In a recent podcast for the IPA (an organisation I no longer belong to) Tony Abbott discusses the malaise running amok in the once great Liberal Party of Australia. Firstly, before I continue, I need to state that I haven’t listened to the podcast and I even if I could I probably wouldn’t listen. No doubt it’s available somewhere on Youtube but the thought of listening to Abbott “umm and ahh” his way through a podcast isn’t very appealing. I’ve read about the podcast here on the Cat, in The Australian as well as on the excellent Australian conservative website “politicom” which I discovered through someone here on the Cat who posted a link…I think it was Shy Ted. I would urge all Cats to sign up for the weekly email and to visit the site. Here’s the link….
https://politicom.com.au/
But back to Abbott, in the podcast he bemoans and laments the exodus of disenchanted and angry Liberals, particularly two well-known Liberals, Campbell Newman and John Ruddock. He begs Liberals not to abandon the party. Abbott says…..
“My advice to people who are feeling frustrated with the state of centre-Right politics right now is not to give up in disgust – but to stay in and fight.”
Now when I first read that I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry….”stay and fight“…such spirited words from someone who didn’t really fight much when he was PM….we all remember how he capitulated on repealing Section 18C. Nor did he fight much when he was being assaulted daily by GetUp and other progressive activists during the vicious 2019 election campaign waged against him in Warringah…..but it begs the question….”how exactly do we stay and fight Tone?” The Liberal Party of Australia, once a bastion of limited government, fiscal responsibility, individual liberty, freedom of religion and free speech, has disappeared, gone, zapped away. I’m searching for that Liberal Party but I can’t find it….anywhere. The Liberal Party doesn’t need the left to destroy it…it’s destroying itself. We never hear a peep from the Liberal Party and the current PM about those aforementioned Menzian principles. Instead, we now have a “copycat party”, it doesn’t even try to hide the fact that it apes the policies of Labor and the far-left Greens, it’s a “Liberal government” in name only that is now more spendthrift than anything under Rudd, in fact I’d hazard a good guess that even John Keynes would be appalled at the financial profligacy. And Morrison…..lol…..he’s spineless, he never confronts the left, all he does is fellate their talking points in order to appease them, whether it be about climate, bushfires, so called sexual assault allegations and on and on it goes. Morrison’s national cabinet empowered grubs like Dan the Marxist and McClown. A jelly made five minutes ago has more backbone that Morrison. And the worst…the Liberals will happily side with Labor to censor and condemn their own…whether it be the disgraceful lynching of Bettina Arndt in 2020 and the silencing of Craig Kelly and George Christensen this year. Can any of you imagine Labor censoring one of their own?
And here in NSW? Words usually fail me. The party should rename itself the “Mint Greens”, it copies the far-left inner west Greens on everything….the environment, energy and on social policies it’s fallen even further left than Labor. Just remember those grotesque abortion laws two years ago, introduced in darkness, where Gladys and Barilaro (and don’t get me started on that fraud) struck a deal with a nasty hard-left independent by the name of Alex Greenwich to introduce despicable abortion laws…..where you can abort an unborn baby up to nine months. Next on the list will be euthanasia…just wait for it….it’s only months away. This is a state government that calls ordinary men and women, protesting about the need to go to work….”selfish” and “boofheads”. But we shouldn’t be surprised by any of this, the person who controls the NSW Liberal Party isn’t Gladys…it’s a leftist green grub named Michael Photios. But none of this is confined to the NSW Liberals….these same progressive mint green policies run rampant through all state Liberal parties which is why they struggle to win elections because they don’t actually oppose anything…they’re just Labor lite parties. Look at the pathetic state of the Western Australian, Queensland and Victorian Liberal parties…all three live in daily fear of their own shadows. I’ve long said it but I’ll say it again….why vote Labor lite? May as well vote Labor.
So Tone, here’s an idea, maybe before you criticise the likes of Campbell Newman, John Ruddock and people like me for leaving the Liberals you should have a word to Scott Morrison to stop listening to progressives, Twitter talking points, the G7 and the MSM and instead LISTEN to the talking points of those Liberal party members who remain in the party. It’s just an idea Tone but it’s probably too late…..because I suspect the birds have flown the coop and they’re now far away.
Oh and Tone, there is a party that professes those Menzian principles I value and that party is called the Liberal Democrats…which is why I’ve joined and why many others are fleeing the Liberal party for the Lib Dems.
Anyway Tone, you know ALL of this yet you still ask us to stay and fight? Here’s my answer to you…NO. Your hollow lamentation confirms to me that you really are “Tone Deaf”.
