Michael Pascoe has shown that Prime Minister Turnbull has now given up any pretence of being concerned about more than just remaining in the PM’s office. This has been demonstrated by the Liberal Party preferencing One Nation ahead of Labor in the Longman by-election1. Longman covers some of Brisbane’s outer suburbs, the Sunshine Coast and Bribie Island2. For this by-election, the Liberals have told their supporters to put One Nation at No. 7 and Labor at No. 9. One Nation have returned the favour by putting the Liberals at No. 7 and Labor at No. 10, and the Greens at No. 111. However, above the Labor at 10, One Nation has preferenced the Australia First Party at No. 8, a very far right political party3. Running for this party, is a Dr Jim Saleam, convicted criminal and neo-Nazi. He was convicted of property offences and fraud in 1984 and for organising a shotgun attack on a visiting African National Congress representative. He served gaol terms for both crimes4. This means that Turnbull’s Liberal Party is effectively preferencing a neo-Nazi over the Labor Party.
The Liberal Party has preferenced One Nation before, in the most recent Western Australian state election, a deal put together in part by Federal Finance Minister, Mathias Cormann1. This was something even the egregious liar, former Prime Minister, John Howard refused to do while in office, although he did back Cormann’s Western Australian preference deal5. You know that when you do something that even Howard refused to stoop low enough to contemplate, you have reached rock bottom. It is clear that the far right is in the ascendency in the Liberal Party, and Turnbull will jettison any principle to stay as its leader. This move to the right by the Liberal Party will presage their demise6. As Michael Pascoe said: “Somewhere, an empty leather jacket.”1
Sources
- https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2018/07/11/turnbull-one-nation-preferences/
- http://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/longman-by-election-2018/
- https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2018/07/11/one-nation-preferences-longman/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Saleam
- https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/feb/17/john-howard-backs-liberal-preference-deal-with-one-nation-in-wa
- http://www.blotreport.com/australian-politics/demise-of-the-liberals-is-under-way/
I share the writers concern regarding Turnbull, however even if Shorten gets up, he is unlikely to reverse any of Turnbull’s disasters. The state of Australian politics has reached an all time low and I’m lost to know what to do about it. What we really need is a blood in the streets revolution to change the whole political system, although case of Australia, in the the masses lack the gumption to support anything that distracts them from reality TV and the footy.
YM,
I am a little more hopeful for Shorten. They seem to have realised that neoliberal economics is history, and will drop it like a hot spud. I also am hopeful that the federal ICAC may at least put the frighteners on any corrupt politicians. However, if none of these and other things happen, there will at least mass demonstrations.
I have negative confidence in Shorten. He has ably demonstrated his utter gutlessness multiple times including ignoring the Anthony Turnbull / Twiggy Forrest / Indue racket which is the best opportunity he’ll ever have to smash the LNP, by colluding with the LNP to award tax cuts to big business, by going along with attacks on welfare recipients, and by failing to oppose Turnbull’s recent anti-dissident legislation. Notet also that neither the ALP nor the LNP have ever done anything of consequence to fix the Centrelink abortion as it suits both their purposes to make Centrelink as intractible as humanly possible. It was also an ALP prime minister who made Australian politicians the most overpaid in the world, and I don’t reall Shorten objecting to the latest round of political salary increases / tax cuts. He must know about Turnbull’s shonky tax-avoiding foundation but again the silence is deafening. As for Shorten’s rantings about a federal ICAC. I don’t believe ANY politician would dare create a watchdog empowered to really investigate politicians. That would be akin to expecting a criminal to provide the rope needed to hang him or her. There is no shortage of instances where governments have ensured that the result of an inquiry was set in concrete well before the inquiry commenced and in my opinion, that is exactly what will happen with the federal ICAC should it actually be created. I’m not against a federal ICAC as such, but it needs to be a dictionary meaning independent one, not a rigged one headed by known politician-friendly drones like the supposedly ‘independent’ parliamentary renumeration tribunal where the weaker than water GG assembled a tribe of toadies who wouldn’t dare oppose the political will.
YM,
Point taken.