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Loyalty isn’t always the most honourable route for an MP

Mark Kenny

by Mark Kenny

16 Jun 05:45am

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Filed under: Election 2010, Julia Gillard, Kevin Rudd, Mining Tax, Politics, Rspt

23 comments

The Liberal leadership was his for the taking but Peter Costello thought better of it judging he would spend two terms in opposition and maybe more.

What did loyalty cost the Coalition? Cartoon: Lindsay Foyle

Now however, as Kevin Rudd’s star plummets earthward, it is arguable that Costello might have been happily ensconced in The Lodge by the coming summer. He of course walked away but for those there now, such “what might have been” frustrations are small beer.

Labor’s hapless backbenchers know the real thing. With their careers on the line, they have real skin in the game yet about as much say in Government strategy and policy as the former Liberal treasurer - to wit, none. The question is: what should they do about it?

Speaking to voters directly every day, they know what is working in voter land and what is not. They know the Government is bleeding support over its perceived weakness to asylum seekers, its bungled insulation program, and its poorly explained and needlessly messy mining super profits tax.

Should they risk the ire of their seniors and speak up now urging a change of course, or forever hold their silence? Would publicly breaking ranks be a prudent exercise of their power involving a bit of pain now to avoid much worse later? Or would it just be more pain?

The by-words in politics these days are unity and discipline. Policies, smart or otherwise, are delivered from the top down. Good or bad, they are to be blindly embraced - anything else is disloyal.

The lot of a backbencher is to make up the numbers, tow the line and hopefully, one day become a frontbencher.

The value of obedience was drummed in again in Labor Caucus yesterday as things look increasingly pear-shaped for the Government. Ministers from the Prime Minister down, thanked MPs for keeping schtum under the current trying circumstances. Of course, the real purpose of the pep-talk was not to convey gratitude but to reinforce the need for continued protection of the leadership above all else.

The last thing a beseiged Kevin Rudd wants at present is the embarrassment of his own MPs publicly criticising him.

Yet sometimes, a crisis, however unwelcome is what is needed to force a change in direction. Scroll forward in time to election night and, for the sake of argument, imagine a Liberal win.

You can hear Kevin Rudd’s concession speech now: ``As leader, I take full responsibility for the decisions taken and for the subsequent defeat.’‘

It would no doubt be dignified and all very honourable. But what would that responsibility actually amount to? Cold comfort if you just lost your seat.

In any event, it would not be merely he who was ``responsible’‘. Those who stayed silent when policies with which they disagreed were pursued, must also shoulder the blame.

Like the lemmings who stuck with John Howard as he led them over the cliff in 2007, the current crop of Labor MPs feel much gratitude to Kevin Rudd for their win in that same election.

Such loyalty is understandable but it should not be blind or unconditional.

Rather, if there is a case to amend the super profits tax for example, by upwardly adjusting the profit level at which it cuts in, from its proposed 6 per cent to twice that, then now would be a good time to say so. If pressure applied within is ignored, then perhaps a little applied publicly might prove more persuasive.

The alternative, if the PM is to be taken at his word, is open-ended, essentially faux negotiations drifting on for months, robbing the Government of the oxygen needed to talk about its strengths and considerable achievements.

Surely MPs at the retail end of the business deserve more respect than that. They might have to take it.

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23 comments

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    • John A Neve says:

      07:17am | 16/06/10

      Sadly I believe we have lost sight of what democracy is all about, the people.
      In a Representative Democracy, which is what we claim to be, an MP’s first loyalty should to those that elected them. Their state or country next and their party, if they are not an Independent, should come last.

      Party politics is divisive and is killing this country. Question time is not about policy, it’s about One-Up-Man’s Ship, it reminds me of the playground at a boarding school.

      Reply

    • persephone says:

      10:32am | 16/06/10

      Unfortunately, John, in too many seats held by both sides of the spectrum, the people who ‘elected’ the MP aren’t the locals but the party.

      If people do insist on rocking up to a booth and voting Labor or Liberal regardless of the candidates, then parties will take advantage of this.

      A candidate elected to a safe - or reasonably safe - seat knows that they didn’t get the seat because the electorate chose them, but because the party did.

      In that context, loyalty to the party does become more important than loyalty to the electorate.

      The only way this can change is if all voters basically became swinging voters. If they couldn’t be taken for granted, and if they looked at the candidates before them and weighed them up on the basis of who they thought would support them best, then parties would no longer be able to take things for granted.

