Paul Strangio writes in The Conversation (30.6.16) about Leader of the Opposition, Bill Shorten, and how successful he’s been at presenting a united front at the head of the federal Labor Party. This follows contributions from other authors assessing the leadership style of some of the major party leaders.
‘Campaigning for the Labor leadership against Anthony Albanese in 2013, Bill Shorten vowed that, if successful: “You will hear less about ‘I’ and more about ‘we’. The era of the messiah is over”.
‘Shorten prevailed and, looking back over his nearly three years as opposition leader, including this election campaign, it is reasonable to conclude that he has fulfilled that pledge of leadership modesty.
‘Shorten has steered the party to traditional Labor policy ground, been team-oriented and unpretentious in performance. To put it another way, he has nestled into the bosom of the party following the familial traumas catalysed by the reign of the imperious Kevin Rudd.’
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