The Liberal Party broad church is groaning under the strain of ideological and personality conflicts. While a fully blown schism at some point before the next federal election or shortly afterwards is improbable, it remains well within the realms of the possible.
Political parties come and go. Minor parties tear themselves apart on an almost annual basis. The Liberal Party has been a monolith in Australian politics since 1948 but that does not mean it has a guaranteed future. In a sense it is its own worst enemy, a collective gaggle of participants from the Menzian centre to the outer reaches of the spectrum on the right.
These were the conditions found within the Labor Party post-WWII and led to the split of 1954-55, keeping Labor from forming a viable alternative government for nearly two decades.
Prior to World War II conservative parties in Australia came and went, often tearing themselves apart over weaknesses in administration and brawling over policy and ideology.
Full column here.
A delightful heart warming essay. Have those sell out bastards got it coming!
But probably not. It will get down to Turnbull vs Shorten and the PM ship will go to the one who strikes the best deal for his arse with the big biz king makers. Abbott sold his arse long ago and unless he’s grown or acquired a fresh new unit to sell it would be sheer lunacy to reinstate him. Oh hang on, there are rather a lot of lunatics…………. This isn’t going anywhere.
I can understand Abbotts anger though. A blokes flogs his clacker he must reckon he’s hard done by to not get the full term in return. He must believe if they got him up at all they should have been able to do it again at the last election. He could be right, but geez it would have been a hard sell. Even to an electorate with the memory of fruit flies.
For the long term the big bible thumping nongs are on the money, by happy circumstance or vision. Within five years the AGW apocalypse will be looming like the wrath of god. Even the most “heads up the date dills” (they’ll be well placed to kiss it goodbye) will be flocking to god’s representatives however loopy .
“An independent panel of experts has concluded that the Australian voter is 96% more likely
to go to heaven if they vote for a genuine candidate of long standing commitment to the wholesome
principles prescribed by Our Heavenly Father.”
(My services as a speech writer will be available.)
Re your speech writing offer JB, you’re obviously partial to dining on water crackers (they’re made without shortening) and the occasional smear of Vegemite ( it’s made from leftover brewer’s yeast).
Bon appetit me old mate.
PS. Your apparent obsession with the fleshy prominent gluteal muscles of the male lower back (as referenced again here) is a worry.
Moi! You’re the one with the salacious innuendo. Vegemite! What’s the drill there Carl?
” …………. fleshy prominent gluteal muscles……. ” Why you sweet talking thang.
Goodness me Mr Baptiste, some robust language there. I nearly spilt my early afternoon whisky when I read things like “heads up the date dills”, and “an electorate with the memory of fruit flies”, but I do get your point my good man as many of us, myself included, need the veil of ignorance lifted to fully understand AGW etc. I must say though I am quite taken with the way POTUS Trump is performing as he gets those Coal Fired Power Stations up and running again and stirs the nation to make them look at the big Global picture, even if it is an ICBM headed their way! Where will it all end dear chap? We may soon find out if Kimmy from North Korea hits the ‘GO” button on his nuclear warheads, then indeed we will all be “heads up the date dills”, minus the head and date! Cheers, am loving your posts, quite “meaty”.
Cheers Henry. Rang Kimmie earlier.
“Just quietly the sphincter is twitching a bit comrade, running dog false hair madman Trump may be crazy enough to start shooting war. Every year they harass us with their war games just of the coast and constant belligerence and they wonder why we develop nukes? Mr Xi having quiet talks with Trump but say it is difficult, Trump not the full dim sim and maybe hatched from egg.
Must dash , armada coming. A’leau C’est l’heure. ”
(Learned his French in Switzerland. )
Tough riding a bike a no arse.
“a no arse”? “with no arse” Get it right!!!
Just checked my health cover. They do knees and hips – can’t see arse. May need to read the fine print.
A bike with no arse? Are you talking about a bicycle or an obliging lass?
With the latest Price rises to Health Insurance you will take it up the … proverbial. Yet The Nation continues to subsidies the Private Health Insurance industry and cut funding to Public Health and preventive medicine?
Wonderful to see PM Malcolm Turnbull getting the full dress up treatment over in India, Mr Insider. India’s PM Narendra Modi has gone all out for Turnbull who would hardly draw a small gathering here in Australia. Of course Malcolm had the obligatory Train ride and Selfie with Modi. Malcolm loves to step out of his $60 million harbourside mansion and mix with we great unwashed. Enjoy it all while you can Malcolm the Polls toll for thee! On another tack I think Barnaby Joyce would make a great Aussie PM , he’s a straight up and down, dinky di balls to the wind type of guy imho.
