Great piece Ken and pretty accurate. I have heard through the grapevine how draconian and controlling things are. I wonder what it will take to harness a new and refreshed conservative movement in Australia?
John. I suspect that we have entered a period like that before Menzies formed The Liberal Party. My understanding is that the non-Labor forces were disparate, waring and flailing. Eventually they became tired of being losers and united under a common belief and cause lead by Menzies. I think that we are witnessing this process which is likely to continue for a fairly long time. Humans tend to repeat history!!! The other factor of course is the inability of the non-labor forces to compete against the massive wealth and institutional power of the emerged Labor establishment.
That is a great point Ken. I think Clive Palmer's party could do better if he could keep his face off the campaigns. For whatever reason, he is not liked out there. But he cannot seem to allow the party to be the brand, instead of him. I am not prepared to go into politics, but I will get behind genuine efforts to bring cohesion to the Conservative side of politics. The only cause I will ever champion is "Personal Responsibility". That is about as far removed from collectivism as one can get.
In 1986 I broke the stranglehold the left had on the party machine in NSW, including his royal highness Photios.
In 1987, the left and the religious right created a one off unholy alliance and defeated me.
In the years since we have seen the offspring of this assault: Payne, Harwood Hockey,Zimmerman, Brogden, Mallard, Fallinsky Gladys,
It’s a procession of moderate fellow travellers, who hold captive their quarry, like Howard, Bishop, Abbott, tethered by the mooring lines of their careers.
The party has been dead for a while, it’s just nobody has turned the machine off.
As impossible as it may seem Ken, it’s even worse than you describe.
Take the once safe Liberal seat of Mayo in the Adelaide Hills occupied by former Foreign Minister Alexander Downer for nigh on 25 years. Not content to let the members elect his successor, Downer himself said he would decide who should be the next Member for Mayo upon his retirement. Being a safe seat, naturally a large field of qualified 40 and 50 year olds each with a long history of service to the Party and the community nominated. I was one of them. Downer, however, chose 30-year-old staffer Jamie Briggs who didn’t live in the electorate and had no history of Party or community service. The preselection process was then manipulated to ensure Briggs won by first, Downer denying he was considering retirement and dissuading other potential candidates from attending branch meetings. Second, Downer then announced his retirement triggering a snap preselection giving the Party no time to arrange a proper preselection process. Third, the electoral college was held a long way from the electorate and at a time and place as inconvenient as possible to the members. Less than half the eligible members attended. Anyone who cried foul or complained about what was happening was discredited and brushed off as ‘sour grapes’. I and a number of other members resigned in protest.
Is it any wonder the seat is now firmly held by an independent.
A worker retiring today has had to forgoe an average of 8% of their income for 30 years to super. Yet, the share of retirees drawing on the pension is only a fraction less than it was 30 years ago.
Why? Because super was never about pensions, it was about funding the ALP. Keating saw plummeting drops in union membership fees - then the ALP's main income. So, he introduced compulsory super to create massive industry funds that the unions could claim very generous fees for managing.
Despite being in power for most of that 30 years, the Libs never something similar to insure against their own declining membership.
You are I are so much on the same page Scott. Effectively compulsory superannuation is wage theft and what goes with that is huge commercial 'corruption' in the management of super but 'corruption' that is sanctioned and enabled by legislation. Keating was/is a pure political genius. In comparison the Liberals are merely political babies that have never managed to get out of the cot!
Sounds like you didn't want it enough, if you're able to be this easily outmaneuvered at pre-selection, how were you ever going to function effectively in the party room or in Parliament?
I think you're missing the point of my comment Burchell. It wasn't that I, and the other 7 unsuccessful candidates - many of whom would have been very effective Members of Parliament - 'didn't want it enough' as you suggest, but that the Liberal Party system allowed such a blatant manipulation of the pre-selection process to occur in the first place, confirming the thrust of Ken Phillips' article.
Yeah, I'm sure that will never happen in the party room, or during a vote in Parliament. I'm sorry you were born yesterday Bob. You're a walking example of the Sir Galahad theory of politics, still hoping you "will win because your heart is pure". Hate to break it to you, but you're losing badly because you never bothered to figure out how to win, just surrounded yourself with policy sychophant grifters who blew smoke up your backside. Many such cases.
I think the Liberal Party should be zero-seated and let a new centre-right party (ala Reform) come to prominance. The minor rights (One Nation, People First, etc.) could combine to do that, but I doubt parties with their founders' name in the title will ever let that happen.
You are so right in theory, but I beg to differ on the way a new centre right movement should be created.
When you ask all so called ‘Freedom Parties’ to come together to form one party, then it means that every one of them will probably have to forfeit at least one of their policies. Not only that but for the life of the new party there is always going to be some friction between members over high immigration / low immigration, protectionists/ free traders, free market / control Coles & Woolies, pro Capital Punishment/ anti C.P. etc.
