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Anthony Albanese: will he choose the road less taken? Anthony Albanese: will he choose the road less taken?
(6 days later)
Anthony Albanese has never pitched or positioned himself as a future Labor leader: it really wasn’t part of his life plan. But events have conspired to make the New South Wales leftwinger consider a significant road not taken - to contemplate whether he wants to be (and has the requisite qualities to be) the man up the front, rather than a person of the backroom.Anthony Albanese has never pitched or positioned himself as a future Labor leader: it really wasn’t part of his life plan. But events have conspired to make the New South Wales leftwinger consider a significant road not taken - to contemplate whether he wants to be (and has the requisite qualities to be) the man up the front, rather than a person of the backroom.
Albanese is always in the room, but most often off-camera. Furtive ubiquity has been something of a personal signature for “Albo” ever since he starred (without ever appearing once) in the marvellous Bob Connelly documentary, Rats in the Ranks. Unlike some colleagues, he’s not invested the time in styling himself as a future Labor leader - chasing the magazine profiles, transacting the softening and the repositioning - he’s been the person building Labor leaders up, or moving them on: in the room at the key moments, but never the main protagonist.Albanese is always in the room, but most often off-camera. Furtive ubiquity has been something of a personal signature for “Albo” ever since he starred (without ever appearing once) in the marvellous Bob Connelly documentary, Rats in the Ranks. Unlike some colleagues, he’s not invested the time in styling himself as a future Labor leader - chasing the magazine profiles, transacting the softening and the repositioning - he’s been the person building Labor leaders up, or moving them on: in the room at the key moments, but never the main protagonist.
Albanese was in the room, providing counsel, when Kevin Rudd was dispatched from the Labor leadership in 2010. And even though he disagreed profoundly with that decision, he was back in the room again, building Julia Gillard up, keeping that free-range 43rd parliament on track, shepherding the crossbench, running daily tactics at a time when Tony Abbott was intent on causing maximum procedural chaos in the House of Representatives - a huge and central task.Albanese was in the room, providing counsel, when Kevin Rudd was dispatched from the Labor leadership in 2010. And even though he disagreed profoundly with that decision, he was back in the room again, building Julia Gillard up, keeping that free-range 43rd parliament on track, shepherding the crossbench, running daily tactics at a time when Tony Abbott was intent on causing maximum procedural chaos in the House of Representatives - a huge and central task.
He possessed a unique talent to speak to all sides of the Rudd-Gillard civil war even though he always had a dog in the race, and everyone knew it. Eventually though, the fraying diplomacy had to end. Albanese worked with the then NSW state secretary Sam Dastyari to dispatch Gillard to early retirement and restore king Kevin to his castle. In so doing, Albanese has sparked this last critical career transition - setting himself up as the man who might be required to explain what for many voters has been a period beyond explanation; and from that bedrock of explanation, carry the party forward by safeguarding core values into a period of rebuilding and recovery.He possessed a unique talent to speak to all sides of the Rudd-Gillard civil war even though he always had a dog in the race, and everyone knew it. Eventually though, the fraying diplomacy had to end. Albanese worked with the then NSW state secretary Sam Dastyari to dispatch Gillard to early retirement and restore king Kevin to his castle. In so doing, Albanese has sparked this last critical career transition - setting himself up as the man who might be required to explain what for many voters has been a period beyond explanation; and from that bedrock of explanation, carry the party forward by safeguarding core values into a period of rebuilding and recovery.
For now, Albanese is back in the room, back off camera, thinking about what the moment requires, and what qualities he can bring to the moment. Like any candidate for political leadership, there are clear strengths, and there are weaknesses.For now, Albanese is back in the room, back off camera, thinking about what the moment requires, and what qualities he can bring to the moment. Like any candidate for political leadership, there are clear strengths, and there are weaknesses.
