Daffy,
it was western liberal democrats that provided the advances that have led us to the freedoms we all, in the west, enjoy.

That you spruik all the usual anti western liberal democratic propaganda says much about your disconnect with the realities here.

Those organisations you cite as your alternative reading are linked to and supported by all the usual single issue leftie focused groups. eg. a multitude of greens groups, Gay and Lesbian groups, climate change groups, democracy for America groups, labor and human rights groups.

Now while many of the articles and issues in your news outfits are reasonable and would draw my support the overall aim of the news outfits seem the same as their supporting groups. ie not so much to change things on particular issues but to pull the whole Western Democratic structure down.

Western Liberal Democracy with, as you say, 'all of its warts, failings and limitations' is the most superior form of social organisation the world knows or has ever known. Of course it can be improved but not by destroying it.

imajulianutter:- your assertion that the reasonable changes proposed by the groups you mention will pull the whole Western Democratic structure down, is as ridiculous as the notion that granting marriage equality will destroy the institution of heterosexual marriage. If these structures are so feeble, then they deserve to collapse. Your reading of the intentions of the multitude of 'groups' is seriously flawed. As you write, they seek change, nowhere in their manifestos do they seek destruction of the system that permits their dissent.
Your quasi religious insistence that your way is the only true path to ‘salvation’, is exactly the behaviour that will destroy our already weakened democratic system.
Inclusiveness, fairness, decency, equality are the things a true democrat would espouse. And a little specificity would not go astray. Which of the Australian Greens multitude of policies will lead to destruction of our freedoms? Vague threats and generalities have no place in reasoned argument.

Daffy,

currently the greens and labor are attacking our freedom of expression with their proposals to control media organisations. There is an excellent article in todays Australian on this topic. Well worth reading because you would be limited in your beliefs if 'Inclusiveness, fairness, decency, equality... ' are the only things you believe Liberal Democrats espouse.

Mate the traditional family structure including the extend family is one of the foundations of Western Culture ... fundamentally changing the nature of that will destroy Western Culture.

So too will the desire to limit the efficient generation of electric power and industrialisation. Limiting growth and development or putting into place far too restrictive laws on the use of capital. These are the tacit or unrecognised aims of many of the cited groups. Thay will similarly fundamentally undermine our Western Liberal democracies.

As a leftie, with the usual false clain of being democratic, of course you won't agree with my assessments. It is usual for you to criticise my view, you'll support all change you see as improvements yet you will not specify how your changes won't undermine our system. You'll just say all the changes will make Liberal Democracy more representative yet you won't see or acknowledge the negative impacts on Liberal Democratic systems if you undermine the basic family unit, industrial development or the use of capital.