Posted on 10/20/2004 3:47:19 AM PDT by MorseMoose
Gone: Lindsay Tanner says "Mark Latham has done a very good job in difficult circumstances".
AN exodus of senior faces from Mark Latham's front bench is becoming a stampede with the departure yesterday of Victorian Lindsay Tanner. Mr Tanner became the sixth shadow minister to quit since Labor's election drubbing.
Fifty-five years of frontbench experience has now disappeared from Mr Latham's senior team as he strives to hold the dispirited party together. Mr Tanner, regarded as a Labor thinker, blamed the ALP's post-election direction for his retreat to the back bench.
"I have absolutely no complaint about how Mark Latham has dealt with me personally, but I have serious reservations about the emerging Labor response to our latest election defeat," he said.
"I intend to argue for change in Labor's approach from the back bench. I believe Mark Latham has done a very good job in difficult circumstances as Labor leader and he has my continued support."
Mr Tanner joins John Faulkner, Kim Beazley, Craig Emerson, Bob McMullan and Annette Ellis in the ranks of experienced frontbench retirees.
Former leader Simon Crean has surrendered the shadow treasury post, but intends staying on the front bench.
The wealth of disgruntled talent languishing on the back bench presents a major headache for Mr Latham.
Each is free to speak out on any issue and several, such as Mr Tanner and Mr Beazley, loom as potential lightning rods for discontent.
Mr Tanner questioned Labor orthodoxy in his 1999 book Open Australia.
He angered several colleagues last week in a television interview by saying Labor needed to work out what it stood for.
Mr Tanner, a former finance spokesman, was seen as a successor to Mr Crean in the key shadow treasury post.
But health spokeswoman and fellow Victorian Julia Gillard is favourite for the job, ahead of foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd – who has told Mr Latham he is interested – and immigration spokesman Stephen Smith.
If successful, Ms Gillard would be the first woman to fill the job and the first Left-winger since Dr Jim Cairns.
Faction leaders met around the nation yesterday to decide who gets places on the front bench. Labor MPs will formally vote on 30 positions on Friday and Mr Latham will allocate portfolios.
Despite the latest blow to his 10-month-old leadership, Mr Latham said Labor would have a skilled and rejuvenated team.
"I can understand how after a long period of service on the front bench Lindsay wants some time on the back bench," Mr Latham said through a spokesman.
Gippsland-born Mr Tanner, 48, has represented the seat of Melbourne since 1993 and served as a shadow minister for eight years.
He went to the October 9 election as Labor's spokesman on communications and community relations.
Good Lord -- I'm glad the Australians re-elected John Howard. Latham was a mere tool and lapdog of Kerry and the Kerry doctrine; and now his "ettes" are leaving. On one hand -- GOOD! the sniveling dog cowards... ... but OTOH, it means they can now go create havoc just outside the public eye.
You are right, but the havoc will be for their own party mostly, which is long overdue - Kim Beazley is IMHO the strongest Labor man around, but he got chopped in favour of a "young go-getter" - Latham. If Beazley had been opposition leader at the time of the election he may have actually got his party over the line - scary thought. But the fact that they are doing this after losing, breaking up, falling back, resigning, etc etc etc, shows they were never coherent enough to lead this country. The Liberal/National Coalition would definitly have made changes but I think it would have been a shuffling of attributes rather than a bailing out of so many senior statesmen. As you said, Good Lord!
God Bless John Howard though - Him I "get".
Same with me for your politics, but Bush I understand (salute!) and Kerry I understand too (browneye). Praying for George to be victorious.
i just thank God Howard won
now if we can only get Bush to win
He has to. Simple as that. The Spanish bailed on us, the French the Russians and so many others never even tried. Our friend Blair has until next year, but Bush is only weeks away, and I'm SO glad that Howard's victory is a boost for him. AUS, US, UK, we need all of us, the global coalition, in the WOT.
I have doubts about the decisions of the people of the US and the UK when it comes to election time. Australia has already spoken.
But I have faith.
I also am concerned about this election but i do believe that my team will win
i also agree the US/UK/AUS team needs to be strengthened.
AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE
OY OY OY ;)
I think it has been forgotten how strong we three nations can be, WWII saw the Commonwealth fighting to save freedom in Europe and Asia (Paris fell 5 days after France was attacked, eventually liberated) and once the US was attacked (for having the same values), three of us together (plus a myriad of others, NZ, NG, India, so many) were victorious. It's so sad that the rest have forgotten what we can do together, worse that we don't have Russia with us, but that's what they decided.
We can do it without them.
