AT THE END OF HISTORY, TWO PARTIES IS ONE TOO MANY:

Labor's death agonies (John Passant - posted Wednesday, 4 August 2010, Online Opinion)

With 52 per cent of the vote on a two party preferred basis, the Conservative coalition would easily win the election.

There are two trends discernible. One is the short term one - the possible defeat of the Labor Government at this election.

The other is the long term move of the ALP from “the left” (broadly defined) to the right.

This long term trend finds expression in the similarity between the two major parties on most policies.

Where are the real differences between them on Afghanistan, refugees, climate change, the ABCC (Australian Building and Construction Commissioner), the gender pay gap, the Northern Territory invasion, the transfer of wealth from workers to capital, the lengthening of the working day, the slow privatisation of public services etc, etc …

I see little difference at all.

The structural changes within society and the increasing role of the managerial class of capitalism have reflected themselves in the ALP and its takeover by that sub-class both personnel wise and intellectually. Labor has become little more than the second eleven of capital.

Partisanship has surged since the end of the Cold War precisely because there's no meaningful difference between the parties anymore. We're all Third Way.

Posted by Orrin Judd at August 3, 2010 5:55 PM