Reconnecting Labor

In the battle for the dominance of ideas in the Australian political landscape the ALP seems bereft; the Howard-Thatcher vision of a deregulated, privatised non-society seems irreversible. Why has Labor lost its way? Is it a basket case? If the light on the hill is not just history what does Labor need to do to reconnect with the Australian people and end John Howard's extraordinary dominance?

Barry Donovan talked to a wide range of figures associated with Labor at all levels of politics about their hopes and aspirations for the ALP. He examines the political arcs of Bob Hawke, Mark Latham, and Kim Beazley and analyses the tactics of Labor's successful state leaders like Steve Bracks and Clare Martin. There are insightful interviews with Sue Pieters-Hawke, and Labor warhorse Rodney Cavalier, but rather than concentrate on the usual suspects, Reconnecting Labor looks to Labor's future in in-depth interviews with various rising political stars, including federal ministers Julia Gillard and Tony Burke, union leader Bill Shorten, Clare O'Neil, Mark Arbib, and Evan Thorneley.

'Reconnecting Labor' is an insightful look at how the "people's party" can develop policies that directly resonate and reconnect with the electorate.