Dear Belly,

Lenore Taylor in her article for The Guardian
tells us that the lack of policies at the
heart of the recent insurrection of the Liberal
Party in Australia is not about preserving the
party as a broad church at all. The more recent
actions show us that it is about following the
global trend towards the far right.

She then asks, "What's the point of the Liberal
Party in Australia if it just panders to an
ever narrowing base?" And warns us that by doing
so it will become a party just like One Nation.
Is that what they want? Obviously some do.

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/aug/22/whats-the-point-of-the-liberal-party-if-it-just-panders-to-an-ever-narrowing-base

Foxy the illness that bought about Donald Trump has infected Conservative Liberals
No one More than Scott Morrison, hence mini me
He has hitched his wagon to a man who will fall in 2019
Trump has dug a hole for himself Scomo has invited himself in to it.

The myth that Conservatism fosters smaller government is exactly that, a myth. What conservatism does is redirect government expenditure away from the majority and towards the elite. If the measure was the number of public servants employed then conservatives would be seen as "reducing government", even if it is an illusion created by outsourcing of government through the engagement of a mass of private contractors and consultants. If the measure is government intrusion into ordinary peoples lives, then conservatives will on the pretext of law and order or welfare control introduce more regulation.
And that’s the way of conservative paradigms such as “small government” “the less government the better” and “government is the problem.” There’s simply no evidence that conservatives really believe these aphorisms as indicated by the fact that conservative politicians rarely ever follow their dictates.

Dear Paul and Belly,

You both may enjoy this:

"When a candidate for public office faces the voters
(in the US) - he does not face men of sense. He faces
a mob of men whose chief distinguishing mark is the
fact that they are incapable of weighing ideas, or even
comprehending any save the most elemental - men whose
whole thinking is done in terms of emotion, and whose
dominant emotion is dread of what they cannot understand.
So running for office the candidate must either bark with
the pack or be lost ... All the odds are on the man who is,
intrinsically, the most devious and mediocre - the man
who can most adeptly disperse the notion that his mind is
a virtual vacuum. The presidency tends, year by year, to go
to such men.

As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and
more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move towards
a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folk
of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the
White House will be adorned by a downright moron."

(H.L. Mencken).

Hi Foxy, thanks for that, very true. As I've been involved in many campaigns by numerous candidates over the years, I can assure you that the best candidate does not always win. To show I'm not being biased as usual, on a number of occasions if the best person for the job had been elected, the local member would have been from the Liberal party and not Labor. One who got to the ultimate position of State Primer was Kristina Keneally, who I judged having met and talked with her about various issues, to be rather mediocre. KKK was top dog in the state, but that's another John Dory!

Well, I do the family Santa act tomorrow, wish me luck, got Jack the Elf with his Harley sleigh (Dasher), minus the other reindeer, to assist, should be fun for the kids and me.

Just of interest, on the customs of people. Had the (step)daughter and kids (moko's) around for lunch today, a cold chicken salad. My wife "T" eats a lot of her food (kai) from a bowl using her fingers, shame on her some would say. As usual she was doing what she often does, when the daughter piped up and said "Mum when are you going to stop eating like that, using your fingers?" She said it was a bad example for the kids, eat like a normal person and use a knife and fork. Mum said her ancestors/people ate like that for hundreds of years, and I have, since I was a tamiti (child), and will till I die. Daughter thinks that sort of thing belongs in the past and not in 21st century. All I said was "I eat with a knife and fork and look at me, I'm not normal, and you aught to see her eating soup (laugh)."

Foxy and Paul very true including Paul,s thought some times the Labor candidate was the wrong person to elect
It is true of every party
America has refined it,and made heaps, even a party the wrong candidate
Poor old Hilary was another,only in America?
Not really voters, far too many of them, know very little about politics
Not even the most important thing, it is the only way, only single thing, we can do to impact on our world
Only an informed electorate can deliver better politicians
Trump? this year to come will make even his supporters ask what have they done