by PAUL COLLITS – THE Liberal Party is lying about why it’s losing elections in an effort to justify its continued trajectory to voter wilderness.
Those in and behind the Liberal Party never, ever consider the interests, values and aspirations of voters. It is always about them. “Hell, we just lost government. What do we do to get it back?”
- Perrottet’s serial bromances with Leftists are well-known. What is striking is his obvious affection for Kean reciprocated.
- That Photios believes his charges have been “governing from the centre” shows he is utterly delusional.
- Photios is merely channelling his inner Mark Textor.
They tell lies about why they lose elections. They lie, most of all, to themselves. They only ever think skin deep and look inwards.
There is something in the “modern” Liberal Party’s DNA that blocks deep introspection, that prevents them from considering what they have become and which obscures the bigger picture.
DRIFTED
It’s obvious to its once centre-Right voter base just how far the Party has drifted. It’s not even a facsimile of the Party of Menzies.
Simon Sinek, one of the marketing world’s better thinkers, says great leaders always “start with why”.
It is a long time since the Liberal Party knew its “why”, or even bothered to go looking for it.
The Party, and especially the version we suffer with in NSW, led by a millennial cadre, never asks why. It has long since forgotten its compelling value proposition.
Since its most recent catastrophe – and I refer to the Liberal’s twelve wasted years in office in Macquarie Street from 2011 to 2023, – it has mostly gone to ground, with one or two exceptions.
Any instance of analytical reflection by Sydney-centric members of the political class reminds us of the dismal state of a Party that has long forgotten its members and its roots.
An uninformed Aaron Patrick in the Australian Financial Review has weighed in: “The last mainland Liberal government was built on the relationship between two men; a friendship, alliance and intellectual collaboration that the Party’s elders believed had unlocked the elusive formula of Coalition rule.
“Premier Dominic Perrottet, so provocatively conservative he wore an SS uniform to his 21st, and treasurer Matt Kean, who couldn’t hide his pleasure when visitors cooed at a JFK election poster on his office wall, were partners in a Left-Right collaboration they believed – and were largely proven correct – would stave off an inner-city teal takeover and protect suburban and country seats from the far right.”
Setting aside Patrick’s farcical propositions, first, that Perrottet is a conservative, and second, that wearing a Nazi outfit when you are twenty-one makes you a conservative, his observations are very revealing.
Perrottet’s serial bromances with Leftists are well-known. What is striking here is that his obvious affection for Kean, and its reciprocation, are based on nothing more than a shared desire for power for its own sake, completely uncoupled from any sense of core values or of appeal to ordinary voters.
It was all about retaining seats. Nothing more. This is about as cynical as politics get.
Michael Koziol of The Sydney Morning Herald recently sought out Michael Photios (of all people) for a deep dive into the NSW election.
ATROCIOUS
Photios, who has effectively run the NSW Liberals in his own interest for years, has apparently set off to Malaysia in the wake of the atrocious election performance.
Perhaps to consider the long overdue collapse of his lobbyist business model. He almost single-handedly saw to it that NSW was governed – if that is the word – for more than a decade by spivs and chancers.
Wrote Koziol: “NSW Liberal powerbroker Michael Photios says the Party can return to government at the next State election if it keeps to the political centre and avoids the ‘dumber and dumber’ rightward trajectory of its federal counterparts.
“Photios, a former MP turned lobbyist who wields significant influence in the Liberals’ dominant moderate faction, also said the Party would need to restore some of the ‘special powers’ formerly enjoyed by officials to install candidates after widespread delays and issues with preselections.”
“Photios said One Nation’s share of first preferences in the lower house – 1.8 per cent – was ‘almost a flop’, and it was electorally silly to pursue that voter base. ‘I’d rather chase the 60 per cent plus we didn’t get than the two per cent we can’t get,’ he said. ‘It’s simply dumb and dumber to think going hard Right will magically transform today’s landscape’.”
“Chase the 60 per cent”? What does that even mean? Chase? Give every last interest group what it wants? Be Leftist-progressive, so as to win the hearts and minds of the Davos set?
Slick Photios is merely channelling his inner Mark Textor. (Textor was a Liberal Party pollster and advisor to Malcolm Turnbull).
Six things stand out from Photios’s “analysis”.
First, it again provides compelling evidence, if any further evidence were needed, that those plotting – and I do mean plotting – the future of the Party, see redemption only in regaining government, as soon as possible.
DUMB
Second, the man thinks only in cliches. Centrist? Modern? Dumb and dumber?
Third, that Photios believes his charges in NSW have been “governing from the centre” shows that he and his ilk are utterly delusional.
Fourth, and almost unbelievably, he urges the Liberals to arrange pre-selections by Photios rules and not through internal Party democracy and any reference to liberal/conservative principles.
The all-powerful backroom boy wants even more power. The man is in denial. That he even dares to peek above the parapet shows more hide than Jessie the Elephant.
Fifth, his meagre attempt at an examination of the election results betray either ignorance or complete self-absorption, or both.
He is certainly no expert on voting behaviour. His reference to One Nation’s 1.8 per cent of the primary vote ignores the fact that One Nation only stood candidates in around 20 seats out of the total 93 seats in the Lower House.
In the Upper House, with a single, Statewide electorate, One Nation scored 5.76 per cent. To which should be added The Shooters (3.06 per cent), the Liberal Democrats (3.36 per cent) and the Informed Medical Options Party (0.73 per cent), at least, to get a fuller picture of the extent of the Liberals’ Right-of-centre “targets”.
