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Every vote is vital to Nats : Comments
By Ron Boswell, published 19/12/2008A coalition is give and take: neither party can have everything its own way, and that has to be understood by both parties.
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Posted by Peter the Believer, Saturday, 20 December 2008 12:34:13 PM
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The Nats lost support because they are gutless, preferring short-term populist policies to remain in power to long-term statesmanship focussed on what is good for the country. To take an example, the Nats folded before Howard on the furphy of gun control and the buy-back, which have since been shown by authoritative reports by researchers from the universities of NSW and Melbourne to have been a complete waste on money.
Sources: McPhedran, S., & Baker, J. (2008). The Impact of Australia’s 1996 Firearms Legislation: A Research Review with Emphasis on Data Selection, Methodological Issues, and Statistical Outcomes. Justice Policy Journal, 5(1). ABC Illawarra Breakfast, 23/09/2008 06.51am Interview with Wang-Sheng Lee, researcher, University of Melbourne, to talk about The Australian Firearms Buyback and Its Effect on Gun Deaths report. Lee has found that the buy-back did not result in any change to gun deaths. Lee says that the research uses the number of firearm homicides from 1915-2004.[Research done by Dr Wang-Sheng Lee and Dr Sandy Suardi at the University of Melbourne, the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economics and Social Research]. The Nats leader at the time already knew that the guns used at Port Arthur were banned (and there were laws against murder) and Australia already had a well-proved licencing system in place but he did not even discuss the matter and weakly acquiesced because (as he later said) John Howard had made up his mind in advance and did not listen to reason. This was reminiscent of so many other policies where gutless front benchers, including the Nats, squibbed. I don't mind governments spending a billion dollars but like all taxpayers I'd like to see some concrete evidence of value for money, which is not evident in this case. A $billion wasted and counting.... There are many examples of where the Nats have rolled over to remain in power and this is just an example, rather than a talking point in itself, serving to prove that any political party which has no spine and is populist (like the Democrats) will in time bite the dust. Posted by Cornflower, Saturday, 20 December 2008 1:31:04 PM
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Peter the believer, Cornflower,
Calender check this is nearly 2009. Axe grinding is moot If this is an example of grass root support reasoning of the CP oops NP then their demise is assured. 60% of Australian who are ALLEGEDLY Christian doesn’t equate to a Christian inspired government per se i.e. The FF a ‘Christian oriented party’ and has marginal support. Tony Abbott‘s Christian stance was rebuffed by the public on RU486 issue. Howard a church goer was comprehensively rolled. One this is clear Christianity isn’t the prime motivator for Australians any more. The public want a steady as we go PM not an ideologue (religious or otherwise) reformer. The Democrats politically shot themselves in the collective testes/ovaries (they aimed higher than their feet). Internal division is political suicide and they forgot why the public put them there “to keep the bastards honest” (Llib/Nat and Labor). That role has now fallen to the ‘Greens’. I fear they too misunderstand their voter intended role. Pro gun parties have died due to lack of support. Mr Boswell. The CP needed to do more to make itself relevant than a just a name change. The NP has been losing support for decades it’s all but extinct in SA, NT and now Qld once its jewel in the crown. It is nonsense to assume that the NP can go on indefinitely without its own effective local banner carriers. With rare exceptions (Barnaby Joyce) the NP has little recognition outside the ‘bush’. As for its policies….well. With the increasing urbanization of Australia it isn’t surprising that a rural focused party is shrinking in support in favour of the urban centrist Libs/Labor. The NP is clearly seen as a single interest party. The perks of coalition have robbed the NP is reason to exist except as a spear carrier of the Libs. I see both amalgamation and/or a split as inevitable. Posted by examinator, Saturday, 20 December 2008 3:38:52 PM
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The voters are merely doing what all good conservatives do. Ignoring an irrelevant noisy minority.
