EDITORIAL: PM’s UK tour crosses the line to self-promotion
Addressing his super-sized caucus for the first time after the election which cemented his place in Labor history as one of the party’s greatest heroes, Anthony Albanese told his MPs to remain focused on what mattered.
To stay humble. To maintain discipline. And to remember that their job was to represent their electorate and do what was in the national interest.
It was good advice in July when he gave it and it is good advice today.
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The Prime Minister’s overseas excursion has been an exercise in naked self-promotion.
First there was the self-indulgent trip to the United Nations during which he was able to fulfil his long-held ambition to recognise a sovereign Palestine
Never mind that doing so now is a direct reward for Hamas’ slaughter of 1200 Israelis on October 7 2023 and a slap in the face to our democratic ally in Israel.
What mattered more was that Mr Albanese was able to realise a fantasy he has held since his days as an economics undergrad at the University of Sydney.
Albanese’s counterparts know the dangers of hubris
That done, it was off to the United Kingdom to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with his friend Sir Keir Starmer at a UK Labour conference.
There was no pretending this was anything other than what it was — partisan politicking.
At least in New York there were meetings to be held; a bit of real diplomacy to fit in between acts of self-aggrandisation.
Not so in Liverpool.
He was there to show support for his “mate” Sir Keir. The pair share an ideological world view and thumping majorities, but while Mr Albanese’s Opposition back home have proven impotent to land a blow, Sir Keir is under enormous pressure domestically and from within his own team.
Standing behind a lectern emblazoned with Labour branding, Mr Albanese implored those within the party who would do his mate in to stay the course.
“It takes time to turn promises into progress. It takes time for plans to work and be seen to work,” he said.
In return for his endorsement of the UK’s embattled PM, Mr Albanese was feted as a leftist hero — in Sir Keir’s own words, “a real inspiration to those of us on the left, someone who is leading his country in the politics of renewal”.
Mr Albanese’s appearance was well-received by his British audience. They are a party desperate for any hint of hope.
But back home, his oration has set off alarm bells among the more savvy of Labor heavies.
They know the dangers of hubris. They know of its power to bring down leaders who may otherwise seem untouchable, even if it is a lesson Mr Albanese appears to have forgotten since his warning of just a few months ago.
He’s taken the gamble that what he says to an audience of dispirited Brits in search of inspiration won’t matter all that much to Australians back home. He’s right.
What will matter to them however is a sneaking suspicion that their own interests are being shunted aside in favour of their Prime Minister’s self-interest.
