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| Liberal Party of Australia, 2019 Election Flyer [CC0] |
Despite being the natural party of
government for decades in Australia, the “broad church” of the Liberal Party
appears to be on the ropes. Some say the Liberals need to be more like the teal
independents, others that they need to become even more conservative. Neither
approach will work. What is needed is a grassroots movement that puts the
“liberal” back into the Liberal Party and halts the green-left’s long march
through our institutions before it’s too late (and we all sing kumbaya like we
have a diversity of views as seen on Q&A.)
Conservatism in its Hobbesian sense was
less about a focus on unthinking ‘tradition’ a la Fiddler on the Roof, and
more about having a strong government to ensure a stable and free society. Sir Edmund Burke
thought English liberalism better than the revolution-to-liberty path taken by
the Americans and the French to achieve what the English had already developed
– a strong state, a separation of powers, and a Westminster tradition that was
stable enough to make daily life predictable, yet flexible enough to allow
governments to govern. Until recently, Australia was such a place, where
individuals have rights and responsibilities but are viewed as rational
beings capable of looking after their own welfare and being tolerant of each
other’s divergent views a la John Locke.
This complex intertwining of
conservatism and liberalism is at the heart of the Liberal Party ideal, and it
is the major difference between the Liberal Party and all the others. Or it
used to be, anyway.
Since the late 1990s, internal rifts
between liberals and conservatives created the disunity to allow green-left
converts within the Liberal Party, what I call il-Liberals, to routinely cross
the floor (on ideological, not policy grounds), wish the party was more like
the teals, or otherwise develop what I call unoriginal ‘non-policy’ by pursuing
the exact opposite of what the government of the day is doing. Rather than
strong individual leadership that the flexible party structure allows, the
Liberal Party is developing factions and systems of compliance that mirror the
green-left and their mini-dictatorships driven by political correctness and
woke compliance.
To be sure, Liberals past tried to protect free speech and academic freedom, but much
of the focus was not on core principles but targeted at groups who might
(hopefully, one day) support them in an election. This only demonstrates that
the Liberals have forgotten the forgotten people.
People didn’t vote for Joh
Bjelke-Petersen because he was politically correct, they voted for him (ongoing
gerrymandering aside) because he said he was going to do something and
then he did it. People didn’t vote for Daniel Andrews because his socialist policies
have merit, it’s because he does what he says he is going to do (or so my
father reckons). Sorry, did you say something Mr Guy? I didn’t hear you.
Prime Minister Albanese is not of this
mould, or your power bills would be down by $275. The jury is still out on
whether this means that they will be reduced by $275 by 2025 from the time of
the election, or whether after increasing by thousands of dollars they will be
$275 less than the highest price between now and 2025. But people voted for
Albanese because Morrison was on the nose. And the voters are always right.
Mr Rudd couldn’t hold is temper. Ms
Gillard held the backstabbing blade only too well. Mr Abbott couldn’t let go of
his enthusiasm for the 1950s, and former PM Scott Morrison couldn’t hold a
hose. Mr Turnbull epitomised the worst of the Liberal Party and its current
dilemma. Mr Howard, sans broadband, said what he would do and then did it.
That’s leadership.
Whether the National Party’s decision
to stand behind the brilliant Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price is a vote winner
remains to be seen, but it is saying what they will do and then doing it. It is
also leadership.
Mr Dutton is biding his time and
letting politics run its natural course during Labor’s extended honeymoon. Hopefully
we will witness some leadership from him soon. But I do hope he or any future
Liberal prime minister will end these back-and-forth inquiries into previous
governments. If it is not illegal, then the voters have the final say.
Or do they?
The terms of reference for the recent inquiry into Scott Morrison’s multiple
ministries appear to have been designed to support a censure in the lower house.
Supposedly, Mr Morrison’s bizarre and unnecessarily secretive appointments
‘eroded public trust in responsible government’. Voters knew this already -
that’s why he was voted out.
But Mr Albanese thought a bit of
deflection from his broken promises and the swiftly sinking ‘Blackout Bowen’
energy policy (amid the dodgy jobs and
skills ‘pattern bargaining’ approval by that workplace
relations and climate science expert, the highly experienced Senator David
Pocock), might be a good way to end the year. None of that has eroded public
trust in responsible government (said nobody ever).
Here’s a quick list of all the things
going wrong for the Libs: the antics of Tasmanian MP Bridget Archer, NSW
Treasurer Matthew Kean, and Mr Malcolm ‘Barnacle’ Turnbull still clinging on
for dear life. And Matthew Guy playing Little Dan ‘Lite and Easy’ (is the mic
working?) hasn’t helped. That socialism is now rampant in Victoria should be a
warning for the ACT Liberals (who no longer have a Liberal senator) that saying
you’ll be the same horse with a different jockey is simply non-policy.
Any wonder the Liberals are in trouble.
But there is movement at the station.
Or at least at the Coalition station. Standing up against the Voice (being
called racist for being against a policy with zero details?). Standing up
against ‘Blackout Bowen’ (paying through the nose for zero emissions?). Nuclear
(it’s a thing). It’s
all a good start. Let’s hear now from Mr Dutton. But wait, there’s more.
How about really standing up for
free speech, academic freedom, and the rule of law? Where the rule of law is
sacrosanct and public prosecutors are not emotionally invested in court cases
(Did I say that out loud? See free speech, academic freedom above).
P.S. Liberal: adjective,
willing to respect or accept behaviour or opinions different from one's own;
open to new ideas (Dear US Democrats, get your own word). Liberalism: noun,
a political and social philosophy that promotes individual rights, civil
liberties, democracy, and free enterprise. Liberal Party of Australia: ‘In
short, we simply believe in individual freedom and free enterprise; and if you
share this belief, then ours is the Party for you’ (terms and conditions apply).
Woke: colloquial,
none of the above.