      Not going to happen, alas.

      And this means I have to agree with Wayne; the two party system in Australia didn’t develop by accident. It came about because the first fifteen years of Federation we basically had government by independents, and it was unworkable.

    • John A Neve says:

      11:31am | 16/06/10

      Persephone & Wayne,

      If what you say is correct and it probably is. We don’t live in a democracy, rather we are part of a compliant dictatorship.
      Once people accept the status quo, they are no longer free, sad really.

    • Dan says:

      01:46pm | 16/06/10

      It would be more accurate to say that we live in an oligarchy; with the same type of people taking turns to run the country. I don’t necesarilly agree with that, but that is a more accurate description than compliant dictatorship.

    • Randal says:

      02:26pm | 16/06/10

      For the first time in my life, I agree with Pers… Now I never thought I would write those words.

      Although JAN, I do not agree we are living in a dictatorship as the electors still have a choice of candidates, both from party and independent and they have the right to initiate change if they are unhappy with their representative.

      If as Pers points out the electorate became more volatile in whom they voted and the main parties could not bank on 80% of the vote then the change you seek would occur, and I agree with her that I cannot see this occurring in the near future, which is a shame as it would make for a far more robust political system if they did.

      However, that to me is a democracy as at the end of the day it is up to the electorate, you may not be happy that the vast majority vote for only two parties, but being unhappy with the decision of the majority is as much as part of living in a democracy as anything else.

    • John A Neve says:

      07:20pm | 16/06/10

      Randal,

      It is a strange form of democracy when a large part of the electorate only votes due to legistlation. When the electorate don’t even chose the candidates. When registered political parties often decide not to stand a candidate in a given area and where local branches of a party are over ruled by head office regarding the chose of candidate.

      Then we have the situation where the major party have made it so it it almost impossible for an Independent person to even stand due to the cost factor.

      Randal, you talk of the people having the right to “initiate change”!! So tell me, what is the process?

    • Wayne L Fehlhaber says:

      08:52am | 16/06/10

      Well , i don’t subscribe to your simplistic theory at all John. Party politics is the Australian way , our way , and a gaggle of independents would be a bloody side worse than the party system . !  If you think that party politics is divisive , what would your reaction be to no direction , no teamwork , no single vision , no co-operation and a couple of hundred voices squealing like piglets to be heard and have their singular policies implemented. No thanks. !
      One of the major mistakes made by the Rudd government was to launch an economic attack on the very industry which is , currently to Australia , what the Wool Industry was , in past decades.
      Another major mistake fro the Rudd government was the mad rush to implement schemes which were destined for disaster under Ministers who did not have a clue what they were doing.
      Cabinet solidarity is at best limping along under the strain of a possible electoral defeat after one term , and this has diverted the government’s attention from Australia’s problems to the A.L.P.‘s inability to govern.

      Reply

    • Christian Real says:

      03:38pm | 16/06/10

      Wayne Fehlhaber,
      I call a spade a spade, and most intelligent people would already know that it is your mob that is lying(being loose with the truth)

      Even Tony Abbott, Former Prime Minister Howard’s attack dog, was caught out lying on National Television, The 7.30 Report and it is not the first time that Tony Abbott has been loose with the truth on National Television( ABC), and now his mining friends who help fill the Liberal party coffers seem to have been caught out as well.

      In the Daily Telegraph, News.com.au, Courier Mail and other prominent online newspapers this story:
      * “Xstrata preparing work at ‘shelved’ Ernest Henry project,says minister.”
      AAP, June 12, 2010 @ 1.41PM.
      “Xstrata has been accused of misleading Australians over the impact of the proposed super-profits tax after signing a contract for work on a project the company said had been shelved.”
      “The mining giant has signed a $3.4 million mining services contract with another company to manage a copper tailing facility at its Ernest Henry copper mine in Queensland”
      “The contract was signed last week on the same day the Anglo-Swiss company said it was suspending operations at the mine because of the impact of the resource super-profits tax (RSPT)

      * Another Story, this one from News.com.au:
      “Resource super profits tax critic Clive Palmer ‘exaggerated’ threats to projects.”
      source: AAP, on June 07, 2010 @ 2.29Pm
      “One of the most vocal critics of the Rudd Government’s proposed resource super profits tax has admitted he exaggerated the possible consequences.”
      “Mining magnate Clive Palmer said in May he would cancel two projects in Western Australia’s pilbara region, which would have employed 5000 people, because of the levy.”
      “The executive chairman of Mineralogy said one of those projects would employ 3000 people and generate about $2 billion a year in exports.”
      “But he now told the ABC he may have exaggerated.”

