MAD MAX: McKew reveals a celebrity career in crisis

Maxine McKew is yet another celebrity candidate who is proving a dud, according to Labor caucus insiders.

While quickly promoted under Kevin Rudd to become a Parliamentary Secretary, McKew was said to be impatient for promotion and was particularly troubled by the elevation of Greg Combet, who she regards as an over-rated Lothario. She explained to those in caucus still listening that Combet and Mark Arbib’s promotion over her was all because of the “factions”.

THE MAXINE
McKew’s political strategy to cope with these disappointments, such as it was, in Canberra was to embrace the Fuhrer principle more enthusiastically than any of Rudd’s other willing executioners in caucus. Indeed, caucus insiders speak of a secret award made after each caucus meeting by MPs discussing the proceedings over a latte. The award is known as “The Maxine”, awarded to “the biggest suckhole” effort directed by an individual caucus member to the leadership during the meeting. Insiders explain that McKew very often wins the award herself although was previously offered stiff competition by a number of willing executioners, ministerial aspirants and Daryl Melham. It is not known whether the previously secret “The Maxine” award will continue into the Gillard era.

She sipped the Rudd Kool-Aid even if Rudd’s view of her was privately scathing, insiders say. He is believed to have referred to her on occasion as “Mad Max”. The name has stuck.

She sipped the Rudd Kool-Aid even if Rudd’s view of her was privately scathing, insiders say. He is believed to have referred to her on occasion as “Mad Max”. The name has stuck.

Despite this designation, McKew is believed to have been the only member of caucus who attended Rudd’s farewell at the Lodge where staffers drowned their sorrows and even chucked the boss in the pool. McKew is still writhing around in pain about the whole thing, if the weekend’s press is any guide. Some cynics interpret the move as a very unsubtle bid for promotion after the next election.

MAD MAX ATTACKS
She attacked factional leaders from the NSW Right, made it clear she wasn’t going to be joining their faction or any other and accused them of playing “brutish” politics.

This is not greatly different from current Liberal party talking points about why Gillard was removed when the truth is that he was removed for the reasons the Libs had been keenly pointing out about his personal failings for the past year or so.

“I have always said I will not be part of any faction, I will be part of the Australian Labor Party…”

She even accused “factional heavies” (code for Mark Arbib, Bill Shorten et al) of neglecting their work by spending time on “politics”:

“As soon as I got elected one member of the NSW Right rang me and said ‘come on’ and I said ‘no’. I won’t be joining any faction. And I have to say when I look at some of the factional heavies, they spend a lot more time doing politics than they do on their work, and if they spent a bit more time on their jobs, we’d all be better off.”

NSW Right members have laughed this off saying no-one encouraged her to join the NSW Right, not least of which is because of her family connections with the Socialist Left faction.

MAD MAX SUGGESTS COLLEAGUES DON’T WORK HARD
That’s an extraordinary observation at many levels.

Arbib and Shorten have their share of critics but few could question their work ethic. Shorten in particular is thought to have done a stellar job in the area of disabilities, giving the neglected area of public policy a champion like never before and putting on the national agenda the grave injustices that face many people with disabilities. If he can pull off a no-fault national disabilities insurance scheme, he’ll have achieved far more than most even attempt in public life. Because of his efforts so far, there’s an inquiry into it to establish how much it will cost and how it could work.

The other issue of course is McKew’s apparent belief that her job doesn’t involve politics. She is a politician. She seems afflicted by the condition that normally affects long-term governments, they become concerned with crafting the perfect policy, shaped by bureaucrats who can do no wrong, rather than actually fulfilling the democratic imperative of doing what the voters want.

With friends like this advising him, Rudd hardly needed enemies.

FACTION FRIENDLY WHEN IT HELPS HER
And though she fails to comprehend the nature of her job, it’s her criticism of factions that is the most disingenuous part of her dummy spit.

While a high-profile person because of her work on the ABC over many years, it is well-known in Labor circles that Mad Max’s husband, Bob Hogg, a senior figure, numbers-man and apparatchik in the Socialist Left in Victoria with very high-level contacts still, brokered the glamour role of taking on John Howard.

Labor people had been having a good hard look at Bennelong for many years and regarded it as a highly prospective opportunity.

Hogg claimed the prize for McKew and Sussex Street were pleased to give it to her. It was a good fit. But the mythology that she was given a really tough seat to win is just that, a complete myth. It was in fact a Labor mate’s hand-out. Labor strategists say Labor was always going to win it, according to their polling.

Giving credit where it’s due, McKew was a perfectly fine and energetic candidate. She drove the Libs mad with her apparent niceness and diligent campaigning.

But the inconvenient truth is that a drover’s dog could have won Bennelong for Labor in 2007.

DROVER’S DOG COULD HAVE WON BENNELONG FOR LABOR
There was a big swing on for Labor in Sydney generally. Every Howard-hating loon group descended on the seat too. The local candidate John Howard had to campaign everywhere else. And demographic changes over the years – state seats there are Labor for now– were masked by John Howard punching well above his weight for some time.

For all that, Howard’s vote was undoubtedly higher than the natural Liberal vote there, even in the 2007 election. Her vote will probably increase at the next election and it will have very little to do with her own self-recognised greatness and everything to do with Howard’s absence. Those familiar with the local situation point to a recent event honouring Betty Cuthbert where McKew and Liberal opponent John Alexander spoke. They say Alexander was received well but that McKew was not, with reports of hissing from locals, reflecting their disappointment with her performance as an MP.

Labor’s passion for celebrity candidates endures, with very few of them actually ever doing well. Some like Peter Garrett have got the most public odium but in Canberra he enjoys a very high internal reputation for being hard-working, disciplined, intelligent and a team player. He’s not in a faction either but you’d never him disparage his colleagues for not working hard enough, insiders say. With the reign of Rudd over, caucus insiders think he might be bold enough to speak up at Cabinet and in caucus and could make a great contribution. The considered view is that Garrett wore the blame for the loss of life caused by dodgy insulation operators and even covered-up for Kevin Rudd’s failings. It is considered unlikely McKew would take the same approach. It’s all about her, caucus critics say.

McKew is at the opposite end of the spectrum, seen by fellow caucus members as a boastful, obsequious hypocrite by her many foes who regard her as a powerful advertisement against celebrity outsider candidates who are very rarely as good as they think they are, frequently make the most basic of political mistakes and usually cause their colleagues and cause considerable damage along the way.

Melbourne Ports MP Michael Danby told the Australian Jewish News after the leadership change that one of the messages of Rudd’s loss of leadership was that it “reminds even the most confident of political operators that none of us is as good as all of us”. A message we suspect completely lost on Mad Max.