As usual, Paul Kelly is so stuck on the grand narrative that he can’t see the trees for the woods:
For the Labor Party, the post-election challenge transcends the difficult task of moving its policy framework back to the centre. The ALP confronts a far more daunting task — remaking its political identity and values, a challenge that might become a bridge too far.
Over a generation, the Labor Party has been transformed by its embrace of progressive ideology. It is now a fusion of middle-class, tertiary-educated, progressive ideologues and old-fashioned social democrats tied to a union movement devoid of industrial power.
The problem for Labor is that progressive ideology is electoral poison. Its purpose is to subvert the values of nation and society and elevate those of group identity and individual self-realisation or narcissism. This is not the Labor way.
Labor holds 63 ex-QLD seats versus the Coalition’s 53. The majority of the country is happy to vote progressive.
The problem is that QLD isn’t progressive so Labor holds just six seats out of 30. To win, Labor needs to modulate its progressiveness for that state, which is easily done by halving immigration to boost wages, take the pressure off house prices and decongest cities. Climate change can still be pursued but it must take into account the losers in QLD with extensive offsetting investment.
That’s not the end of progressiveness, it’s adding pragmatism to make it sellable. It may be that Labor is too ideologically progressive to do it and that is a problem for it, but that should not be confused with the attitudes of the polity.
Paul Kelly’s thinking has becoming increasingly sclerotic as he slides towards reflexive social conservatism and god presumably at the approach of old age…and, soon enough, death.
