MPs behaved like ‘zombies’ under ex-PM Rudd: Labor senator

CANBERRA - Australian Labor Party Senator Doug Cameron has claimed that lawmakers under leadership of former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd behaved like “zombies”.

Describing that period as a time of ‘political lobotomy’, Cameron told radio station 2UE that Labor’s primary vote has slipped further since Rudd’s exit from the prime minister’s office.

The Age further quoted him as saying that support has risen for the Greens, and this was a clear sign that the party needed to change.

“The Greens are in a position to actually speak effectively to progressive people who are looking for a vision and a strong strategy for progressive policies,” he said.

He added: “That’s been lost in the party and there’s a clear view that that has to be regained.”

Senator Cameron said the government’s decision to ditch the Emissions Trading Scheme was a “terrible strategic mistake”.

“There are many people within the Labor Party holding strong progressive points of view and progressive voters don’t know this,” he said.

He added: “Everything is focused on the spin and on the take of the day and long term strategic policy decisions suffer because of that.”

Prime Minister Julia Gillard said in response to the Senator’s comments that she made it clear to Caucus she wanted more debate and new ideas about policy direction.

But the pledge system would stay, Gillard said. (ANI)