• PM Malcolm Turnbull: Liberal party was never intended to be a conservative party
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[quote=ABC News]Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has taken a shot at critics on the right of his party, saying the Liberals' founder Robert Menzies never intended his party to be conservative. Key points: Malcolm Turnbull says Sir Robert Menzies — the longest-serving Liberal leader — purposely avoided calling the party "conservative" Comments come in the wake of criticism from conservative Coalition backbenchers, including former PM Tony Abbott Mr Turnbull was speaking in London where he was receiving the Disraeli Prize The comments were part of a speech delivered in London overnight where Mr Turnbull was receiving the Disraeli Prize awarded by UK think tank Policy Exchange. In his speech, the Prime Minister made the case that his party's longest serving leader Sir Robert Menzies wanted to create a progressive party not a conservative one. "In 1944 Menzies went to great pains not to call his new political party, consolidating the centre right of Australian politics, conservative, but rather the Liberal Party, which he firmly anchored in the centre of Australian politics," he said. "He wanted to stand apart from the big money, business establishment politics of traditional conservative parties of the right, as well as from the socialist tradition of the Australian Labour Party, the political wing of the union movement. [b]"Menzies said at the time: 'We took the name 'Liberal' because we were determined to be a progressive party, willing to make experiments, in no sense reactionary but believing in the individual, his right and his enterprise, and rejecting the socialist panacea'." "The sensible centre was the place to be. It remains the place to be."[/b] The comments will be read as a rebuke to those conservatives on the backbench, led by Tony Abbott, who have been openly critical of the direction that the Government has been heading in.[/quote] Read more at [url]http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-11/malcolm-turnbull-hits-back-at-right-wing-liberals/8695674[/url] Worth noting that some of the more-conservative Liberals have left the party to make a new political party along with the Family First party; the aptly-named Australian Conservatives.
I know next to fuck all about Aussie politics but whenever I do hear about it, it's either Tony Abbot doing something stupid or someone calling him a piece of shit, even his own party leader it seems lol.
[QUOTE=GrizzlyBear;52455262]I know next to fuck all about Aussie politics but whenever I do hear about it, it's either Tony Abbot doing something stupid or someone calling him a piece of shit, even his own party leader it seems lol.[/QUOTE] Abbott's running commentary of Turnbull's government is seen to be benefitting the Labor opposition, at the expense of harming the government. It's probably one of the factors that helped to kickstart that new Australian Conservatives Party. I can understand Abbott being bitter about not being able to serve out even a single term as Prime Minister, but that doesn't mean that he should be a sore loser about it. He was harming the Liberal Party's reputation while he was PM, and he's still doing so with his running commentary today.
i applaud his ability to at least recognize what his party was meant to stand for and how it does not hold up today, too bad austrailian politics will probably get more right wing as the coal jobs die off as well as the manufacturing due to conservative policies and market effects
This is not going to go well for Malcolm and he's now just caused a huge split within his own party. Yes the liberals were supposed to be "centre" and avoid Labor Socialism but they are the de-facto conservative party and a lot of members identify that way. All I can see this doing is the conservative wing launching an attack on Turnbull either dumping him with Abbott or members breaking off, forming a new conservative party that represents their views.
[QUOTE=fruxodaily;52455752]This is not going to go well for Malcolm and he's now just caused a huge split within his own party. Yes the liberals were supposed to be "centre" and avoid Labor Socialism but they are the de-facto conservative party and a lot of members identify that way. All I can see this doing is the conservative wing launching an attack on Turnbull either dumping him with Abbott or [b]members breaking off, forming a new conservative party that represents their views[/b].[/QUOTE] [url=https://www.conservatives.org.au/]You're a few months late[/url] [editline]11th July 2017[/editline] [quote]All I can see this doing is the conservative wing launching an attack on Turnbull[/quote] They have been attacking Turnbull ever since that leadership spill, and Abbott won't shut his gob with attacking Turnbull
[QUOTE=BF;52455765][url=https://www.conservatives.org.au/]You're a few months late[/url] [editline]11th July 2017[/editline] They have been attacking Turnbull ever since that leadership spill, and Abbott won't shut his gob with attacking Turnbull[/QUOTE] That's what I mean, expect some Liberal MP's to consider joining Cory's party and the middle-Liberal MP's either going independent, staying on the boat or joining Labor
So when do they lose their majority?
