The Spectator Man
May 23rd 2007 02:12
I was talking the other day with a well-placed ALP source.
“Mate”, I said, “How are we going to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory this time?” “I don’t know, but it might have something to do with Julia”, he said.
“How did we get her?” I replied.
“She’s just there to keep the left happy”, he said.
“How does Kevin put up with her?” I said.
“You know he was on TV carrying The Spectator the other day”, he said archly.
“ A speccie man! Gosh!” I exclaimed. “Has anyone else noticed?” I asked.
“No” he said, “just me.”
Being seen with a copy of The Spectator is not as bad as being seen with News Weekly, I suppose. But here in a kernel is the problem faced by the ALP – two parties (at least) in one. On the one hand you have Kevin - a representative of the intelligent Christian centre - and, on the other, Julia - a representative of the feminist left. The possibilities for arguing at cross- purposes and the formulation of policies that are simply incoherent are immense. When you have skilled political operatives like Hockey and Abbott on the other side ready to pounce at the least sign of internal dissent then the odds of a major election-losing bungle are multiplied exponentially.
If the ALP loses this election there will have to be a major factional realignment within the party. This election is the last, best hope for the Labor Party to show that it has understood the lessons of 1989. Latham’s “third way” vision was never really taken up by either main faction. What then is the political principle or passion that keeps the Party together?
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