One of the things about the shemozzle of the Trump regime which makes me laugh, is some insular muppets who probably don’t have passports and only vaguely know where Europe is, have been asking: “Has the Democratic Party shifted too far to the left?” Compared to most other western democracies, the Democratic Party would be considered to be right wing, while the Republican Party are now mostly far right, supporting as they do, a half-witted malevolent oligarchy.
Similarly, calling Australia’s Labor Party a ‘centre-left’ party is also ridiculous. They are a ‘centre-right’ party which is simply beholden to oligarchs who pay for their election campaigns, and their set of oligarchs differs only partially from those on whom the Liberal Party depend. That is why the Labor Party will never do anything about the discount on capital gains for investment properties; why its National Anti-Corruption Commission will remain secretive and toothless; why they will do nothing about homelessness; why they will not forgive all of Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS) debt; why they will never be serious about dealing with global warming; why they will never get rid of corporate money from politics (except to shaft independents); why they will never do anything about poverty; why they will never increase taxes on the wealthy and their corporations; why they will never do anything about media near monopolies; why they will never do anything about lying in the media and in politics; why they will never tax the churches; why they will never reintroduce a carbon tax; why they will never do anything to curb lobbyists, why they will never stop selling weapons to Israel, why they will never clearly condemn Israel for the Gaza genocide except under cover of the UN, and sundry other inequities in Australia. This is because they do not want to upset their set of oligarchs.
If the Labor Party is centre-right where does that leave the Liberal Party after their demolition in the most recent federal election? This is their big problem. With Labor occupying the centre right, the liberal party’s mindset, and that of their donors and supporters, will only allow them to remain where they are, or move even further to the right as some in the party have suggested1.
Either of these possibilities will be the end of the Liberal Party. Indeed, Gina Rinehart’s suggestion that they embrace even more Trumpesque chaos2, will only hasten its coming demise.
The quandary the Liberals find themselves in, and their inability to see where they should go are perhaps epitomised by an essay by Patrick Marlborough who made me laugh out loud when he said: “What remains of the Liberal party’s elite are gathering in the den where they drain street urchins of their bone marrow, throwing bird innards against the wall in hopes that the patterns will reveal to them an answer to those inscrutable riddles ‘were we too woke?’ and ‘should we let women talk?’ and ‘which flags piss me off, specifically?’”3
While a healthy democracy always requires a contest of ideas, modern politics has become a shitfight of timidity and mediocrity. The only way to cure this is to elect more independents, because they actually represent their electorates. Politicians from major political parties do not; they will utter platitudes on their websites and in conversation with voters, but when they get into parliament, they represent their donors.
Sources
The Whitlam government is the only Australian government that could properly be described as “left wing”, since WW2. The best, in my opinion. (I suppose that makes me a raving commie lunatic, in the context of modern political commentary…)
Clive,
Agreed. That is why the oligarchs and the monarchy hated it and couldn’t wait to oust it. When I wrote this piece I thought I was going out on a limb, calling the Labor Party centre-right, but I have seen some journalists, whose work I respect, say essentially the same thing. If the Labor Party do not grasp this opportunity to move away from their timid incremetalism, they will be buggered too.
Admin, You how summed up Oz politics perfectly. I was hoping for more independents to be elected.
https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/opinion/2025/05/10/liberal-party-irrelevancy
As were many of us Warren. While it’s heartening to see the horrific Dutton and many of his barnacles finally get the @rse, giving Albanese a huge majority will only bolster his steadfast belief in his tickbox approach to govt. Sadly for the country he has no real vision, unlike the great reformer Gough Whitlam mentioned above.
Interestingly, while Canberrans have two excellent Labor reps in he unaligned (to his own detriment) Andrew Leigh (House) and Katy Gallagher (Senate) it appears ACT voters have finally woken up to the fact that there are plenty of good candidates outside the major parties who won’t take the electorate for granted.. Pocock has opened their eyes to possibilities which have existed for years in both local and federal elections if only they had bothered to look and listen. The fact that Gallagher couldn’t muster a quota on her own votes in the Senate race and the useless David Smith has been taken right to the wire in Bean is a wake up call for the ALP. Somehow I doubt they’ll recognise the message.
Warren,
I’m just an interested amateur.
Completely and perfectly correct. Again.
I hope Murdoch congratulated Albo’s mob.
Warren,
Don’t hold your breath waiting for that.
Mark,
Thanks
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/jacinta-price-chickened-out-of-deputy-vote-say-infuriated-and-blindsided-angus-taylor-backers-20250514-p5lz1n.html
“Price compounded the frustration among her Liberal colleagues when she appeared on Sky News hours after she pulled out of the ballot and entertained a question about moving to the lower house to potentially become the prime minister one day.
“Well, there is that,” she said when asked by host Chris Kenny about becoming the prime minister. “I know there’s a lot of Australians who’d love to see that.”
She may be gutless (and clueless) but she has a head for self-deprecating humour /s. Price and Kenny are a match made in heaven for future PM Chalmers.
Jon,
I had a funny interaction with some Australian trump-loving pillock on FB a while ago. I opined that racism was so idiotic, as demonstrated by Price, who is just as venal as any white Liberal, and this muppet accused me of being racist. You have to laugh.
I have the same opinion of, and respect for, Price as I have/had for Morrison, Abbott and co (the list is long but some deserve special mention).
The racism card is played almost as often as the anti-semitism card these days. Both – especially the latter – have one primary aim: to shut down dissent and discussion and enrage others.
Jon,
Yep. Every accusation by conservatives is an admission.
Good to see Sydney uni has its priorities right. Nearly half a $mil spent on a policy about anti-semitism. It’s not effing rocket surgery!!! You could put something cogent together based on an internet search in a few hours and save $400K but I guess it looks better if you’ve wasted ten times the amount you needed to.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/the-sydney-university-staff-resisting-controversial-antisemitism-rules-20250522-p5m1ib.html
Cop this bit of warped nonsense from University of Sydney sociology Professor Salvatore Babones: “My personal view, which is not based on my research and scholarship as a sociologist, is that the organised criticism of Israel and the objections made to the Universities Australia definition of antisemitism by the SRC and staff groups are primarily motivated by antisemitism, which I believe to be widespread in elite universities throughout the English-speaking world.”
Jon,
Just read the Coulter piece. It was interesting. Like you I have not read any of Rand’s stuff; just the ranmblings from the bastards who seem to use her stuff to justify their sociopathy.