Interesting piece.

Reads well, is assertive, and suggests a vision.

However, i don't agree with it.

Calls for a big picture understanding, but i dont see much in this article that understands the policy difficulties faced by all western political parties.

We can all shout loud, but where is his policy solutions. Come on, Mark Latham, you must be joking.

That was a bit of a ramble. Certainly not an exercise in clear thinking that I would have expected from a professor. Although seeing he is at Southern Queensland, what else would one expect.

David

Conservatism hasn't existed in Australia for some time; even John Howard wasn't much good at it. Tony Abbott chickened out on free speech, Malcom Turnbull didn't even pretend to be anything but someone who wanted to be in the Labor Party, and Morrison stands for nothing. The conservative laity has no party to vote for in Australia. That's federally. In the states, it's much the same. In my own state of South Australia, the Marshall government is the most mean spirited ever: cutting, cutting, cutting. In the last couple of days, they have been humiliated and forced to withdraw their plan to cut out hundreds of bus routes and close down convient motor registration branches in the suburbs. Bugger the people.

But hang on, WTF have we ever believed that any party calling itself the LIBERAL party could be conservative! Nowhere in the world is there a right of centre party parading under the word LIBERAL.

"The goal becomes winning office, at all costs and with all other things parked while we pursue the main game". Exactly! And that exactly describes people like Morrison - apeing Labor's socialism by giving money away, buying votes, irrespective of the effect on Australia's economy. At least the Labor party is honest about it's socialism.

Collits asks, "Are you forced to vote informal?" Well, yes. That's exactly what I did at the last federal election; it's what I'll be doing at the next one, too. As a true conservative, Right Winger, whatever, I simply can't vote for socialism, the curse of the free world. The Liberals being 'just a bit better than Labor' is no reason for them to have my vote. And, with our ridiculous preferential voting system, a few votes for the only honest party left in Australia, One Nation, are just going to trickle down to the main party crooks anyway.

With the exception of a decreasing number of people like me - and there are a few of them on OLO - Australians are a bunch of ignorant, uncaring hicks who deserve the scumbag governments that they get.

Something in Morrison's favour is the announcement that our defence spending will reach the recommended minimum of 2% of GDP this financial year.

About a month ago I watched a Utube presentation of a Chinese arms display which ran for about an hour. I don't know why we are bothering to spend any money on defense at all. China could wipe us out in the first 10 minutes of any conflict starting and there would be nothing that we or any of our allies could do to resist.

David

True, but having weapons on our side will also act a major deterrent.

The idea that we should simply allow China to have all the military might, is the stuff of fiction