....weak leaders are almost built into the fabric of our two-party system. Labor swapped leaders three times between 2007 and 2013, despite being in government for two of those changes. The Libs went through Brendan Nelson and Malcolm Turnbull before settling on Tony Abbott by a single vote, and he was chosen in the end more or less out of desperation. He was installed, not because he offered the people of Australia anything in particular in the way of personal qualities or a policy blueprint for the future, but because his election helped settle an internal party argument about climate change. As I noted last week, as disappointing as Tony Abbott has been, he isnt in and of himself the problem: he is a symptom. The underlying issue is that both major parties have drained the office of prime minister of authority by converging on an economic program that subsumes economic sovereignty into the vagaries of a globalised economy. Control over key aspects of social and economic policy has shifted from the Treasury benches in Canberra to the stateless instrumentalities of so-called free-trade agreements and organisations like the G20. The office of prime minister is thus less about leading the country than about managing the electorates disappointments within that system, and Mr Abbott inherited an electorate hip to the tricks of a political class who have been selling us moonshine - privatisation, deregulation and the rest of it - for the best part of four decades now. But even allowing for these structural problems, and the electorates well-founded scepticism, Mr Abbott has brought his own special brand of stupid to the role. Having sworn black and blue that he would restore trust and integrity to the office of prime minister, on gaining office he set about breaking promises like crockery at a Greek wedding. He compounded his problems with a budget that attacked not just programs and spending but Australias idea of itself as the land of the fair go. The burden of his reforms fell on the poorest, and even in this neoliberal inflected era, the unfairness of that sat badly with many Australians. Plus, you know, hes just sort of creepy. Its a vibe thing. Anyway, the net effect of all this is what Mr Abbott himself has helped christen a ragged year. Its what the rest of us call a train wreck. And so, in response, the PM has now reshuffled his cabinet, the political equivalent of shouting, HEY! LOOK OVER THERE!. The columnists have been out in force telling us all what it really means, who the winners and losers are, and I dont dispute that there is some value in all that. But I cant help but feel it isnt what we should be focussing on. The problem is, without a fundamental policy rethink, reshuffling the cabinet is like changing who wears which colour skivvy in the Wiggles: it doesnt matter, they all end up singing the same old tunes. Tony Abbott can swap his team around as much as he likes: it doesnt unbreak his broken promises, nor does it take the stink out of his stinky Budget. And you only have to look at what the Government is already signalling for next year to realise we are simply going to get more of the same. Weve been promised an inquiry into work practices, which everyone knows is just another way of cracking open the chest and massaging the heart of WorkChoices:
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 10:02:31 +0000
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