      So in other words Wayne, it may be fair to say that those at Xstrata and also Clive Palmer, like the Opposition Leader Tony Abbott seems ‘loose with the truth.’

    • Wayne Fehlhaber says:

      04:40pm | 16/06/10

      Christian , you sure do provide some light entertainment with your repetetive spin on Labor’s total failure to govern . I assume you realise that the reason the Rudd govt. has lost all credibility is failure to honour
      election promises (lies) backflips on policy (lies)  backdowns (lies) no
      taxpayer funded political advertising (lies)  etc etc etc.
      Oh and you may not have noticed Christian , opinion polling is consistently showing a massive loss of support for the Rudd govt. .
      Had an election been held over the last few months , Labor would have been turfed out.
      The basis of that electoral anger , Christian , is the myriad of lies from Rudd over the past 2.5 years.
      As a rusted on Labor supporter , you live in a glass house so don’t throw stones.

    • Christian Real says:

      06:06pm | 16/06/10

      Wayne Fehlhaber
      Strange Wayne,you didn’t seem to mind when former Prime Minister John Howard spent $121 million taxpayer dollars on advertising and explaining WorkChoices laws.
      From ‘The Australian’ October 16, 2007 @ 12.00AM
      “Work Choices ads cost $121m”
      “Budget figures show the Howard Government has spent $121 million advertising and explaining its Work Choices laws.”
      * And Wayne you didn’t mind when John Howard spent $211 million in 2000 ,of Taxpayer money advertising the GST and another $156 million in 2001.
      From ‘The Sydney Morning Herald, May 18, 2007.
      “Hey,big spender,that’s our money.”
      “In 2000 Howard spent $211 million in tax money on federal ads as he sought to reassure us the GST was good for us. Together with the $156 million he spent the next year,this unquestionably helped him win the 2001 election.”

    • Evan Findlay says:

      10:38pm | 16/06/10

      Wayne,

      You talk of no direction, no team work, no single vision( although I’m not quite sure what that is) and no co-operation. Mate it sounds exactly like the Liberal Party.
      No Direction; so far no policies, have continually rebutted reform, have always been the party of no reform and in eleven years of government we saw no economic reform, the only tax reform was the GST and social reform went backwards.

      Direction under Tony Abbott is an unknown, I’m not sure he even knows where he is off too! Too many changes in his opinions sees him as an unknown factor.

      No co-operation. Well I read a comment on a blog tonight in the Australian that stated ” As a card carrying Liberal I cannot help but feel that Tony has painted himself into a corner on the RSPT. Having continually said no to the tax and with the mining companies probably coming to an agreement with the government, this will leave Tony out in the cold. Continually saying no to the government does not constitute policy”.
      Could not have said it better myself!

      Your beloved opposition seems to think that if they say nothing, do nothing and promise nothing, the Australian electorate will vote for them.
      Unfortunately we had enough of that under Howard.

      If you think that cabinet solidarity is successful under Abbott then you only need to look at his asylum seeking policy, his aversion to an ETS and the fact that a lot of his colleagues are concerned at his right wing, christian fundalmentalist beliefs. Add to the mix his hypocrisy at denoting the RSPT as a “great big new tax” and in the same sentence applying a “Great big new tax” to mining companies and another couple of thousand businesses in a paid parental scheme.

      Wayne it is you who should be concerned who you are voting for! If you ever work out who you are voting for could you let the rest of Australia know! Phoney Tony is quickly becoming the man of mystery.

    • Wayne Fehlhaber says:

      08:36am | 17/06/10

      Christian Real :  There is a big differrence between Howards ad expenditure and Rudd’s hypocritical grab for the public purse . Howard did not stand in Parliament and decry ” This is the greatest moral challenge of our time ”  Rudd did , and claimed that Labor would never use taxpaye’s dollars for political ads. Lies , lies lies ! and it’s all part of political history now Christian.

    • Wayne Fehlhaber says:

      04:22pm | 17/06/10

      Evan Findlay :  I did reply to your post but it seems the moderator has struck again .  Odd !  it was all fact and above board . Oh well ! you get lucky sometimes Evan.

