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| Mark Latham, the Labor leader who crashed, burned – then exploded again | Mark Latham, the Labor leader who crashed, burned – then exploded again |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| The trajectory of “almost prime minister” to “contrarian columnist” to public meltdown in Melbourne may seem a curious one were the protagonist anyone but Mark Latham. | The trajectory of “almost prime minister” to “contrarian columnist” to public meltdown in Melbourne may seem a curious one were the protagonist anyone but Mark Latham. |
| For Latham aficionados, the cycle of self-destruction is all too familiar. Just over a decade ago the former Australian Labor leader looked to possess the political talent and strategic wit to outfox the wiliest of conservative politicians, John Howard – before he collapsed in an acrimonious heap. | For Latham aficionados, the cycle of self-destruction is all too familiar. Just over a decade ago the former Australian Labor leader looked to possess the political talent and strategic wit to outfox the wiliest of conservative politicians, John Howard – before he collapsed in an acrimonious heap. |
| For people less familiar with Latham, the past couple of weeks in the life of Australia’s self-appointed outer suburban guru will seem something of an incredible tale, peppered with mildly incomprehensible encounters ranging from his abuse of a domestic violence survivor and Australia’s most prominent transgender military officer to ultimate exposure by one of the thrusters of Australia’s rapidly evolving new media landscape, BuzzFeed. | For people less familiar with Latham, the past couple of weeks in the life of Australia’s self-appointed outer suburban guru will seem something of an incredible tale, peppered with mildly incomprehensible encounters ranging from his abuse of a domestic violence survivor and Australia’s most prominent transgender military officer to ultimate exposure by one of the thrusters of Australia’s rapidly evolving new media landscape, BuzzFeed. |
| Tropical cyclone Latham is a predictable weather event in Australian political circles: starts with a slight breeze, ends with trees and houses being flattened and innocents fleeing the scene. | Tropical cyclone Latham is a predictable weather event in Australian political circles: starts with a slight breeze, ends with trees and houses being flattened and innocents fleeing the scene. |
| But the latest storm has been one of the more powerful, ending with Latham telling the too-cool-for-school inner-city hipsters and the polite bookworms of the Melbourne Writers festival – the most serious writer’s festival in Australia’s most serious city – to “fuck off”. | But the latest storm has been one of the more powerful, ending with Latham telling the too-cool-for-school inner-city hipsters and the polite bookworms of the Melbourne Writers festival – the most serious writer’s festival in Australia’s most serious city – to “fuck off”. |
| Latham was Labor’s great hope until he crashed and burned in the 2004 election. He then bequeathed his still-startled colleagues an excoriatingly brilliant and deeply self-serving tell-all memoir, The Latham Diaries, which blew up Canberra’s somnolent and clubbish “insider” culture. | Latham was Labor’s great hope until he crashed and burned in the 2004 election. He then bequeathed his still-startled colleagues an excoriatingly brilliant and deeply self-serving tell-all memoir, The Latham Diaries, which blew up Canberra’s somnolent and clubbish “insider” culture. |
| Latham then embarked on a second career as an acerbic media columnist, given an open platform to pursue his long-running obsessions, most particularly his hatred of “elites”, both progressive and conservative. At his best, Latham’s columns, mostly for the business newspaper the Australian Financial Review, were brilliant. He used his self-imposed distance from the political ecosystem to achieve clear sight. At their worst, they were mulish and egocentric and wantonly destructive. | |
| Related: Mark Latham in foul-mouthed tirade at Melbourne writers festival | Related: Mark Latham in foul-mouthed tirade at Melbourne writers festival |
| Back to tropical cyclone Latham: exposition and explosion are never far apart. The subtle tones of human contentment – happiness, tranquillity, equanimity – aren’t helpful to Latham’s binary enterprise and are the enemy of the public persona he has constructed for himself. | Back to tropical cyclone Latham: exposition and explosion are never far apart. The subtle tones of human contentment – happiness, tranquillity, equanimity – aren’t helpful to Latham’s binary enterprise and are the enemy of the public persona he has constructed for himself. |