That is close to 13 per cent. Over half a million voters. Not nothing, then.
To this we might reasonably also add the informal vote and the sizable number who felt so little affection for the major Parties, and perhaps for the system, that they didn’t turn up at all. (At the time of writing, the turn out for the Upper House was a mere 73.2 per cent, with 87 per cent, a better figure, for the Lower House).
And sixth, to say that the Liberals in Canberra are far Right is ludicrous. It would be great were it true. But it isn’t.
DIVISIONS
They are just as mired in delusion as all of their other divisions across the now almost totally red nation. (The voice notwithstanding. Opposing the voice is not right wing. Merely sensible. Centrist, even. See Graham Richardson’s views).
All this from the bloke who determines pre-selections, selects ministries, dictates Party rules and provides vested interests with direct access to ministers.
He seems to be saying to anyone who might be listening, “if only I had been in charge…”.
Photios then concluded that the Coalition’s 2023 election loss was “honourable and narrow”.
Yes, he really said this. The ALP did not get majority government. But its victory was anything but narrow, in relation to the defeated Coalition. To describe the loss as honourable defies reality.
The Liberals and Nationals were absolutely booted out. A dustbin of history level defeat. Their showing was lamentable.
No doubt, there will be a “review” of the Liberals’ election loss, and, no doubt, Party worthies from the past will be engaged in the exercise.
If past efforts are anything to go by, the hard issues will be ignored. They will ask the wrong question, as they always do. They will ask why they lost the election.
They will not ask, never ask, why they governed so poorly. Or what they need to do to win the trust of the 70 per cent of voters in the Upper House and the 64 per cent in the Lower House who didn’t vote for them. The good thing is that they are likely to have plenty of time to think about it.
Who writes the terms of reference for “the review”, will be critical, as always. We can be sure that the former government’s adherence to liberal and conservative principles won’t be at or near the top of the list.
INEVITABLE
As Bernard of Yes Minister suggested, there will be “guidelines”. Once these are set, well, “that’s the way they will go”.
It is almost inevitable that they won’t start with “why”.
The Liberal voters of NSW will not be amused, in any way, nor assured that things will be any better next time.
To say that the Liberals of Macquarie Street have their heads in the sand is merely a euphemism.PC
The Party will never get back into power while it is ruthlessly controlled and dictated to by the lamentabable Photios; whose only desire is to become its dictator in chief. Until the Party realises that with that ghastly ultra leftie Kean in its midst; there are countless tens of thousands of otherwise loyal Liberal Voters; who will never vote Liberal, until they are given the same treatment that was awarded to that useless seat warming minister for the Yarts! I left the party after 46 years of active membership in 2011 because of the Photios factor. I failed to vote Liberal in the lower house in the recent Election; in the main, because of the damage that Kean could inflict on NSW. I am a middle of the road; non factional citizen who looks forward to the day when the Liberal Party divests itself of the people who will keep it in Opposition. Nick Bury is correct.
Rather good, Paul. Not a word about Covid or the merits or demerits of vaccinations. Guidance from the boss?
Anyway, your comments about Michael Photios are right on the money. This writer recalls reading an article in The Australian about a meeting of the NSW Liberal Party in 2016 at which the Senate selections were being made. Jason Falinski was in the chair. Incredibly, Falinski abdicated his position and hand-balled the chairmanship to Photios, who as a lobbyist, was prevented by the party constitution from acting in that or any other role. Needless to say the Senate selections aligned with Photios’ world view, and may have included the entirely unremarkable Holly Hughes. It seems Senator Hughes once worked for Mr Photios in some capacity or other.
Readers will be aware that a merciful electorate has relieved Mr Falinski of his electoral responsibilities. Senator Hughes retains her incumbency, which fortunately for her is never put to a below-the-line test. Jim Molan she ain’t. Arguably, any Senator who owes their preferment to this breach of the Liberal Party constitution should be disallowed as a candidate.
Neither Photios, the TEALS or the liberal left have any common ground at all with the Liberal Party that Sir Robert Menzies founded. They should collectively move off and found their own party, rather than destroy the liberal party, which won’t return to government whilst much of their influence remains. The above have delivered dreadful government to Australia, which has begun to greatly reduce our living standards.
The premise that young people won’t vote for a conservative government is a fantasy, given the hordes of young couples with school age children who are desperate to be away from the woke end of town, and welcome to country, and who are desperate for their kids to be properly educated. Kids having to learn about how homosexuals have sex will not improve our educational standards at all. Their parents want them to learn how to read and write properly, and not to be indoctrinated with left liberal woke type garbage.
The libs are not a conservative party as long as Turdball is still a member and people like Kean and Photios dictate policy
Photios has put his lobbying business ahead of NSW for too long. Promoting wombats like Kean to positions where they could destroy our energy security. The woke leftist media are equally to blame.
EXACTLY CORRECT.
14 seat majority for Tony in 2013,then the wets/moderates backstabbed him,what’s happened both federally & @ state level since then speaks for itself, sadly they don’t appear to have the mentality to realise the millions of genuine conservatives they have lost?
On the day that Prime Minister Abbott was replaced by Prime Minister Turnbull in 2015 Mr Abbott spoke to a media gathering and he warned the journalists not to publish leaked material if the source was not willing to be named. In other words leaks from Cabinet. Sometimes described as part of “relentless negativity”. And noting that the LINO left briefed Union Labor’s GetUp activist organisation to help them get Abbott.
The LINO left have effectively undermined the Liberal Party of Australia and the sooner they are all thrown out the better and the sooner recovery can begin.