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Issue No. 271 | 08 July 2005 |
Polls Apart
Interview: Battle Stations Unions: The Workers, United Politics: The Lost Weekend Industrial: Truth or Dare History: A Class Act Economics: The Numbers Game International: Blonde Ambition Training: The Trade Off Review: Bore of the Worlds Poetry: The Beaters Medley
CFMEU Resists Standover Tactics Cardinal Adds Weight to Concerns
The Soapbox The Locker Room Culture Parliament
Do It Yourself? Goodthink Vale the Eight Hour Day The vision thing Campaign Pushes Right Buttons It�s Time to Punt the PM Bob Each Way Ads Value Travel Allowance? Hits the Mark Reforms not an Erosion
Labor Council of NSW |
Letters to the Editor Hits the Mark
Some of what Mark Latham has to say is spot on. Whilst he directed a stream of invective at his former colleagues, let's not forget he made some pithy comments that were right on the mark. The ALP at a state level is going well. That's a given. One can however be forgiven for thinking that the state branches have been 'running dead' when it comes to federal elections. Factional carve-ups have led to a series of predicably poor candidates and the 'small target' theory simply hasn't worked. If you can't be identified as a clearly alternative government, then you run the risk of appearing as a pale imitation of the current government. It seems that a number of our federal Labor colleagues don't mix too regularly with people who might have views opposite to their own. Add to this the fact that ALP branch meetings are almost totally devoid of discussion or debate and you can see that there needs to be an injection of something stimulating into the ALP mix. Latham was an interesting experiment and we should not be too quick in dismissing him as a 'labor rat'. He tried and failed. But it was not his failure alone. We all failed to win the last election and the last couple before that. The fact that Howard has run an agenda based on fear - economic and international - should not divert us from the task of attempting to sell ourselves as a credible alternative. So, take a cold shower and digest some of the criticism. Analyse - in the cold light of day - the substance of what has been said, and reflect on ways to get Labor back into government. Then and only then will we begin the march back to regaining our seats on the treasury benches. Phil Marchionni (still a true believer) NSW
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