Will the Australian Labor party youth learn any lessons?

"The most striking lesson to arise from the ashes of Labors defeat is the primacy of leadership credentials. Mark Latham, at the time an apparent antidote to Labor's electoral woes, must now bear responsibility for the result of 2004. Much like that other firebrand, Howard Dean, the novel and mercurial leadership qualities that initially made Latham an elusive target for conservatives ultimately became his greatest liability".

Sam Indyk and Tim Soutphommasane c&e

What a load of rot. Sam Indyk is a smarmy little self interested wart trying to cover his tracks. Why? Because not only was Sam Indyk a member of Labor's last election team, he also worked on US Democrat Howard Dean's failed presidential campaign. The guy is playing the blame game - it's easy for him to point the finger at Latham now that Latham's "out". It's easy because Latham no longer holds a key position in Sam Indyk's ambitious path of self styled self promotion, no, Latham is no longer at the helm and Sam Indyk panders instead to his new perceived promoter - that lumbering tug Beazley. What a cretin is Sam, trying to offload his failed part in two major election campaigns by pointing the bone at Latham before anyone points it at Sam.

What is really wrong with the Australian Labor party? It's pompous young weak-willed members like Sam Indyk. Apart from thankful anomalies like Julia Gillard, the Australian Labor party youth for the most part have the spine of single celled organisms and rely on a framework of promotion to prop up their aspirations to leadership. The guys are algae growing in a petri dish, they have little or no empathy for anyone outside the party - in fact are afraid to speak to anyone who is not a party member. How quickly Labor's youth become disconnected from voter sentiment, relying on party polls and received wisdom to try and work out what might make them prime minister/treasurer/deputy one day.

Why did Latham quit the leadership? With pulp like Sam Indyk squelching about it's hardly a question that need be asked.

What lessons can the Australian Labor party learn then? Well, for a start, Labor is most effective when it sets aside it's ambitious (and delusional) internal scramblings for power and focuses on issues that matter. Issues with a clear alternative position. Like this;

The latest Herald Poll shows John Howard has incurred the biggest single plunge in his personal approval since taking office after declaring his tough industrial relations changes as his top priority for a Senate now ruled by the Coalition.

Despite troubled times for the Opposition, support for Labor has surged ahead of the Coalition - 54 per cent to 46 per cent in two-party-preferred terms.

After a week of nationwide protests and an ACTU television advertising campaign against the changes, the poll shows 60 per cent of Australians who are aware of the plans oppose them, including 23 per cent of Coalition supporters.

The pollster ACNielsen says the dramatic upturn in sentiment for the labour movement is a significant pointer to the first clash in a long time between the Government and Opposition on an issue of importance to many voters.

Sigh. And this is why I vote for the greens. They are much nicer then Sam, and can follow an agenda without aspirations to prime ministerial office (with four seats in the senate they can hardly pretend to have any).