Post by Willow on Apr 4, 2013 15:35:41 GMT 9.5
I think this guy is on to something!!
BY:KENNETH WILTSHIRE From: The Australian April 03, 2013 12:00AM
SIMON Crean, Chris Bowen, Martin Ferguson, Kim Carr and their disaffected former ministerial colleagues would do Australia a big favour if they left the ALP and formed a new party.
They could follow the historical lead of Britain's so-called Gang of Four - leading Labour moderates David Owen, Shirley Williams, Roy Jenkins and Bill Rodgers, who were so disillusioned with the party, for similar reasons to the Crean push, that they left to form the Social Democratic Party, the core of the Liberal Democrats in Britain's coalition government at present.
They could begin the long overdue realignment of party politics in Australia. There is no longer a place for 19th-century class warfare. With a population of only 24 million, in a land of unlimited resources, there is no place for extremes of Left and Right and we no longer need parties based exclusively on labour or capital.
Political and polling history shows the majority of Australians are slightly to the Right on economic policy and slightly to the Left on social policy. They want to encourage enterprise and opportunity, but also to extend a hand to the less fortunate. This is a reflection of the two values that created this nation - "a fair go" and "have a go".- "A Fair Go" and "Have a Go". Our DNA contains a blend of equity and enterprise. No wonder that when political parties espouse policies in the centre, they win. Indeed, many Australians shun joining parties because none seems to offer this balance.
Stereotypes of ideology are also not helpful. The record shows that Malcolm Fraser's "conservatives" established the SBS multicultural broadcaster, left Medibank largely intact and supported human rights initiatives. Bob Hawke's "socialists" acknowledged the vital importance of the market and the forces of competition as they deregulated the banking system, introduced National Competition Policy and fostered choice in health and education services between public and private sectors.
It is no wonder that Hawke is the standout example of social inclusion that Crean and his disillusioned colleagues are seeking. Hawke is the only Australian prime minister who was equally at home in union halls and corporate boardrooms. He established the prices and incomes accord with the unions while consulting effectively with business, including through economic and tax summits. Australians warmed to this refreshing consensus and Labor was re-elected for a record of four consecutive terms
The basic point is that red tories and chardonnay socialists have a lot in common and there is no reason why they should not co-exist in the same political party. If Crean and friends could create a new, more inclusive party, they could launch an era where Australians voted for the vision of either Team Blue or Team Red, rather than parties of extremes and conflicts.
The Democrats and Republicans in the US are further along the road to this ideal and, despite all the rhetoric, provide examples of constructive bipartisanship. All our parties should be judged by their capacity to deliver economic growth and stability, increasing standards of living, social inclusion, protection of the vulnerable and creation of opportunity.
The Crean ideal would be a party that follows the social democratic tradition and sees social progress as occurring not mainly through regulation and the compulsory redistribution of income but rather through the sharing of the fruits of growth and development, and by encouraging initiative. The bland Marxist doctrine that seems to still underpin the Labor-unions alliance is no longer relevant; workers share in the means of production through the stockmarket and employee share ownership schemes, while companies can be encouraged to pursue meaningful corporate social responsibility policies.
The market can be harnessed to social as well as economic objectives and all parties can make more effective use of partnerships with not-for-profits and encourage their social enterprise endeavours.
This was the essence of Tony Blair's success in creating the New Labour brand.
It would be best if Crean and co created a new party before this year's election to offer voters a true choice. Tony Abbott and the Coalition would also be placed on notice to develop socially inclusive policies. Most importantly, the basis of Australian politics and the alignment of political parties could become one of competing visions to achieve prosperity through national unity, rather than the perennial conflict that the present alignments of the various political parties are bound to perpetuate.
Kenneth Wiltshire is professor of public administration at the University of Queensland's business school.
BY:KENNETH WILTSHIRE From: The Australian April 03, 2013 12:00AM
SIMON Crean, Chris Bowen, Martin Ferguson, Kim Carr and their disaffected former ministerial colleagues would do Australia a big favour if they left the ALP and formed a new party.
They could follow the historical lead of Britain's so-called Gang of Four - leading Labour moderates David Owen, Shirley Williams, Roy Jenkins and Bill Rodgers, who were so disillusioned with the party, for similar reasons to the Crean push, that they left to form the Social Democratic Party, the core of the Liberal Democrats in Britain's coalition government at present.
They could begin the long overdue realignment of party politics in Australia. There is no longer a place for 19th-century class warfare. With a population of only 24 million, in a land of unlimited resources, there is no place for extremes of Left and Right and we no longer need parties based exclusively on labour or capital.
Political and polling history shows the majority of Australians are slightly to the Right on economic policy and slightly to the Left on social policy. They want to encourage enterprise and opportunity, but also to extend a hand to the less fortunate. This is a reflection of the two values that created this nation - "a fair go" and "have a go".- "A Fair Go" and "Have a Go". Our DNA contains a blend of equity and enterprise. No wonder that when political parties espouse policies in the centre, they win. Indeed, many Australians shun joining parties because none seems to offer this balance.
Stereotypes of ideology are also not helpful. The record shows that Malcolm Fraser's "conservatives" established the SBS multicultural broadcaster, left Medibank largely intact and supported human rights initiatives. Bob Hawke's "socialists" acknowledged the vital importance of the market and the forces of competition as they deregulated the banking system, introduced National Competition Policy and fostered choice in health and education services between public and private sectors.
It is no wonder that Hawke is the standout example of social inclusion that Crean and his disillusioned colleagues are seeking. Hawke is the only Australian prime minister who was equally at home in union halls and corporate boardrooms. He established the prices and incomes accord with the unions while consulting effectively with business, including through economic and tax summits. Australians warmed to this refreshing consensus and Labor was re-elected for a record of four consecutive terms
The basic point is that red tories and chardonnay socialists have a lot in common and there is no reason why they should not co-exist in the same political party. If Crean and friends could create a new, more inclusive party, they could launch an era where Australians voted for the vision of either Team Blue or Team Red, rather than parties of extremes and conflicts.
The Democrats and Republicans in the US are further along the road to this ideal and, despite all the rhetoric, provide examples of constructive bipartisanship. All our parties should be judged by their capacity to deliver economic growth and stability, increasing standards of living, social inclusion, protection of the vulnerable and creation of opportunity.
The Crean ideal would be a party that follows the social democratic tradition and sees social progress as occurring not mainly through regulation and the compulsory redistribution of income but rather through the sharing of the fruits of growth and development, and by encouraging initiative. The bland Marxist doctrine that seems to still underpin the Labor-unions alliance is no longer relevant; workers share in the means of production through the stockmarket and employee share ownership schemes, while companies can be encouraged to pursue meaningful corporate social responsibility policies.
The market can be harnessed to social as well as economic objectives and all parties can make more effective use of partnerships with not-for-profits and encourage their social enterprise endeavours.
This was the essence of Tony Blair's success in creating the New Labour brand.
It would be best if Crean and co created a new party before this year's election to offer voters a true choice. Tony Abbott and the Coalition would also be placed on notice to develop socially inclusive policies. Most importantly, the basis of Australian politics and the alignment of political parties could become one of competing visions to achieve prosperity through national unity, rather than the perennial conflict that the present alignments of the various political parties are bound to perpetuate.
Kenneth Wiltshire is professor of public administration at the University of Queensland's business school.