The rise of "Bernism" and "Corbynomics" - accounting for the leftward turn in social democracy

How do we account for the victory of Jeremy Corbyn in British Labour's leadership election? Many adherents of Blairite philosophies have been decrying his victory as a sad day for British Labour. Dan Hodges,, writing in the Daily Telegraph, described his victory as "the day the Labour party died", stating that "Labour has not just relinquished any prospect of being a party of government. It has just relinquished any prospect of being a party of opposition".  During the leadership campaign, Tony Blair himself chimed in, stating that "The Labour party is in danger more mortal today than at any point in the over 100 years of its existence."  In some ways this reaction is understandable. For a generation of Blairites and centrist social democrats, Jeremy Corbyn's victory represents...

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Why does politics matter? (2007 Sydney University Fabian Society Gough Whitlam Lecture)

In tonight’s lecture I will be seeking answers to the following questions: What is meant by politics and political commitment? Why is political commitment important? How does politics differ from other forms of commitment? What does political commitment mean for the individual? In exploring these questions I will refer to the career of Gough Whitlam and other prominent Labor leaders from the last century. I begin, however, with an account of what I mean by “politics” and ‘political commitment”. By “politics” I mean electoral politics and all that is associated with it – organising, campaigning, and planning both in respect of the over-arching issues like policy and strategy and the more mundane issues like fund-raising and candidate selection. You can’t have one without the other and no...

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Posted in: activism,elections,gough whitlam,john curtin,leadership,left,max weber,politics,power

Fairness the Key to Unlocking Health (2008 Young Writers Competition winner)

The draft report from the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission (NHHRC) has certainly sparked debate about proposals ranging from a universal dental scheme to regional management of hospitals. While the final report is eagerly awaited, the diverse opinions on the draft are indicative of the challenges presented by the myriad of competing demands from an immensely complex system. It feels necessary to focus these fragmented discussions and articulate an overarching vision for reform that considers “health” in its broadest sense. In 1948 the World Health Organization presciently defined health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Yet it is only recently that attempts have been made to widen the focus of...

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Posted in: health,young writers competition

Labor's lost youth vote

The devastation of the Queensland election will leave many Labor supporters wondering what is happening. It only seems like yesterday that Labor held all governments and the Coalition did not win a single state or territory election for a decade. Today, the only majority Labor Government left is South Australia, there is no guarantee of victory in the territories and Labor’s primary vote seems stagnant in the high 20s/low 30s. A recent Fabians event in Canberra examined voting trends in Australia over the past decades and its implications for the ALP with Professor Ian McAllister. Professor McAllister runs the Australian Election Study and used data from the studies to identify voting trends. Notably, the talk examined some of the voting groups that swung against Labor...

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Posted in: alp,elections

Land ownership tax can lift burden on working poor (2006 Young Writers Competition winner)

There is widespread community outrage directed at those who receive welfare as their primary source of income. In 2006-07, the federal Government plans to spend approximately $92 billion on social security. But what if there was a group that had skimmed more than $300 billion from the Australian community in 2003-04 alone, and continues to profit at the expense of the taxpayer and young families? There is such a group - land owners. Chances are, the majority of you reading this article fall within this group of so-called social bludgers. People no longer think of land ownership as social extortion by a ruling class, as they might have in Dickensian England, because of the breakdown of the landed aristocracy over the 19th and 20th centuries. But this trend is turning full circle. Land in...

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Posted in: affordable housing,economics,land tax,public policy,taxation,young writers competition