‘Coming to the Party’ raises some difficult questions for Labor

Thornley sees a need for the broader party, as opposed to the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party (FPLP), to take the lead on policy. He continues:

By separating the roles of the FPLP from the non-parliamentary movement, we can be similarly effective in moving the agenda without negative electoral consequences.

In conclusion, this has not been an exhaustive examination of the perspectives put forward in this significant title. To consider the full range of positions espoused within its pages is more than can be achieved here.

While some have criticised this title for leaning to the Left, and not including sufficient representation from the party’s Right, it could also be argued that this collection of perspectives could well have done with the inclusion of more radical perspectives: including the case for the pursuit of economic democracy, resocialisation of enterprises such as Telstra and Medibank Private, and a bold expansion of Australia’s threadbare welfare state.

Overall, though, it can be concluded Coming to the Party is a valuable contribution to a much-needed debate on the future of the ALP. For those wanting to keep up-to-date with the positions and perspectives of some of Labor’s most prominent thinkers and policymakers, this title is well-recommended.