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The Curse
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Posted: Mon Apr 05, 2010 8:47 pm

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/politics/malcolm-turnbull-quits-politics-after-abbott-rebuff/story-e6frgczf-1225850332072

Turnbull is retiring, and there goes the leading Moderate in the Libs. I must say it's very disappointing. I was and am a big fan of Turnbull.

Now the top moderate is Joe Hockey. Thoughts?

Posted: Tue Apr 06, 2010 2:17 am

Joe Hockey gave a pretty good speech entitled "In Defence of Liberty".

http://www.australia.to/2010/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1459:in-defence-of-liberty-joe-hockey-speech-to-grattan-institute&catid=101:australian-news&Itemid=167

I've never been a huge fan of his but his support for individual liberty and small-l liberalism is appreciated. Both sides of politics could use a bit of social liberalisation.

And yeah it's a shame about Turnbull. Right-wing commentators are bagging him all over the place. I seriously feel like chucking a shoe at the monitor when I see people saying he joined the wrong party. Yeah God forbid a LIBERAL would join the LIBERAL party.

ALP membership looking more tempting every day.

DanskiWolf

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The Curse
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Posted: Tue Apr 06, 2010 10:08 pm

DanskiWolf

Joe Hockey gave a pretty good speech entitled "In Defence of Liberty".

http://www.australia.to/2010/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1459:in-defence-of-liberty-joe-hockey-speech-to-grattan-institute&catid=101:australian-news&Itemid=167

I've never been a huge fan of his but his support for individual liberty and small-l liberalism is appreciated. Both sides of politics could use a bit of social liberalisation.

And yeah it's a shame about Turnbull. Right-wing commentators are bagging him all over the place. I seriously feel like chucking a shoe at the monitor when I see people saying he joined the wrong party. Yeah God forbid a LIBERAL would join the LIBERAL party.

ALP membership looking more tempting every day.

Yeah the right wing media really betrayed him, they were all too willing to praise him during his stint, I remember Andrew Bolt defending his handling of Utegate, but then they found a new champion and spent months working up a storm about another leadership spill. Then, even though there's been lots of discontent since Abbot moved in (though admittedly less, people are tired of all the s**t and getting apathetic) they actively avoided discussing leadership trouble, exception being when Turnbull broke ranks on the ETS.

Having said that, I wouldn't be too keen on ALP membership. *Most* of their MP's, state and Fed, just happen to be Union reps, a few lawyers, and a few small businessmen here and there. Between that and the formalised factions and it seems like climbing into any kind of significant position is dependent on how much money you gave CFMEU. lol.

Posted: Tue Apr 06, 2010 11:12 pm

Well union membership is waning and the bond between the union movement and the ALP is unlikely to get stronger. In any case, I could probably make a career of being an obtuse union thug if I really wanted. xd

While my prophecy hat is still on, the problem with the Libs is that for every The Curse that joins, a thousand Tuckey Jr's sign up. The NSW branch of the party in particular is under the religious right's thumb. What we'll see in the future is an Americanisation of Aussie politics where the old class divides and the battle between Menzianism and Socialism will be gone, replaced by social conservatism vs. social liberalism. The ALP will have to become more socially liberal or else they'll continue to lose ground to the Greens and the Libs will continue their march rightwards.

DanskiWolf

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