Well said Cassie.
And there I was thinking it was Tony that held the boxing Blue.
Go get ’em Cassie.
Great article, Cassie. Just one correction: It’s John Ruddick – not Ruddock.
“Great article, Cassie. Just one correction: It’s John Ruddick – not Ruddock.”
JMH…it’s definitely Ruddock.
Cassie – curious why you separated with the IPA, if you don’t mind elaborating? (I’m a member and still feel they are worthwhile, mostly).
..
He was misquoted. What he actually said was: ”stay and fart”.
My mistake, Cassie. I thought you meant this John Ruddick who has left the Libs to join the Lib Dems: https://www.spectator.com.au/2021/07/why-im-off-to-the-liberal-democrats/
“My mistake, Cassie. I thought you meant this John Ruddick who has left the Libs to join the Lib Dems: https://www.spectator.com.au/2021/07/why-im-off-to-the-liberal-democrats/“
That is the Ruddock…I’m pretty sure that’s a mistake on the part of the Speccie…however I will clarify!
The primary vote for splinter parties on the right will be another record in 2022 and the Liberal Party primary vote will be another record low.
The left doesn’t need to split its vote the way the right does: the loonies and a big slice of the ALP rank and file vote for the Greenfilth and — in an incredibly disciplined manner — always give their preferences to Labor to guarantee that, every now and then, largely through public hoodwinking via media disinformation, they ride into government on the ALP’s back and Labor, out of fear of losing their inner-city marginals, give the greens everything they want. (Who in Victoria will ever forget the Andrews junta spending $1.1 billion of taxpayers’ money to NOT build a much-needed freeway to get Greens preferences at the 2018 state election?)
BTW, I’m guessing at least half of our state and federal public services vote green — and it’s the half that loves lockdowns and the fascist big government confiscation of freedoms now endemic in Australia, not to mention the strangulation of small business.
The electoral dividend from Liberal governments appeasing the Greens is ZERO. As a matter of honor, fashion-conscious Greens voters would never live it down if they even gave preferences to the Stupid Fucking Liberals.
Well said Cassie.
There are a lot of opportunities for your LDP to make a case for restoring faith in public institutions such as police. In Victoria you could announce a policy of making all police re apply for their jobs. Make an advertisement showing a montage of images of officers doing things decent people abhor. Arresting the little pregnant woman in front of her children, taking a knee to BLM, running into a mentally disturbed man with a car, pulling women out of cars, throwing women on the ground, Luke Cornelius calling people tin foil hat wearers … you get the picture! Then announce that under the LDP such thuggery and bastardry won’t be tolerated and that “Uphold the right ” means just that.
To get back to the point of your post, all the things LNP should and once would have stood for.
Restore the faith could be your three word slogan!
“Cassie – curious why you separated with the IPA, if you don’t mind elaborating? (I’m a member and still feel they are worthwhile, mostly).”
They refused to speak up for Bettina Arndt last year when she was lynched….and this I know for a fact. Bettina received more help from Toby Young’s UK organisation “Free Speech Union” that any so called “conservative” or “libertarian” organisation here in Oz.
The Arndt episode left a bitter pill in my mouth and every time I think about renewing my membership to the IPA….I find I can’t. Having said that the IPA does do good things…and I find it interesting that Roskam is actually finally speaking up on Sky about everything I’ve mentioned in my piece above.
.these same progressive mint green policies run rampant through all state Liberal parties
Exhibit 1 – W.A. Liberal Party. It went to the last election campaigning for a “Net Zero 2030” policy, and it is now a net-zero party. Well, almost net-zero, they won two seats in the 59 seat Legislative Assembly.
Nothing green ever works.
Cassie – have you seen the “Electoral Reform Bill?
Pure bastardry.
Very well said, Cassie.
I have said for years that the only way to redeem the Liberal party is to annihilate it and start again.
The current zombie cannot be resurrected.
And I say this as someone who was a member for some 12 years.
11/10 for that incisive analysis, Cassie.
IMHO the so-called Liberal Party is beyond redemption and I really wish TA could see that. I believe he is a really good bloke with a fierce intellect and, under different circumstances, would have made our best ever PM but, alas, his admirable loyalty has blinded him to the reality of how rotten the Libs were and still are.
Unlike you though, I still feel like a political orphan at the moment and am very despondent about the future of our wonderful country and, indeed, the Western world in general.
https://twitter.com/johnruddick2
John Ruddick may beg to differ..
I think Tony’s main fault is he still believes everyone has some good in them, and can be brought around.
He doesn’t understand the factional wet rot in the libs.
