Tristan, the times, they are a changin', and you are living in the past. You are not a social progressive, you are a social conservative who is trying to keep afloat a sinking socialist philosophy which has proven to have failed, over and over again.

So too, Multiculturalism has failed. It is not just the terrorism, and the realisation by the "sophisticated" Euros that if they don't start getting a bit racist, then Europe is going to end up a dysfunctional and bankrupt society where "liberals" such as yourself had better shut up, or the local Imam will set his dogs join you. It is the growing realisation that mixing races and cultures produces cultural self suicide. If you think that you are going to build a society where Transgender Nigel and "his" LGTBIDOPJKYXZ "partner" Bruce, with their surrogate child they bought from Thailand, are going to live in peace, harmony and mutual respect with Muhammad, with his flowing beard, his Centrelink payments, and his four child brides, you must have rocks in your head.

Real liberals can see the threat to their own cultures existence from social conservatives like yourself, who are extremist anti discriminationists, think that money grows on trees, and the answer to everything is to just tax 'the rich" more. They tried that in Detroit and the most productive people who paid most of the taxes just fled the damned place and left the ever growing numbers of unproductive to go figure.

The intelligent people in the western world are moving to the Right, Tristan, and as old Bob Dylan once crooned "get out of the new world if you can't lend your hand."

Turnbull lost the election because he was a smug rich bloke who wanted to be a PM in order to complete his CV, and he treated the job as a hobby. He mouthed the usual left wing platitudes, sucked up to the ABC reactionaries, politely ate Halal with the Imams as they told him how homosexuals must be executed, and thereby lost his the trust of the Liberal Party's most reliable voters.

' For self-espoused Christians, heartless LNP policies on defunding an Aged Care sector already characterised by regressive and callous user-pays mechanisms need to be rejected utterly.'

Oh yeah Tristan your slimy little representation of the ' heartless' and ' callous' policies of Christians of course in contrast to the regressives who see no problem butchering babies is dishonest and quite disgusting. It is you regressives that has positioned Australia in a place where all funding is at risk due to the incompetence and wasteful spending while in power. Of course the regressives who have demonstrated so much self interest throughout the last 10 years are the ones so full of heart. One really needs a bucket near by to read such deception.

Runner, the point of that part of the article was exactly that compassionate Christians should think again about austerity where it affects the most vulnerable. Especially the Aged. I'm not attacking Christianity generally. Though I worry about the most right-wing tendencies. I'm saying Christians can, should, and largely do better than this. I'm a Christian myself - and it is an appeal to Christians within the LNP to do the right thing by the vulnerable.

LEGO ; If Conservative Islam SPECIFICALLY, or even the most right-wing Christian tendencies - made up, say, 15 per cent of the population - then I would be worried about the potential impact on liberal rights this country. Not because I'm fixated on Islam generally like some Conservatives - but because CONSERVATIVE Islam SPECIFICALLY is not compatible with personal liberties we cherish in this country should it one day acquire a decisive kind of influence.

But to put it bluntly, I don't think that's going to happen. And discriminating against and vilifying muslims in this country is ill-advised - and itself can only be a radicalising influence. Muslims make about perhaps less than 2 per cent of this country. The communities are diverse ; and Some of them are liberal Muslims. Full acceptance of their rights and their dignity - is what is needed to hold this country together.

' I'm a Christian myself - and it is an appeal to Christians within the LNP to do the right thing by the vulnerable. '

then I suggest Tristan telling the truth rather than demonising those you disagree with.

The truth is that Turnbull led the way in making about $1.5 billion in cuts to Aged Care - focusing on cutting Pain Relief.

Shorten originally opposed the measure. But under intense pressure to 'cut spending' capitulated and also supported the cuts. BOTH parties' behaviour, here, was disgusting. Though Turnbull had led the way - and as such precipitated the whole thing.

Some people in the LNP have also been saying NDIS is 'unaffordable' - which is also appalling given what is at stake for the disabled and their carers ; And then they want to attack other vulnerable pensioners to pay for it. (because NDIS is popular, and they can't get away with just axing it)

The most vulnerable will never be sufficiently provided for through charity. It is a luxury of people like Tony Abbott that they seek to tear down the welfare state while 'salving their consciences' by doing charity work on the side. 'Tearing down the welfare state' condemns the most vulnerable to destitution and untold suffering. Self-professed Christians in the LNP need to face the consequences of their actions. It is OUTCOMES for the vulnerable that matter.

That said I'm sure there are good people on the LNP side of politics who want to do better. Including self-professed Christians. But just as I'm calling out Shorten for capitulating on Aged Care and other measures - kinder souls in the LNP need to publicly grapple with the consequences of austerity measures which take from the most vulnerable. *Some* of them have plenty to say about equal marriage, for instance - but little to say about the ordeals the Aged are made to endure in this country.

I am a socialist AND a social and political liberal. But remember that the welfare state was first initiated by Conservatives such as Bismarck. For some of them it was to 'retain control' by doing for the oppressed what they would not let them do for themselves. But also there was a deal of compassion and decency from some as well. Its those 'better angels' I'm appealing to.

I'm sure there are some facts in there somewhere alongside the patent partisan position? One of those facts is the need for genuine progressive tax reform. And an essential must if we're ever to return to a balanced budget, fully funded social justice and the occasional surplus!

And the reform we need will likely be resisted to the last breath by vested interest on both sides of the aisle, sure to come good with a plethora of patently puerile excuses for failing to embrace absolutely essential reform; and basically welded to the status quo?

Moreover, as a consequence when we change anything? Everything including the loopholes and rip offs remain essentially the same including the almost obligatory weasel words, only the inherent complexity increases, much to the delight of the tax industry? Who would be the only ones harmed if their parasitical unproductive practices were ever fully rationalized!?
Alan B.