“I am a (now former) Labor staffer. I spent all of today on a booth battling for votes, though my heart wasn’t really in it.
“My view on why Labor lost its way so badly? The desire of most of the ALP front bench to be media darlings and comedians. Honestly, you wouldn’t believe the insane amount of energy and time senior Ministers wasted trying to come with a clever tweet. If the choice was between reading a vital policy brief or coming up with a clever gag to throw in your Shadow’s face next sitting week, I think you can guess which one won out.
“Politics was seen as a contact sport where your primary goal was to get your face on the 7pm news saying something withering about the Tories … they didn’t just want to beat the LNP, they wanted to humiliate them and show the electorate that Labor was the party of clever gags and putdowns.
“I just think they looked at the electorate, saw your average Aussie as a bit of larrikan, up for a laugh and sledge, and made that the foundation of all party strategy.”
