Abstract
The presence of Opposition is widely considered a prerequisite if any given polity is to merit the distinction of being ‘democratic’.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Opposition is generally meant throughout this book in the sense of parties in the legislature whose main role is to criticise and provide a governing alternative to the executive. Wing-yat and Ka-man follow Barker by homing in on ‘loyal opposition in the form of groups that oppose and confront the authorities, but only under the umbrella of existing institutions… Loyal opposition groups aim to share political power and provide alternatives rather than overthrowing the extant regime’ (Wing-yat & Ka-man, 2012: 99). Thus it is in Oppositions with a capital ‘O’ which we are primarily interested, though at times the ALP and its extra-parliamentary organisations can be considered a force of opposition in the broader—even if never revolutionary (rhetoric aside)—sense, as was notable in the period of the late-1960s and early 1970s, as we shall see.
- 2.
Caucus is synonymous with the FPLP, which meets regularly during parliamentary sessions. When the party is in government its power over the ministry waxes and wanes, but historically it has had the power to elect ministers and shadow ministers, whose portfolios have then normally been allocated by the sitting Labor prime minister. Much was made of Kevin Rudd’s attempt to change this in 2007 to give himself as party leader the power to select and allocate frontbench positions, but in reality he was forced to consult with factional leaders in relation to personnel choices (see Kefford, 2013: 139).
- 3.
The term reformism encompasses both ‘labourism’ and ‘social democracy’, which are subtly different (see Manning, 1992; see also Postscript). Arguably, what both have in common is unstinting opposition to revolution as the means by which to eradicate injustice and inequality, as well as a reservoir of tolerance for the institutions of capitalist society, in particular parliament, and the state more generally. See also my Death of Social Democracy (2008), Chaps. 2 and 5 especially.
- 4.
The FPLP comprises all of the ALP candidates elected to serve in the federal parliament, both in the House of Representatives (Lower House) and the Senate (Upper House).
References
Bishop, P., & Wanna, J. (2002). Reforming Government: Outsourcing, privatisation and commercialisation. In E. van Acker & G. Curran (Eds.), Business, Government and Globalisation. Pearson: Government and Globalisation, Frenchs Forest.
Crisp, L. F. (1961). Ben Chifley: A biography. Croydon: Longmans.
Dahl, R. A. (Ed.). (1966). Political oppositions in western democracies. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Economou, N., & Costar, B. (2002). Victoria: Flawed jewel in the labor crown? In J. Warhurst & M. Simms (Eds.), 2001: the centenary election. USA: University of Queensland Press.
Freudenberg, G. (1977). A certain grandeur: Gough Whitlam in politics. Melbourne: Sun Books.
Giddens, A. (1994). Beyond left and right: The future of radical politics. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Hayden, B. (1996). Hayden: An autobiography. Sydney: Angus and Robertson.
Helms, L. (2004). Five ways of institutionalizing political opposition: Lessons from the advanced democracies. Government and Opposition, 39 (1).
Henderson, G. (1998). Labor plans IR knockout. Sydney Morning Herald, Sept 8.
Kefford, G. (2013). The presidentialisation of Australian Politics? Kevin Rudd’s leadership of the Australian Labor Party. Australian Journal of Political Science, 48(2).
Kerr, D. (2001). Elect the ambassador! Building democracy in a globalised world. Annandale: Pluto Press.
Kotzé, H., & García-Rivero, C. (2008). Opposition party support in Africa: An elite-mass analysis. Government and Opposition, 43(3).
Maddox, G. (1989). The Hawke Government and labor tradition. Ringwood: Penguin.
Maddox, G. (1996). Australian democracy in theory and practice (3rd ed.). Melbourne: Longman.
Mair, P. (2013). Ruling the void: The hollowing of western democracy. London: Verso.
Manning, H. (1992). The ALP and the Union Movement: ‘Catch-All’ party or maintaining tradition? Australian Journal of Political Science, 27(1).
Mújica, A., & Sánchez-Cuenca, I. (2006). Consensus and parliamentary opposition: The case of Spain. Government and Opposition, 41(1).
Oakes, L., & Solomon, D. (1973). The making of an Australian Prime Minister. Melbourne: Cheshire.
Pimlott, B. (1992). Harold Wilson. Hammersmith: Harper Collins.
Punnett, R. M. (1973). Front-bench opposition: The role of the leader of the opposition, the shadow cabinet and shadow government in British politics. London: Heinemann.
Reid, G. S., & Forrest, M. (1989). Australia’s commonwealth parliament 1901–1988: Ten perspectives. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press.
Sawer, M. (2002). In safe hands? Women in the 2001 election. In J. Warhurst & M. Simms (Eds.), 2001: The Centenary Election. USA: University of Queensland Press.
Thompson, E. (2002). New South Wales. In J. Warhurst & M. Simms (Eds.), 2001: The centenary election. USAL: University of Queensland Press.
Wing-yat, E. Y., & Ka-man, N. C. (2012). The political opposition and democracy in Macao: Revolutionaries or loyalists? Government and Opposition, 47(1).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Lavelle, A. (2018). Introduction: Opposition with a Capital ‘O’. In: Opposition Vanishing. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5825-7_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5825-7_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-10-5824-0
Online ISBN: 978-981-10-5825-7
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)