Things aren’t looking too peachy for the Australian Labor Party right at the moment.
And I’m not just talking about the bounce in the polls that the Coalition has received since the rise of Malcolm Turnbull to the prime ministership.
Unless something drastic changes, the ALP is looking at election oblivion at the next elections.
The ALP’s reputation has been damaged through the recent revelations of the Royal Commission into Union Corruption. And the hit that the unions have taken will undoubtedly have a significant flow on effect into the party.
Contracting union membership and legal costs will be a drain on funds that would otherwise be transferred to the Labor Party and fund their election campaigns.
And just take a look at the ALP’s leadership. There’s not much inspiration there, and not much hope for the future. Should Shorten be replaced, it is likely that Tanya Plibersek will take the helm. But if she does, that will only make Labor even more indistinguishable from the Greens.
Ah – and then of course there are the Greens, the greatest threat to the ALP. The Greens have the potential to displace the Labor party in our two party system. The Greens have been encroaching into the ALP’s inner city heartland for years, and are now taking what were some of the safest Labor seats – both state and federally.
As the Greens’ long march into the inner city advances unabated and the ALP continues to haemorrhage votes, there is not much hope for Labor in the outer suburbs. John Howard successfully attracted these traditional Labor voters who had become alienated by the gentrifying and intelligentsia led Labor Party which was increasing holding its traditional constituents in contempt as ignorant, unwashed bogans.
To where can the Australian Labor Party now go? There don’t seem to be too many options.
If the ALP wants to have any opportunity of forming government anytime in the future, they better do something drastic. And soon.