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Australia Just Elected Rob Long
Re: the switch in prime ministers today in Australia (members of the right-of-center Liberal-National coalition tossed out Tony Abbott in favor of Malcolm Turnbull), a friend writes the following–and, please note, the headline above is his:
RINO squish Turnbull takes over for Abbott. Bad for social conservatives. If he can govern, good for business and innovation.
Any Ricochet members from Down Under care to comment?
P.S. Whether EJ Hill has a spare moment I have no idea, but doesn’t this seem to cry out for one of his works of genius? Rob, Australia, “Waltzing Matilda,” and so on?
Update: EJHill comes through:
And yet I’m still more conservative than the current frontrunner for the GOP nomination.
Here’s a prediction: the Liberal-National coalition will be donkey-stomped in the next election. Angering one’s own base is never a good political strategy.
Turnbull is also anti-royal, a devoted member of the Kick The Queen Out club over there. He’s been trying to convince Australia to become a Republic for 25 years, aligning himself with some very leftist types on that front. Australians as yet haven’t listened, but I’ve a feeling that it’s going to be one of those EU-style things…. guys like Turnbull will make them vote until they get it right. Say goodbye to “We’re British to our bootstraps”. He seems to be on the Multi-Culti train as well.
They may be doomed whatever they do. Apparently Australia hasn’t had a recession in over 20 years. If there is one this year or next it’s hard to see them holding on to power whatever they do.
The bad news is, the mining boom is over and it ain’t coming back. The worse news is, Turnbull wants to do a “carbon credit” scheme on top of a worsening economy. Enjoy, Aussies.
“Australia” didn’t elect him… his party did in a leadership vote. But regardless, they didn’t get Rob Long. They got John Hunstman. For all the guff Rob gets about being a RINO-squish, I’ve listened to the podcast long enough to know that Rob’s core is essentially right wing, and that compared to the Turnbulls/Hunstmans of the world, Rob is Barry Goldwater.
One major difference. Here voting is compulsory, so we have far less of the ‘couldn’t be bothered to go’ factor. That said, many people on talk back radio have been saying that. When it comes ballot day, we’ll see.
In your heart you know he’s right.
More conservative than Trump! Listen, Rob. You stand in no comparison to President Trump. Trump invented conservatism, you are just a hack writer for an okay sitcom, that regularly hangs out with a pants impaired writer for an establishment rag.
So he is a real republican. It is about time Australia and Canada grew a pair and decided not to bend their knees to some distant monarch.
http://ricochet.com/tony-abbott-australias-last-good-prime-minister/
That is incorrect.
Australia elected Tony Abbot.
The Liberal Party caucus merely appointed Turnbull.
My Queen has never passed unconstitutional laws and/or negotiated unconstitutional treaties with our enemies against the wishes of the people.
Also, because everybody votes elections (and major party platforms) are not as dominated by extremists from either side of politics. Because politicians have to win the middle ground to win the election. It drives them to the moderate center where they battle the opposite side over relatively minor stuff (though with much sound and fury). Imho a feature, not a bug.
Turnbull has far more genuine crossover appeal than Abbott – whether that translates into votes or preferences remains to be seen – but it’s a lot more likely than it was.
Background for the non-Australians:
Turnbull won the leadership of the Liberal Party (our Tories); the Libs govern in Coalition with the National Party (agrarian populists, formerly known as the Country Party). The Libs can be divided into FiCons and SoCons, Nats are overwhelmingly SoCons. (FiCon & SoProg) Turnbull’s victory – prompted by bad polling – should give you some idea about where the middle ground of Australia lies re fi/so/connery (and why FiCons are gaining influence in the party).
Turnbull is an atypical Lib – as is his electorate, which is Australia’s gayest, most Jewish and among the most affluent . I think he’s more popular with the general population than he is in many Liberal seats.
Ackchewally, Australia elected the Liberals (say the Coalition), the Liberal Party room appointed Tones and then Malcolm. Which is how Parliamentary systems work, right?
Valiuth, I’m struggling to read your tone. Do you really believe that the difference between those that support a monarchy and those that do not is that the former really agree with the latter but are too cowardly to admit it?
Serious suggestions that cowardice is the chief motivation for those who disagree seem to me to be hard to differentiate from tongue in cheek suggestions, so I apologize if I’m spoiling good humor.
I think I’ve got this one, though. Zafar is correct. Rob Long has, in fact, never stood for parliament in Australia, nor has he been appointed to lead the country.
Which is probably good for us; while financially Ricochet would benefit from hundreds of thousands of new members (I assume that pitches for the site and its sponsors would precede every budget announcement), the value of the site would essentially be destroyed. The baseline would shift so far that Zafar would go from being a token Vox reader to a token person who knows a little about American politics. Nightmare.
Technically you are correct of course. In practice, there is an element of the Presidential election because inevitably plenty of people vote not for their local member, but for the party of the person they want to be the leader.
Turnbull affirmed in Question Time today that he would be maintaining the previous policy on same sex marriage: a national plebiscite after the next election, if the Liberals are returned to government.
Not, I feel certain, that he’d like to do it that way.
But everyone has to be like us, because, you know, inside every foreigner is an American trying to get out.
[Edited for use of ethnic slur]
I was just going to mention this, Sean! Read it last night; very good post.
These Americans should just come out if they want to, is my belief.
Oh yes, agree. But: hence the Turbull coup’s success. The party judged that he would be a more popular mascot than Tony.
Though there are local members who are elected because of their own popularity – from either party or especially as independents – and depending on the composition of Parliament they can wield real power. So we are not quite Presidential, at least not yet.
But a financially sound nightmare. Which has a certain attraction, right? Plus think of all the new viewpoints people would be exposed to. Win win! Defeat The Bubble!!
(But – I don’t know that Australians would sign on, once they’d seen the CoC. We are a nation that likes its sledging.)
And if you are honest, this isn’t the first time.
I think the election slogan “Dunkin’ Donuts coffee in every pot” could work here too.
I wonder if the election is the signal of a global trend. Massachusetts just elected a pro-growth fiscal conservative Republican, Charlie Baker, and I don’t think the social conservative issues were ever raised during the last election.
My eyes! My eyes!
Good point. Though I’m used to being more conservative on the economic/government stuff and a lot more liberal on the social issues, and just basically sucking it up and going with the nominee anyway, because, well, you can’t have everything and by the time the fight gets to my side of the country it’s pretty much over. But I never really thought I’d be, like, this far to the right of the nominee.
Not really complaining about it, actually. Yet, anyway. Just noticing how weird it feels.
I am Number 2. You are Number 6.
According to the Fraser Institute’s 2015 report on economic freedom in the world, of the top 10 countries:
I’m just sayin’…