I have been highly critical of the environmental policies of Australia’s Prime Minister Tony Abbott who has led the world in rolling back efforts to deal with climate change and reducing pollution while opening up pristine areas of mining and other industries. In a move that is likely to be celebrated by environmentalists around the world, Abbott is Prime Minister no more. In a remarkable change, ruling conservatives ousted Abbott (right) as party leader in favor of former party leader and Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull (left).
The change represents the end to the most controversial tenure of a prime minister in the modern history of the country. Abbott’s polarizing policies were not just putting areas like the Great Barrier reef in danger but dramatically undermining Australia’s standing in the world.
Liberal Party members voted 54 to 44 to replace Abbott as a time of record low poll numbers for the conservative coalition government. In addition to opening up protected areas, moving to allow dredge material to be dumped near or in the Great Barrier reef, and removing a host of environmental protections, Abbott repealed the country’s carbon pollution tax while speaking around the world against climate change efforts. He became a favorite of China’s for his anti-environmental stance.
Turnbull will become Australia’s fourth prime minister in the last two years.
Source: FOX
Is it just me, a fiscal conservative, but doesn’t it bother anyone when Bernie Sanders starts to make some sense? Holy crap! And the Democrats, of which I was one until 2004, can’t find anyone younger than 67 (Hillary..allegedly) to run for office? The others are older yet. Yee gawd, talk about old white people? I mean come on, is there no one in the Democratic Party, of any hue, who is more qualified? Or are they just told to shut up? I’d bet they are told just that. The Dem’s are left with Hillary, Bernie, Biden, and yee f’ing gawd, Gore or Kerry? I’d be a Republican if for no other reason than they have some candidates who are NOT geriatric. I’m an old dude (73 in a month or so) and I’m not very happy with what my generation has produced. Give me some youth and new ideas. Please. We old folks have had our time…time for new blood and new ideas.
I get a kick out of the Trumpster but not too certain I’d vote for him, unless it’s just him against Hillary. I’d vote for a garden slug versus Hillary. Somebody please indict her soon…Gen Petraeus was convicted, stupidly in my opinion (how dare he say what he thought! Didn’t he know that the CIA gig was a bribe?) , so can’t we just get a charge against ole Hillary? A notebook in a personal desk drawer seems rather benign compared to a separate server and who knows what other machinations. I WILL vote in the next election and I’d hope it isn’t just another “least worst” vote. So far that seems unlikely. Trump riles up the masses it seems, while Hillary can’t even excite the dead…which she doesn’t seem to realize she’s one of those. Heaven help us all 😀
Liberty University Q&A
Annie,
That Liberty University crowd… is Yuuuuge (as Trump would say).
Does Hillary pull in that size crowd, ever?
Annie,
A Government that is small and allows the citizen the ability to carry on their daily lives…
… Small enough to fit in your uterus, that is. Small enough to be in your marriage and bedroom.
Voters in the Western World are tired of being lied to by the duopoly. Be it in Australia, the UK or here in America… A true representative Democracy is more complex than just two party platforms and the voters are ready for a real change. Do you feel the Bern?
Abbott and Costello.
Since Wikipedia is the source to be used:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservatism_in_Australia
Excerpt:
Political parties
Political conservatism is primarily represented by the Liberal Party of Australia, and its coalition partner, the National Party which historically was the party of the small farmers and espoused agrarianism. Moser and Catley explain, “In America, ‘liberal’ means left-of-center, and it is a pejorative term when used by conservatives in adversarial political debate. In Australia, of course, the conservatives are in the Liberal Party.”[3] Jupp points out that, “[the] decline in English influences on Australian reformism and radicalism, and appropriation of the symbols of Empire by conservatives continued under the Liberal Party leadership of Sir Robert Menzies, which lasted until 1966.”[4] Beecher comments that, “across the economic and cultural landscape, Howard proved that the centre of politics in Australia is inherently conservative.”[5]
There have been other minor parties which may be perceived to be conservative or right wing in orientation on account of some of their policies, including the One Nation Party, Shooters Party and Pauline’s United Australia Party, although many would not champion classical liberal approach to economics adopted by the Liberal Party.[6]
Conservative think tanks in Australia include Centre for Independent Studies, the H. R. Nicholls Society and the Menzies Research Centre.[7] Apart from political parties, conservative grass-roots movements have also arisen in Australia in recent years. Some of these may have connections to existing political leaders, such as Senator Cory Bernardi’s Conservative Leadership Foundation[8] (which is dedicated to fostering community based conservative leadership) or explicitly reject party politics in favour of cultural restoration, such as the Sydney Traditionalist Forum[9] (which is described as “an association of ‘old school’ conservative, traditionalist and paleoconservative individuals”).
