There has been completely unwarranted backlash towards the opposition this week after Labor revealed it is getting behind the government, in the biblical sense.
On Wednesday Kristina Keneally stated explicitly that Labor will support Scott Morrison in building a new religious discrimination and freedom act, and critics are decrying the party for cowing to the government. But, in fact, a closer analysis of Labor’s most recent manoeuvres proves they are still as much in opposition as they ever were.
The tax cut rebellion
Labor defied expectation this week by lasting a whole day — minutes of laborious debate — in the fight to stop the Coalition’s $158 billion income tax cut package. The package passed the lower house on Tuesday unscathed. But only because these mavericks are looking out for their own! It’s just a coincidence that their “own” is the same as the government’s “own”.
Birthday cakes for refugees
After a two-year old Tamil asylum seeker was denied a birthday cake with candles inside an Australian detention centre, Labor put its foot down, demanding that all imprisoned two-year-olds should have access to birthday cake. After learning of the incident, Home Affairs spokesperson Kristina Keneally told Crikey, “Yes, there are rules in place, but surely common sense and compassion cuts in somewhere”.
I wouldn’t put it past this compassion KWEEN to hand-deliver a cake and cut it herself! Hopefully she’ll bring a slice for all 293 children known to be currently living in detention centres and community detention facilities.
Fighting for press freedom
The recent AFP raids at the ABC and News Corp have revealed the potential for unprecedented government threats to press freedom; a scary prospect indeed for anyone writing a very stupid piece making fun of politicians right now. Criticise all you want, but the Labor Party hasn’t pulled punches in admonishing the national security policy they helped push through late last year.
Abbreviating names with the letter ‘o’
Opposition leader Albo introduced this as part of his Labor leadership campaign, much to the chagrin of Prime Minister ScoMo who forgot to file a patent. This is a controversial policy for Labor to back because Plibbo, Shorto, Wongo and Bowo all sound very stupid. This is a brave move to embrace the Aussie larrikin who struggles with foreign sounding names, and proves to voters that Albo isn’t more of the same — he’s actually slightly less, by about one letter.
Just another version of ‘Its all Labor’s fault…..’
Very UN-funny…and the writer knows NOTHING about managing the economy or governing of the country. I hope she is happy with her choice of this putrid government. Trouble is, we all have to live with the decisions of drongos like her.
Does she come from Queensland perhaps????
At some point in a future government (not this government), the tax relief package will have to be reviewed. If that government happens to be a Labor government then the age-old thing of Labor being a high taxing government will get a few more decades run.
At the moment, it looks like all the wind has been taken out of Labor’s sails and they are, metaphorically, in the Doldrums. Unfortunately, I doubt Albanese is the person who will navigate them out of it. In fact I’m buggered if I can identify who might. \
Noting that the last three Labor leaders to wrest government from Liberal National/Country Coalition were Whitlam, Hawke and Rudd, it looks to me that while the LNP can win elections with humdrum charisma-free unimaginative dreary little men, Labor can only do so with Messianic figures; big personalities who can fire up the popular imagination. Intellect and policies alone are not enough – they have to be akin to “celebrities”.
Unfortunately, Bill Shorten did not fit the bill and I don’t think Albanese will do it either, unless the Morrison government drives the economy so far down that the despair becomes a greater motivator than fear.
To win elections Labor has to be ‘that much better’ than the Limited News Party – you’d think they’d realise that by now :- “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” and all.
So why do they pick such mediocrity as figureheads, so often, in the vested interests of the “right” faction?
….. Maybe the factions are just not cut out to govern?
A parody on panic? ….. If only the stakes weren’t so serious.
After failing dismally to be amused, I decided to try to acquire a bit of insight by learning a bit about the writer.
“Kara Eva Schlegl is a freelance writer with too much spare time and not enough episodes of Buffy to tide her over. She blogs about life, love and politics, which are all essentially the same thing to her. ”
Yep.