Its still a threat. They haven't gone away just because they were seemingly unsuccessful in getting what they want. LOok at their leverage on private school funding just for starters.

There is undoubtable some cheer to be gained from this analysis - however I believe that the point raised in the previous post is absolutely valid. The religious right has not gone away, and I fear will be constitute an ever increasing threat to liberalism, fairness, and logical analysis. When we have thousands of children without homes and left to the tender mercies of the various church charities- not to mention the apparently bungling inefficiency of 'docs' - how anyone can deny ratification of same sex marriages - a ratification that would substantially alleviate this problem is utterly beyond my comprehension - unless of course the mindless stupidity of the self styled 'holy' bible is invoked. Then of course it all makes sense. Such people would obviously rather see defensless children sexually assaulted, brutalised and alienated, as has happened to so many, than see them in a loving and secure same sex relationship.

As an aside, it should be remembered that Mr Nelson supports the introduction of so called 'Intelligent Design' into school curriculums - a fact that seems to have retreated into the backwater of the public psyche. Don't be fooled - Nelson is a Howard clone with intelligence, and all the more dangerous for that.

"Nelson is a Howard clone with intelligence, and all the more dangerous for that."

True, which is why he'll try and do what Howard did and gain support issue by issue, split by split. But it won't be on the same issues Howard did. There's no point. This election demonstrated that, contrary to beliefs in the sealed off world of Canberra, Australia is not, and has never been, America.

As the article pointed out, the influence of the religious lobby might have been strong on the Howard government, but it didn't convince the electorate and it's the electorate that matters. The next election has already started and neither side is about to ignore the majority view in favour of small handfuls of nutters. Not anymore. Our brief flirtation with fundamentalist whackjobbery is over.

Rudd has already drawn a distinction between your average christianity and the 'dangerous sect' type. These oddball American import extremists won't last the distance. There's just not enough misery and fear in this country for them to get a foot hold.

Certainly both Howard and Costello, though apparently both members of the more traditional churches, did attend the Hillsong Church occasionally, possibly to gain more favour with fundamentalist voters?

Maybe in doing so, they did lose votes through it?

Cheers - BB, WA.

There haven't been many articles that cheered me as much as this one did.

I was quite pleased when I saw Abbott's popularity was languishing on 9 per cent. I'm quite happy to take that as a sign Australia is rejecting this weird hardcore conservatism which has sprung up over the last half decade.

The astounding thing about Christians conservatives' involvement in politics is that they strain at gnats and swallow camels. They supported a party that sent asylum seekers to their deaths, that kept children in immigration detention after it was know to cause lasting depression, that put forward the idea that the national interest could be part of the justification for war, that put workers with bad employers in a position where they could be forced to lose their time with their families, that deliberately fostered new and old prejudices, that allowed the SIEV X passengers to drown, and that supported Saddam Hussein through the AWB corruption. They wupported a party that engaged, that is, in undeniably great evils. So much for their Christian values.

Yes the thread is full of hope, how many of us remember the thread just weeks before the election?
The one that saw a right wing Christian minister reveal God had informed him Howard would win.
Bet his Sundays have become interesting of late.
Devil made me do it maybe?

The Right wing religious nuts are just that, it might work in America; after all it was the place were Europe’s religious nut went to. However it doesn’t work here, religion has no place in modern Government. They can keep their silly childish fantasies to themselves.
Ps what I find most amusing about the religious right position on Gays is half end up being Gay. Why a group who is supposably into loving their neighbour is apposed to two consenting Adults entering into a loving relationship is beyond me.

Some interesting and amusing threads here, especially about gnats and camels. The writer is right that the C Right aren't an electoral threat. They only really surface when an issue such as abortion or euthanasia arises. And then they lobby like mad and they can be persuasive.

It's not measured in votes but in campaign donations. The thread that said that we're not fire and brimstone kind of guys and girls as a nation, is spot on. The Evangelists have had a harder time spreading their networks in Australia, mainly because we're mnore interested in the beach, cricket and LCD TV's.

That's not to say that they don't have leverage in Canberra in both major parties. See any of the comments in OLO by the Greens on the Exclusive Bretheran or the Democrats on Chruch and State.

Some interesting and amusing threads here, especially about gnats and camels. The writer is right that the C Right aren't an electoral threat. They only really surface when an issue such as abortion or euthanasia arises. And then they lobby like mad and they can be persuasive.

It's not measured in votes but in campaign donations. The thread that said that we're not fire and brimstone kind of guys and girls as a nation, is spot on. The Evangelists have had a harder time spreading their networks in Australia, mainly because we're more interested in the beach, cricket and LCD TV's.

That's not to say that they don't have leverage in Canberra in both major parties. See any of the comments in OLO by the Greens on the Exclusive Bretheran or the Democrats on Church and State.

An excellent article, Brian - as usual. But the euphoria only lasted until I remembered that over the last decade religions have gained control of most education establishments and funding, many hospitals and health care facilities, aged care facilities, social services including family planning, homelessness, employment... all of which are wondrous tax-free money-makers. Religious institutions own vast tracts of land and hundreds of buildings bringing in millions of tax-free dollars, and they also run business that undercut tax-paying enterprises. The Roman Catholic church made an untaxed profit of over eight billion dollars a couple of years ago. the uniting and baptists at least two billion, and all the others are doing their darndest to catch up fast with all the tax-payer funded perks on offer. They are cashed up and ready to fight and their finances are unaudited, unaccountable, secret...
You reckon they are going to go away and admit defeat? get real! The battle has only begun.

Yes, a good and inspiring article. I hope Brian's right.

Chainsmoker: "Our brief flirtation with fundamentalist whackjobbery is over."

"Fundamentalist whackjobbery"! I love it - do you mind if I use your wonderfully coined expression sometime?

An excellent, well argued and passionate piece from Brian Grieg as always. The only dampner I would put on it is that, despite the increase in the Greens vote, the balance of power in the Senate will effectively be held by Nick Xenophon and Stephen Fielding. Unfortunately, the moralising right might be able to do a bit more damage yet in the next three years.