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Issue No. 250 | 21 December 2004 |
Beyond The Law
Interview: The King of Comedy Unions: Ten Simple Rules Politics: Rampant Indivdualism International: Global Struggle Economics: Cashing in the Year History: Grass Roots Review: Cultural Realities Poetry: Y-U-C-K
Security Crisis at Sydney Airport
Predictions The Soapbox The Locker Room Parliament
Temporary Arrangements The Price Of Tea In China Goodthink Cry For Me, Argentina Ho Bloody Ho Amen Right Is Wrong Business As Usual All In The Family Swing Left Wishful Thinking
Labor Council of NSW |
Letters to the Editor Business As Usual
Two months after its election defeat, the Australian Labor Party is still preoccupied with navel-gazing, back-stabbing and factional infighting. Disgruntled parliamentary members - still unable to accept the reality - have now even got Mark Latham believing that the defeat was all his own fault. It's great stuff for the media, but extremely destructive to the party. This great party, older than Federation itself, seems determined to make itself irrelevant and unappealing to the electorate at large. There have been some good articles on this website suggesting what Labor should do to restore its appeal to its traditional support base - workers and trade union members. Unfortunately this traditional support base no longer exists. With so many families having two incomes, what used to be the working class is now the nouveau middle class. The Labor Party has to reinvent itself. But first it has to achieve strong unity within the ranks. Much as I detest John Howard and all he stands for, his parliamentary party members are unified and supportive of him, which I think continues to greatly contribute to his success. Unity and co-operation are the first goals that Labor must seek. If Labor can�t get its act together in the very near future, its traditional supporters will abandon it en masse. I have just about had a gutful of this party to which I have devoted my loyalty for more than three decades. Labor needn't worry about the 2007 election - that is already lost as far as I can see. But Labor might look towards the 2010 election by which time it may have squabbled and muddled itself out of any relevance to Australian Federal politics. Will the Greens or perhaps a coalition of Greens and Family First replace it some day as the second major party? It will be pushing uphill to get MY vote in 2007. Julian Hancock
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