We now have a Federal Labor government to match all the State Labor
governments. Given the dogs breakfast that is state administration
this doesn't bode well for the country. It does beg the question of
"why?" an economically successful Liberal government should be tossed
out in such a way.
Unfortunately, I was right on the money when I wrote to my brother
last week (before the election) that: "The bumbling and fumbling that
has gone on in this campaign is reminiscent of many a NSW Liberal
effort rather than the usually slick Federal machine. I suspect the
'count' will be over by about 6:45pm."
In reality, the Liberal party simply didn't have enough troops on the
ground to mount any sort of campaign because the state organisations
have been busying themselves with expelling anyone who doesn't toe the
line of the right faction. In particular, the removal of anyone
interested in policy formation, and the promotion of drones simply
there to provide voting numbers for upper house members to continue
their gravy train existence, left the party with nothing to say about
the future.
All the talk about it being an "It's Time" factor after eleven years
of government ignores the abject failure of the state apparatus to get
elected against (in NSW) even longer incumbency.
Given the stupidity of the blunders during the state and federal
campaigns, one begins to wonder if the people behind all this aren't
merely Labor plants sent in to sabotage the other side. Perhaps the
media should start chasing these (mostly) men and making some serious
enquiries about them.
Obviously the parliamentary party will elect a new leader. Probably it
should be Malcolm Turnbull with Julie Bishop as deputy. If Tony Abbot
gets the nod after his disastrous campaign performance then we know
that there is indeed something rotten in the state of Denmark.
The next step for the party should be to clear out the state
executives altogether, write an apology to all those members who have
been expelled over the past ten years and invite them to rejoin, and
put in place a simpler branch and state structure that removes the
power from these 'stackers' and rewards actual branch attendance and
activity.
In concert with this, a serious investigation into these nominal
branches with their sham AGMs, and the public shaming of those behind
them, needs to be made and completed well before the next election.
If all of these things happen I am sure that this government would be
ousted in the short term. I will be surprised if in the next eighteen
months the economy hasn't already begun to slide into recession and
people look for an alternative. Given the upper house problems that
Rudd will have getting bills passed while trying to accommodate the
opposing dogma of the Greens and Family First or Xenophon, it is
likely that Rudd will call a double dissolution election (just as
Whitlam did in '74) to get rid of Family First. Such a move is also
like to end (as with Whitlam) in Liberal control of the upper house.
Unfortunately I hold little hope that the changes I have suggested
will, in fact, occur. Perhaps, like the UAP before it, we are seeing
the death throes of the Liberal Party, and a new party will need to be
formed from the ashes. With the continuing decline of the Nationals as
the rural vote is flooded out by the sea-change voters, we could see both
parties dissolve and a new combined force created.
We shall see.