Posted by Neutral, Saturday, 20 December 2008 4:12:44 PM
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Examinator: "Calender check this is nearly 2009. Axe grinding is moot'
This is what you put forward as argument? Unlike you most people consider a candidate's and a party's record and are less impressed by the latest fifteen second grab of rhetoric. It is a fact that the Nats follow the lead of the Liberals into populist policies and there is not a statesman among them. They are reactive, not proactive. The Democrats - over what was there internal division? Wouldn't have been attempted brinkmanship over populist policies by any chance? That and so many 'names' espousing narrow interests. The late founder of the Democrats, Don Chipp would certainly have disagreed with your impression that the Democrats kept to his promise of 'keeping the bastards honest' or that they aimed higher than their (clay) feet (remember the GST?). As for your belief that the Greens will keep anyone honest, that really is funny. Have you ever watched the Greens in action against anyone who disagrees with them? Of course the Greens are populist too and that is seen from the recent ACT election where the Greens promised anything that could score them a vote - while not giving any practical alternatives or implementations of course. What comprehensive policies do the Greens actually have? It is one thing to snipe away but delivering on policy is a vastly different thing. The Greens are a grab-bag of loose cannons from the left and any efforts at policy implementation would quickly demonstrate that fact. Yours (country versus city) is a simplistic assessment of where support for the Nats can come from. They could still be a force in Australian politics but it will take true statesmanlike leadership and a view of a desirable future for Australia to do it. At present too many Nats are making it up as they go in the scrabble to keep a footing in their own electorate. Pity they don't stop talking long enough to listen. Posted by Cornflower, Saturday, 20 December 2008 4:31:09 PM
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My oh my, what a lively discussion we are having. How many of my fellow forum contributors, are aware of Newton’s Law: Nature abhors a vacuum. When the Democrats were the only ones to propose the abolition of Prayers in the Parliament of the Commonwealth they sealed their fate. They hold not one seat since. The Greens are heading the same way. A Federal Court of Australia Judge who mocked Almighty God died unexpectedly. The Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 is a Christian Document, and S 116 was supposed to keep Australia as a Christian Nation.
The Liberals describe themselves as the Broad Church of the Liberal Party, ( Manly Daily Newspaper 2004) and the Labor , Nationals, and Communist Parties, all aspire to be a Church, and govern by Divine Right. The Chinese accorded their Emperor a Mandate from Heaven, until Mao became Emperor, as Leader of the Communist Party Church in that country. Mugabe, that Roman Catholic Disgrace from Zimbabwe, holds power because he heads a defacto Church. For 60 years, starting with Sir Robert Menzies, the Priests of the Law, Solicitors and Barristers, have been promoting the Religion that Law is a continuation of God by other means. The Jewish leader who repudiated that fallacy, and was crucified for His trouble, gave us the mechanics to keep the faith, but the Law is God sect, has set aside his teachings, and substituted the “Doctrine of Parliamentary Supremacy”, in its stead. Pierre Schlag, a very thoughtful Professor of Law at Colorado University, wrote an essay or two, on this subject. You can find him here: http://stripe.colorado.edu/~schlag/publications.html By Mentioning the Queen or Her Majesty forty times in the Constitution and Almighty God once, the Coronation Oath 1688 ( Imp) is incorporated into the Australian Constitution. All Parliamentarians swear allegiance to the Queen, but many members of Parliament don’t understand their role. They owe allegiance like the Queen does to Almighty God. Her Statutory Obligations are set out here: http://www.community-law.info/?page_id=159 There are many good Christians on both sides of politics. Its time they stood for what they believe in Posted by Peter the Believer, Sunday, 21 December 2008 6:34:55 AM
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Boswell is a long term political operative. He did not become a Senator till 1983, so the blame for allowing the return of Star Chambers, manned by State Appointed Priests, sitting without juries cannot be sheeted home to him. The Liberals failed to fix the Federal Court of Australia or the High Court after Paul Keating made them illegal by the Trade Practices Act 1974 amendments in 1995. These “Courts” exclude ordinary electors from participation in the political process. ( s 45 Trade Practices Act 1974) If Ron Boswell understood that we must have “courts” with real people in them, before they are legal, his party might start to win back confidence. He might begin by accepting the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is a valid law. It enacted Christian principles as Statute Law.
The Australia Act 1986 is essentially Liberal Party legislation, that abolishes the rule of law. It is essentially anti Christian, and the gods it creates are the nine Parliaments. Not only our lawyers, but our pastoral leaders have been asleep at the wheel. Kevin Rudd knows that if he goes to Church, and continues to do so, the Labor Party will continue to enjoy the support of enough of the sixty five percent. It is a Christian system, and if Ron Boswell wants government back, he must learn how to please Christians. To learn how the Christian system works, he should learn the truth at: www.community-law.info