| He fights friends, and enemies, and weakness, and himself. Most latterly the war has been with inner-city progressive feminism, which he seems to regard as smug and self-serving. | He fights friends, and enemies, and weakness, and himself. Most latterly the war has been with inner-city progressive feminism, which he seems to regard as smug and self-serving. |
| The fight was taken up in columns, including one memorable outing that accused leftwing feminists of hating children. Mental illness also copped a serve. People just needed to stop wilting, said the iron giant of the Sydney suburbs. | The fight was taken up in columns, including one memorable outing that accused leftwing feminists of hating children. Mental illness also copped a serve. People just needed to stop wilting, said the iron giant of the Sydney suburbs. |
| In Australia’s digisphere, a highly networked and often punishing space, particularly for the politically active, Latham was rapidly gaining a new generation of enemies. Given the regular provocations there was something of an appetite to follow his playbook: isolate, expose, humiliate. Given that tinderbox, tiny sparks of pique can escalate into bushfires of uncontrolled outrage. | In Australia’s digisphere, a highly networked and often punishing space, particularly for the politically active, Latham was rapidly gaining a new generation of enemies. Given the regular provocations there was something of an appetite to follow his playbook: isolate, expose, humiliate. Given that tinderbox, tiny sparks of pique can escalate into bushfires of uncontrolled outrage. |
| BuzzFeed simply applied some imagination to the task. This month the news website suggested Latham was augmenting his public, on-the-record trolling with a Twitter account @RealMarkLatham. This account (not officially owned by Latham) was abusing women, including, bizarrely, the Australian of the Year, Rosie Batty (whose son, Luke, was murdered by her former partner), and a transgender military officer, Cate McGregor (whom Latham had described derisively as “he/she”.) Buzzfeed concluded that it was “probably not a parody”. | BuzzFeed simply applied some imagination to the task. This month the news website suggested Latham was augmenting his public, on-the-record trolling with a Twitter account @RealMarkLatham. This account (not officially owned by Latham) was abusing women, including, bizarrely, the Australian of the Year, Rosie Batty (whose son, Luke, was murdered by her former partner), and a transgender military officer, Cate McGregor (whom Latham had described derisively as “he/she”.) Buzzfeed concluded that it was “probably not a parody”. |
| It followed up its first story with a second detailing correspondence from McGregor to the Australian Financial Review’s editor-in-chief, Michael Stutchbury, objecting to Latham’s language. The website also published a reply from Stutchbury, indicating the complaint would be investigated, but adding the mildly passive aggressive rider: “It is not easy to keep on top of every story that gets into print or online these days, let alone monitor everyone’s Twitter accounts.” The exposure and the social media amplification culminated in Latham resigning from the Australian Financial Review – and Stutchbury insisted that was Latham’s own choice. | It followed up its first story with a second detailing correspondence from McGregor to the Australian Financial Review’s editor-in-chief, Michael Stutchbury, objecting to Latham’s language. The website also published a reply from Stutchbury, indicating the complaint would be investigated, but adding the mildly passive aggressive rider: “It is not easy to keep on top of every story that gets into print or online these days, let alone monitor everyone’s Twitter accounts.” The exposure and the social media amplification culminated in Latham resigning from the Australian Financial Review – and Stutchbury insisted that was Latham’s own choice. |
| He was absolutely enraged. He was obsessive. He was paranoid. He was teary | He was absolutely enraged. He was obsessive. He was paranoid. He was teary |
| This past weekend Latham had his first public outing since the onset of the controversy, at the writers’ festival. Given the buildup and the predilections of the guest, the encounter was likely to be memorable. | This past weekend Latham had his first public outing since the onset of the controversy, at the writers’ festival. Given the buildup and the predilections of the guest, the encounter was likely to be memorable. |
| And it was. Latham hectored his host, the ABC broadcaster Jonathan Green, and launched rhetorical rockets at his audience. He refused to answer questions about whether he was behind @RealMarkLatham and certainly would not spill the story “for free to a wanker like Jonathan Green”. | And it was. Latham hectored his host, the ABC broadcaster Jonathan Green, and launched rhetorical rockets at his audience. He refused to answer questions about whether he was behind @RealMarkLatham and certainly would not spill the story “for free to a wanker like Jonathan Green”. |
