Brushbred,I too don't like the way the Libs pander to big business.The Labor Party is useless.With free trade and big business artifically under pricing small business to drive them from the market,we have a shrinking middle class.

If the Nationals were smart ,they could fill the breach that small business/contractors are yearning for, and take votes from both Labor and the Liberal Party.

Dennis,

Great great article.

If you look at outer suburbs and regions and smaller states (like WA, SA, Qld) its pretty clear that Labor falls down outside of the Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra triangle.

I think the comments by Faustino and Dr Paul were also appropriate.

Finding a big pool of voters the way Hawke, Clinton, and Blair have require a special leader with a connection to the centre ground but carrying the party. Labor needs more candidates from the regions and suburbs and from beyond traditional Labor backgrounds to re-create this.

Corin

That the Labor Party has “lost its soul” (the Left critique) is I think indisputable if only we modify it slightly to “lost its presentational soul”.

How many times do we hear the refrain regarding politicians – “they’re all the same”??

This justified cynicism reflects the fact that both major parties use the same presentational devices. One cannot distinguish between the utterances (the wee grabs we get on TV) of either – they are bland, risk-free, designed to offend nobody important.

The conservatives have been Federally successful mainly for the reasons given in the “press gallery critique” – especially economic prosperity. Why change the Govt if things are going OK?

The Labor Party needs to do a number of things to effectively differentiate itself from the tories, and to show that it is in fact fit to govern.

It needs to destroy factionalism in party structures. As things stand, each faction is little more than a club for getting jobs for club members. The gyrations of Sharon Bird, now MP for Cunningham, are especially revealing. She was originally in the NSW “left” faction, but changed to the right. She claimed that this did not reflect a shift in her political views but was essentially a tactical intra-party move. I believe her.

It needs to adopt a distinctive language and vocabularly. No more neuterspeak. If we hear a pollie talking, we need to know that “this is a Labor person”.

It needs to attack the tories. The argument that negative rhetoric is damaging to the user has been elevated to the status of a principle, which it is not. The success of the ACTU campaign against the Govt’s industrial relations “reforms” shows what can be achieved.

It needs to show that it stands for something different. Not a better-managed tory economy but a well-managed fair economy consistent with what used to be Labor ideals of justice, equal opportunity and protection for the weak (who include nowadays much of the so-called middle classes – Howard’s new-won “battlers”).

Re-invent the Labor brand name and clean up internally – that’s the solution.

Mhoram

Another question is how Labor approaches issues where there is not a close fit between policies which follow logically from a social-democratic value framework, and policies which represent the beliefs of "the working class" or "ordinary Australians".

Take same-sex relationships. A social-democratic policy would affirm the principles of equality and non-discrimination between citizens regardless of sexuality, and that same-sex couples committing faithfully to a long-term intimate relationship should be entitled to have that relationship given the same legal recognition as a comparable heterosexual relationship. However, the evidence of the Australian Electoral Study is that such a policy would not currently have majority support. What should Labor do?

One answer is that Labor should make an effort to bring public opinion around to a situation of majority support for a social-democratic position. This is a long-run project requiring patient communication of the principles involved, assuring socio-culturally conservative voters that the social-democratic position is not inconsistent with the fundamental moral values that currently lead them to take a conservative view.

The sticking point is what should Labor do in the context of a six-week election campaign. It is perhaps easier to say what Labor should not do. It should not prostrate itself before the homophobic hard right as Nicola Roxon did at a meeting of the religious right in 2004; such a stance actively breaches social-democratic principles and undermines the effort to bring moderately conservative voters on board.

On the other hand, Labor is not the only political actor with a more or less progressive stance on this issue. It is politically less problematic for such stances to be advocated boldly and without nuance by parties like the Greens and the Democrats, and by the social movement for queer rights.

In broad terms, perhaps the best approach for Labor is a long-run strategy of building majority support for queer-friendly social-democratic policies, combined with flexible tactics which include the option of tactical compromises which don't undermine the strategic goal, but which accept that other political actors might sometimes be better placed to make up the hard yards.

The problem with Labor is quite simple. Despite the intellectualisation about Labor and Liberal policies and personalities the simple fact is that the electorate is MORE SOPHISTICATED than the Labor party. People can see through their policies as insincere attempts to gain power. Unfortunately Labor Party media presentation is dominated by emotionalism and beating up a fear campaign against a measured and predictable Liberal government. This worked in the 70's but is no longer sophisticated enough to win an electorate over.

People are richer, happier, smarter and appreciative of a govt whose policies have allowed this to happen.

The Liberals appeal with the "measured logic" approach and rarely stoop to Labor party's playground taunts. Who do you want to run the show, a whingeing, emotional child or a predictable conservative adult?

I think the problem with the Labour party is that they're actually so intent on emulating the Liberals, while remaining "nice", that they've totally lost their way.

I think we are mistaken if we think the Australian electorate has become mean spirited, even given Hugh Mackay's observations. I still think the "decent" aussie is still there in most of us - they just need to be inspired - and they need a leader untainted by previous attempts to "out-Winston" Howard - so Kim has to go - and I know everyone is afraid of the "left" - but Julia Gillard is what this country needs - (she was great tonight on Lateline up against Malcolm Turnbull).

Howard rules through fear but you can only cry "Wolf" so often (Tampa, Interest Rates...) I think people are ready to listen to a voice of true common sense and compassion adn I think the Labour party - if it can get rid of its amateurish attempts to be as gung-ho as the Liberals - can be that voice.

Once we were very close to New Zealanders (an I think, deep down, we still are) - the Kiwis have taken a very different track and are probably not doing quite as well we are economically - but I bet they sleep better at night.