After a surprise and dramatic selection there’s now a strange sense of excitement. As Melbourne flooded and Sydney was lashed by lightning storms and mysterious explosions, Mark Latham began his honeymoon as Leader of the Opposition.
He’s starting to look the part already, promising to drop the crudity of language that produced such memorable quotes as "arselick" and "a conga line of suckholes". That's a shame, but Latham does not look like a guy who will tone down his directness. When he speaks he usually says something. That in itself is refreshing.
In fact I find myself asking if this is the same guy that just a few days ago I thought wouldn’t be up to the job? It’s funny how in politics once you win the title, you get the aura of leadership as well.
On reflection, Latham’s selection could be the most influential move in Australian politics so far this century.
I say that because when Latham talks of “generational change”, you have to ask yourself what that means and whether that will deliver political traction to his stalled party. Labor now has the opportunity to tap into something huge.
While all the talk in politics is of economic performance indicators, health, welfare and security, ticking away in the background of both Australian and New Zealand politics and across the western world is a changing demographic. An ambitious, hungry and somewhat angry generation X (yes, I’m talking about the slackers of 1990) is eager to move into prime-time and displace the comfortable, complacent boomers (yes, the hippy revolutionaries of 1970).
Not only are these boomers not planning to do the decent thing and turn up their toes at seventy, they are planning to keep working as well , way past the age their own parents retired. And that is a big issue.
One Sydney Morning Herald writer described Howard congratulating Latham, focusing on how the young man reached out to grasp Howard's "boney" hand. There will be many more such comparisons.
For anyone who has witnessed generational conflict, whether in politics or in business, there is often blood on the floor. Talent will not be denied, whether it is in the possession of a young pretender or an old hand. People want and need opportunities.
At 42 Latham just scrapes into the more generous definitions of Generation X. Sitting on the cusp as he does he has an opportunity to reset the agenda. Labor was going to fight the next election on issues of health and welfare. The economy is doing all right and that makes life hard for an opposition. But now the Liberals are seizing the high ground by pumping money into Medicare and education, pulling the carpet form under Labor.
Crean had no response to this, except to get more and more shrill. Latham may be able to perform a political run-around. He may be able to steal back John Howard’s “battlers” and still hang on to the boomers and “elites” (Howard’s term for what kiwis would call Chardonnay Socialists).
Best of all, it'll be fun to watch. Latham may just be able to shake off the cloak of political indifference that has smothered politics here for the last few years, and played strongly in Howard's favour.
People may find they really have a voice.