Haven't they technically already lost it with members splitting off? I kinda feel bad for Malcolm, he wants the Liberal party to be more liberal but the conservative members are tearing it apart. it's getting to the point I'll be surprised if the party survives the next election.
As an American, that statement sounds deeply tautological to me. Even Aussie politics are upside down, it seems.
Yeah, they weren't meant to be conservative, they were just all for vacuuming up as much corporate/special interest money as possible. Turns out that their biggest donors are conservative churches and CEOs, though.
[QUOTE=IKTM;52456180]As an American, that statement sounds deeply tautological to me. Even Aussie politics are upside down, it seems.[/QUOTE] Liberalism and conservatism are not mutually exclusive. Liberalism in Australia does not necessarily mean left-leaning or progressive like in the US; instead, it has reference to the original definition of liberalism, otherwise known as classic liberalism. In the United States, classic liberalism is better known as libertarianism. PM Malcolm Turnbull is a part of the 'small-l liberal' faction within the Liberal Party, the classic liberalism faction. Of course, classic liberalism in its pure form is insane, so they do justify government intervention in some aspects; they recognise the need for Medicare, well-funded schools and hospitals, and Malcolm Turnbull himself was once an advocate for an emissions trading scheme. However, that idea was unpopular at the time, hence Abbott becoming leader of the Liberals. When Turnbull later toppled Abbott, he was not able to bring some of those 'progressive' ideas to the policy table, because he still needed the confidence of the conservative members of the Liberal party. Prominent members of the conservative faction include Tony Abbott, Bronwyn Bishop and Mathias Cormann. [editline]11th July 2017[/editline] The funny thing about American politics is, despite some people in the Republican Party using the word 'liberal' as a derogatory term for those on the left, Republicans are very liberal at heart; they strongly believe in small government and something like economic survival of the fittest, both traits of classic liberalism.
[QUOTE=BF;52456244]Liberalism and conservatism are not mutually exclusive. Liberalism in Australia does not necessarily mean left-leaning or progressive like in the US; instead, it has reference to the original definition of liberalism, otherwise known as classic liberalism. In the United States, classic liberalism is better known as libertarianism. PM Malcolm Turnbull is a part of the 'small-l liberal' faction within the Liberal Party, the classic liberalism faction. Of course, classic liberalism in its pure form is insane, so they do justify government intervention in some aspects; they recognise the need for Medicare, well-funded schools and hospitals, and Malcolm Turnbull himself was once an advocate for an emissions trading scheme. However, that idea was unpopular at the time, hence Abbott becoming leader of the Liberals. When Turnbull later toppled Abbott, he was not able to bring some of those 'progressive' ideas to the policy table, because he still needed the confidence of the conservative members of the Liberal party. Prominent members of the conservative faction include Tony Abbott, Bronwyn Bishop and Mathias Cormann. [editline]11th July 2017[/editline] The funny thing about American politics is, despite some people in the Republican Party using the word 'liberal' as a derogatory term for those on the left, Republicans are very liberal at heart; they strongly believe in small government and something like economic survival of the fittest, both traits of classic liberalism.[/QUOTE] The thing about Abbott is that his sniping isn't even getting other conservatives on side. Matthias Cormann has told him to back off a number of times Word around the North Shore is that the conservative faction are completely bloody minded at this point and would prefer a split than coexistence. Would be very interesting to see.
[QUOTE=BF;52456244]Liberalism and conservatism are not mutually exclusive. Liberalism in Australia does not necessarily mean left-leaning or progressive like in the US; instead, it has reference to the original definition of liberalism, otherwise known as classic liberalism. In the United States, classic liberalism is better known as[B] libertarianism[/B]. [/QUOTE] Mainstream libertarianism, not internet "libertarians" who look more like loony anarcho-capitalists.
[QUOTE=killerteacup;52456557]The thing about Abbott is that his sniping isn't even getting other conservatives on side. Matthias Cormann has told him to back off a number of times Word around the North Shore is that the conservative faction are completely bloody minded at this point and would prefer a split than coexistence. Would be very interesting to see.[/QUOTE] They might join Cory
[QUOTE=fruxodaily;52456772]They might join Cory[/QUOTE] Its possible but doubtful imho. The whole thing is about power, so their egos won't allow them to join a party he founded, plus he would have too much power in that arrangement
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