hopefully that will change now that he's in a real leadership role, but time will tell whether it does or whether he'll suffer from the same problems as Simon Crean as leader.

In all honesty, I would have loved Julia Gillard to have run for and gained leadership of the party. She strikes me as principled, strong-willed and down-to-earth. She is also rather strongly left-wing by Australian federal standards, which is another point in her favour, in my opinion. Unfortunately, with the NSW Right wing faction exerting so much control of the party, there was probably little chance she could have taken the leadership for herself at this point. I really hope that will change in future.

So, what do my fellow Aussies think of this change? Will it be another Lathamesque disaster, or do you think this will energise the Labor party and voters and bring them into power at next year's election?

Its an even money bet. A lot will depend on what events occur between now and the election and what spin Howard can derive from those events.

For instance:

Last Update: Thursday, December 7, 2006. 1:15pm (AEDT)

PM denies exaggerating Indonesian embassy threat

Prime Minister John Howard has released a statement saying the Federal Government did not exaggerate the threat from a white powder sent in a letter to the Indonesian embassy last year.
At the time, Mr Howard said he had been told it was a "biological agent", which he says was consistent with advice provided to the Government.
He says the Government also informed the public the white powder was probably not toxic by the next day.
But Opposition homeland security spokesman Arch Bevis says the Government exploited the situation to suggest a bigger threat.
"I think what it proves is that John Howard and a number of his senior ministers are far more interested in trying to get some political spin for their own benefit instead of protecting Australia's national security interests," he said.
"I mean to claim that a white powder was anthrax, which is what the Attorney-General did in radio interviews at the time, when the Federal Police and other agencies had directly said it's not anthrax, it's not a biological agent."


At it again.

 

[NuGnostic]

I saw an interview a while back with Kevin Rudd and he looked alright then(for a social democrat.)he talked about real issues effecting working people like Neoliberalism etc
But the other day he was spouting crap about fiscal conservativism and that turned me right off.
Also he voted against the stem cell research bill which is a big turn off,but I suppose I'll have to vote for him.

 

[Ozzie]

I saw an interview a while back with Kevin Rudd and he looked alright then(for a social democrat.)he talked about real issues effecting working people like Neoliberalism etc
But the other day he was spouting crap about fiscal conservativism and that turned me right off.
Also he voted against the stem cell research bill which is a big turn off,but I suppose I'll have to vote for him.

Rudd will probably be very coy in discussing asylum seekers or wanting to appear a friend of the forests also. The important thing is to excise Howard from office along with his band of yes men, then give Rudd some time to show his mettle.

Oz

 

[michel]

Australian politics is a mystry to me, even more so then the American sort.

How do the Australian Labour party relate to the UK new labour.

Even English politics is a mistery to me............