My youngest lad, Jeremy, used to love The Wiggles. His favourite skit was ‘Wake up, Jeff!’ He would pretend to be asleep, and we would all sneak up on him and scream, ‘Wake up, Jez!’ I feel like screaming the same thing at those Liberals who lacked the courage to go to the mattresses on behalf of Tasmanian Premier, Jeremy Rockliff.
Tonight, the Tasmanian Governor, who had previously acted appropriately by stalling an election, has capitulated at the request of Rockliff and Tasmanians will head to the polls on July 19.
This should never have happened, and, in my opinion, while Rockliff is hardly a conservative, he was let down by the Liberal Party that was supposed to support him.
In Tasmania, the Liberal Party has shown itself to be a shadow of its former self, spinelessly bringing down its leader when it should have stood firm. The recent debacle over the Labor Speaker, who was let off scot-free while the Liberals tore themselves apart, is not just a tactical misstep, it’s a betrayal of their political ‘family’. The party’s base, those loyal voters who expect their representatives to fight for their values, have been left stranded. The Liberals ought to hang their heads in shame.
This is not an isolated incident but a symptom of a deeper malaise.
The Liberal Party, once a proud standard-bearer for individual liberty, free markets, families, and strong communities, has lost its compass. In Tasmania, instead of rallying to defend their principles and their people, the Liberals chose self-preservation over conviction. They are in the process of allowing internal squabbles and political expediency to trump the courage required to stand up for what’s right.
You don’t lose today in the hope of winning some vague future battle to keep your job. You fight tooth and nail, here and now, so your people, your voters, your base, can live the lives they choose, free from the overreach of progressive agendas or Labor’s tired collectivism that only benefits leaners, not lifters.
The Tasmanian Liberals’ failure to hold the Labor Speaker accountable is a case study in cowardice. Rather than seizing the moment to expose their opponent’s weaknesses and rally their supporters, they turned inward, fracturing their unity and handing Labor a free kick.
This is not leadership, it is surrender. The party’s base, small business owners, rural communities, and everyday Australians who value personal responsibility, deserve better. They expect their representatives to defend their way of life, not to cower in the face of political pressure or media scrutiny.
This pattern of capitulation is not unique to Tasmania. Across Australia, the Liberal Party has increasingly drifted from its core principles. Where is the fierce advocacy for lower taxes, less regulation, and the protection of individual freedoms?
Where is the unapologetic defence of the values that once defined the party under Menzies and Howard?
Too often, we see Liberals chasing the approval of inner-city elites or bending to the whims of a vocal minority, rather than standing tall for the silent majority who have repeatedly put them in office as the natural party of government.
The party’s leadership seems to believe that playing nice, avoiding conflict, and compromising on principle will secure their political longevity. They are wrong. Voters don’t reward timidity, they respect conviction.
The Liberal base is not asking for perfection, but they demand loyalty. This translates as a willingness to fight for the values that brought members to the party in the first place.
When the Liberals fail to do this, they erode trust, alienate their supporters, and hand ammunition to their opponents.
The Tasmanian fiasco is a wake-up call.
The Liberal Party must rediscover its spine. It must stop apologising for its beliefs and start fighting for them. The base is not a liability to be managed, it is the lifeblood of the party. If the Liberals continue to abandon their people, they risk becoming a hollow shell, a party without purpose or passion, consigned to irrelevance.
It’s time for the Liberal Party to stop playing to lose. Fight for your principles. Fight for your base. Fight to win.
Fight not just for power but fight so that Australians can live the lives they choose, free from the shackles of bureaucracy and ideology. Anything less is a betrayal.
There have been so many Labor missteps this week, at all levels of government, but Labor has been let off the hook because oppositions across the country are asleep at the wheel.
Given the numerous opportunities Labor handed the Opposition this week with their farcical policies, Liberal Party leaders across the country should be ashamed of their failure to notice.
Dr Michael de Percy @FlaneurPolitiq is The Spectator Australia’s Canberra Press Gallery Correspondent. If you would like to support his writing, or read more of Michael, please visit his website.