The new pragmatic idealists (I).(Book Review)

Latham and Abbott: The Lives and Rivalry of the Two Finest Politicians of Their Generation, by Michael Duffy; Random House, 2004, $32.95.

THERE HAVE BEEN two outstanding pieces of Australian political writing to appear in recent times, Don Watson's Reflections of a Bleeding Heart: A Portrait of Paul Keating and Latham and Abbott, by Michael Duffy. These books stand out because their authors can write. They are able to capture the drama of politics. Events build to a climax. The main characters are etched in heroic terms; the attendants swell the progress, start and end the important scenes. The narrative moves seamlessly towards its conclusion.

Of the two books Duffy's is the better because he has the better political judgment. This is not to say that he backs one side or the other in the political debate: his objectivity is admirable. Rather he is able to place his central protagonists in a political context that illuminates not just them but also the current political environment. When Duffy makes judgments they are about broad policies (Aboriginal policy) or political phenomena (Hansonism) and made in order to point up aspects of either Latham's or Abbott's response. This is a work of a fine political observer and a very good journalist.

In one sense Duffy was lucky. When he began the book Latham was a backbencher and Abbott had just been sworn in as Minister for Employment. Duffy had earmarked them as being important players but wasn't to know that both their careers would take off in the explosive way they did. Although he was able to continue with his initial theme of the similarities and differences of two outstanding politicians of a generation, he was able to overlay this with a narrative of events that propelled them to the verge of achievement at the highest level and to get the book out before an election that would be critical to both.

As Duffy's book reveals, Latham and Abbott have similar aspects to their personalities. They are good at sports, favouring rugby, rowing and boxing (in the case of Abbott) and rugby and cricket (in the case of Latham). Both are natural leaders, although there are differences in their approach. Within a group Abbott will be deferential to people he deems to be superiors; Latham immediately assumes the position of "primus inter pares".

Duffy points out that Abbott and Latham have struggled, privately and publicly, with questions of identity throughout their adult lives. As he comments:

 
   The world is full of issues that people can be 
   involved in. Latham's and Abbott's focus on 
   questions of identity is similar to that of many 
   successful leaders. There is nothing calculated about 
   this. It's a product of the sort of people they are, 
   although they've learned to make the most of it 
   through trial and error.