The Strange Case Of The Liberal Party!
Perhaps my brain is wired differently, but I tend to notice contradictions in things.
Of course it’s pretty easy to notice the contradiction in Peter Dutton’s compassion for those living in refugee camps while he has absolutely no sympathy for those we’re holding in detention for offshore processing.
However, my brain doesn’t stop with that simple contradiction. It goes on and wants to know why when the Liberals are so bullish on people “showing initiative” and “having a go” and “doing something to help themselves” that the very refugees who’ve done that are the ones that we’re meant to despise because they paid people smugglers to bring them here. And paying people smugglers is absolutely immoral … Unless you’re paying them to tow people back.
As for the offshore processing, well, it’s hardly the sort of efficiency that the Liberals profess to love so much. I mean, if the public service took this long to process anything, it’d be privatised in a flash.
But then I also see strange inconsistencies in so many of the Liberal Party’s positions:
If “high” rates of income tax are a disincentive to people working, won’t reducing penalty rates also have the same effect?
Why did Joe Hockey think it was outrageous that someone as well off as he is only have to pay $38 for his son’s medical bills, but be similarly outraged that he was entitled to claim an allowance for renting his wife’s place while staying in Canberra?
Why do they seem to think that unions taking money for ensuring that projects are completed on time shows how dodgy and corrupt the unions are, but the employers paying the money have no case to answer?
Why do they complain about 18C and how it hampers free speech, but turn around run an ad campaign that accuses the CFMEU of being racist? Or why does George Brandis, after telling us of our right to be a bigot, complain that people showed an incredible amount of “bigotry” when talking about Abbott’s religious views. (Which given Abbott’s recent speech, one could argue are another great example of inconsistency!)
Why do they believe that Labor taking money from unions makes them beholden to the union movement when in government, but the money the Liberals receive from various groups has absolutely no effect on their decision-making?
Why do they always argue Labor members accused of something dodgy should stand down and leave Parliament, but any Liberal member should be subject to procedural fairness?
Why, when Labor gives out funds without any obvious process is it “pork-barrelling” or “rewarding their mates”, was it ok for the Arts Minister to have a special fund to reward “excellence”?
Why was the removal of Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister an outrageous betrayal of democracy, but the removal of Tony Abbott just something that needed to be done?
And, finally, why, when they’re such supporters of small government and so positive about the private sector, are any of them in Parliament on the public payroll and not out helping to build the economy?
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lawrencewinder
Return to home pageBottom line: Why are they on the public pay-roll?.. I would suggest they would be unemployable and on the dole if they weren’t such lying, scheming and scamming puppets!
This echoes my own confusion, When will we see a Royal Commission into the cosy relationship between the LNP and big miners? or the blatant bias in most popular print media?
I suspect only a Tory troll would argue with any on that list Ross
Simple answer Rossleigh! They are hypocrites!
One law for us!
One law for them!
Agree entirely, Rossleigh. They consider they are born to rule, and that seems to include doing and saying exactly what they want, without objection or challenge from the plebs. Opposing ideas are simply aberrations, to be ignored or ridiculed, never to be considered different, but equally valid to theirs. Makes my blood boil!
And the answer, win jealous, is that we almost certainly won’t.
Doesn’t say much for our democracy.
I’m sure I recognise Mr Pink Whistle … He’s the Spitting image of Mr Truffles, The Prince of Point Piper, who always seems to be pontificating while patronising us on the TV … And yes, he’s really only worth 2/6d …except for the big ‘none of our business’ stash in the Caymans.
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“f “high” rates of income tax are a disincentive to people working, won’t reducing penalty rates also have the same effect” And what about the 50% “tax” on money earned by welfare recipients. Why is this not a disincentive?
Good article as always Rossleigh
All those questions ……. Why ?
Because the LNP and their followers are wired to think only of themselves, of their money and how to secrete it effectively, and what is ‘in it’ for the wealthy …… that’s those bods who feed political caviar to the LNP on one hand, and suck up to them on the other, which is about the nicest way I could put it.
They think they win both ways … but not for long. The Australian public are not as dumb as the LNP likes to think they are.
Wait and see ……..
……….
Kerri ….. said it far more succinctly than I ever could.
it’s not just you Rossleigh !
I’ve just heard Peter Dutton say that those responsible for the rioting on Christmas island will face the full force of the law.
So, people who are incarcerated on a remote island and have not been convicted of anything and have not gone before a court of law are going to be put before a court of law and possibly sentenced to a term in jail, probably on Christmas Island.
So that’s what you call a zero sum game : no matter which way it goes, you get jailed !
All excellent considerations, Rossleigh, and most of those points have been on my mind for quite awhile.
BUT…..why the hell aren’t the ALP pushing HARD on these very questions?
Do we have to tell them what to hammer and what not to?
love your work
Our Liberal Party contradicts every definition of Liberalism that I have found.
Satoshi Kanazawa defines liberalism (as opposed to conservatism) as “the genuine concern for the welfare of genetically unrelated others and the willingness to contribute larger proportions of private resources for the welfare of such others”
Liberalism first became a distinct political movement during the Age of Enlightenment, when it became popular among philosophers and economists in the Western world. Liberalism rejected the notions, common at the time, of hereditary privilege, state religion, absolute monarchy, and the Divine Right of Kings.
Europe and North America, the establishment of social liberalism became a key component in the expansion of the welfare state.
Words such as liberal, liberty, libertarian, and libertine all trace their history to the Latin liber, which means “free”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberalism
Terry2: Just for information, a zero-sum game is when what one person wins the other loses, so the sum is zero. You have something else in mind, which is akin to “heads I win, tails you lose”, or “damned if you do and damned if you don’t”. Cheers,.
Ian Palfrey: the evil Murdoch empire strikes again, aided and abetted by the other MSM. If you seek out what the Labor party are saying on the internet, you will find it and and you will not feel as despondent as you are. They are trying. There is also the Australia Institute which is a “think tank” not run by the oligarchs. The struggle goes on.
Wally: They deliberately chose the name “liberal” to fool the voters. The only way these people can get people to vote for them is to pretend they are something else. Why else would you need to utter so many outright lies before the election? I’ll break Godwin’s law and let you know that Hitler’s party claimed to be “socialist” – they just modified it slightly by saying they were “National Socialist”. That is where the word Na- zi comes from.
totaram
Thanks for the history on the word Nazi had not heard of that before.
This Govt are Conservative Tory’s and nothing anywhere near Liberal. The slag Thatcher would be proud of them
Cognitive dissonance, lying, cupidity and lack of empathy seem to be the genetic traits of this mongrel ruling rabble. The rights of the “Individual” are espoused but you must be “on-the-team” to be Australian….where aspiration is really greed and community is getting one over on your neighbor.
A rank lot.