Well written Cassie, and thanks.
I’d disagree with one thing though, and that is Abbott’s fight to win his seat in 2019.
Living near his electorate, my on-the-ground view was that he put enormous energy into the election. Obviously he got little traction in the MSM and little financial support from the SFL who saw his defeat as taken and didn’t send enough resources his way.
Apologies JMH…it is Ruddick. I have confirmed it. Apologies all.
If I was Ruddick I wouldn’t want a photo of me and that twink hoplophobe Howard on LDP voting material. As it is I won’t be helping him in Warringah.
John Rud is definitely a dick, not a dock. And while we’re on surnames Scott has an unnecessary “ris” in the middle. And they all need to lose “The Honourable”. And while I’m on a rant, MP stands for marxist prat. Personally I’m looking forward to the day when RIP follows their name. Well, not RIP, maybe RIH.
The libs are a by a barely poofteenth amount ‘nicer’ (in the superficial sense of presentation e.g. less bolshy image) than the labs, but they are, all of them, still just a big cartel of frauds and liars who collaborate to empower themselves while they disenfranchise, marginalise, vilify and demonise anyone and everyone who raises even the slightest amount of skepticism about their party policy integrity, decency and intelligence. As has been mentioned many times elsewhere, about the only tactic left available to mug voters, as imperfect as it is, is to vote the sitting member last in the lower house (regardless of party) and vote for the minor party of your choice in the upper house. Assuming we don’t in the meantime get shafted by enablement of mail-in voting or some such ‘secure and trustworthy’ mechanism.
Our “democracy”, such as it is, is finished.
There is no way it deserves to survive this current outburst of obscene totalitarian lunacy.
It is the culmination of a five decade long betrayal of the Australian people and there is no coming back from that fact. To paraphrase, It’s Time, for Hop Time.
P.S. Great piece Cass, about an individual who is in no position whatsoever to be opining about the political party he helped destroy.
HOP Time …
Love your work Cassie.
As Menzies said ‘are we for the socialist state with the subjugation of people to the officialdom of government or are we for the ancient British faith that governments are the servants of the people? The real freedoms are to worship, to think, to speak, to be industrious, to be ambitious, to acquire skill, to seek reward. This are the real freedoms for these are the essence of the nature of man’.
It grieves me to live in country whose centre-right party’s main platform is ‘not being commies’, while imitating commies as hard as they can.
It grieves me so much that I voted for the Liars when Malcontent pulled his little coup. That felt dirty, even in this ‘safe seat’. I think Julie Bishop was perhaps the only Lib whose vote increased at that ugly election, which shows I didn’t vote often enough – or someone else did.
It is the culmination of a five decade long betrayal of the Australian people and there is no coming back from that fact.
Pretty much when the unipardy brought in multiculturalism which effectively unpersoned the skips and NES migrants who learnt English and brought their children up as Aussies.
I was in Sydney when the Bellevue Hill branch of the lieboral party was having a forum with Abbott and Tim Blair and others about the future of the organisation. I had thought about attending but reports indicate it was a complete WOT.
Also the failure of the Warringah motion was a big FU the ordinary members. The current government in NSW is worse than labor ever was. Therefore I didn’t bother to vote in the LA.
… and Tone , that party called the Liberal Democrats
… ya, I give them money
…paying attention yet?
Cassie
May I suggest that the ‘Liberal’ Democratic Party actually do drop the liberal branding as it is now full on American Liberal and there is probably only the readers of this blog that understand the English political and economic meaning of the word Liberal.
And perhaps it may be beneath the dignity of Liberal Democrats but there is and has been a space for some time at the ‘furniture store’ for folk to articulate and share the ethos.
check https://freedomaustralia.freeforums.net/board/30/liberal-democrats
Oops. Sorry, John Bayley.
I accidentally reported you instead of clicking the thumbs-up icon.
I too, have been calling the Lieborals the Zombie party for a number of years, and advocating there is no reforming them. You cannot re-energise organs, tissues, a circulatory system etc, that no longer exist. It’s akin to trying to use a defibrillator on a person with a pacemaker. The only reason to attempt it is to placate any loved ones present until the pros arrive.
Our energies need to be devoted to growth, rather than furiously nostalgiabating under the blanket over a stone-cold corpse.
Malcolm Turnbull not booted.
Ideologically possessed swamp creatures the likes of Matt Kean and the mincing poodle.
Only convictions held are for the salaries and obscene super packages.
Persisting with the RET.
And now we are going to get vax passports.
Never again will my vote go to Nats or Libs.
I also, at every opportunity, will be actively discouraging others from voting for them as well.
