Good from afar, but so far to go

Lots of Cheshire grins, some champagne, and backslapping. Its 8:30 am in central London, and the party faithful are faithfully partying, waiting for the anticipated ‘Ruddslide.’ Three and a half hours later, a grinning, slightly pensive Kevin Rudd clambers up on stage to announce his vision for the future. The cheers are resounding, but not as loud as the boo’s reserved for Howard.

That’s the irony. I, like so many of my peers, have found myself firmly entrenched in the ‘anyone but Howard’ camp this election. Seeing Kevin take the stage was sweet, but it was nothing on watching Howard relinquish it.  

For the first time in memory, Howard strayed from the script. He was gracious, but obviously seething. Bubbling beneath the surface of his calm demeanour was something approaching, an acknowledgement of personal responsibility for all that had befallen his party. I wonder if can bring himself to say sorry this time. 

Up there in front of the cameras, as the spotlight dimmed, Howard had one last go at reaffirming the legacy of his leadership. He’d made us stronger, safer - more prosperous. He’d overseen a booming economy and proudly planted Australia’s flag, exclaiming the “greatest country in the world”. It was full of nationalist sentiment for John Howard’s Australia. But now the real Australia had spoken.  

He stayed too long, dithering in the middle, before finally signing off. Perhaps it was a metaphor for his leadership. No one dared give him the ‘wind up’ signal, so he continued to re-hash old ground. 

One chapter ends; then as Rudd put it, “together, we write a new page in history.” Watching him at the lectern, I felt a little uncertain whether anything truly radically new would be written on it. He was staid, predictable, cautious, yet the problems he outlined require ambitious solutions: the education revolution, a sustainable approach to environmental management and a truly inclusive Australia. Brave words will need to be matched by equally brave policy. They demand a government driven by political fortitude, not fortuity. No more a lucky country, but one that makes its own luck.  

My personal hope is that this Government isn’t remembered so much as the Rudd years, but are defined by its deputies: the Gillard’s, the Garret’s, the Tanner’s.  

Rudd has proven himself inoffensive enough to win the swing votes of Western Sydney and outer Brisbane. Yet come July 2008 and the overhaul of the Senate, Rudd and Labor will have to begin to push Australia in a brave new direction. It’s not going to be easy. 

As I left the cellar bar at Penderell’s Oak and passed the jubilant Kevin07’s huddling outside, I caught a glimpse of the future Australia Rudd had outlined in his speech: young, multi-ethnic, hard working and internationally minded. I thought to myself, “We have here the building blocks for change.” Yet I knew in my heart that it might not be up to us.  

There are difficult times ahead. The global economy will experience a decline – perhaps even a recession – fuelled by a collapse of US demand. Once the good times reach a pause and the national bank balance doesn’t look so flush, what will happen to Labor’s grand commitments on 21^st century infrastructure, sustainable energy and education? What will happen to their ‘fair go’ policies? 

I had a long walk home –  we have a long march ahead of us. Kevin07 is just the first step on it.

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