Has the Labour Party finally done something right?

Bose

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I can't believe it, the Australian Labour Party have finally collected all their balls together and elected a leader that might actually bring the ALP to power.

Any of you aussies out there Labour voters? What are your thoughts on the Caucus's decision to put the outspoken MP at the helm?
 
I am a democrat voter, but I think this was an excellent decision made by the labor caucus. Latham is unafraid to speak his mind and stand up for his beliefs, which is something that the labor party has not had for a long time. We'll see what happens under his leadership but he is undoubtably a better candidate than beazley who has lost too many times and should actually retire rather than unsettling the entire party. But yeah, this is a man people can vote for, hey, i might even vote for him if his policies are any good.
 
"If his policies are any good" being the objective phrase.

I'm a liberal voter but I'll be watching this man very closely, as too will Mr. Howard and Mr. Costello. The Liberals are used to fighting an inadequate ALP led by a man with a reactionary style.

Latham however, actually has a mind of his own, and with the amount of sleeping Labour voters out there, could be a force to be reckoned with. This change might have came too late still, but it will remain to be seen. Beazley should retire... brilliant man, lousy politician.
 
i think a lot of people have wanted to vote against howard but just haven't liked the other option.
 
Fair enough comment. Do you think they will have a chance? I don't think it will be all roses for the Liberals...
 
One of the problems for Latham is that he has suddenly gone from being someone whose views / policies were, in the scheme of things, inconsequential to someone who, should the ALP win next time, will be the PM. So what does he stand for? On domestic policy he has suggested some changes to welfare that make the Libs look like Father Christmas. On foregn policy- and does anyone doubt how important that will be?- who knows what he stands for. He certainly painted himself as very anti-G.W. Bush but has already distanced himself from those comments.

THe other thing is, and I really don't know if this is a plus a minus or irrelivant with voters now, but he is in the style of Paul Keating, but so far without the wit. Will that help set the ALP apart from the Libs, will it make them seem dangerius in these aparently uncertain times?

I have always voted ALP- but this time, I just don't know.
 
Latham is perceived as a crude bovver boy unsuited to the dignity and role of high office. He is also very vulnerable on national security, foreign affairs, and relations with the US. Crean was successful as a deputy and headkicker, but floundered when put into the top role; Latham is cut from the same cloth. An unreconstructed Whitlamite who's only job outside hackhood was as a barman, his main asset is his caustic crudity and rhetoric; his attempted forays into serious policy, whilst there, have not grabbed attention or captured spirits.

The ALP remains mired in internal conflict, irrelevancy and a slough of despond. They will not win any ground by appealing to the left, and the right and centre are sown up comfortably by Howard. The ALP need a protracted economic crisis to present any credibility or relevancy to the wider electorate, and there is not one currently, nor on the horizon.

I would not say that there is a population of sleeping Labor voters; perhaps they were so in the early period after the 1996 landslide, but now they have been firmly 'bitten' by the benevolent and great vampires of the Coalition, and have woken to be in that camp. There was a brief waltz with One Nation, but those policy demands and areas have been absorbed by the Coalition quite nicely. They are still way too far to the left for my tastes, but one is pragmatic in that regard.
 
Originally posted by Bose
Fair enough comment. Do you think they will have a chance? I don't think it will be all roses for the Liberals...
A better chance than they would with crean or beasley. Far too early to tell though. Actually i'll refine that by saying they had NO chance with crean or beasley, and it was a risk worth taking to put Latham in.

@Simon: I wouldn't say howard has the centre sown up, but they will likely go with him unless Latham pulls off something remarkable.
 
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