A party that forgets why it wants to govern, loses the public altogether. That’s what’s happening to the modern Liberal Party with its descent into an inane brand of retail politics.
Your paragraph sums up my view perfectly, "Many migrants come to Australia to contribute, either through meaningful employment, building communities and businesses, create their own families or reunite with existing families, or are escaping from turmoil in their home countries. In advanced economies such as Australia’s, immigration is a net gain, supporting economic growth, fixing skills shortages, contributing to tax revenues and enriching the cultural wellbeing of the nation. When managed well, immigration is one of a country’s strongest assets, although Indigenous people in Australia might care to differ about this, historically." 🤗
I agree the Liberals are blaming immigration, but reckon this is tactical, as their Raison D'etre is Neoliberalism. They're hating immigration now, after years of wanting more (just like almost all parties), because too many voters are assuming that the problems created by Neoliberalism and US imperialism are actually created by excessive (non-pale-skin) immigration. Lowering Golden Visa immigration might help us avoid becoming a corrupt state, but lowering refugee numbers is just inhumane, and lowering non-refugee/'economic' migration is likely to be counter-productive to our economy. I guess the Liberals intend to tactically stop the bleed of 'their' voters to the traditionally racist One Nation party, and strategically develop more relevance in the world increasingly waking up to the environmental, social, and financial costs of Neoliberalism. If that's true, I encourage Liberal Party members who genuinely respect peace, security, democracy, libertarianism, and productive (not rentier) capitalism to work to form closer ties with The Greens, and any other humane parties. Who appear to be sick of constantly being used & abused by the authoritarian & highly polluting & imperialist Australian Labor Party (and their less popular ideological mates in the Nationals). You come with good faith bargaining, and an open mind, and maybe a new force for sensible progressive Australian policy might form.
If you take a look at Andrew Hastie's Substack, you'll quickly notice a few things. One is that he seems to be cut from the same cloth as the American MAGA, and the second is that he’s completely unapologetic about it.
Looking at the trajectory of the Liberals, it’s becoming clear they’ve lost any centrist backbone. Without that, it’s only a matter of time before we see the kind of politics that has taken hold in the U.S. make its way here.
That’s something I’m genuinely concerned about. The right excels at using fear as a tool for manipulation, and a fearful population is more likely to look to a strong leader to “save” them.
If you haven’t already, it’s worth checking out Hastie’s Substack feed. Like Trump, he’s upfront about the principles driving his politics and his worldview—immigration, in particular.
Anthony Albanese is probably celebrating as the Liberals repeatedly prove they are entirely unfit to govern.
Renouncing net zero and denying reality on emissions was bad enough.
Now the Liberals have scurried off to join the racist Pauline Hanson in stirring up totally unjustified paranoia about immigrants.
Hanson wears a burqa into the Senate and rants incoherently.
Ley and the Liberal hardliners demand a halt to immigration.
What's the difference?
They are both talking total BS.
Immigration has built Australia from a convict prison colony into the 11th best of only 25 true democracies in the world, according to The Economist's Democracy Index.
Immigration makes Australia better in so many ways. My family is better because of the immigrants in it.
Take away immigration and our economy would shrink by about 1%, making us all poorer.
Our population would also shrink, since we're not making enough babies to replace us.
We wouldn't be able to get enough workers to pick our crops, staff our businesses or drive our trucks.
IMMIGRATION MAKES AUSTRALIA BETTER!
The Liberals are making themselves completely irrelevant to the future of Australia.
Trump tried similar tactics in the USA, but it has backfired and he is now crashing and burning.
Once again, your insight into the disturbed minds of the Laggard and Nutter Parties is exceptional. That said, the sooner we stop covering their madness in any form of media, the better. Let them both dissolve into the nothingness they deserve. 🤗
While you’re not wrong we try to be a counter against the mainstream press who present them as totally normal and even preferable to anything else. I agonise (and I think eddy does too) over what should we highlight. Unfortunately I think there’s a role to counter the attempt to normalise these dangerous people and ideas.