Well said Cassie. ?
I don’t see any political options for me at the moment. Maybe I’m destined to be a lone ferret, perpetually sniffing the wind.
I’m also not prepared to throw my vote away to the first person who flashes me. Although I’d make an exception for the manager of my gym. But only four or five times.
I put a link up on the open thread, but I’ve spent the day listening to two looooooong discussions that Topher Field had – one with Malcolm Roberts and one with George Christensen.
Highly recommended. Gives a real insight into the political processes and what one individual can and can’t achieve as a member of big or small parties.
‘Topher Field’ on youtube will find him.
Oh, and here’s one little gem that Malcolm Roberts made me aware of – Greg Hunt MP was named a Global Leader for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum.
Tells you all you need to know about the illiberal party.
Same for me. Amanda Stoker was just on The McGregor Angle and all the time I was thinking she was also one who sold Bettina down the line: some things are hard to forgive. Stoker is young, hardly blooded, and rather full of being the up-and-comer in all things female, so she ran the knee-jerk anti-men line fairly unthinkingly then. She will have to look more closely at where some of her ideas come from in order to do much that is worthwhile. Perhaps she’ll have to discover she’s in the wrong party. Unlikely though. Campbell Newman won’t unseat her, but he might give her numbers a dent.
I still think all the centre-right fracturing has got to stop. Maybe after another electoral cycle. Too many people are upset about too many things right now. Splitters everywhere.
I haven’t really got any answers to it. Just waiting and hoping for something decisive.
I think that would be a bad move. We can tell because the Libs now are trying all sorts of means to get the ‘Liberal’ taken out of the LDP name. They are running scared of the LDP. People looking for an alternative to ‘the Libs’ in Australia aren’t going to be bookland political philosophers about it. They will have Menzies’ idea of the individual-in-everyday-life in mind as opposed to what Labor is well know to stand for. Someone who is thus ‘Liberal’ in that sense, in the sense of looking for something that is not Labor, nor the despised Morrison crew, will tick LDP. It be just what many are looking for.
A donkey vote may have created David L as a one-term Senator, but a similar ‘not the Liberals’ vote may work in favour of the LDP no matter where on the ballot paper they fall.
My sincere hope for the LDP is that they can get up a couple of Senators to stop the green-left hold on the balance of power in the Senate.
Thanks Cassie re IPA, I hadn’t really twigged to that – choosing their battles maybe, but pretty appalling all the same.
Ellen – St Jacinda and Sarah H-Y were also selected by the WEF as young leaders of tomorrow – telling that both are apparently smart enough NOT to advertise the fact on their websites, unlike Hunt.
Didn’t know that Perfidious. I did know Horse face was an acolyte of Tony bLIAR the war criminal. Horse face spent a lot of time in London.
Well done Cassie, thanks for getting said – was gong to get an early night but so much is weighing on my mind I can’t sleep
. …… She went along to get along, a lot of good that did her the Boys’ Club dropped her down the ticket anyway.
I hope Campbell Newman does take her Senate seat, she deserves to lose it because she betrayed a private citizen, a woman, a widow, and a mother beset by the Senate of our Parliament, on the motion of a couple of Labor and Green skanks, unjustly treated and censured on a document which was a lie — well done Amanda Stoker. You’re right Lizzie, some things are hard to forgive and this one I don’t forgive.
careful Ellen,
JC will be calling you out because Hunt passed through a kibbutz and he’s a good boy.
If there were genuine consumer protection ‘laws’ in Australia then the so called “Liberal” Party of Australia should be rebranded as the “Progressive” Party of Australia in line with their US style operations and that should more properly be called Liberal Socialist Party of Australia.
Similar with the Labor without “U” party. Another mob of American style globalists.
The Greens are just Luddites and are the Antifa.Black Shirts.
So yes Lizzie… the Liberal Democrats sound like a pack of wankers before I even hear what they might have to say.
‘Liberal’ is a political dirty word.
Milt – Cassie and myself attended that shindig. The only person who made any sense on the evening (apart from Timbo who was merely the MC) was one Riccardo Bosi.
Molan and Abbott spoke down to the audience, Riccardo sensed and tapped into the latter’s mood.
“Milt – Cassie and myself attended that shindig. The only person who made any sense on the evening (apart from Timbo who was merely the MC) was one Riccardo Bosi.
Molan and Abbott spoke down to the audience, Riccardo sensed and tapped into the latter’s mood.”
Rabz…you forgot another quest speaker who made a lot of sense that night in October 2018…..
Craig Kelly.
Thanks Cass – I thought it might have been Craigo.