How should we react to the The Australian’s triumphant
announcement today that Kim Beazley has come around to their way of
thinking at last? “Bomber’s flight to the centre,” screams Dennis Shanahan‘s front page splash, pulling together a Labor stew to come to the conclusion Beazley’s moving to the centre.

The newspapaper backs this up with an op-ed piece from a former Labor MP Bob Catley:
“Moving in the Right direction.” He argues that under Beazley the party
has “the opportunity to re-establish itself as a mainstream party for
economic growth and prosperity.” Hardly revolutionary stuff from
a former federal MP whose recent book The Strange Triumph of Liberalism was launched by Brendan Nelson – and published by Keith Windschuttle.

Still, it’s enough to earn a nod of approval from the paper’s editorial: Back from the fringe

So should Labor’s Left adjourn to the John Curtin hotel and launch into
one last chorus of the Internationale for old time’s sake? Has Beazley
just surrendered a whole generation of the Left to the Greens and given
the government a nice easy out from the worst parts of their own
policy? Let’s look at the facts.

First, backing down from compulsory student unionism is probably smart
politics, and puts the heat on the Government by allowing the Nationals
the opportunity to support Labor’s new position.

And Shanahan’s story doesn’t yield the seismic shift that the headlines
offer. Writes Shanahan: “In the next few weeks the Opposition
Leader will dispense with small-target policy, for which he is famous,
and put Labor’s broad position on nation-building projects, the skills
shortage and record foreign debt.”

Nation building, the skills shortage and foreign debt are not of
themselves ideological policy positions. What they do represent
are an opportunity to bash the Government – hardly revolutionary
tactics.

In giving way on compulsory student unionism, Beazley is clearing the
decks for more important issues, like Industrial Relations. And to give
himself room to fight the battle on issues like nation building the
skills shortage on Labor’s terms.

While no-one would argue Beazley’s a leftie, we’ll see just how far
he’s shifted to the centre when the gloves come off for Industrial
Relations. We’ll really know if the Bomber’s lurched to the Right if he
scrambles from the Opposition benches, joins the Liberals and
challenges Peter Costello for the leadership.