Another Review

So we here we have another review into how the ALP goes about its business. And, meaning no disrespect to the authors, one written by the usual suspects. All of whom come to the task with pretty similar mindsets and experiences leading or participating in successful Labor governments.

I confess to not having read it. Can’t bear to really. But I have read some of the various media reports and am not optimistic. These have focussed on the usual ephemera – role of unions, whether Ministers are in thrall to a Prime Minister if s/he gets to pick ’em (surely the report doesn’t suggest it would be better to have them in thrall to the factional warlords! If so begs the question as to what sort of Ministers these people will be). I agree that the problems go much deeper as suggested by Geoff Gallop.

This is about long term decline since the party has been in government for extended periods of time. As someone pointed out ALP members are always cross with their party in government for not doing enough / implementing policy etc. In that regard lots of revisionist history about the glory days of Whitlam and of the Hawke / Keating governments. As Lindsay Tanner mentioned at a forum late last year there were not too many people (inside or outside the party) praising the economic reforms undertaken by the latter when they were being done.

It will be interesting, I suppose, to see how this will all end up.

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