Who’s my preferred leader?
I’ve been asked to give my preference for the ALP’s leadership. Of the names that have been tossed around, Julia Gillard’s is the most inspiring, though it is extremely unlikely that she would get up. She represents a new generation and is a proven fighter. Her factional allegiances make a Liberal Lite strategy more difficult, and it’s about time we broke the Left-wing leader taboo.
I’ve warmed to Kevin Rudd over the last few months, but he still comes across as a prissy schoolboy, or a colourless imitation of Kim Beazley. Perhaps that’s a problem of his portfolio, as he reminds me a bit of Alexander Downer. It’s completely irrational; it’s the vibe or something. I wouldn’t have any particular objection to him as leader, but I wouldn’t be excited about it, either.
I don’t think I need to mention Smith, Swan or Tanner, because they don’t appear to be mounting any real campaign. So what about Beazley?
I used to be strongly anti-Beazley (like Manas) for both ideological and pragmatic reasons. However, Right-wing leaders are something I’ve just got to put up with (for now), and the main pragmatic objection was his failed small target strategy two elections running. His comments today suggested that he’s not interested in repeating that tactic, and is ready to take the fight up to the Coalition in the parliament and in the wider labour movement. This is good news. Besides, he’s a brilliant speaker.
So, my preferences:
- Julia Gillard
- Kim Beazley
- Kevin Rudd
- Some other rooster
But to be honest, I just want to get on with things. We’ve got an election to win in WA, and by virtue of the Senate’s emasculation, the real fight against Howard’s regressive agenda will be extraparliamentary. The sooner we stop fighting each other and turn on the Government, the better.
Update: My preferences have changed.
Your last comment : “The sooner we stop fighting each other and turn on the Government, the better” is spot on! To be honest I think it is increasingly a structrual issue within the ALP but that’s a whole different topic – albeit one that needs addressing and one I’m not is much of a position to comment on being an ALP outsider.
My vote is also for Gillard.
Bomber Beazley is the most likely to become leader, despite his repeated declarations that he’d never bother signing on the dotted line again, though, as I have pointed out many times, he’s done this before. Julia Gillard is a claytons Democrat, always whinging about something. Sorry, but I don’t share your aspirations for having a Left Wing PM, or even Opposition Leader. Kevin Rudd is probably second in line to the throne but he, in classic Labor style, opposes things for the sake of it and for no other substantial reason. Wayne Swan and Steven Smith are duds and will most likely spend the rest of their political life on the Opposition Leader’s tether. The strangest thing of all is that Jenny Macklin is not challenging. She knows stuff-all about the health system but she’s not always wrong about other things. She’d probably do a better job than Mr Beazley. All he did when he was Finance Minister is spend spend spend on that infamous Beazley Bankcard – $96bn in a five year spree allowing Labor to cover their arses when they discovered that even when in recession, the bills had to be paid.
My money is on Mr Beazley but Howard will still win the next election.
i agree with you Rob – Gillard is the most inspiring. She’s different to alot of women MPs in that she is not retiring on the floor of Parliament and you can often hear her demonstrating she can dish out as good as she gets. She’s young and attractive (which although superficial factors, have undoubted appeal to younger voters). Also, being female it would make her a tough target for Howard or Costello to lay gloves on without seeming like bullies. She would probably pull an extra few percent of the vote simply due to the lavacious prospect of Australia’s first ever female PM exciting the feminists. But Beazley is definitely the more likely candidate – experienced, a proven performer and frankly I dont think the ALP is bold enough to try another bold experiment so soon after Latham.
For the carnival is over, we may never meet again.
As a number of commenters have already advised Troppo readers, Mark Latham has resigned as Labor Leader and as Member for Werriwa. At some point I might do a retrospective on Latho’s time in office, but at this stage I…
Beazley is it, so I guess we have to make the best of what we have. Now we can only hope Labor will stop trying to devour itself from the inside out… I should probably blog about this. Or think about it and blog about a video game.
I suppose if Beazers is able to get the train back on the tracks, then he’s a necessary evil. I don’t think I’d hand out ALP leaflets on election day for him though.
Michael Danby?
Peter Costello?
It’s not like recycling supposed political failures hasn’t worked for other parties…
That’s the point though. The ALP shouldn’t be a slightly lack lustre imitation of the Liberal Party…
I don’t believe Beazley is the answer. As someone said above, “I don’t think I would hand out ALP leaflets on election day for him..”.
They can do no worse than to give Gillard a go: perhaps she could be another Helen Clark?
