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| Labor leadership election reform goes against the grain for some | Labor leadership election reform goes against the grain for some |
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| Well, blow me down with a feather! Labor factional leaders don’t like an internal Labor electoral system in which they don’t control the numbers. | Well, blow me down with a feather! Labor factional leaders don’t like an internal Labor electoral system in which they don’t control the numbers. |
| That’s precisely why they’ve scuppered proposals for democratisation of the party for years, even as its membership dwindled because people figured they had better things to do than attend branch meetings that meant virtually nothing in a party where all the important decisions were made in backroom deals. | That’s precisely why they’ve scuppered proposals for democratisation of the party for years, even as its membership dwindled because people figured they had better things to do than attend branch meetings that meant virtually nothing in a party where all the important decisions were made in backroom deals. |
| There are certainly big flaws in the new rules for the election of a Labor leader, forced upon a desperate Labor caucus by the resurrected Kevin Rudd. The idea that 75% of the caucus would be needed to mount a leadership spill on an elected prime minister sets the bar so high as to be almost insurmountable, no matter how dysfunctional a leader became. Even the 60% proposed to knock off an opposition leader is a pretty tall order. | There are certainly big flaws in the new rules for the election of a Labor leader, forced upon a desperate Labor caucus by the resurrected Kevin Rudd. The idea that 75% of the caucus would be needed to mount a leadership spill on an elected prime minister sets the bar so high as to be almost insurmountable, no matter how dysfunctional a leader became. Even the 60% proposed to knock off an opposition leader is a pretty tall order. |
| And the timeframe for a grassroots ballot does seem to leave the party leaderless for a very long time. | And the timeframe for a grassroots ballot does seem to leave the party leaderless for a very long time. |
| But some factional bosses are not arguing against the detail of the changes, rather against the whole idea of opening up the leadership selection process. Stephen Conroy, for example, seems to be saying the whole idea is a “farce”. | But some factional bosses are not arguing against the detail of the changes, rather against the whole idea of opening up the leadership selection process. Stephen Conroy, for example, seems to be saying the whole idea is a “farce”. |
| Opponents of the change say any time without a leader while the grassroots were given a say would make the party look like “a rabble”. (Do they think the past three years, when the selection of a leader has been entirely in the hands of the parliamentary Labor party, have been an object lesson in harmony and cohesion?) | |
| They say an open election process would expose party “divisions” (presumably as opposed to the unifying processes by which they executed the last two leadership changes). | They say an open election process would expose party “divisions” (presumably as opposed to the unifying processes by which they executed the last two leadership changes). |
| But a process is only divisive if the participants allow it to be. It is also entirely possible for two alternative candidates for Labor leader to present their credentials in a civilised way, if that’s what they choose. | But a process is only divisive if the participants allow it to be. It is also entirely possible for two alternative candidates for Labor leader to present their credentials in a civilised way, if that’s what they choose. |
| And the factional bosses say it would leave a vacuum for a period of time, where the Coalition isn’t held to account and where MPs “break out” and start speaking their mind on all sorts of contentious issues. | And the factional bosses say it would leave a vacuum for a period of time, where the Coalition isn’t held to account and where MPs “break out” and start speaking their mind on all sorts of contentious issues. |
| Being leaderless for a period would present problems, but from Labor’s point of view it could also be worth it if the party was then able to be more effective in opposition for the rest of the term. | Being leaderless for a period would present problems, but from Labor’s point of view it could also be worth it if the party was then able to be more effective in opposition for the rest of the term. |
| And as for the breakouts, Labor MPs have felt free to share their personal views, often unhelpful to the party, with television hosts rather than their caucus colleagues for a very long time. The party clearly has a discipline problem, but it seems to exist even when they have a leader. In fact the breakouts have often been about the leader. | And as for the breakouts, Labor MPs have felt free to share their personal views, often unhelpful to the party, with television hosts rather than their caucus colleagues for a very long time. The party clearly has a discipline problem, but it seems to exist even when they have a leader. In fact the breakouts have often been about the leader. |
| The solution advanced by those arguing against the proposal to give the grassroots a say is – you guessed it – to avoid any ballot by sewing up the leadership decision in a backroom deal so only one candidate nominates. | The solution advanced by those arguing against the proposal to give the grassroots a say is – you guessed it – to avoid any ballot by sewing up the leadership decision in a backroom deal so only one candidate nominates. |
| Labor’s internal review, after the 2010 election, by party elders – former premiers Steve Bracks and Bob Carr and veteran senator John Faulkner – reported some home truths about how party members felt about the ALP. | Labor’s internal review, after the 2010 election, by party elders – former premiers Steve Bracks and Bob Carr and veteran senator John Faulkner – reported some home truths about how party members felt about the ALP. |
| "At the moment, the party branches are dying because the rank and file are given no voice in the party. The members and branches no longer have any say in preselections or in policy. Unless this trend can be reversed, we will become a party that exists just to provide a path for ex-trade union leaders and ex-staffers of politicians to enter parliament," said one. | "At the moment, the party branches are dying because the rank and file are given no voice in the party. The members and branches no longer have any say in preselections or in policy. Unless this trend can be reversed, we will become a party that exists just to provide a path for ex-trade union leaders and ex-staffers of politicians to enter parliament," said one. |
| The ensuing report contained 31 recommendations, all aimed at increasing party membership by giving membership some meaning through giving members some power. | The ensuing report contained 31 recommendations, all aimed at increasing party membership by giving membership some meaning through giving members some power. |
| But they all came to nought because they needed approval at the party conference at the end of 2012, where the numbers are determined by the factional bosses and union leaders. | But they all came to nought because they needed approval at the party conference at the end of 2012, where the numbers are determined by the factional bosses and union leaders. |
| As one longtime faction convener put it to me at the time; "as a general rule the factions and the unions are against democracy because it erodes our power base … that's why the party never gets anywhere with party reform – it diminishes the power of the union blocs, and that goes for both left and right." | As one longtime faction convener put it to me at the time; "as a general rule the factions and the unions are against democracy because it erodes our power base … that's why the party never gets anywhere with party reform – it diminishes the power of the union blocs, and that goes for both left and right." |
| The recommendations did not propose grassroots involvement in the election of the leader, but did propose that 50% of delegates to the national conference be directly elected from the party rank and file, and that party members should be given some say in preselections. | |
| And in the end the conference made virtually no progress on any of the reforms. They were referred to a cross-factional committee of the national executive, which hardly ever met. | And in the end the conference made virtually no progress on any of the reforms. They were referred to a cross-factional committee of the national executive, which hardly ever met. |
| Having had quite radical reform forced upon it in the final disintegrating days in government, the push by the parliamentary Labor party to get rid of it and return power structures to normal is well and truly on. Which makes you wonder whether Labor has learnt anything. | Having had quite radical reform forced upon it in the final disintegrating days in government, the push by the parliamentary Labor party to get rid of it and return power structures to normal is well and truly on. Which makes you wonder whether Labor has learnt anything. |
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