The ALP's problem
A rather disheartening week for those who vote ALP as the reality of a new right wing parliament takes over.
Yes the ALP is powerless in the matters currently before parliament, or just passed this week. It simply does not have the numbers, that is the consequence of losing the election. We, the Australian people are now condemned to endure another three years, and possibly more of the smirking Scott "Scomo" Morrison. That's our lot, obviously we get the government we deserve.
Twitter is on fire right now with outrage over the ALP and what they should be doing. Stalwart ALP supporters are lining up to offer the ALP some free advice while equally dyed in the wool ALP fans are struggling to understand the extent of the animosity towards the ALP. The neofascistslibs will be chuckling in church over how they not only won but also manage to utterly divide their opposition.
The argument about the "optics" is important in the sense of what sort of message the ALP wants to broadcast but it is also a message received and this is where the ALP is really stuck. Having committed itself to vote for half of the tax bill and confronted by the "numbers" it really didn't have much of a choice in the end. But the theatre of political opposition means it must play it part. So it offered up some half-hearted "we tried to get the bills split" and then voted with the Government.
I suspect this is what is really driving the white hot rage. The spectacle of the ALP siding with the most detestable bunch of lying crooks simply put, is driving those of us already deeply disheartened by having Morrison and Co back in government into utter despair. Hence the rage.
And this is where the left generally, and its main protagonist, the ALP has a serious problem. There is a real existential danger here for the ALP, not on the practical level perhaps but in terms of ideology and commitment. They enjoy the benefit of incumbency, being one of the two major parties in a two party democracy but that doesn't necessarily mean public opinion cannot shift towards the other party of the left, delivering tangible results in the form of seats in the next election. This is problematic for the left because it means a longer period in the political wilderness.
The strategy of the ALP to attack the Greens is not going to work. It makes the ALP look like bullies and invalidates the reasons people have for wanting to vote Green. Put simply, the left of politics cannot afford to have its two parties at war. If the the ALP has got the smarts, it really needs to start working constructively towards a formal alliance in an adult way, where the interests of the left can be advanced in a unified fashion. For its part, the Greens also need to grow up a bit. And both parties need to start presenting something people can realistically believe in and vote for.
That doesn't mean allowing political pragmatism to rule, it means prosecuting the case for change in clear and concise terms. It also means acknowledging the real forces driving us closer to catastrophe and what needs to be done.
The lack of support for politics, or anti-politics or populism is a direct result of the inability of incumbent parties of the left to bell the cat. They have become part of the problem. They are increasingly seen as incapable of doing what needs to be done. Instead they are selling out to whatever vested interest can lobby them effectively.
The only chance the political left has is to take up the challenge in a truthfully committed idealistically liberal way. It is not hyperbole to suggest an existential threat to human society is looming. You can not simultaneously use a mobile phone and not believe scientists who tell us we are heading for disaster.
It's not much of a chance, but it's still alive as a possibility.
Yes the ALP is powerless in the matters currently before parliament, or just passed this week. It simply does not have the numbers, that is the consequence of losing the election. We, the Australian people are now condemned to endure another three years, and possibly more of the smirking Scott "Scomo" Morrison. That's our lot, obviously we get the government we deserve.
Twitter is on fire right now with outrage over the ALP and what they should be doing. Stalwart ALP supporters are lining up to offer the ALP some free advice while equally dyed in the wool ALP fans are struggling to understand the extent of the animosity towards the ALP. The neofascistslibs will be chuckling in church over how they not only won but also manage to utterly divide their opposition.
The argument about the "optics" is important in the sense of what sort of message the ALP wants to broadcast but it is also a message received and this is where the ALP is really stuck. Having committed itself to vote for half of the tax bill and confronted by the "numbers" it really didn't have much of a choice in the end. But the theatre of political opposition means it must play it part. So it offered up some half-hearted "we tried to get the bills split" and then voted with the Government.
I suspect this is what is really driving the white hot rage. The spectacle of the ALP siding with the most detestable bunch of lying crooks simply put, is driving those of us already deeply disheartened by having Morrison and Co back in government into utter despair. Hence the rage.
And this is where the left generally, and its main protagonist, the ALP has a serious problem. There is a real existential danger here for the ALP, not on the practical level perhaps but in terms of ideology and commitment. They enjoy the benefit of incumbency, being one of the two major parties in a two party democracy but that doesn't necessarily mean public opinion cannot shift towards the other party of the left, delivering tangible results in the form of seats in the next election. This is problematic for the left because it means a longer period in the political wilderness.
The strategy of the ALP to attack the Greens is not going to work. It makes the ALP look like bullies and invalidates the reasons people have for wanting to vote Green. Put simply, the left of politics cannot afford to have its two parties at war. If the the ALP has got the smarts, it really needs to start working constructively towards a formal alliance in an adult way, where the interests of the left can be advanced in a unified fashion. For its part, the Greens also need to grow up a bit. And both parties need to start presenting something people can realistically believe in and vote for.
That doesn't mean allowing political pragmatism to rule, it means prosecuting the case for change in clear and concise terms. It also means acknowledging the real forces driving us closer to catastrophe and what needs to be done.
The lack of support for politics, or anti-politics or populism is a direct result of the inability of incumbent parties of the left to bell the cat. They have become part of the problem. They are increasingly seen as incapable of doing what needs to be done. Instead they are selling out to whatever vested interest can lobby them effectively.
The only chance the political left has is to take up the challenge in a truthfully committed idealistically liberal way. It is not hyperbole to suggest an existential threat to human society is looming. You can not simultaneously use a mobile phone and not believe scientists who tell us we are heading for disaster.
It's not much of a chance, but it's still alive as a possibility.
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