Prospects and pessimism

The Alliance Alternative in Australia: Beyond Labor and Liberal
Edited by Robert Leach
Catalyst Press, 1995.
Left Book Club Co-operative, $17 (p)
Reviewed by Jim McIlroy The Australian two-party political system is in crisis. After 12 years of right-wing Labor in power, and with "economic rationalism" the unchallenged credo of both the ALP and the Liberals, a gaping vacuum has developed on the progressive side of politics in this country. So far, neither the Greens nor the Australian Democrats have been able to separately fill the gap, even within the electoral arena which is their central focus. Meanwhile, across the Tasman, the New Zealand Alliance has shaken NZ politics to the core. This combination of the NewLabour Party, the Greens, the Maori Mana Motuhake and two smaller parties has broken Labour's stranglehold on the left of NZ politics. The NZ Alliance has shifted the national debate to the left and challenged the hegemony of economic rationalism in that country. Could such a breakthrough be repeated in Australia? According to Bob Leach in his editor's introduction to The Alliance Alternative, it is possible. He writes: "This book is a beginning to a debate: should Australia's centre-left parties and movements come together in an Alliance, as has happened in New Zealand? Some contributors to this book are cautious; others are enthusiastic; others still persistently see themselves as the only possibility for others to join, overlooking the fact that only a federation built on consensus like the NZ Alliance will please people of different ideological positions and class backgrounds. "The way forward for the left in countries like Australia is ... through democracy and its extension into all areas of society. This means a considerate and tolerant approach to each other by those who would attempt to make an effective alliance of parties. Launching a discussion among a number of those who would be involved in moving toward an alliance-style formation in Australia is a brave project. While the statement of position by a number of the contributors represents a valuable starting point, however, the overall result emphasises just how far we are from an effective, broad, progressive alliance in this country. Partly this is just an objective problem based on the very heterogeneous viewpoints of the contributors and their topics. There are also major disparities between the more theoretical/historical background chapters and the more immediately focussed contributions by political practitioners. The bulk of the contributions indicate not only the variety of experiences within the left and progressive movement in recent years, but also the severe difficulties of forging a lasting alliance between such divergent forces. The contrast between the optimism expressed in Penelope Whitney's chapter on "The New Zealand Alliance: the power of diversity", and the majority of contributions on the Australian situation, is most striking. Whitney writes: "[Alliance campaign director] Matt McCarten has faith in the future: 'First they said we could not get together — and we did. Then they said we could not agree on a policy — and we have. Then they said we wouldn't rate in the election — and we did. Now that Alliance support matches that of the other two major parties ... they're saying we could be the next government." Whitney also notes: "Working co-operatively has also favoured the Alliance. 'Joining forces with other parties and looking as if we were working in a constructive way rather than a destructive way like the major parties has made a difference', says Petronella Townsend, Alliance policy committee member." This outlook contrasts with the general absence of a "considerate and tolerant approach" by the Australian contributors to the book. The comment in Cheryl Kernot and Tony Walters' chapter on the Democrats and an alliance is a striking example: "Other players hardly count, unless there is an unforeseen split in Labor ranks as in NZ ... The Indigenous People's Party is but one of many factions within indigenous people's politics. The New Left Party is all but defunct and the emergence of the Greens has denuded the Rainbow Alliance and similar green organisations. In spite of their protestations, the Democratic Socialist Party has been locked out by the Greens and along with other socialist parties is extremely marginalised. "Hence the key development in forging an alliance ... would be a merger between the Democrats and Greens, because they are by far the best-organised of the eligible groups, and the only ones with representatives in parliament". The Democrats thereby wipe out just about the entire progressive end of the political spectrum from any involvement in an alliance! Such sectarianism and lack of optimism about the prospects of a broad, left alliance is unfortunately echoed by several of the contributions. In dealing with the comparison with the NZ Alliance, the contributors to this book concentrate on the (undoubted) differences between NZ conditions and Australia. They appear to miss the crucial lesson of NZ — the necessity for a fundamental attitude of co-operation, non-sectarianism, inclusiveness and openness, without preconditions, in order to achieve success. Several contributors deal with particular organisations which have attempted to launch projects for the reconstruction of the Australian left in the 1980s and early '90s — Frank Stilwell on the now-disbanded New Left Party and Jim Falk on the Rainbow Alliance, for example. And while a number of contributors raise genuine concerns about the goals of any alliance, and the need for unity between political parties and community groups, the gap between theory and practice in this country becomes obvious. In the end, the only concrete proposal for an alliance that is put forward is that between the two largest forces: "The Democrats and the Greens are an obvious core of any future alliance politics in this country", writes Queensland Greens leader Drew Hutton. But Hutton then outlines the serious obstacles facing such a union: "Efforts have been made to establish a closer relationship ... and, while there has certainly been no lack of hostility ... from within the Greens, I believe the main obstacle comes from the strong feeling within the Democrats that they are the third-force party in Australia." The suspicion is clearly mutual, as the Kernot-Walters chapter explains. "There will be no alliance before the next election", they state. "Once the make-up of the next Senate is known, negotiations may be reopened. "If third-force politics is to develop and have significant impact ... then the only practical alternative is the Democrats. We have the structure, the personnel, the experience and the record of achievement to sustain a national political party to carry forward the agenda associated with third-force politics." Most worrying is the lack of a broader strategy for social change among the major contributors. How would any electoral alliance fit into a strategy to create the socially just, ecologically sustainable world all parties claim as their goal? Drew Hutton refers to the possibility of a "red-green alliance", between greens and the union movement, but correctly notes that the unions are still firmly tied to the ALP, with little sign of that historical link being challenged. Perhaps, the new Australian Women's Party (founded since the book went to press) signals future breakaway formations from the Labor Party monolith. A broader question, however, is the recognition that political power does not reside in parliament, and that any realistic alliance project must see electoral campaigns as merely one, albeit important, part of a wider strategy for social transformation. A future electoral alliance must be based on a broader grassroots coalition between political parties, and people's movements and organisations. Both Kernot-Walters and Hutton refer approvingly to the Green Alliance, formed in 1991 to contest the Brisbane City Council elections, as a positive example of a broader alliance. The Green Alliance included the Democrats and the then-nascent Greens, the Democratic Socialist Party, the Socialist Party of Australia, the Rainbow Alliance, and other progressive groups and individuals. A joint campaign for mayor and a unified policy development process was undertaken, with exceptionally favourable results. Each party ran candidates under its own name in selected wards, under the general Green Alliance umbrella. The vote result averaged over 10%. Unfortunately, the Green Alliance was not maintained and future events overtook it. Maybe the time has come to have another look at that alliance and the co-operative process that accompanied it. Such an approach is essential if the admirable goal of an alternative alliance in Australia is to be made real. If this book generates debate in that direction, it will have served a useful purpose in the present turmoil facing the progressive movement in this country.
[The writer is Queensland secretary of the Democratic Socialist Party.]