Richard Farmer's Daily Email Briefing

Timely insights into politics.
Every weekday morning.

BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

FREE trial

NEWS AND VIEWS
Australia

Other Countries

The Sad Case of the Democrats

Monday, 22nd May, 2006

The Democrats were founded on the all care and no responsibility motto and practised it for years. Then there was the aberration when they did care and did act responsibly to allow the Government to introduce the GST. That decision might have been right for the country but it certainly wasn't for the Democrats as a party.

At the last election not a single Democrat was elected to the Senate. Their remaining four Senators are definitely outsiders to retain their seats next time.

Founder Don Chipp, 80 years old and suffering from Parkinson's disease, was looking fitter than his Party when he addressed its annual conference in Melbourne on Saturday. "The party is not only in a low position in the public esteem but it seems to be in a continuous downward spiral," he told the delegates.

Mr Chipp told the conference the deterioration of the Democrats party was "too painful to dwell on."

“Why has this wonderful creation ... deteriorated to such an extent that almost all political commentators forecast its death at the election to be held next year,” he said. “The voters' disgust and resentment of the two major parties is infinitely greater than 30 years ago. The desire to change is as popular as ever."

Current Leader Lyn Allison at least seems to understand the reason. “The Democrats are still the only broad based party,” she said in her conference address, “and I emphasise NOT a single issue party, that has fought the conservative social agenda of the Coalition.”

Senator Allison obviously realises that between now and polling day she must try and undo the damage done by her colleagues who supported the GST. That will mean positioning the Democrats well to the left of the ALP which she described as voting with the Government in the Senate because it was “afraid of losing the shock-jock debate.”

An illustration of the difficulty the Party faces is shown by the press coverage of the weekend conference. Apart from a few reports of Don Chipp's remarks there wasn't any.

The Greens have stolen the mantle as the third force of significance.