    • Christian Real says:

      05:57pm | 17/06/10

      WAyne Fehlhaber
      Howard had promised to cut such spending of taxpayer’s money on advertising if elected, so yes it is the same whether you want to admit it or not.
      I guess Wayne that in your eyes Liberal Prime Ministers can do no wrong.

    • Wayne Fehlhaber says:

      08:19pm | 17/06/10

      Christian Real :  Oh no !  i don’t think Liberal Prime Ministers can do no wrong. It’s just that Labor Prime Ministers seem to tell bigger lies more often and get things wrong more often. Incidently , the opinion polls confirm that tendency.  Haven’t you noticed. ?

    • Jon says:

      09:41am | 16/06/10

      Yes, Sadly true!

      Reply

    • Chris says:

      01:04pm | 16/06/10

      It is indeed true with the existing parliamentary procedure.  Perhaps a restriction on the extent of “whipped” voting would allow a middle path by weakening the Party’s grip; would need draconian penalties on any Party caught breaking the rules to make it workable though. Of course no Party has an interest in reducing the power of Parties so it’s never going to happen.
      Maybe more serious though is the excessive centralisation of decision making as typified by Blair’s “sofa cabinet” in the UK and now Rudd’s “Gang of Four” with both Ministers and backbenchers simply used as cannon fodder to get the numbers.

      Reply

    • nosthow says:

      01:18pm | 16/06/10

      Had Costello had the “ticker” to force Howard to stand aside after the 2004 election he may well have gone on to at least 1 more term of Coalition rule but thie time was coming to an end - similar to Keating taking over from Hawke. But Costello did not have the “ticker” and Rudd snatched the PM ship. Rudd will go on to win the next election as the Coalition only has a 2nd rate leader who is temporaily filling in till someone of substance comes along - and that may take years !

      Reply

    • papachango says:

      01:45pm | 16/06/10

      I would imagine Rudd has a fair few enemies in the ALP. By all accounts he’s not a likeable person, completely dictatorial and thin-skinned. His decision to go see Cate Blanchett’s new baby instead of attending the funeral of ALP icon John Button just showed the utter contempt he has for his party - I doubt they’ll forget that in a long time.

      I’m amazed he hasn’t been stabbed in the back yet - maybe they think he’s still their best chance of winning then they’ll turf him out.

      Copstello must be kicking himself - he’d have run rings around this idiot.

      Reply

    • Robert Smissen , rural SA says:

      03:28pm | 16/06/10

      Don’t you worry Red Julia has a very sharp shiv in her boot.

    • Realist says:

      10:37pm | 16/06/10

      Well I will say that Labor MPs may well take that knife off to cut Rudd quick and smart if his numbers continue to decline…it will be the next poll that will show whether he remains or whether he will face challenges from within. Actually I think the news that Julia fans in the ALP(no doubt) have leaked that in fact the RSTP was the work of the PM and the Treasurer was the clearest sign yet that Julia wants to keep her options open in case she might have to take over from Krudd and do away with this policy. The fact that Ministers ( or their backers) leaked this really confirms that they are actually distancing themselves from Kevin and Wayne Swan. It is no longer in the realm of the impossibility that a challenge may take place before the election.  Who would have thought this only 6 months ago??

      Reply

    • Da Rokk says:

      11:50pm | 16/06/10

      When the current flock of seagulls can sit back and allow McClelland, Conroy and co to systematically impose a creeping hiiden security state based on censorship, surveillance and online data collection which effectively is handing our technological independence to multinational media corporations it is time for this 40 year supporter to cry foul, demand some of the drones grow a pair or take the last flight out of the holy city to fully deserved oblivion.

      The light on the hill is now a blue flashing one…

      Reply

    • James Darby says:

      04:34pm | 20/06/10

      If Peter Costello in early 2007 said to the (Liberal) Party Room

      “I will remove the GST, Keatings debt of $92b has been repaid and removing the GST will bring back 50,000 employers into the business world. Many of these persons are small manufactures and everything possible must be done to restore Australian manufacturing Industries. As PM I shall prepare a raft of tax policies which will enable Australia to compete with other nations who do not have minimum wage laws.”

      - then as a Nation we would have been about $2.2t better off.. No Labor Govt, in Australia’s history has ever restored the fortunes of Australia.

      Reply
 
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