Exactly - the Anglo alliance can achieve many things - no foreign source can destroy us it is our own leftists that will do us in.
I agree that we need to strengthen ties. A few of the other charter members of the Anglosphere seem to have gone "walk about" however. It's a shame that we can no longer count on Canada. New Zealand? I don't know.
Canada I don't know a lot about, politics-wise, New Zealand went away several years ago - refused US warships access to their ports etc. Friends but not allies, it's a terrible shame.
I need some translations:
Australian Labour = Socialists?
(Dark) Shadow minister = Vice President? Lady in Waiting?
Victorian = the province that they hail from?
ALP = Australian Labour Party?
Maybe one day it will make sense.
Here's my two cents on the matter of Aussies's not choosing Beazley and going 2nd string -- like the US Dems choosing Kerry and not first string: The first string operators are still working triple time in their "shadow" modus of operating a "global shadow" government; ergo these first stringers were needed moreso "behind the scenes" than out front. Campaigning takes a lot of work and energy, etc. So, for example, the minute I hear that John Kerry says he's supported by "X" other country governments -- I know somewhere some negotiations are going on behind the scenes of Kerry's candidacy -- with other "liberal-like minded" entities in other countries.
OTOH, President Bush is perfectly centered -- and this is why he can run his campaign AND do his functions -- not behind the scenes; but right up front.
Old Adage for the "shadow" groups: Dishonesty never pays.
:)
you have a unique interpretation on the matter.
Australian Labour = Socialists?
Yes - ranging from moderate socialists (almost centrists) to quite extreme forms.
(Dark) Shadow minister = Vice President? Lady in Waiting?
OK - in the Westminster Parliamentary system which Australia copied with some variations from the UK, the Government is the party (or parties if there is a coalition as we have at the moment) which controls the lower House of Parliament (House of Representatives in Australia - we also copied some things from the US, House of Commons in the UK). The next largest party (or groups of party) - the party that could form government at the next election if they win is referred to as the Opposition - and basically the Opposition forms a 'government in exile' - they are supposed to be ready at all times to form a new government.
So government positions have a mirror in the opposition. The Prime Minister's mirror is the Leader of the Opposition. The Cabinet, appointed by the Prime Minister, is mirrored by the Shadow Cabinet, appointed by the Leader of the Opposition. Senior government Members of Parliament are appointed Ministers, and senior oppositon Members of Parliament are appointed 'Shadow Ministers'.
So, for example, the 'Shadow Minister of Defence' is the Labor parties main spokesman on Defence matters, and is responsible for Labor's defence policy.
Victorian = the province that they hail from?
Yes, although we refer to them as states. Australia has six states - New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia, and Queensland, and two major territories (areas that have a more limited form of self-government than the states) - the Northern Territory (which refused statehood a few years ago), and the Australian Capital Territory (kind of a counterpart to the District of Columbia in the US - it contains our nations capital, Canberra).
ALP = Australian Labour Party?
Australian Labor Party - they adopted the American spelling of Labor at some stage in the past, for some reason. Victorian = the province that they hail from? ALP = Australian Labour Party?
lol! Is that an invitation to a debate on the subject?
The translation is very much appreciated. I am glad that the fine people of the Southern Cross chose wisely this time.
Does Australia have the potential for a 'call for elections' at any time, much like happened in Canada a few years ago? Then a Shadow Government makes more sense.
Even though Australia has fewer people than California, I feel that you are a more dependable ally than the rulers of our Left Coast, Arnie excepted (sometimes).
It's not quite any time - there are some rules that need to be adhered to, but there is a great deal of flexibility as to when an election can be called, and if a party loses an election, there is no real transition period - the newly elected government takes office almost immediately. So, yes, it is important that the opposition is ready to form government immediately.
Back in 1975, a Consitutional crisis lead the Governor-General to dismiss the entire government from office and appoint the Opposition to replace them. The Opposition is expected to be ready for such a situation to occur, evn though it's very rare.
Could not have explained it as succinctly as yourself - the terms "Liberal", "Labor", "Democrat" have different meanings in different democracies, it comes down to "Right", "Centre", "Left" in any interpretation.
You forgot to mention the role of the Governor General in the removal of the ruling party in 1975. To our friends still trying to understand the hybrid Westminster/Australian government model, the Governor General is the Queen's representative in Australia (the Queen of the British Empire that is). The Governor General rarely gets involved, and is the only statesman with the authority to remove the current Prime Minister from office without an election of the people, under the direction of the Queen.
When this happenned in 1975 it was rumoured that the CIA was involved. The proof is inconclusive.....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.