by ERIC ABETZ – THE comprehensive wipe-out of the centre-Right in Australia is continuing unabated with the defeat of the Liberal-National government in NSW on the weekend.
Its 5.5m voters (Australia has about 17.3m voters in all) delivered their verdict in a forceful manner with an approximate six percent swing.
- The worst electoral outcome is a dishonourable loss.
- Liberals have suffered this time and again – its leaders have sold their political souls.
- Like the losers before him, Perrottet pursued a Left-lite agenda with trendy, woke overtones.
In Australia, red is the colour of the left-Leaning Labor Party, the complete opposite of the United States.
Following on from the strong losses sustained by the centre-Right Liberal-Nationals in Australia’s other electoral contests in recent times the question needs to be asked, “Why?”
JUGGERNAUT
The losses in Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and federally have seen what appears to be an unstoppable juggernaut roll through NSW as well.
Time will tell whether the people of Tasmania deliver a similar verdict.
Election commentary is always fraught as the multiplicity of factors at play are enormous.
There are factors within the control of certain elements like endorsement timetables, getting candidates out in the field, fundraising and the performance of the current crop of parliamentarians and their policy platform.
Scandals, ministerial resignations and inopportune retirements by incumbents who want to go out undefeated also play a part.
Economic factors, infrastructure issues, cost of living and housing affordability weigh heavily on the electorate’s collective mind.
However, a trend in Australia seems to be the lemming-like approach of parliamentary Parties of the centre-Right.
Their leaders have pursued a Left-lite agenda with trendy, woke overtones.
These are anathema to their base and rejected by swinging voter as cynical and unconvincing.
In Western Australia, we had a hapless opposition trying out green the Left-leaning government with a promise to close down coal power even earlier than the government was suggesting.
Coming from a centre-Right party it was rightly viewed as cynical and indicative of a mindset not based on principle or practicalities. The defeat was extensive. Deservedly so.
Similarly on the federal level, the centre-Right government having won the unwinnable election in 2019 on a policy platform of no CO2 targets, no increased funding for the biased Left-wing national broadcaster, and religious freedom – set about setting itself a CO2 target, increasing funding to the national broadcaster and failing to deliver religious freedom.
Meanwhile, the power brokers and political players scratch their heads and wonder why.
Unfortunately, the same recipe for defeat was studiously followed by the NSW government led by an exceptionally talented and gifted premier who was ham-strung by a majority in his Party room requiring him to engage in political acrobatics and pursuing policies which he had previously eschewed.
Surprising to some, the result was the same.
The lesson from this long list of defeats is for the centre-Right forces in Australia to re-group and pursue the principles on which their Party was founded.
PRINCIPLES
Principles of smaller government, greater personal freedoms in the areas of free speech and freedom of religion.
Support for the entrepreneurial spirit of small business combined with promoting reward for effort.
Encouraging self-help in areas of health insurance and education freeing up the taxpayer dollar for those in genuine need.
Upholding our national pride by flying the Australian flag as the all-encompassing symbol uniting all Australians rather than those which seek to divide and promote identity politics.
An unambiguous policy stand on these issues as well as embracing the family as the best social services system, mental health provider and safe haven when functioning properly.
It seems this recipe has worked for political leaders in other parts of the world with Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and America’s Ron DeSantis springing to mind.
They unashamedly took on the woke and Left with sound conservative stances on a range of issues and gained the support from the people.
INSINCERITY
Commitment and sincerity are vital qualities for political success. Australians in particular have a good instinct in detecting insincerity. Recently they’ve been calling it out.
In politics, there can be honourable losses and dishonourable wins. The worst outcome is a dishonourable loss where leaders have sold their political souls and heritage in a desperate and misguided bid to win and lose anyway.
The time for reflection after six decisive losses following the same recipe must surely be over for the centre-Right of politics in Australia.
A quick look to Europe or Florida might just provide the answer.PC
It is vital the Liberal Party honestly examines where we went wrong and to my way of thinking we learnt nothing from the Federal Election debacle.
: Unnecessary delay in appointing candidates well in advance has to be the most obvious.
: Departure from our the party’s core values and beliefs made it No friends in the must win aspirational seats.
: Pursuing the climate change agenda and worse trying to outdo the Left wing Greens/ ALP was a disaster waiting in the wings!
: The Premier, I am disappointed to say went from his conservative conviction to being “woke”.
– why the flag on the Bridge?
– why snub Cardinal George Pell’s funeral?
– why support The Voice, which has no detail?
– why undermine base load reliable coal and gas for wind n solar to placate Matt Kean and the trendy left?
– why did he allow the negative untruthful
campaign by Labor (Perrottet will sell Sydney Water) by not countering with something like
“ The ALP will introduce State based death tax?”
There is nothing to be gained by being the nice guy in the cut throat business of politics.
Family Faith and Flag are fundamental to its base and these were missing in action!
The SMH is no friend of a conservative political party and the electorate would ( as they did ) rather vote for the ALP than a cheap imitation!
The conservative base was seriously let down in my observation.
As John Howard once said
“We need politicians of conviction”
Sadly there were too few in the Liberal ranks!
No surprise in the state Election result! Defeat was fore ordained nearly 12 months ago.
The Liberal Party in NSW now has the opportunity of restoring itself to core values by:
1/ Implementing the Democratic Reform resolutions to give all members a vote in ALL matters of party policy.
2/ Ensuring that the disastrous self serving factions are relegated to impotency. One above would assist here in dismantling the Party’s faulty decision making structure comprised largely of factional toadies and fellow travellers (aspiring candidates in many cases).
3/ Warranting that parliamentary candidates are chosen on ability by the membership to ensure that quality is paramount and not given as a reward of. factional patronage.