A better solution to the problem is simply to declare a ‘coalition’ of parties and commit all member parties to preference all fellow members first, but in whatever order they so choose. In parliament new coalition MPs would vote according to their individual party’s policy.
Very true Philip - I've remarked before that the Libertarians will never formally ally with Gerard Rennick, who wants to create a nationalised bank and insurance corporation (for example.) I think the best we can hope for is a commitment to a "Declaration of Fundamental Principles" like the third party candidates in the US Presidential Election in 2008 (or 2012?) did - even though that loose coalition included traditionally left and right (economic) parties.
Great article Ken and as always very true. There is however hope as public resentment against the costs and intrusions of the Labor establishment grows and the economic cost of paying for the Labor establishment becomes clear. This will create opportunities for other well organised parties. Hopefully learning the lessons above the Libertarians will exploit this to the full!
The Liberal Party is at risk of being displaced on the right. It wouldn't be hard to do, but the level of political competence on the right in this country is shockingly low. I suspect they'll limp on as an ineffectual opposition party indefinitely until they get serious about campaigning and using the instrumentality of government when in office. At the moment, the party is a just a flag of convenience for venal careerists.
That confirms a lot for me. Maybe it's time for the Nationals to find a new partner Federally. Pinch a couple of the good Liberal members, even if they lost their seat. There aren't too many of them, good ones I mean. I agree with John Toomey. Anything new has to encourage and include younger people. I emailed my local Federal bloke and asked when they had meetings (open to the public). They don't exist. He got back in with a 3% drop. I'd like to see a weekly podcast from Hastie, Antic, Barneby, Canavan and a couple of others. It would be nice to keep us up to date. I for one would also like to see a new and refreshed conservative movement. It's getting really hard to vote for the current lot, especially now.
This is a fantastic and very accurate analysis. Can you possibly write a piece on how an alternative Conservative Party (think Reform UK) might get a start and whether the existing smaller conservative parties might have any input into this ?
Im working on stuff Karen but choosing to keep behind the scenes at this stage. I think there's big opportunity and policy vacuums galore. But Australia is not the UK or USA and things must be tailored to the Australia culture.
Great piece Ken and pretty accurate. I have heard through the grapevine how draconian and controlling things are. I wonder what it will take to harness a new and refreshed conservative movement in Australia?
John. I suspect that we have entered a period like that before Menzies formed The Liberal Party. My understanding is that the non-Labor forces were disparate, waring and flailing. Eventually they became tired of being losers and united under a common belief and cause lead by Menzies. I think that we are witnessing this process which is likely to continue for a fairly long time. Humans tend to repeat history!!! The other factor of course is the inability of the non-labor forces to compete against the massive wealth and institutional power of the emerged Labor establishment.
That is a great point Ken. I think Clive Palmer's party could do better if he could keep his face off the campaigns. For whatever reason, he is not liked out there. But he cannot seem to allow the party to be the brand, instead of him. I am not prepared to go into politics, but I will get behind genuine efforts to bring cohesion to the Conservative side of politics. The only cause I will ever champion is "Personal Responsibility". That is about as far removed from collectivism as one can get.
Working on it now.
In 1986 I broke the stranglehold the left had on the party machine in NSW, including his royal highness Photios.
In 1987, the left and the religious right created a one off unholy alliance and defeated me.
In the years since we have seen the offspring of this assault: Payne, Harwood Hockey,Zimmerman, Brogden, Mallard, Fallinsky Gladys,
It’s a procession of moderate fellow travellers, who hold captive their quarry, like Howard, Bishop, Abbott, tethered by the mooring lines of their careers.
The party has been dead for a while, it’s just nobody has turned the machine off.
As impossible as it may seem Ken, it’s even worse than you describe.
Take the once safe Liberal seat of Mayo in the Adelaide Hills occupied by former Foreign Minister Alexander Downer for nigh on 25 years. Not content to let the members elect his successor, Downer himself said he would decide who should be the next Member for Mayo upon his retirement. Being a safe seat, naturally a large field of qualified 40 and 50 year olds each with a long history of service to the Party and the community nominated. I was one of them. Downer, however, chose 30-year-old staffer Jamie Briggs who didn’t live in the electorate and had no history of Party or community service. The preselection process was then manipulated to ensure Briggs won by first, Downer denying he was considering retirement and dissuading other potential candidates from attending branch meetings. Second, Downer then announced his retirement triggering a snap preselection giving the Party no time to arrange a proper preselection process. Third, the electoral college was held a long way from the electorate and at a time and place as inconvenient as possible to the members. Less than half the eligible members attended. Anyone who cried foul or complained about what was happening was discredited and brushed off as ‘sour grapes’. I and a number of other members resigned in protest.
