http://www.thepunch.com.au/tags/labor-party/ Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/wrap-of-the-week-its-the-economy-stupid/ There is a touch of Lleyton Hewitt about Julia Gillard. It is not merely that both are redheads or that they hail from South Australia. It is that both have a curious tendency to produce their best only when staring at defeat. Hewitt fans are used to their man dropping a set or two before pulling out his A-game. Ms Gillard too seems best when her back is against the wall. This was clear in the last election campaign following Cabinet leaks aimed at destroying her - she held a doorstop press conference and impressed with a purposeful denial stripped of all the lame scripting and woodiness of her usual approach. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/wrap-of-the-week-its-the-economy-stupid/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/wrap-of-the-week-its-the-economy-stupid/#item7726 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 Julia Gillard and her advisers believe they can see a narrow path to victory for Labor at the next federal election. They spent the Christmas break devising a political strategy aimed at taking the Government along that path. Wednesday’s speech by the prime minister - titled `Building a new Australian economy together’ - was, in effect, a map of the route she plans to take. Sadly for Gillard, it is almost certainly too late. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Gillards-mapping-a-route-but-will-probably-still-be-routed/ Julia Gillard and her advisers believe they can see a narrow path to victory for Labor at the next federal election. They spent the Christmas break devising a political strategy aimed at taking the Government along that path. Wednesday’s speech by the prime minister - titled `Building a new Australian economy together’ - was, in effect, a map of the route she plans to take. Sadly for Gillard, it is almost certainly too late. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Gillards-mapping-a-route-but-will-probably-still-be-routed/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Gillards-mapping-a-route-but-will-probably-still-be-routed/#item7684 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 Julia Gillard and her advisers believe they can see a narrow path to victory for Labor at the next federal election. They spent the Christmas break devising a political strategy aimed at taking the Government along that path. Wednesday’s speech by the prime minister - titled `Building a new Australian economy together’ - was, in effect, a map of the route she plans to take. Sadly for Gillard, it is almost certainly too late. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/kevin-could-be-better-or-it-could-be-even-kruddier/ As key moments go, it ranked with Gough Whitlam’s dramatic dismissal speech branding Malcolm Fraser “Kerr’s cur’’ or the latter’s lip-quivering concession on election night, 1983. It was June 24, 2010. Before a huge media throng, a teary Kevin Rudd, his composure failing, his bewildered family staring awkwardly forward, detailed his achievements one by one. Long silences exacerbated the tension. It was excruciating. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/kevin-could-be-better-or-it-could-be-even-kruddier/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/kevin-could-be-better-or-it-could-be-even-kruddier/#item7685 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 Julia Gillard and her advisers believe they can see a narrow path to victory for Labor at the next federal election. They spent the Christmas break devising a political strategy aimed at taking the Government along that path. Wednesday’s speech by the prime minister - titled `Building a new Australian economy together’ - was, in effect, a map of the route she plans to take. Sadly for Gillard, it is almost certainly too late. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/butchers-papering-over-the-cracks-in-caucus/ Julia Gillard will need to do more to win over the MPs who have deserted her than the offer of a sizzled sausage and a weekend whiteboard session. The love may have come too late. With Parliament due to resume in less than two weeks, the fragility of the PM’s leadership will be the issue she most has to deal with. And for her, there can be no moving forward from the horrors of last year, until she gets the monkey off her back. For that reason, Labor MPs are left with little doubt that the so called special caucus “planning day” scheduled for the Sunday before Parliament resumes, is all about Kevin Rudd. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/butchers-papering-over-the-cracks-in-caucus/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/butchers-papering-over-the-cracks-in-caucus/#item7603 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 Julia Gillard and her advisers believe they can see a narrow path to victory for Labor at the next federal election. They spent the Christmas break devising a political strategy aimed at taking the Government along that path. Wednesday’s speech by the prime minister - titled `Building a new Australian economy together’ - was, in effect, a map of the route she plans to take. Sadly for Gillard, it is almost certainly too late. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/beware-the-pro-lifers-doing-hard-labor-on-abortion/ Labor for Life may sound like a North Korean punishment but it is, in fact, a fringe group that apparently departs quite radically from Labor policy. They want to see an ‘end’ to abortion, a position which is closer to that of the Australian Christian Lobby (the ACL has endorsed them in a newsletter) than those of the Liberal or Labor Party. On their Facebook site, they take what could be a sly dig at Opposition Leader Tony Abbott’s view that abortion should be “safe, legal and rare” with links to a poster that reads: “Anti-abolitionists of the 19th Century said they just wanted to keep slavery ‘safe, legal and rare’.” feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/beware-the-pro-lifers-doing-hard-labor-on-abortion/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/beware-the-pro-lifers-doing-hard-labor-on-abortion/#item7590 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 Julia Gillard and her advisers believe they can see a narrow path to victory for Labor at the next federal election. They spent the Christmas break devising a political strategy aimed at taking the Government along that path. Wednesday’s speech by the prime minister - titled `Building a new Australian economy together’ - was, in effect, a map of the route she plans to take. Sadly for Gillard, it is almost certainly too late. