Opposition Vanishing

The Australian Labor Party and the Crisis in Elite Politics
Softcover Nachdruck of the original 1. Auflage 2018
ISBN: 978-981-13-5501-1
Verlag: Springer Nature Singapore

Buch, Englisch, 313 Seiten, Paperback, Format (B × H): 155 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 499 g

This book questions the common understanding of party political behaviour, explaining some of the sharp differences in political behaviour through a focused case study—drawing systematically on primary and archival research—of the Australian Labor Party’s political and policy directions during select periods in which it was out of office at the federal level: from 1967–72, 1975–83, and 1996–2001. Why is it that some Oppositions contest elections with an extensive array of detailed policies, many of which contrast with the approach of the government at the time, while others can be widely criticised as ‘policy lazy’ and opportunistic, seemingly capitulating to the government of the day? Why do some Oppositions lurch to the right, while others veer leftward? Each of these periods was, in its own way, crucial in the party’s history, and each raises important questions about Opposition behaviour.

The book examines the factors that shaped the overall direction in which theparty moved during its time in Opposition, including whether it was oriented towards emphasising programmes traditionally associated with social democrats, such as pensions, unemployment support, and investment in public health, education, infrastructure, and publicly owned enterprises, as well as policies aimed at reducing the exploitation of workers. In each period of Opposition examined, an argument is made as to why Labor moved in a particular direction, and how this period compared to the other periods surveyed.

The book rounds off with analysis of the generalisability of the conclusions drawn: how relevant are they for understanding the behaviour of other parties elsewhere in the world? Where are social democratic parties such as the ALP heading? Is Opposition an institution in decline in the Western world?

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Lavelle, Ashley

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Ideologien Sozialismus
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Systeme Wahlen und Volksabstimmungen
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Systeme Politische Parteien
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Australische und Pazifische Geschichte
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politikwissenschaft Allgemein Politische Geschichte
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politikwissenschaft Allgemein Politische Studien zu einzelnen Ländern und Gebieten

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Chapter 1: The Whys and Wherefores: What Oppositions Do.- Chapter 2: The First Whitlam Opposition (1967-72) – The Impact of the Vietnam War and Conscription.- Chapter 3: Industrial Relations Policy and Labor’s Relationship with the Unions.- Chapter 4: Labor in Opposition in a New Economic Paradigm.- Chapter 5: The Labor Opposition and the Uranium Debate (1976-1982).- Chapter 6: The Labor Opposition and the Accord.- Chapter 7: Labor’s Political Direction, 1996-2000 – Continuity Between Government and Opposition.- Chapter 8: Beazley Labor and Globalisation - The Continuation of Bipartisanship.- Chapter 9: Beazley and the ‘Small Target’ - The Tampa, September 11, and the 2001 Federal Election.- Chapter 10: Labor in Opposition – Contrasts and Continuities.

Über Autor(innen)

Ashley Lavelle is a lecturer in politics at Macquarie University, Sydney Australia. He writes and researches extensively in the area of politics and social democracy, and has contributed to a wide range of journals. He has published three books prior to this one: The Death of Social Democracy, The Politics of Betrayal, and Radical Challenges to the Family.