Another great article from an unusually creative and thoughtful writer. Just a quick comment, however. It is interesting to reflect “modern” Labor’s support for neo-liberal programmes, such as say the user pays principle (even Gillard, from the softer Left has called for the market to govern service provision) and what not is conjoined with such things as PPPs and “industry policy” which is a form of state welfare for the corporations and the rich.

So, what’s “modern” Labor all about? It’s all about extending the market to the poor whilst protecting the rich, who rely upon the “nanny state” to subsidise their wealth. I submit that it is not “modern”, after all neo-liberalism is based on old 18th century doctrines (in the case of socialism this makes it outdated and archaic according to Rudd although not classical economics nor that 2000 old ideology, Christianity) and nor is it “Labor”.

Corporate power is so entrenched in our society now that Labor must sell its soul just to get elected, even though the attitudes of the broader population are social democratic. Policy in Australia is insulated from democracy. So long as it remains thus the prospects for a Labor Government remaining true not only to Labor values but its core constituency are slim

How big is that core? how big is the left action? how big the right? well the right wins the vote most times.
I want a Labor government, nothing less can undo workchoices and so much more.
While people love to hate Keating I did not see much other than that awful repeating of every thing he said to dislike.
Hawke still makes me proud to be in his party.
What is so wrong about the party wanting to be elected? could it get elected if it strayed far from the voters?
Are the old time Labor, how can we claim to have an old time party walking along side this one?
Are they better served by having the best policy's the voters never wanted?
Rudd and his direction has my vote.
Look forward to Bill Shorten in the ministry too.

As always I got giddy reading this Left Right Centre Left Right calibration and I would think the ordinary punter on the street would too.

At the end of the day I think Tristan gives the ALP factions too much credit in terms of understanding their own subjective and relative political positions on the Left Right Spectrum.

These are after all opportunistic politicians, not ideologically pure practitioners of political science.

A bribe here and whisper there, a knife in the back over there - is what really happens at ALP national conferences.

Not very sophisticated this I know, but its hardly worth the scientific chutzpah offered up as 'politik' in this piece.

Is Rudd simply going back to Bob Hawke's New Agenda economic rationalism, which indeed is not much different from the market principles that the Howard government has followed - and which are principles which can unfortunately return us somewhat to the days of the East India companies, with big business overlording the smaller producers.

Although Labour is till caught in the free-market net, it seems the farmers are awake up, many like Barnaby Joyce talking about the benefits of agrarian socialism which though sounding somewhat like Communism can either move left or right.

In social science, only the simple term agrarianism is used, which means that because agriculture is mostly prac- tised by people content with just enough land to keep a family, and possibly to increase in production as the family increases, farmers need to form their own buying organisations to combat Big Biz, which can profit so much from the economies of scale.

The term Deregulation is becoming like - a red rag to a bull - to most farmers, as can be seen in WA were most dairy farmers have been forced to sell their farms because they had thrown out their local Agrarian Board agency that had sought to give them fair prices for their milk.

To be sure there is the odd grain farmer in WA using the economies of scale principle harvesting up to 80,000 acres in the old measurements, and maybe when Ag' production is needed to replace fossil fuels it may really take over, the economic greed really setting in.

What they can do about the milk trade, however, may still remain a problem. And indeed, there are many small farmers who would prefer we return to Keynesian economics, with deregulation a thing of the past

Let's not scare the voters in an election year with new ways to tax them.

The progressive liberal brand of Labor, or small "L" liberal labourism, is the only way Labor is likely to get elected.

I agree that PPPs are an elaborate form of profiteering at the taxpayers expense and should be avoided like the plague. Stick to giving private contracts for building things, not running them.

I also think Rudd should abandon PPPs because it is not only good policy it is good politics - the public dislike PPPs and privatisation. I don't believe the public give Costello any credit for zero Commonwealth debt when that was done thru selling Telstra etc., and are less likely to love Rudd if he promises more of the same.

Belly you will be stuck with workchoices and you know it.
Labor is pouting to big business and the people come last

wake up to yourself and be de brainwashed.

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