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/give-the-coalition-time-and-theyll-vote-for-gay-marriage/ Marriage equality is too serious an issue to play political games with and too important an issue to be set up to fail. This is why supporters of the reform want calm heads to prevail and for the bill to be introduced at the right time. It’s important the Labor Party approaches this reform strategically and doesn’t jump the gun. Too many people within Labor have worked too hard to change the ALP’s policy platform for it all to be squandered on a premature vote. Because the ALP has allowed a conscience vote for its MPs, reform has very little chance unless the Coalition allows a conscience vote too. Coalition leader Tony Abbott has so far ruled out a conscience vote, but there is growing support within the Coalition for a different, fairer approach. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/give-the-coalition-time-and-theyll-vote-for-gay-marriage/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/give-the-coalition-time-and-theyll-vote-for-gay-marriage/#item7469 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 Julia Gillard and her advisers believe they can see a narrow path to victory for Labor at the next federal election. They spent the Christmas break devising a political strategy aimed at taking the Government along that path. Wednesday’s speech by the prime minister - titled `Building a new Australian economy together’ - was, in effect, a map of the route she plans to take. Sadly for Gillard, it is almost certainly too late. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/with-enemies-like-these-who-needs-friends/ As a Labor MP who joined the party as a teenager it will be no surprise to learn that, for me, the grand enemy has always been the Liberals. That pretentious blue “L” which appropriates the Australian flag set in the middle of a prissy blue rosette pinned on an overly groomed and unreasonably confident young man was the embodiment of all that was wrong with our country. It was these types who in government squandered the economic opportunities of the sixties, couldn’t make a decision to save themselves, sneakily avoided packing up the Christmas table, and I am positive were to blame for the fall of Singapore. By contrast Labor represented a balance of determination and enlightenment. Unlike conservatives who wanted things to stay the same, we had ideas. We fought for the rights of working Australians and we opened up our economy. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/with-enemies-like-these-who-needs-friends/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/with-enemies-like-these-who-needs-friends/#item7423 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 Julia Gillard and her advisers believe they can see a narrow path to victory for Labor at the next federal election. They spent the Christmas break devising a political strategy aimed at taking the Government along that path. Wednesday’s speech by the prime minister - titled `Building a new Australian economy together’ - was, in effect, a map of the route she plans to take. Sadly for Gillard, it is almost certainly too late. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/She-robs-Rudd-of-office-then-rubs-him-from-history/ “She gave us nothing really, no inspiration and no feeling for the party’s mood. She calls Abbott ‘Dr No’ but it’s Julia who’s going to be known for saying no, and sometimes for things she later praises like emissions trading and probably gay marriage.” This damning critique came not from an Opposition MP or conservative commentator, but a moderate member of the ALP’s Left. It speaks to a growing frustration that was all too evident in Sydney last weekend when the PM had to be rescued from the membership following the embarrassing “we are us” opening address to National Conference. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/She-robs-Rudd-of-office-then-rubs-him-from-history/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/She-robs-Rudd-of-office-then-rubs-him-from-history/#item7337 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 Julia Gillard and her advisers believe they can see a narrow path to victory for Labor at the next federal election. They spent the Christmas break devising a political strategy aimed at taking the Government along that path. Wednesday’s speech by the prime minister - titled `Building a new Australian economy together’ - was, in effect, a map of the route she plans to take. Sadly for Gillard, it is almost certainly too late. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Is-the-party-over-for-labor/ When Gough Whitlam set out to reform the Labor Party and its structure in the 1960s, he was prepared to risk everything in the cause. “You’ve got to crash through or you’ve got to crash,” he said. And he put first the deputy leadership, and then the leadership, on the line in a series of battles to achieve necessary change. Now Labor needs reforming again. Urgently. Party elders warn it will wither and die unless drastic action is taken. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Is-the-party-over-for-labor/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Is-the-party-over-for-labor/#item7291 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 Julia Gillard and her advisers believe they can see a narrow path to victory for Labor at the next federal election. They spent the Christmas break devising a political strategy aimed at taking the Government along that path. Wednesday’s speech by the prime minister - titled `Building a new Australian economy together’ - was, in effect, a map of the route she plans to take. Sadly for Gillard, it is almost certainly too late. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/alp-conference-this-partys-no-cause-for-celebration/ The ALP national conference is coming up and this time it might actually be interesting rather than an event more scripted than an inflight safety announcement. By this time next week the Labor Party will know whether it has reinforced its claim to stand for something or simply invited internal voices of dissent to an unseemly shouting match. Further, Julia Gillard will know whether the party gave her the authority she needed or was marking her down because of the manner of her elevation. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/alp-conference-this-partys-no-cause-for-celebration/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/alp-conference-this-partys-no-cause-for-celebration/#item7249 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 Julia Gillard and her advisers believe they can see a narrow path to victory for Labor at the next federal election. They spent the Christmas break devising a political strategy aimed at taking the Government along that path. Wednesday’s speech by the prime minister - titled `Building a new Australian economy together’ - was, in effect, a map of the route she plans to take. Sadly for Gillard, it is almost certainly too late.