Hi Fester,

"I'd be happy to see the conservatives run on a social democracy platform" Interesting, then they wouldn't be a Conservative Party, they would be a Social Democratic Party. Conservative thinking doesn't allow for social democracy through a progressive platform of reform, but relies on a free market with such gems as the "Trickle Down Effect" and "Conservative Values" which is support of existing social institutions through a class driven society.

In Australian politics Labor and others have taken the progressive middle ground, and that has marginalized the Liberal's to a non progressive position, without any true policy. The Liberal Party is a party of the 1950's and 60's, in those times they did offer something to an aspirational Australian society through Liberalism, whilst maintaining Conservative values. Today they offer nothing in the way of social reform, and society is rejecting those old Conservative values. In the first Labor government the opposition were laughingly referred to as the "Noalition", with a policy agenda of saying "NO!" to everything, whilst offering nothing in the way of an alternative. In their three years in opposition the Noalition failed to develop any worthwhile policies at all, going to the election with half baked notions, such as an energy policy of nuclear power stations, and a voter bribe of 25c off a litre of petrol. TOTAL FAILURE!

Hi Paul,

I'd be careful about trying too hard to define things. Look at the Russian Federation flying the flags of imperialism, communism and fascism together. Hardly a holy trinity.

The coalition have defined themselves as a do nothing and make no difference party, and have rightly suffered the consequences from voters. That they are staying the course shows them up as complete dills.

Hi Fester,

Australia post war has not had a Conservative Party in the British Tory model of any magnitude. The Liberal Party had great post war political success through a mix of mild Liberalism and Conservatism Menzies seen to that. Labor in the 1950's hit the self destruct button with a ideological push to the sodalist left, with internal wrangling to add fuel to the fire. It was Whitlam who made the Labor Party relevant once more in the 1970's.

The centre of politics in Australia is not static but dynamic as social attitudes and asperation change. With their defeat in 2022 the Liberal Party failed to see the writing on the wall, as to their future. Dutton was the wrong person to lead the Liberals back into government. Looking at the parties diminished ranks today, I fail to see anyone with the strong leadership credentials necessary to resurrect the parties fortunes, over the next 6 years. They are virtually zero chance of winning the next election in their present state.

Hi Paul,

Yes, I agree. Neither policy nor leadership. Just pathetic. Stand for something. Believe in something. They just blow in the wind. Totally irrelevant.

Fester

Agree with your comments regarding the Coalition ... and with Paul’s.

I do not however agree with your observation that Russia is 'flying the flags of imperialism, communism and fascism together’. Really it’s flying none of those.

At best, the communism flag is part way up the flagpole, really only kept there through the West’s insistence on demonising it as a communist country. In reality, Russia today is a democratic republic with a market-based economy.

Nor is it a fascist country. 27 million Russians died in their country’s defeat of Nazi Germany in WW2. Russians have a deep intolerance of fascism and nazism. It’s one of the reasons they took their military operation into Ukraine ... to denazify the place.

And nor does Russia today have imperialist ambitions. It’s not trying to take over Ukraine or any other European nation. It’s protecting its borders from NATO encroachment and defending the Russian speakers in Ukraine’s border regions, nothing more. Once again, the imperialist label is just another way the West demonises Russia.

Bandying around throwaway lines like this is easy. Doing some research and getting your facts right takes a bit more work.

Bronwyn,

I was thinking of events like this:

http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/71450/photos#

It is Russia's history, but quite conflicted and contrary. You might also consider the pulp fiction being produced by the Kremlin that glorifies Nazism. Truly crazy stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCI6es9G0oo

A country run by amoral criminals sadly.