Albanese’s great strength as a politician is the constancy of his core values, his appetite and skill for the fight, and his authenticity. By and large, Albanese says what he thinks rather than spouting a talking point - a rare quality in modern politics, and a quality voters respond to. Albanese doesn’t sue for peace rhetorically, he speaks to cut through. The precision aggression of his performances in the parliament have had the quality of rousing and rallying the backbench and the party membership at key times when morale was low - although leadership would require a tempering. (Aggro wins points inside the Canberra beltway where ritualised conflict is lionised, but it doesn’t guarantee you love outside the chamber.)Albanese’s great strength as a politician is the constancy of his core values, his appetite and skill for the fight, and his authenticity. By and large, Albanese says what he thinks rather than spouting a talking point - a rare quality in modern politics, and a quality voters respond to. Albanese doesn’t sue for peace rhetorically, he speaks to cut through. The precision aggression of his performances in the parliament have had the quality of rousing and rallying the backbench and the party membership at key times when morale was low - although leadership would require a tempering. (Aggro wins points inside the Canberra beltway where ritualised conflict is lionised, but it doesn’t guarantee you love outside the chamber.)
Albanese is also a highly effective public communicator of Labor’s progressive values at a time when Labor’s hegemony in the inner-city is under threat from the Greens and “others”.Albanese is also a highly effective public communicator of Labor’s progressive values at a time when Labor’s hegemony in the inner-city is under threat from the Greens and “others”.
He’s the grassroots man: Albanese is Labor’s strongest and most battle-hardened “progressive” brand at a time when revival of the party from the grassroots up seems less passing fashion than urgent existential imperative.He’s the grassroots man: Albanese is Labor’s strongest and most battle-hardened “progressive” brand at a time when revival of the party from the grassroots up seems less passing fashion than urgent existential imperative.
But there are buts. He’s also a bomb thrower and a risk taker. The decision to recruit the former Liberal Peter Slipper as House speaker in the 43rd parliament was largely Albanese’s decision - and the short-term fillip in terms of numbers on the floor of the chamber had long-term negative consequences for the ALP. That high-wire judgment was not universally welcomed in Labor at the time, and certainly not in hindsight.But there are buts. He’s also a bomb thrower and a risk taker. The decision to recruit the former Liberal Peter Slipper as House speaker in the 43rd parliament was largely Albanese’s decision - and the short-term fillip in terms of numbers on the floor of the chamber had long-term negative consequences for the ALP. That high-wire judgment was not universally welcomed in Labor at the time, and certainly not in hindsight.
With a factional power struggle under way over Labor’s new caucus rules, some wary colleagues would see Albanese’s candidacy for the leadership as being less about any personal ambition he might have and more about executing a leftwing takeover of the ALP. That thought has rallied the riven rightwing faction largely around Bill Shorten as the preferred candidate. (Shorten is also trying to style Albanese, diplomatically of course, as yesterday’s overly aggressive man whose only constituency is inside the parliament.)With a factional power struggle under way over Labor’s new caucus rules, some wary colleagues would see Albanese’s candidacy for the leadership as being less about any personal ambition he might have and more about executing a leftwing takeover of the ALP. That thought has rallied the riven rightwing faction largely around Bill Shorten as the preferred candidate. (Shorten is also trying to style Albanese, diplomatically of course, as yesterday’s overly aggressive man whose only constituency is inside the parliament.)
If Albanese steps forward, the attack lines against him are obvious. He’s associated closely with the Rudd/Gillard era, and associated peripherally with the murk in NSW Labor - old “mates”, old factional alliances.If Albanese steps forward, the attack lines against him are obvious. He’s associated closely with the Rudd/Gillard era, and associated peripherally with the murk in NSW Labor - old “mates”, old factional alliances.
And the most significant question hovering over his still undeclared candidacy for the Labor leadership has been whether he wants it enough - whether after all of the tumult of the period just past, he has the energy to dig-in for the job however long it takes. Rebuilding will be a huge task: Labor’s exhausted MPs right now need a combination of pastoral care and brute force - and Labor needs to disrupt Abbott’s steady-as-she goes transition to the prime ministership if the party is to avoid the spectre of a decade in the political wilderness.And the most significant question hovering over his still undeclared candidacy for the Labor leadership has been whether he wants it enough - whether after all of the tumult of the period just past, he has the energy to dig-in for the job however long it takes. Rebuilding will be a huge task: Labor’s exhausted MPs right now need a combination of pastoral care and brute force - and Labor needs to disrupt Abbott’s steady-as-she goes transition to the prime ministership if the party is to avoid the spectre of a decade in the political wilderness.
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