The most galling thing of the slandering and libelling of the Greens is that they believe we should uphold our own laws and the two major parties pretend they had nothing to do with the writing of those laws.

Doc Evatt helped to write the universal declaration of human rights, Bob Menzies the refugee convention but todays libaral want to throw them all in the bin and then blame the Greens for daring to believe they count.

G'day Grim. Thanks for the informative input. We here seem to be welded to American style rat eat rat capitalism or race to the bottom.
They enjoy things like the most expensive health policy in the world, which rips out 13% plus from GNP and yet leaves 40% totally reliant on goodwill or charity.
Cooperative capitalism on the other hand, is founded on Keynesian economic principles, and understands as you prosper the least amongst us, you prosper us all, but particularly 3 million small business, their operators and more intelligent employees.
[Look at Woollies and their profit/bottom line improvements, created exclusively by improved family support.]
We could add around 7% to the averaged Australian based bottom line, through simple tax reform, which would end the need for compliance and its onerous costs.
A 5% marginally variable stand alone unavoidable expenditure tax, would by itself, raise 25% more tax. And allow the govt to effectively repeal all other tax gathering methods.
The change to exclusive federal direct funding to schools and public health would not only save or redirect money to unmet need; but allow state govts to seriously downsize; and fund what they still needed to manage, with an assembly of alcohol/tobacco excise, user pays toll roads, tunnels and bridges, licence fees, unimproved land bank capital gains, [a substitute for foregone stamp duties,] and the expected returns from a really visionary, virtually self funded, rapid rail roll outs?
Which in turn, would assist long overdue decentralisation and the return of affordability and turnover, to the housing market!
I take and agree with your point about the leap to the right by Captains Keating and Hawke and Emperor Howard?
Making middle occupying Democrats, look like born again left leaning liberals.
I see no valid reason for following that particular race toward the bottom or lowest common denominator, which if properly appraised, would simply allow a rejuvenated reinvigorated democratic party, to claim the patently vacated middle ground once again?
Cheers, Rhrosty.

...What is "not" needed in Australia is another effeminate political party resembling the Greens. The Democrats were in effect just that.
What is more likely to succeed under current conditions, is a representative Nationalist party with a focus on maintaining its monarchist and social traditions, similar to the successful National Front party of Le Pen in France; a good adjunct to the LNP and capable of scooping-up disaffected and lost Labor voters.

...It could develop into a challenging match to the LNP adding diversity and strengthening democracy in Australia; something Labor is unlikely to ever achieve again in the near future.

Dear Rhrosty,

I hear you.

I joined the Dems originally for their social justice policies but also because I thought they were far friendlier in attitude toward small business people like myself. I considered myself and the party to be pretty centre of the road.

After a serious jump to the right from both of the majors we certainly felt like a bit of a shag on a rock, suddenly well out to the left without our views having changed much at all. Beasley started it by following Howard on refugees. I was at the time negotiating to move away from our usual split ticket to give a local Labour candidate a preference as he had taken a strong stance on an environmental issue that our branch thought warranted us supporting him. After Beasley's lurch I had to tell him we just couldn't do it and he said he understood completely.

Damn shame.

The worst thing the Dems could do is try to follow the others.

Dam straight Csteele, same here.
I couldn't believe it when Hawke and Keating sold off everything they could lay their hands on, including the Commonwealth Bank.
Then I couldn't believe it when Howard declared that 'small Business' was anyone earning less than 4 million and employing less than what was it, 50 people?
What about all the mum and dad shop keepers, family farmers, self employed plumbers, electricians, carpenters, brickies, mechanics, fridge mechanics etc etc etc.
Who was looking after them?
The majors were (and still are) only interested in large numbers. Look at how they treated small dairy farmers, small saw millers, small everyone.
Buggar the centre, the word no longer has any meaning. When we have 2 and a half big guys standing toe to toe on the Bulls eye, all chanting Neo Liberal Gospel, why try and get between them?
The new (or retread) party needs to stop trying to be Centrist and come up with a new thesis. Create a new dialectic.
Stop trying to squeeze onto the Bulls eye and instead go for triple 20.
It's not about moving to the left or the right; it's about being above all that.
Remember?

grim

'I couldn't believe it when Hawke and Keating sold off everything they could lay their hands on, including the Commonwealth Bank.'

Yes, and why is it that the mainstream narrative NEVER asks where all that lost annual revenue has gone? Before they were sold off, most of those public utilities, authorities and departments actually earned ongoing revenue for the nation, which has now disappeared into the coffers of the private sector - much of it offshore. Now, as was thoroughly predicted (but hardly ever reported when we imported the privatisation mania back in the 80s), the states and federal governments are having to increasingly depend on big business benevolence to stave off bankruptcy.

csteele

Ditto, your points about small business, as I'm in small business too. What I would add is that one of the little known facts about the Greens is that there are many small business people among its membership and much of its economic outlook is capitalist based. Yet the media continues to lump the party onto the extreme left of politics, probably because they don't know what else to do with it and because the right is way too overcrowded.

And one other point, your double comment of Tuesday 12.09 should be emailed to every Greens member in Australia. Although the party is all too aware of the need to avoid the fate of the Democrats, it doesn't hurt to keep being reminded.