From AUKUS to Gaza and now Iran, the government’s instinct has been to avoid political traps rather than confront hard choices – and voters are drifting away.

The Albanese government has made an art form of not been wedged – from AUKUS to Gaza and now Iran. The results are showing in the continuing erosion of ALP support.

The post war peak of ALP first preference votes was 53 per cent in 1972. At the last election it was 35 per cent. In current polling it is now down to 32 per cent.

The last election was described as a wide but shallow win for the ALP. It is increasingly looking very shallow with the Prime Minister’s net approval slumping from plus 30 points in 2022 to minus 15 points now.

Most of the ALP loss has gone to the Greens. But the ALP doesn’t seem to care as about 80 per cent of those votes come back in preferences.

There is clearly a growing frustration around the world in a lurch to the right by people who believe that governments and established political parties are not listening to them and seem more interested in serving privileged elites.

This disillusionment with major political parties was obvious in a remarkable result in a recent by-election in the United Kingdom. In one of the safest Labour seats in the country in Manchester the Labour vote fell to 25 per cent and put the party in third place. The Greens won on 41 per cent. The British Labour Party may be on the way to extinction. The ALP should take heed.

Anthony Albanese has power but is reluctant to use it for fear of upsetting special interests at home and abroad. His first impulse on any difficult issue seems to be, how can I avoid being wedged?

The most recent example was the Israeli inspired US attack on Iran. Anthony Albanese, Penny Wong and the unfortunate Richard Marles couldn’t get out of the blocks fast enough to support the illegal attack on Iran. They feared........

© Pearls and Irritations