Benson sums up Shortens dilemma perfectly. At the end of the day it’s about votes and Bill has realised where his bread is buttered. This will be a big test for the unions.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/bill-shortens-retreat-into-leftist-fanaticism/news-story/9874767399d0a30fd846151e562e29b9
The votes and the money are coming from two different camps. Pretty much defines the “horns of a dilemma “.
One has to ask oneself what is the point of the script if conservatives are not comfortable in prosecuting the social struggle. There is nothing more serious than severing the unity of the broad church for what is now widely perceived as being simply an apparent inordinate destructive desire for supremacy. Those responsible need to be aware that any schism that may ensue will not be easily resolved; and certainly not by a return to archaism or a move to futurism. Any such schism, or scandal, may only be healed by truth, unity and stability.
It is well known that most ‘isms’ eventually end up in schisms.
Jesus Christ. I think I need a lie down.
Excellent post Carl you have nailed it in one old son. It does look at this stage that “Bruvver” Shorten may be called to higher service come next election. Cheers.
The unforgivable sin of the current Liberal Party is that they’ve made Power Bill electable. A principles-free zone; a total ethical vacuum; an opportunist who makes the average sewer rat look fussy is our alternative and likely future Prime Minister.
I don’t care whose fault it is; gods know there’s plenty of blame to go around. Abbott and Turnbull have both played their parts and every other Liberal besides. The whole lot of them need their arses kicked.
Nah nah n’ nah nah. Suffer.
Apt comment, TBLS
This will give you an idea as to how out of touch the Looters are as well as demonstrating how far to the right they have gone…ignoring Howard plea to ‘govern from the centre’. Take support for an ETS……..
All of these have suggested they would support an ETS and/or a price on carbon. The Business Council of Australia, BHP, Rio Tinto, National Farmers Federation, The Australian Electricity Market Commission, The Finkel Review (set up by Turnbull), The Review Panel on Renewable Energy (again, Looter appointed), The Chief Scientist, The Grattan Institute, CSIRO, OECD, Energy Networks Australia…..the whole scientific community and last but not least, The Young Nationals. Now most of these are the Liberals own core constituents. Are all these as well as the large community of scientists wrong? Don’t forget, for many years Abbott and Turnbull supported a price on carbon and Abbott even wrote a column in this newspaper pleading support for an ETS. Turnbull could lose the next election on hypocrisy alone. Just love these quotes….
“We have to put a price on carbon. We can do it via a carbon tax if you like.” Turnbull, 2010.
Turnbull 2010:- “We have to put a price on carbon. We can do it via a carbon tax if you like.”
Also Turnbull 2010.
In 2010 Turnbull also crossed the floor to vote in support of Labor’s Emissions Trading Scheme.
‘If you want to put a price on carbon why not just do it with a simple tax.’ Abbott, July, 2009
Who said this? “The government’s (Rudd Govt.) emissions trading scheme is the perfect political response to the public’s fears. An ETS is a plausible means to limit carbon emissions”. Abbott, June 2009
“I cannot lead a party that is not as committed to effective action on climate change as I am.” Turnbull:- 9th November, 2009
The problem is that the public a fearing less.
i think Malcolm needs a little bit more LBJ about him.
Better to have Tony inside the tent pissing out.
“Come, let us reason together.” When LBJ quoted Isaiah, it was a threat, not an invitation.
Great to see some bipartisan agreement on job creation for the young kids in regional Qld. Get this through Mal and Bill and you both deserve a cold beer!
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/adani-coal-mine-malcolm-turnbull-moves-to-change-native-title-laws/news-story/a9c176fc41a7af1363dca77ef23271b4
Not sure about your comment Jack that Turnbull never reached the lofty heights of popularity. For a while there after ascending to the Coup throne, he was tracking in the sixties, having much of the Libs, Labor and a chunk of Greens thinking he was everything, to everyone.
As for Bernardi spitting the dummy and starting “one of his own”, it is looking increasingly like he has started his own, of one. At least he doesn’t have protect his back, yet.
Ain’t it funny that in recent years election results Federally and in the States had swung so wildly, with the Coalition and Labor alternately dominating to the prediction of electoral oblivion. Meanwhile the plebs have become more and more disillusioned, a polster’s nighmare.
There probably hasn’t been a split more vitriolic than the Labor/ DLP schism. There is however no guarantee the Lib/Nationals might not trump that one with a nuclear explosion. I’m just not sue whether it will be a fusion or fission event, but the shit will certainly hit, or emminate from the fan.
You’ve certainly brought them all out of the woodwork over the wall, Jack!