The nadir of democracy in the ALP

No, Maddox and Battin can only be excused for lacking imagination. The ALP, as the cliché goes, has been a broad church composed of many who could not be characterised as socialists even though the party did have a socialist objective for most of its history. I say, however, from this broad church take your pick of any doctrine and you shall find that neoliberalism is not compatible with it. Neoliberalism is at variance not only with socialism but with social democracy and laborism as well. Maddox and Battin are right, but they only scratch the surface because of their exclusive focus on socialism.

The best indicator of this is the Democratic Labor Party, the party formed out of the anti-communist industrial groups and which still exists today. The DLP opposes neoliberalism. On the bread and butter issues of political economy the DLP is to the left of the "modern" ALP. In fact, the DLP is to the left of the "socialist left" of the ALP. A Santamaria would be to the left of a Lindsay Tanner, the socialist deregulator, not to mention a Julia Gillard.

The recent national conference of the ALP saw the process of de-democratisation reach new heights. Brand Rudd grandly came and went. At least Hawke and Keating stayed. Even Stalin tried to play the modest comrade at Communist Party congresses (when he bothered to have them that is). For the leaders most of the agenda of the conference was supposed to be dedicated to further oiling the Rudd personality cult. The scene was set with another essay, no doubt which the Fairfax press was both surprised and gratified to receive, from the philosopher king whom the similarly vainglorious Robert Manne could describe as being an "intellectual in politics struggling simultaneously both to understand and to help transform his world".

Lindsay Tanner, when he took control of the Federated Clerks Union away from those more to left end of the spectrum than he, had accurately stated that the national conference is about as relevant for the ordinary party member as the UN Security Council.

I note that he made no significant attempt to address this at the conference despite now being a senior cabinet minister and thereby in a position to do so. He did at least attend the "fringe conference" but we should take note of his performance. He decided to deliver a sermon on cognitive biases and rationality. I am sure that during his "speed dating" sessions with top business leaders, in themselves a disgrace, he did not provide a vulgarised rendition of pop Tversky and Kahneman. Surely he rather sought to address their concrete interests and concerns.

When delegates to the conference expressed their opposition to the pro-rich agenda of the Henry Tax review Brand Rudd smugly announced on radio, as far away from the conference as he possibly could, that the sentiments of the conference shall basically be ignored. This action on his part both demonstrates that the ALP is not a democratic party and the reasons why it is not a democratic party.

A truly democratic working class party would not have tax cuts for the rich and big business at the centrepiece of its tax reform agenda. For it to be so, democracy must be eroded.

For those who would rather see the ALP return to its working class roots and shift away from neoliberalism the remedy, in light of these facts, should be clear. The ALP needs a movement for democracy dedicated to in placing not only the preselection of candidates but also the framing of policy to its genuine members. A democratic revolution can only come from a grassroots movement. No solace will be found either in a new faction or in any of the existing factions.

The ALP requires a members union which would seek to advance the rights of the membership through traditional union means such as dissidence, picketing, direct action and strikes. The recent fringe conference is the most exciting thing that has happened in the ALP for many, many a year. The members are stirring. Only they can turn the ALP away from neoliberalism.

Hell, the fringe conference has even me thinking of re-joining the ALP.