The electoral fortunes of the ALP seem to have turned around since its national conference.
Recent polls have the two major parties level, and the Liberals behind on a two-party preferred basis.
The intelligence justifying the Iraq war is being disputed, the free trade agreement with the US is getting criticism, not credit, and politicians' superannuation has become a nightmare for PM John Howard.
All of a sudden, the ALP looks confident, electable and on the offensive.
But that would be overstating the case. Labor has been there before and lost. The questions remain: is the ALP pursuing a strategy that can beat Howard and would Latham's electoral success make any difference to the lives of working people?
The ALP conference revealed the contradictions of Latham's leadership.
The conference theme was designed to reconcile contradictions between the ALP's economic rationalist leadership and its traditional electoral base. "Opportunity for all" is a populist pitch for Labor's heartland, which hates the damage done by Howard and his neoliberal policies.
For many of the Labor Left and their supporters it offers the promise of education for all, health care for all and the protection of what is left of the welfare state. But that is not exactly what Latham is promising.
Latham made a name for himself as the leading advocate of "third way" politics in Australia, attacking the "elites" of "both the left and the right". Latham advocated the rebuilding of "social capital" free from both corporate hierarchy and state bureaucracy.
Just like British PM Tony Blair, Latham espouses conservative values shared by Howard and former British PM Margaret Thatcher. Traditional "values" like hard work, individualism and sexist stereotypes are the wrapping for an economic-rationalist core opposed to the welfare state.
This was highlighted during the ALP conference debate on refugee policy by Matt Collins, convenor of Labor for Refugees. "The theme of this conference is 'opportunity for all'. Well what about opportunity for asylum seekers in the detention centres? What about opportunity for those living on temporary protection visas?"
The response exposed the attitude of ALP leaders, with both NSW Premier Bob Carr and Latham using Howard's language of "border protection", "illegal refugees" and "people smuggling" to defend a policy little different from the Liberals', described by the Labor Left as racist.
On most other issues at the conference there was little debate or discussion of the detail of the party's policy, only a commitment to "fiscal responsibility".
Which is how the ALP leadership wants it. It hopes to win an election without making clear promises or raising expectations that a Latham government will deliver any real change.
Can Latham pull off such a smoke and mirrors trick of appealing to Labor tradition but continuing to act as a neoliberal advocate? The model seems to be the populism of Queensland Premier Peter Beattie, self-styled "media tart", who presents himself as attacking politicians and privilege and listening to communities.
The ALP conference made it clear that Latham's Labor will use populism to attack Howard. Shadow ministers have consistently attacked the Howard government as dishonest, unfair and wasting money.
The problem is that Latham is not attacking Howard from the left. This may unsettle Howard, but it will not dispel the cynicism about Labor among its left supporters.
Most want Labor to attack the government. Many workers who want an end to Howard won't give Latham's Labor a blank cheque.
It is the absence of a left platform coming out of the ALP conference that makes the federal election campaign of the Socialist Alliance so important. We must build a clear alternative to Latham Labor.
If elected, Latham will argue that the electorate endorsed his "ladder of opportunity" and commitment to "fiscal responsibility" and the rest of the right-wing policies.
A good vote for the Socialist Alliance would challenge Latham's claim of a mandate. It would mean opposition to the occupation of Iraq and support for the anti-war movement. It would demonstrate opposition to the racism of mandatory detention and "border protection".
It would challenge the idea that there is no alternative to market competition in health and education. It would register total opposition to the US-Australia free trade agreement and corporate globalisation.
All Socialist Alliance candidates have pledged that if elected they would not just refuse the generous superannuation that politicians get, they would only take the wage of an average worker.
And instead of Latham's "ladder of opportunity", a strong vote for the Socialist Alliance would reaffirm the labour tradition of social spending to raise everyone up together, funded by taxing business and the rich.
The Socialist Alliance will be putting forward a positive platform of alternative policies without spin-doctoring, playing our part to get rid of Howard and his policies, and to challenge the ALP over following in his footsteps.
Brian Webb
[The author is a member of the national executive of the Socialist Alliance. Visit <http://www.socialist-alliance.org>.]
From Green Left Weekly, February 25, 2004.
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