JUST WHEN LABOR NEEDS TO RECONNECT, UP BOBS CARR Chris Kenny Blog | 10 April 2014 Even from the political grave Julia Gillard’s ineptitude is hurting Labor. Resurrecting Bob Carr and giving him the foreign affairs ministry was an obvious political mistake by Gillard in early 2012, even though, predictably, many in the press gallery hailed it as a masterstroke. Carr had little if any experience in international relations and launched into the job with all the excitement and clumsiness of an amateur commentator, threatening sanctions against our closest neighbour, former colony and largest aid recipient, Papua New Guinea. His list of achievements after that amounted a number of long-term projects – such as a small arms treaty - that came to fruition while he happened to be in the job. Improvements in the relationships with China and India were a couple of rare achievements by Gillard who deliberately sought to repair damage done by Kevin Rudd and return these key relationships to their previous trajectories. The one area where Carr dramatically changed Australian policy was on the Middle East. His ill-advised encouragement to the Palestinians (before they even return to negotiations without pre-conditions) and strident condemnation of Israel turned a bipartisan consensus on its head, shifting Australian policy into closer alignment with European countries and the UN. Thankfully, Julie Bishop has quickly moved to return Australia’s posture to its previous setting. The greatest foreign policy challenge confronting Australia during Carr’s tenure was people-smuggling but he was noticeably absent from efforts to restore strong border protection measures. He seemed more interested in extensive travel and selfies with world leaders than in tackling difficult regional issues like halting the flow of asylum seekers. Okay, so we now know he preferred first class. And as someone who often flew first class when working for former foreign minister Alexander Downer, I can confirm that arriving at your destination with some sleep under your belt means you can work harder and sharper. Yet it is a benefit not to be taken lightly. And I am staggered Carr had time to watch opera on the plane – in my experience reading briefings and cables, dealing with paperwork and getting some sleep took up all the available time, even on 13 hour flights. Still, Carr’s mistake is to whinge about the lifestyle. No one forced him to take the job and we all know it was the appointment of his lifetime. He loved it. He can expect no sympathy from the taxpayers who funded his indulgences, and must know the damage he is doing to the Labor Party. The ALP has become very distant from voters and Carr’s comments just put this up in neon lights. For all his claims of irony and self-deprecation, Carr seems to be indulging himself again, in print, at the expense of his party. As I have written before, Carr was given a chance to have a good time, and he grabbed it at our expense. And in the end it also came at Gillard’s expense because she wasn’t even repaid with loyalty.
Posted on: Thu, 10 Apr 2014 10:13:33 +0000