In Australia however there are some differences in the political landscape in which conservatism exists, compared to what is found in other countries, especially in economics. Australia undertook in the mid-1980s significant economic reforms – faith in markets, deregulation, a reduced role for government, low protection and the creation of a new cooperative enterprise culture – under the centre-left Australian Labor Party and specially under social liberal Paul Keating.”[10] Consequently issues like protectionism, welfare reform, privatisation and deregulation are no longer debated as intensely as they are in Europe or North America.
~+~
And from this article:
“Abbott is Prime Minister no more. In a remarkable change, ruling conservatives ousted Abbott “
Annie said:
“…but very often conservatives say, ‘Get the government out of my life,’”
Conservatives hate government when it implements social programs, passes environmental legislation, or raises taxes on corporations and the rich, but they like it when it serves their political or financial interests.
Conservatives have been in the forefront of military actions that make windfall profits for defense contractors like Lockheed, Boeing, McDonnell-Douglas, and Halliburton–companies that contribute heavily to conservative political campaigns.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberalism_in_Australia
“We chose the word ‘Liberal’ because we want to be a progressive party, in no way conservative, in no way reactionary.”
Sir Robert Menzies
“The Liberal Party is a broad church. You sometimes have to get the builders in to put in the extra pew on both sides of the aisle to make sure that everybody is accommodated. But it is a broad church and we should never as members of the Liberal Party of Australia lose sight of the fact that we are the trustees of two great political traditions. We are, of course, the custodian of the classical liberal tradition within our society, Australian Liberals should revere the contribution of John Stuart Mill to political thought. We are also the custodians of the conservative tradition in our community. And if you look at the history of the Liberal Party it is at its best when it balances and blends those two traditions. Mill and Burke are interwoven into the history and the practice and the experience of our political party.”
Former Prime Minister John Howard
Bernie Sanders spoke at Liberty University today to a surprisingly friendly audience. What goes on here?
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2015/09/14/bernie-sanders-takes-campaign-christian-school/72204782/
“I don’t want to be too provocative here, but very often conservatives say, ‘Get the government out of my life,'” he said. “On this very sensitive issue…my view is I respect absolutely a family that says, ‘No, we are not going to have an abortion.’ But I would hope that other people respect the very painful and difficult choice that many women feel they have to make and don’t want the government telling them what they have to do.
Students’ responses to Sanders’ remarks ranged from light clapping to loud cheers.”
The new prime minister gave a very strong speech for free speech in 2011. It mentions Assange and Manning and ties it back to US constitution.
https://web.archive.org/web/20130314221130/http://www.malcolmturnbull.com.au/blogs/malcolms-blog/reflections-on-wikileaks-spycatcher-and-freedom-of-the-press-speech-given-to-sydney-university-law-school/
Actually he was ousted by his own party, which is a conservative center-right party. The term Liberal in Australia has a different definition than that used in the United States.
Looks like the Labour Party in the UK is gaining traction. Interesting shift.
Abbott expounded the “The smell of pollution is just the smell of success.” and the “If you’ve seen one Redwood, you’ve seen them all.” attitude of a generation + ago. Thank god the Aussies smartened up. Now if Canada could only understand the damage being done in the Tar Sands. It seems that clever stupidity is to be found everywhere.
Good news! Conservative policies not all they’re made out to be. Seems like Australians found out the hard way. Hopefully too much damage hasn’t already been done.
It’s been a long time coming and I’m so glad. Abbott left Oz in a deplorable state of affairs, not to mention his policies on environmental degradation.