The future of the Australian Labor Party

[apophenia]

Do you see anyone in the ALP who has 'the right stuff' to be PM ?

Is the ALP terminally broken ? Have the factions, and the addiction to 'focus groups' and 'announcables' finally melted the party into meaningless goo ?

 

[psychoslice]

I don't think Tony Abbot is the right man for the job and I have heard this from many other people, its just a gut feeling I have.

 

[dgirl1986]

Do you see anyone in the ALP who has 'the right stuff' to be PM ?

Is the ALP terminally broken ? Have the factions, and the addiction to 'focus groups' and 'announcables' finally melted the party into meaningless goo ?

This is going to sound bad...but...I dont know who the other members are lol

 

[Satyamavejayanti]

=apophenia;3493042]Do you see anyone in the ALP who has 'the right stuff' to be PM ?

Well what is "the right stuff"?. to me it was obvious that Rudd did not have this right stuff whatever that is.

Is the ALP terminally broken ? Have the factions, and the addiction to 'focus groups' and 'announcables' finally melted the party into meaningless goo ?

Not too familiar with the internal problems of the ALP, but from the outside looks like it does have problems, specifically with the Rudd VS Gillard debacle.

As for the Libs, Tony seems to be the right person from a personality perspective, Plus the Liberals (well at least under Howard) were doing the right thing. And I think they will do a better Job at running the place then the ALP, ill wait and see.

 

[InformedIgnorance]

Both major parties are essentially flawed in the same manner; yet it comes down to how australian people vote. Aussies are very much tied into the two main parties with votes for other parties or independents often considered throw away votes - thus it is conceivable that for a very long time to come Labor+Liberal/National will comprise well over 2/3rds of the house and senate both. Likewise, Aussies tend to have a punitive sort of outlook on voting. They either vote for who is in if they have done a reasonable job or they vote for someone else if they believe a crummy job has been done.

These two characteristics combined seem to mean that if liberal gets voted out (if they ever do a perceived crummy job) then even if labor do not change, they are likely to get voted back in. Because in the end, given the australian political landscape there are exactly two parties that might be able to make government.

A huge part of the problem is the 'opposition', they should never have formed the concept, nor the establishment of shadow ministers and so forth. It is a complete and utter act of stupidity and acts to obstruct progress.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

Do you see anyone in the ALP who has 'the right stuff' to be PM ?

Is the ALP terminally broken ? Have the factions, and the addiction to 'focus groups' and 'announcables' finally melted the party into meaningless goo ?

Not terminally...but they have to reduce the factionalism. It's akin to watching school kids.
Not sure that Bill Shorten will help reinvent them at all, but I think he'll get the numbers.

 

[Treks]

Bah it's all the same, they just take turns. It all comes down to the publics' 'grass must be greener on the other side' syndrome.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

Bah it's all the same, they just take turns. It all comes down to the publics' 'grass must be greener on the other side' syndrome.

I try not to be cynical. I try to be an informed, swinging voter basing my decision on policy. But I am finding it hard at the moment not to agree with you.

 

[Treks]

Awe, sweet idealism. Your approach is admirable and I tried it myself but you end up having policies you agree with and disagree with on both sides. Then you start to base your vote on whose ears stick out further or who is at the top/left of the ballet papers LOL. Ok that last part was exaggerated but you get what I mean. There is good and bad in them all.

I probably spent more time reading policies of minor parties, but really the whole voting process is messed up with this preferential system... its like school, there are no real losers cos everyone gets at least one gold star!

 

[psychoslice]

Thank god the greenies didn't do well lol.

 

[dgirl1986]

Thank god the greenies didn't do well lol.

Why?

 

[InformedIgnorance]

Their influence during the last term was incredibly unhelpful.

Its just a pity that liberal won by so much, I would prefer that they have to work for their bills.

 

[dgirl1986]

How was it unhelpful?

 

[lewisnotmiller]

...its like school, there are no real losers cos everyone gets at least one gold star!

Not in MY classroom (when I was a primary teacher)
'Everyone wins' is borderline culpability, in my opinion. Stupid societal engineering.

Meh...hobby horse...lol

 

[lewisnotmiller]

Their influence during the last term was incredibly unhelpful.

Its just a pity that liberal won by so much, I would prefer that they have to work for their bills.

Have you looked at the makeup of the Senate?

 

[psychoslice]

Why?

I'll give you one guess, the carbon tax, oh yea that was really stupid.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

l voted Democrat one year, and they proceeded to put their grubby little hands all over the GST, and it became more complicated because of it.
their sIogan was 'Keep the ******** honest' and that's what I wanted from them. Instead, they acted like they had a mandate to make policy, using the Balance of power as a stick.

No...I'm not sure what this has to do with the topic at hand. I suspect thinking about politicians causes re to talk even more crap than normal.

 

[psychoslice]

Yea politics and religion, it just leaves a bad taste.

 

[apophenia]

...and that's what I wanted from them....

So back to a question I asked earlier ... how many people would vote here if it were not compulsory ?

 

[lewisnotmiller]

Yep, I would. I didn't notice that question, sorry.

I'm at heart an idealist. And whilst I don't think democracy is ideal, people handing over their rights of participation is NOT going to improve it.