Much of what has been written since the crushing electoral defeat last year has concentrated on familiar themes, the bias of the media, the issue of the leadership, the real meaning of “socialism”, and so on, rather than tackling the important issue of how the ALP is perceived by the electorate.
To say that senator Gietzelt’s article (NR, 2 March) is vague would be the least harsh judgement to be made of it. The article does not sustain a coherent thesis, and this letter would be too long and tedious if it were to deal with each elliptical argument, half thought out idea, stale phrase and factual inaccuracy which clogs senator Gietzelt’s argument, if “argument” is the word for the uncritical treatment of the issues raised in his essay.
The National Committee of Inquiry has been receiving submissions from party members and supporters for nearly 6 months.