I blame John McEnroe.
Auz has 2 problems:
1. lack of engagement. Most Aussies just aren't that interested, or at least not sufficiently interested to actually do anything more than whinge.
2. Winning is everything.
I for one was quite happy with a Whitlam style ALP. I consider Whitlam to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest reformist PM we have ever had.
And once he'd made those necessary reforms, I was happy to see him go. In fact, it would have been better for us and him if we'd gotten rid of him sooner than we did.
But winning is everything. The Hawke-Keating governments managed this largely by nudging the Liberals off the centre court, rather than offering a harder to sell Social Democratic alternative.
The Greens currently offer an alternative option and a mediating influence, much like Watson's Labour party; bargaining for concessions.
The now defunct Democrats offered a more balanced influence I think, and one which Howard should be grateful for, but sadly when the 2 majors were both jostling for the centre court, there just wasn't room for a centrist party.
I think what a lot of Aussies would like to see is a party which places their ideals before their ambitions.
In that, there appears to be only one.
And I'm not even sure of that.