| If the audience didn’t like invective, they could fuck off. When the prominent Australian comedian Max Gillies – the husband of Latham’s publisher, Melbourne University Publishing’s chief, Louise Adler – suggested Latham might like to tone down the abuse, he got this in reply: “Well, there’s one easy answer, Max. Piss off, leave, go. Go. It’s a democracy, you’re not araldited to the seat, are you? Get your lard-arse off the seat and go.” | If the audience didn’t like invective, they could fuck off. When the prominent Australian comedian Max Gillies – the husband of Latham’s publisher, Melbourne University Publishing’s chief, Louise Adler – suggested Latham might like to tone down the abuse, he got this in reply: “Well, there’s one easy answer, Max. Piss off, leave, go. Go. It’s a democracy, you’re not araldited to the seat, are you? Get your lard-arse off the seat and go.” |
| Adler later told the ABC the performance had made her deeply uncomfortable. “I felt, as someone who I worked with, very upset for him. He was absolutely enraged. He was obsessive. He was paranoid. He was teary. | Adler later told the ABC the performance had made her deeply uncomfortable. “I felt, as someone who I worked with, very upset for him. He was absolutely enraged. He was obsessive. He was paranoid. He was teary. |
| “It was really watching a man sort of fall apart before you. I think he is you know, some of his remarks – his sexual politics are non-existent. I don’t understand where that comes from. It was a very uncomfortable hour.” | “It was really watching a man sort of fall apart before you. I think he is you know, some of his remarks – his sexual politics are non-existent. I don’t understand where that comes from. It was a very uncomfortable hour.” |
| Green, who hosted the session, says Latham arrived at the festival in full battle mode, offering an aggressive handshake in the green room (as Latham famously did to Howard on the eve of the 2004 election) – followed by an inquiry as to whether he was “ready to rumble”. Green says Latham was all over the place during the session, but he believes the behaviour was premeditated: “He was obviously determined to take over the session. He was not there for conversation. It was sort of like him living his caricature. It made me intensely angry.” | Green, who hosted the session, says Latham arrived at the festival in full battle mode, offering an aggressive handshake in the green room (as Latham famously did to Howard on the eve of the 2004 election) – followed by an inquiry as to whether he was “ready to rumble”. Green says Latham was all over the place during the session, but he believes the behaviour was premeditated: “He was obviously determined to take over the session. He was not there for conversation. It was sort of like him living his caricature. It made me intensely angry.” |
| Perhaps the theatrics in Melbourne were a genuine emotional reaction to stress. But they were also very much in keeping with Latham’s past behaviour. In a sour state of siege, Latham would have taken some delight at shocking his well-heeled audience, people he would regard as the loathed insiders. | Perhaps the theatrics in Melbourne were a genuine emotional reaction to stress. But they were also very much in keeping with Latham’s past behaviour. In a sour state of siege, Latham would have taken some delight at shocking his well-heeled audience, people he would regard as the loathed insiders. |
| Perhaps the final note of ambiguity could be left to Kevin Rudd – a Labor figure who did manage to beat Howard three years after Latham’s attempt. Latham was merciless about Rudd in his memoir and Rudd contested Latham’s accounts of several shared facts. | Perhaps the final note of ambiguity could be left to Kevin Rudd – a Labor figure who did manage to beat Howard three years after Latham’s attempt. Latham was merciless about Rudd in his memoir and Rudd contested Latham’s accounts of several shared facts. |
| After the publication of the diaries, Rudd noted that it was quite possible the Australian Labor caucus had managed to install a leader “who couldn’t quite tell the difference between what was true or false”. “I don’t know,” Rudd remarked. “Frankly I don’t know if any of us will ever know the answer to that.” | After the publication of the diaries, Rudd noted that it was quite possible the Australian Labor caucus had managed to install a leader “who couldn’t quite tell the difference between what was true or false”. “I don’t know,” Rudd remarked. “Frankly I don’t know if any of us will ever know the answer to that.” |