Yes, David. Thanx for your response. Understood. The only positive from the continued elevation of these irrelevant politicians to to revel in their demise. Bring it on, I say. 🤗
Your paragraph sums up my view perfectly, "Many migrants come to Australia to contribute, either through meaningful employment, building communities and businesses, create their own families or reunite with existing families, or are escaping from turmoil in their home countries. In advanced economies such as Australia’s, immigration is a net gain, supporting economic growth, fixing skills shortages, contributing to tax revenues and enriching the cultural wellbeing of the nation. When managed well, immigration is one of a country’s strongest assets, although Indigenous people in Australia might care to differ about this, historically." 🤗
I agree the Liberals are blaming immigration, but reckon this is tactical, as their Raison D'etre is Neoliberalism. They're hating immigration now, after years of wanting more (just like almost all parties), because too many voters are assuming that the problems created by Neoliberalism and US imperialism are actually created by excessive (non-pale-skin) immigration. Lowering Golden Visa immigration might help us avoid becoming a corrupt state, but lowering refugee numbers is just inhumane, and lowering non-refugee/'economic' migration is likely to be counter-productive to our economy. I guess the Liberals intend to tactically stop the bleed of 'their' voters to the traditionally racist One Nation party, and strategically develop more relevance in the world increasingly waking up to the environmental, social, and financial costs of Neoliberalism. If that's true, I encourage Liberal Party members who genuinely respect peace, security, democracy, libertarianism, and productive (not rentier) capitalism to work to form closer ties with The Greens, and any other humane parties. Who appear to be sick of constantly being used & abused by the authoritarian & highly polluting & imperialist Australian Labor Party (and their less popular ideological mates in the Nationals). You come with good faith bargaining, and an open mind, and maybe a new force for sensible progressive Australian policy might form.
If you take a look at Andrew Hastie's Substack, you'll quickly notice a few things. One is that he seems to be cut from the same cloth as the American MAGA, and the second is that he’s completely unapologetic about it.
Looking at the trajectory of the Liberals, it’s becoming clear they’ve lost any centrist backbone. Without that, it’s only a matter of time before we see the kind of politics that has taken hold in the U.S. make its way here.
That’s something I’m genuinely concerned about. The right excels at using fear as a tool for manipulation, and a fearful population is more likely to look to a strong leader to “save” them.
If you haven’t already, it’s worth checking out Hastie’s Substack feed. Like Trump, he’s upfront about the principles driving his politics and his worldview—immigration, in particular.
Anthony Albanese is probably celebrating as the Liberals repeatedly prove they are entirely unfit to govern.
Renouncing net zero and denying reality on emissions was bad enough.
Now the Liberals have scurried off to join the racist Pauline Hanson in stirring up totally unjustified paranoia about immigrants.
Hanson wears a burqa into the Senate and rants incoherently.
Ley and the Liberal hardliners demand a halt to immigration.
What's the difference?
They are both talking total BS.
Immigration has built Australia from a convict prison colony into the 11th best of only 25 true democracies in the world, according to The Economist's Democracy Index.
Immigration makes Australia better in so many ways. My family is better because of the immigrants in it.
Take away immigration and our economy would shrink by about 1%, making us all poorer.
Our population would also shrink, since we're not making enough babies to replace us.
We wouldn't be able to get enough workers to pick our crops, staff our businesses or drive our trucks.
IMMIGRATION MAKES AUSTRALIA BETTER!
The Liberals are making themselves completely irrelevant to the future of Australia.
Trump tried similar tactics in the USA, but it has backfired and he is now crashing and burning.
Why would our Liberals copy Trump's failures?
Crazy stuff!
Stupidity and vainglory, perhaps, MICHAEL. 🤔
Perhaps. Just stuck in the past.
Once again, your insight into the disturbed minds of the Laggard and Nutter Parties is exceptional. That said, the sooner we stop covering their madness in any form of media, the better. Let them both dissolve into the nothingness they deserve. 🤗
While you’re not wrong we try to be a counter against the mainstream press who present them as totally normal and even preferable to anything else. I agonise (and I think eddy does too) over what should we highlight. Unfortunately I think there’s a role to counter the attempt to normalise these dangerous people and ideas.
Yes, David. Thanx for your response. Understood. The only positive from the continued elevation of these irrelevant politicians to to revel in their demise. Bring it on, I say. 🤗