Usually nice things are said at farewells. Apart from the notably ungracious comments by Peter Reith, Bill Kelty’s departure announcement mostly received warm and generous praise from friends, allies and foes. Privately, views are more mixed. Over time a more considered assessment can be distilled.
After the devastating drubbing that Labor received at the 1996 election, few expected it would bounce back so close to government so soon. Consequently, within the ALP there is a satisfied, warm inner glow about recent events (matched by the cooling white fury of Mark Latham over the editing of his education policy).
Albert Shanker, union leader, intellectual, social democrat and raconteur was one of the greatest American labour leaders of his time. As President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) from 1974 until his death, he was at times both militant unionist and adviser to US Presidents ranging from Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan and George Bush.
This rambling, indiscrete, self-centred, intermittently hilarious and frequently tedious, 600 plus page book lives up to its sub-title: ‘Night Thoughts of a Labor Outsider’. This is so in two respects.
It is unlikely that The Fixer will be on display at ALP fundraising stalls. This is a different work to Graham Freudenberg’s A Certain Grandeur, the masterful, unashamed hagiography to Gough Whitlam. As a portrait of a major player in the ALP over the last decade, Marion Wilkinson’s book is a fierce critique. But is it accurate and fair?
It is interesting to reflect on why the 1996 federal election campaign is so boring relative to the high passion of past elections. A high number of undecided voters in the opinion polls, especially in the marginal seats, indicate that there is a fair swag of the electorate still to make up their minds. This means that Labor is still in with a chance of winning.
Lloyd Ross’ impact on the Australian labour movement has been as protean as it has been significant. The socialist incendiary, adult education activist, unionist, communist turned anti-communist, Grouper supporter turned opponent of the Right in the ARU, journalist and theoretician – all these appellations could have applied to Ross at different times.
Richard Prebble is not very well known outside of New Zealand. As a result of his recent bestselling (in New Zealand) book he deserves to be better known across the Tasman. Although Roger Douglas got most of the credit and the publicity for the Rogernomic reforms in New Zealand under the fourth Labour government of David Lange from 1984 to 1990, Prebble played just as important a role.
Early next century Peter Costello is likely to be Australia’s Prime Minister. What sort of leader will he be? Tracey Aubin’s unauthorised biography attempts to answer that question by looking backwards, at his development and the issues that he wrestled with in emerging as Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, the Coalition government’s Treasurer and their most lethal parliamentary performer.
There is a long way to go, but it appears that everyone has written off John Major’s chances of winning the next British election. Tony Blair, elected Labour leader last June after the death of John Smith, is doing everything right.