Nick,

Yes, but Labor consistently fails (even with strong leadership) to state what they stand for. (This is very different from simply saying who they are not as symbolic opposition)

Where is the vision? Yes Howard et al have been clever enough to steal the traditional Labor supporter sentiments and refined them for their own purposes but does this mean this was all Labor was, a set of hoary old clichés about working class values?
How easily they were gutted. Greed and fear are powerful political aphrodisiacs that Labor had no answer for - simply because these were and are traditional Labor election strategies.

Labor must dies before it can live again. Political suicide is easy, but a simultaneous resurrection takes real vision and stamina.

A coalition of the willing must emerge soon or no amount of spin doctoring will save the Labor party from falling on its own sword for the last time.

Your argument for factionalist empowerment is flawed. No amount of reorganising the internal machinations of factionalism will deliver the coherency you argue for.

re: the prospect of an ALP split. If this could achieve the kind of results we saw in New Zealand with their New Labour Party, then I would not be complaining. In New Zealand the Left split to become part of a succesful alliance which, even after it faded and lost support, succeeded in that when the New Labour strand rejoined the NZLP it dragged it to the Left. Witness, now, the establishment by NZ Labour of a new, publicly-owned bank. In Australia, however, the Left is fractured, and there is little chance of a comprehensive split. Any attempt to form a new party could fall flat on its face if only a few unions and a smattering of branch members 'came on board'. And then there's the difficulty of media bias, and the need to harness enough resources to mount a successful campaign - not to mention the necessary discipline such a party would need to have to posit realistic policies that its core support base could identify with. This is without considering the situation in NZ where a MMP electoral system was adopted. Any attempt to form a new party would need to be based on more than the fact that we would 'feel better' running on a platform of our own choosing.

re: factions - most faction members never receive a job out of their membership of the faction. True, there are games of 'power and patronage' - and a lot of the people who do secure the jobs are a-grade arseholes - but if factions could be more inclusive and democratic - especially on policy formation - then why not operate through the factional system in an attempt to secure change? It's all a matter of whether or not we're willing to mobilise our base, or whether or not we actually fear the unpredictability of democracy, and in suppressing it demobilise our own movement.

Tristan

Seeing we are all being civilized and declaring our positions - I am an ALP member and former Left faction member.

I recall when Labor parties were unelectable in the various States and Territories, and how various pundits wrote off the Liberals pre 1996 , including taking shots at "Lazarus with a triple bypass".

I also recall various Labor State Branches (and Liberals as well) ripping themselves to their factional shreds, and then winning. I seem to recall that Steve Bracks became the accidental Premier against a strong and purposeful Liberal State Government, and has won again since then.

The problem for Federal Labor is they simply aren't being a very good Opposition, get the basics right and they might fall over the line. We don't need more self examination we need the highly paid Labor members to do their bloody job and hold the Howard Government to account - AWB, IR changes, attacks on States rights, ballooning foreign debt, huge household debt, Iraq, and dodgy American fruit and Chinese garlic clogging our supermarket shelves. Just do it.

Postscript: For the sake of relevance to the article - Factions are relevant and useful if they organise like minded members in the achievement of common goals and in the process provide some internal discipline to the party. If anything is wrong with the current factions it is that they have become fractions devoid of common purpose. Left, Centre and Right should be enough surely ?

What's that famous song Split Enz/Crowded House song "There's a faction too much friction".... Ho Ho Ho

There is always a chance that Labor could fall over the line in an election but it becomes more unlikely with every passing day.

You have to look at how the leader is performing... he aint. So make the change now. Kim should do the honourable thing and fall on his sword. He has lost several elections... and had a hand in losing the last so move over Kim... if Beazley had have been a good leader Latham wouldn't have happened. Labor needs some new sensible blood in the leadership.

People will vote for a strong leader .... Howard only ever offers a broad statement on policy with all the devil in the detail he never tells us about. Eg. NO GST on education... but it is on everything that surrounds education, books, pencils, pens, after school learning etc. He didn't lie but he didn't tell the whole story either.

He also dropped the asking price for the Govt on our Telstra shares recently...

The PM is shifty. But he gets away with it because Kim's ego is in the way. If Kim is serious about wanting Labor to have a chance in the next election he should step aside for the Gillard/Rudd team. But alas pollies including Kimbo are driven by ego... and he will make the same mistake he has in the past... Your day has been and gone Kimbo you lost the GST election mate!

You've moved the party to the right and now stand for nothing... well done! Gillard and Rudd are proven performers, hard working and will get stuck in with no baggage... Their Labor... has a chance... This Labor doesn't!

With all that Howard is doing wrong Kim's approval is still dropping... Wake Up Kim! Kim look yourself long and hard in the mirror... would you vote for the person you see? ... if the answer is yes get a new mirror! Cause I wouldn't and the majority of Aussies won't either!

Some of the anti Labor posters even took issue with Bob Hawk?, at one time 74% of us thought he was doing a good job.
Labor left its core followers in the Crean/Latham years and those who look with a clear head will see they are heading back to the voters.
The dream that Labor must govern for the battlers is not shared by most who vote, never will be.
However with just a little more effort a Labor goverment will come to end Howards creation of more battlers.
And no way exists to end Howards divisive goverment other than the ALP.

Opinionated wrote:

Wake Up Kim! Kim look yourself long and hard in the mirror... would you vote for the person you see?

mmm... is there a full length mirror wide and long enough for the bomber to see himself?

See: http://www.nicholsoncartoons.com.au/cartoons/new/2005-01-24%20Beazley%20massive%20start%