Is it any wonder the seat is now firmly held by an independent.
A worker retiring today has had to forgoe an average of 8% of their income for 30 years to super. Yet, the share of retirees drawing on the pension is only a fraction less than it was 30 years ago.
Why? Because super was never about pensions, it was about funding the ALP. Keating saw plummeting drops in union membership fees - then the ALP's main income. So, he introduced compulsory super to create massive industry funds that the unions could claim very generous fees for managing.
Despite being in power for most of that 30 years, the Libs never something similar to insure against their own declining membership.
You are I are so much on the same page Scott. Effectively compulsory superannuation is wage theft and what goes with that is huge commercial 'corruption' in the management of super but 'corruption' that is sanctioned and enabled by legislation. Keating was/is a pure political genius. In comparison the Liberals are merely political babies that have never managed to get out of the cot!
Sounds like you didn't want it enough, if you're able to be this easily outmaneuvered at pre-selection, how were you ever going to function effectively in the party room or in Parliament?
I think you're missing the point of my comment Burchell. It wasn't that I, and the other 7 unsuccessful candidates - many of whom would have been very effective Members of Parliament - 'didn't want it enough' as you suggest, but that the Liberal Party system allowed such a blatant manipulation of the pre-selection process to occur in the first place, confirming the thrust of Ken Phillips' article.
Yeah, I'm sure that will never happen in the party room, or during a vote in Parliament. I'm sorry you were born yesterday Bob. You're a walking example of the Sir Galahad theory of politics, still hoping you "will win because your heart is pure". Hate to break it to you, but you're losing badly because you never bothered to figure out how to win, just surrounded yourself with policy sychophant grifters who blew smoke up your backside. Many such cases.
I think the Liberal Party should be zero-seated and let a new centre-right party (ala Reform) come to prominance. The minor rights (One Nation, People First, etc.) could combine to do that, but I doubt parties with their founders' name in the title will ever let that happen.
Tom,
You are so right in theory, but I beg to differ on the way a new centre right movement should be created.
When you ask all so called ‘Freedom Parties’ to come together to form one party, then it means that every one of them will probably have to forfeit at least one of their policies. Not only that but for the life of the new party there is always going to be some friction between members over high immigration / low immigration, protectionists/ free traders, free market / control Coles & Woolies, pro Capital Punishment/ anti C.P. etc.
A better solution to the problem is simply to declare a ‘coalition’ of parties and commit all member parties to preference all fellow members first, but in whatever order they so choose. In parliament new coalition MPs would vote according to their individual party’s policy.
Very true Philip - I've remarked before that the Libertarians will never formally ally with Gerard Rennick, who wants to create a nationalised bank and insurance corporation (for example.) I think the best we can hope for is a commitment to a "Declaration of Fundamental Principles" like the third party candidates in the US Presidential Election in 2008 (or 2012?) did - even though that loose coalition included traditionally left and right (economic) parties.
Great article Ken and as always very true. There is however hope as public resentment against the costs and intrusions of the Labor establishment grows and the economic cost of paying for the Labor establishment becomes clear. This will create opportunities for other well organised parties. Hopefully learning the lessons above the Libertarians will exploit this to the full!
The Liberal Party is at risk of being displaced on the right. It wouldn't be hard to do, but the level of political competence on the right in this country is shockingly low. I suspect they'll limp on as an ineffectual opposition party indefinitely until they get serious about campaigning and using the instrumentality of government when in office. At the moment, the party is a just a flag of convenience for venal careerists.
That confirms a lot for me. Maybe it's time for the Nationals to find a new partner Federally. Pinch a couple of the good Liberal members, even if they lost their seat. There aren't too many of them, good ones I mean. I agree with John Toomey. Anything new has to encourage and include younger people. I emailed my local Federal bloke and asked when they had meetings (open to the public). They don't exist. He got back in with a 3% drop. I'd like to see a weekly podcast from Hastie, Antic, Barneby, Canavan and a couple of others. It would be nice to keep us up to date. I for one would also like to see a new and refreshed conservative movement. It's getting really hard to vote for the current lot, especially now.
Well done Ken. An extremely interesting article.
A sobering article.
This is a fantastic and very accurate analysis. Can you possibly write a piece on how an alternative Conservative Party (think Reform UK) might get a start and whether the existing smaller conservative parties might have any input into this ?
Thanks for your great work Ken
Im working on stuff Karen but choosing to keep behind the scenes at this stage. I think there's big opportunity and policy vacuums galore. But Australia is not the UK or USA and things must be tailored to the Australia culture.
All true. Excellent expose, Ken.