Yes. And it will have been all the fault of our useless politicians and the disinterested Australians who don't demand enough from them. As for the "things we value", freedom of speech is one of them, and a certain Tony Abbott chickened out - let us down very badly - on sec. 18C, after 'promising' to get rid of it.

The opinions of past politicians who didn't cut the mustard when they could have done something worthwhile are of no use to anyone.

Thank you Tony Abbott for this excellent post. And thank you for all you did as PM, including cancelling the carbon tax and the awards to the Duke of Edinburgh.

You were one of our best PMs in my lifetime, along with Sir Robert Menzies, Bob Hawke, John Howard and Scott Morrison.

Please keep contributing until you are 100 - i.e. 2 months older then the Duke of Edinburgh when he died!

Dear Peter Lang,

No the clown did not cancel the Duke's awards at all and the legacy he left this country was laying down the pathway for lowering company taxes to look after donors, resulting in the more than doubling this nation's debt levels without the excuse of a GFC or the yet to occur pandemic.

He and Hockey were utter and abject failures and here you are chirping about the carbon tax and the knighthood.

Mr “I will sell my arse” to gain power Abbott was a stain on our democracy and if reading the odd piece on OLO is the price to pay for him never getting near any kind of power then I will wear it.

The mouth from the south actually proves he can't even read properly, but can rush into print making the usual fool of himself here.

Well done.

For somebody who prides himself on mixing it with poor whites in the RFS, he has excelled himself and his image by doing just that.

But I’ll point out one floor in the attempt. Poverty and destitution are not the preserve of Aboriginals.
If it were. Destitute whites would have no need to wrongly tick boxes asking the question: Are you Aboriginal or Torris Straight Islander, in order to gain the same advantages as their poor Aboriginal neighbours.

No death in custody is joyful for anybody, black or white. Shame this message is mute among the elite agitators.

Dan

Steele Redux

Your bigotry, phobia and hate speech are completely unacceptable.

Your bigotry, phobia and hate.....
Cumberland,
It's none of them, just plain indoctrination !

This is an excellent and positive article. It identifies the reality and reiterates the values to which we still adhere, regardless of the activities of James Burnham's destructive 'managerial elites'.

While Burnham did not say such, 'the Cancel Culture', in my opinion, would certainly come within their purview.

The only improvement, I could suggest, would be to state clearly, in Australia equality of opportunity is still a fundamental value and should always be added to the list of things we embrace and foster.

Tony, with hindsight, had you have had entrepreneurial experience, i think you would now been seen as a forerunner or portend to the emergence of Donald Trump, without, of course, his typical American or New Yorker brashness. You certainly attract the same sort of unreasoning hateful critics with their blatantly blind bulls... .

I enjoy your reasoned views of things and while there are some valid criticisms, on the whole, you did great good and were a positive influence in the lives of many Australians. History, the only real judge, will show that.

In the history wars, as in all wars truth with time, always wins. People choose the side that sides with their inner truth. Our Australian truth coincides with that stated in your article. While some think they can change our truth, their influence will only be temporary as basic truth, philosophy shows, never changes. Change must come from within. It requires sound philosophical support and as Bertrund Russel maintained, ‘All philosophy comes from the community, it is not the preserve of learned men.’

For this reason the pseudo intellectuals who attempt to impose their philosophy will inevitably fail.

Looking at this article I cannot help compare with the contributions of two former contemporary PM's. Worlds apart. These types of articles reflect character.

I must also state while mentioning character, our current PM demeaned both himself and the office with his bullying of a powerful woman who did not share his view and who was merely doing her job. He should show consistency and do as he advised Andrew Laming.

Cheers and good health.

Dear Hasbeen,

Oh I read it property old cock, however the not very subtle jibe obviously went over you head.

Dear Cumberland,

Poppycock.

How on earth is calling out a woeful PM as I did in any way “bigotry, phobia and hate speech”?

Don't go trying to cancel culture me young fella. Politicians in this wide brown land of ours are typically not differed to, nor are they automatically protected from robust criticism or critiquing, as you seem to be seeking for the Mad Monk.

Dear imajulianutter,

Did you really write this? “with his bullying of a powerful woman who did not share his view”.

My goodness, as much as I detest her politics Abbott's singular drive in getting Hanson locked up was borderline psychotic. The man is a political animal and any evident redeeming qualities in my opinion were purely for public consumption.

This bloke tried to cut the legs out of our universal health system, slashed funding on health and education, repealed both the mining and carbon taxes to the vast detriment of Australians and brought back knighthood which even his mentor Howard said was stupid. What redeeming feature did the bloke have?

Steel Redux

Poppycock.

Stop trying to squirm out of your obvious racism and sexism. That's why you support policies to try to make things easier for women and Aborigines - because in your heart of hearts you believe they are INFERIOR and have NO HOPE IN THE WORLD of participating in society as they equals of men and white - otherwise you wouldn't need policies in perpetuity to try in vain to make them equal. Bigot.

Ha ha but it's all just social construct, narratie, ideology. Gotcha! Checkmate bigot, you are a stain on our democracy which is a CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCH read your history young fella.

Dear Cumberland,

Lol. Now racism and sexism have been added to the list. Well well.

I would normally ask you to explain how but mate there is obviously a roo or two loose in that paddock so I'm going to back away gracefully.

Have a good day.

Abbott channeling Andrew Bolt, pre enlightenment values and eugenics (same was posted in Donnelly's blog demanding education be dumbed down on science, analysis, arts etc. and no doubt need more religion), why does anyone even listen to Abbott?

Look at his favourite white nationalist 'Christian' (few if any people practise) European (sort of) nation (divided), Hungary, they are near the top in rates of daily infections, deaths, a health system near collapse and anti-vaccination sentiment (while buddying round with China and Russia), with a panicked Orban govt. shutting down dissent (attacking the EU, Merkel, Soros, Europe, Biden etc.); good chance it will lead to a change of regime in 2022.

Hungary's solution to 'cancel culture' is to kick out CEU Hungarian university project of Soros moved to Vienna (same Soros who funded Orban's education), which promoted freedom of speech, ban gender studies from higher education in general, take over management of universities, (most bishops) attack Pope Francis and now Hungarian govt. is going to pay for Fudan University (PRC) to set up in Budapest (while Hungarian universities, health care, city/local councils etc. are starved of funds).

Conservative values? Confected 'cancel culture' and 'freedom of speech' issues on campus, media etc. are being used to takeover or put pressure on formerly independent institutions, especially those who promote science and learning.

Dear Mister SteeleRedux,

Yes indeed I wrote that. It's an honestly held and evidentially supported opinion.

Which contrasts mightily with your assertion.
.
'Abbott's singular drive in getting Hanson locked up...'

Let me correct and enlighten you, please.

Firstly, Abbott did not lay charges. He did ask relevant questions, and had every right to do that. Hanson was a political threat ... Federally.

Secondly a Queensland District court judge locked up Hanson, after a jury found her guilty of electoral fraud. Later a Queensland Court of Appeal overturned the Jury conviction and she was set free.

These are different parts of our system of government. This process, we all agree, is our system, was adhered to in this case, and it worked.

Fhirdly, isn't that what politicians do to each other? Bully one another. Hanson blamed both Howard and Abbott for a witch hunt. I agree with Hanson. They indeed witch hunted...

Howard disavowed any involvement.

It is interesting you agree with both Howard and Hanson.

Finally and most importantly. Morrison bullied an employee. How you see an equivalence, with a politician bullying another politician, mystifies me.

Cheers