Via Richard Dennis today:
Crossbenchers have become the new conservatives of the Australian Parliament. When the Coalition’s “liberals” support discrimination against gay teachers and its “conservatives” support nationalising electricity companies, it’s no surprise that once safe Coalition seats keep falling to independents.
It’s also no surprise that Kerryn Phelps, Cathy McGowan (who took the Liberal seat of Indi) and Rebekha Sharkie (who snatched the formerly safe Liberal seat of Mayo) all support the creation of conservative institutions like a federal anti-corruption watchdog. They also oppose subsidising coal mines, support tackling climate change and want civility in political debate.
Now that the Liberal-National Coalition has become the party of reactionary populists, conservative voters are shifting to safer pairs of hands. And the weeks leading up to the Wentworth byelection provide a clear demonstration of just how unpredictable the Coalition has become.
Too right (if you’ll pardon the pun). But it’s only half the story isn’t it? The reactionary elements of the Coalition are not radical enough for the other batch of much constructive conservative cross-benchers. One Nation, Bob Katter etc actually do have relatively sensible policies outside of climate change and racism but those two mark them out clearly as reactionary.
Could the centrist wave of conservative cross-benchers form a new liberal party that is both economically and socially progressive?
Impossible to know and perhaps they don’t even need to. Their presence is a standing warning to the Coalition that it is in deep and structural trouble. And to Labor that the times, they are are changin’.
