JourneyOnline
Losing it. The Inside Story of the Labor Party
in Opposition
Annabel Crabb
Picador, 2005, $25
"Losing it" provides something of an antidote to the poison injected into the body politic by Mark Latham’s diaries.
Journalist Annabel Crabb has put Labor’s malaise into perspective by taking readers behind the Party’s scenes during its time in Federal Opposition since 1996. She describes the three leaders and the three elections which saw the ALP reverse its primary vote from 1996 (38.7%) to 2004 (37.6%).
Crabb explains that the problems of Labor in opposition have not only been about leadership – they have also stemmed from factionalism, ideology and the Party’s inability to hear from and speak to the diverse electorates that make up the Australian voting public. John Howard may have drawn his stories from Bob Menzies to conquer suburban and rural electorates, but his party has taken a fresh approach in its choice of candidates and its market research.
The ALP, as Crabb describes it, has been insecure in its footing since 1996, marching (when not head-kicking) in borrowed boots; one Hawke’s and the other Keating’s. Of course, things can change in the numerous ‘political weeks’ between now and the next Federal Election, due for 2007.
Perhaps Beazley will learn to stride confidently past the Liberal’s own flammable mix of Abbot and Costello. But in the meantime, "Losing it" leaves us with a clear and sorry picture of a political party which energises State and Territory Governments around the country, but can barely strike a light in Canberra.
