From Tom Switzer of Spectator Australia:
Michelle Grattan calls them ‘militants’. Laurie Oakes labels them ‘hard-liners’. Matthew Franklin tells us they’re ‘rigid conservatives’. To whom are these stalwarts of the Canberra press gallery referring? No, not remnants of the ousted Taleban leadership in Afghanistan or even die-hard supporters of the rejuvenated, albeit much maligned, Pauline Hanson. They are Liberal party backbenchers whose crime is to defend the Howard-Costello legacy of economic management.
If anything, these quotes reveal the ideological bent of Australia’s main stream media. To underline the point:
I’ve given up counting the times the press gallery has urged the coalition to back Labor government policy on the grounds that it was in the national interest. Yet I don’t recall the same journalists calling on the former (Labor) opposition to give unconditional bipartisan support to the former (coalition) government policy from 1996 to 2007.
Interesting article that outlines the inner Liberal Party battles between the more conservative back bench and the moderate front bench.
Some coalition MPs try to avoid philosophical confrontation with Labor, often urging solutions that would expand government while justifying the expansion at a slightly slower rate…
The ‘militants’ know that such an approach is not only weak policy, but weak politics too. Instead, they are staying true to their principles and fighting the government. They want their party to adhere to conservative principles that resonate with the party faithful at local branch level. And they know that such unashamed advocacy would have more success if its leadership believed in those principles and was able to articulate them forcefully and coherently.
Agree all round. On the ETS, stimulus packages, workplace laws, Ruddbank, etc…
On all of these issues, the ‘militants’ adhered to their fundamental ideals of small government and economic freedom. These ideals have brought the nation much success during the past generation, and may well win the day again. But there is another issue at stake here. Call it: let’s defend our history.
Howard was in power for 11 years. Why trash the principles that underpinned his success?