One could sense some willingness on Latham’s behalf for this contempt to extend to Simons, particularly given the latter’s Quarterly Essay Latham’s World, which was written in 2004 without any discussions or interviews with Latham. It didn’t happen. Simons’ questions were very well structured and obviously well-considered. For a little while we saw Latham in his intellectual prime, talking politics in the lucid way he has always been able to.

The situation in Cronulla, Latham suggested, exemplified serious social issues in Australia that needed to be addressed. He viewed the immediate decision of Premier Iemma to increase powers for police with some disdain, observing that merely increasing police powers would do nothing to address the underlying social causes of the recent unrest. He suggested no alternative policies in this regard, and merely referred to the need to rebuild social capital in Australia. In congruence with his newfound views on politics, Latham saw no possible solution emerging from the politicians or parliaments of the land. The answers lied in civil society. There was no more hope in professional politics.

Some of the questions from Simons covered ground that Latham had tread before in his “coming out” interviews when the Latham Diaries were originally launched. There were questions about the campaign, about whether Labor’s economic policy was strong enough, and about whether Labor was out-manoeuvred by the Howard Government on forestry policy. As he had in the past, Latham defended his personal approach to the election staunchly, criticising instead the television ads run by Labor during the campaign. He reiterated that he did not believe the 2004 election possible to win, in retrospect. In this respect he may have been right, but this pessimism also smacked quite a bit of the political defeatism Latham has come to associate himself with.

Following the half-hour long interview with Simons, the floor was opened to questions. Many questions traversed the same theme: why did Latham turn his back on and stick his knives into the Labor Party following his abdication? Rank and file members from ALP branches asked similar questions, frustrated with the negative messages Latham has eminated in recent months. The true believers, simply put, were angry. People who had spent decades in the party, investing their hearts, souls and money into social justice, were now being told not to bother. Latham struggled with and tended to avoid the crux of these questions. He did not tell anyone outright that they had been and were wasting their time with Labor, but that was the impression he exuded. He also seemingly incapable of explaining exactly why he thought the way he did, besides referring to the content in his diaries.

It was interesting to see Latham say some positive things about the Greens. He clearly did not tar them with the same brush he used to tar the ALP, and commented that he would not be surprised to see the Greens grow in influence in the coming years. He complimented Bob Brown, the only politician (besides himself – he described his infamous “arselicker” comments as “glorious”) to receive a compliment from Latham during the evening. When asked what he most admired about John Howard, he quickly replied “nothing”, citing the current PM’s racist comments about Asians in the 1980’s.

It was a fascinating evening, and over too soon. Mark Latham is a broken man politically. He admitted he no longer keeps in touch with the news, and couldn’t comment on the latest Senate antics of Barnaby Joyce or Steve Fielding. In under twelve months he has gone from being one of the most importance people in public life to someone who seemingly no longer really cares about politics. In his own language, he has moved from being an insider to an acerbic outsider.

Politics may not have all the answers, but its one of the best and only tools we have for guiding society in the right direction. Its shocking to think that someone like Latham can verge from being someone who cares so much to someone who seemingly cares so little.

Whitlam famously urged the faithful to maintain the rage. Latham, once his prodigal son and successor-to-be, now urges the faithful to give up politics and focus on being good to their families in civil society. Thankfully for the sake of the public good, I don’t think the faithful are still listening very hard to this strange, broken man. It is a pity, because when his mind rises above his love affair with political defeatism, he still has much to offer Australian society.

Crossposted at wsacaucus.org.