Finally someone agrees with me on Rudd!
I don’t know what the big deal is about Rudd. I ask my Labor-voting friends who they think should be leader and all I hear is Rudd, Rudd and fricking Rudd. Your comment about the “prissy schoolboy” thing is spot on, and him reminding you of Downer? You get that to? Dang.
You’re right that it’s irrational though. It must be just a vibe. Either way, he could never win an election for Labor. Any more than Downer could win one for the Liberals.
Why not just completely cut your balls off and change it’s name to the Australian Liberal Party – same thing these days. Rudd and Beazley are completely unelectable and will lead to a Howard/Costello megamix for years to come. I never thought that I’d end up preferring the Greens over either of the majors but there you go. Lucky there’s no election coming or I might have ended up having to vote for them.
The whole “we can’t have a leader” from the left thing is a joke. I understand the factional shambles that is politics in this country but they couldn’t be digging themselves a bigger hole if they tried.
The Rudd “vibe” might have something to do with the way he interviews. He always seems to pause before delivering the Catchphrase of the Day, as if to say to the waiting press: “ready? Here comes the soundbite you’re after!” It shits me to tears sometimes…
Short term reader, first time commenter.
I’m immensly disappointed it came to Latham quitting. However, for now, it’s the BEAZE. Once Howard rolls out his true agenda in July, Kim will be afforded plenty of chances to slam the government. Our message needs to be cohesive and blunt inside the house and out. The highest taxing government also needs to be seen as the greedy government, the userpays government.
Rudd is being touted as a possible leader because he’s been great as the foreign affairs shadow, but we need him where we can win votes. He’s deliberate, tactful, he’s seen as a steady hand. We need him as shadow treasurer. Federal Labor’s second priority, after campaigning in WA, has to be re-establising our economic credibility – Rudd is the man to do this.
Beazley means back bench Libs will keep Howard in charge, the longer Howard stays, the more stale Howard becomes, the more Costello becomes restless. How many more budgets can this assclown deliver before he grows a pair and has a crack?
The malcontent in me wants Gillard. The ideologue wants Rudd. The pollster wants Beazley.
/rant
Vale Iron Mark. God knows there’s no one else to maintain the rage. I know Laborites cringe at comments like “hand in your badge, Adolf”, but it sure beats the alternative Labor parliamentary strategy: sulking.
Don’t forget that the flip side to the Rudd-being-a-mincing-Harry-Potter-lookalike criticism is that he is actually an extremely erudite individual and makes Downer look like a foreign affairs dilettante on a daily basis. Of course, this means he’s pretty much fucked politically, and completely OUT OF TOUCH WIV THE ELECTORATE(tm) but, you know…
So yeah, keep him in foreign affairs I reckon and hand over the leadership to the Steve Irwin.
Thanks Rob.
Scotty- the ideologue in you wants Rudd? Pray do tell?!
The ideologue in me wants Gillard, adn I agree that she shouldn’t be written off. After all, if she is seen as ‘too left’ then why are the right trying to entice her over all the time?
The Ironman is dead, long live the Bomber
As I’m sure you all know, Mark Latham has quit politics on the grounds that his health no longer up to the job, and he is therefore going to lead a more normal life outside politics. As sad as I am to see him go, staying around with something as bad …
Random Wednesday (Mostly Political) Thoughts
The Oz Blogosphere is still reeling\celebrating (depending on their respective political leanings) over the news that Mark Latham has quit not only the Opposition Leader position, but Australian politics altogether. Here’s some stuff you should …
If you think with the “pollster” part of your brain you deserve everything you get. In three years you could get Ivan Milat elected if you worked the media well enough.
My preferred leaders of the Labor Party:
1. A sane H.V. Evatt
2. J.B. Chifley
3. John Curtin
4. Chris Watson
5. Mick Young
6. Don Dunstan
7. Tony Benn
8. Kate Ellis
9. Kevin Rudd
10. Lindsay Tanner
so… Rudd? Maybe?
Too bad he’s probably not that electable. But then again, everyone thought Howard was unelectable for about fifteen years.
And look at him now. Like Neville Bartos he’s “flyin’ mate”.
The Inevitable Has Happened
So even after Rudd’s ‘narrowing gap’, it seems he has dropped
The Inevitable Has Happened
So even after Rudd’s ‘narrowing gap’, it seems he has dropped
sorry about the double trackbacks, drupal does it automatically if I put in a link in my post to a WP person…feel free to delete one and this comment.