Jodie McKay stepped down as leader of the Australian Labor party in New South Wales when support retreated in a by-election for the seat of Upper Hunter. It now seems likely that party leadership will need to be resolved by a ballot amongst party members.
The problem is that the Labor party comprises many factions and it is unlikely that whoever is selected will gain universal party support. The front runners scrambling to put together a majority vote are Chris Minns and former leader Michael Daly, both of whom claim to have the numbers to succeed.
In a democracy like ours the party that sits in office and controls the Treasury is decided by the voters at a general election. It is usually factional disputes that rob Labor of the chance to govern and that divide looks likely to cause Labor to fall short in the future.
The voters have switched their support from the old days of a Liberal/Labor divide to create several minor parties which form the crossbench. It usually takes the party in power to attract a majority from the crossbench to get legislation to become law.
It seems unlikely that either Chris Minns or Michael Daly would attract sufficient crossbench support to form government. The balance of power remains with the crossbench and it seems that this arrangement sits well with the voters.
It seems possible that Jodi McKay may cling to power by default. She has a good record of settling factional disputes but many in her party find her gender a hindrance. It seems we we are still a long way from being gender neutral in politics.
Both the state premier and the leader of the opposition are women while the makeup of parliament is primarily men. Both parties claim to be working towards a better gender balance, but it is factional balances that seem to determine who wins seats.
In politics, it is ideal if the opposition is snapping at the heels of government and ready to take office the moment an election is called. The government should be ready to be called to account for its spending priorities at any time and be ready to defend its actions in a vote of confidence.
Factional alliances prevent the opposition from speaking with a united voice. The opportunity now exists for a moderate leader to arise from its ranks and clearly state how the party would govern. If it is going to embrace socialism - and if so - to what extent.
At present, that is a mystery because it simply depends on which faction has a firm grip on power. Its manifesto means different things to different people.- and that is why its vote is divided.
No comments:
Post a Comment