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The Australian Right's big mistake

By Paul Collits - posted Wednesday, 1 July 2020


It bags Andrews in a party political way for the little mistakes he has made.  It can’t attack him over the big mistake – because they made it too!  All the Liberal led governments have signed up fully for the Covid scare.  They have decided – “we are all in this together” – and so Andrews, being part of the egregious “National Cabinet”, can’t be attacked for being a Covid fascist.  The only form of attack permissible is related to incompetence.  Not to making the big Covid mistake, a category error, in mistaking a mild “epidemic” for a world shattering “PANdemic”.

The Australian right doesn’t have a clue about Covid, and what it means.  They have missed the big story.  And the big philosophical opportunity to create space for its own, once followed, core business – that of freedom, rights and prosperity.  That is, to support the silent Australians who will be absolutely stuffed by their own craven,  political decisions about this virus.

I often refer to the Australian right-of-centre in-group.  These are the well-networked, impeccably connected, media performing cadre of slightly conservative, slightly disgruntled-with-the-Libs types whose main focus is on the longevity and security of their careers.  They are never too edgy, and always prioritise bagging their party political opponents over seeking policy truth.  Consider here the Think Tanks, impeccably connected and configured to provide a source of personnel for future Liberal Party pre-selection.  Fingers in all the right (in both senses of the word) pies.  They are the Australian equivalent of the US GOP (Republican) establishment, aka the Washington DC swamp.  They are the insiders.  Even the “outsiders” – think the Sky News program of the same name – are really “insiders”.  In fact, Sky might be regarded right-of-centre insiders central.  Whatever they might think of ScoMo privately, they remain religiously on message and signed up to the political and electoral welfare of the Liberal Party.

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The comfortable persistence of the RoCIG (right-of-centre-in-group) is actually a bulwark to forward progress on the right.  It preserves the establishment.

The authentic, people-centred Australian “right”, again, noting “whatever that means”, has a series of urgent tasks if it is to break free of the consequences of its big mistake.

One, the rightist groups need to talk to one another.  To recognise the problem, and to discuss it.  To form serious power groups interested in The Fight as I have described it.  Use the Liberal Party, by all means, but don’t obsess over its electoral welfare.  Getting good people into the Liberal Party, indeed into all parties, is not without merit as one part of the strategy.  Just do not expect miracles, or a quick pay off.  And the task IS rather urgent. 

Focus on culture, ever upstream from party politics.  Speak boldly, like the original Apostles and Church Fathers once did, counter culturally and in the face of existing power structures, all those centuries ago.  Meet in secret.  Pressure groups like Advance Australia to get with the program and be way more visible.  Engage Mark Latham, Australia’s only current politician who is focused on the main game and who thinks clearly about the things that count for those of us in struggle street.  And the folks struggling are our friends.  The working class has been abandoned by the New Class.  The Marxists and progressive liberals absolutely HATE the workers.  Make peace with One Nation, and collude with it, where this makes sense.

And – remember Reagan! Yes, we on the right were at times critical of him during his time in office.  And critics since, like Christopher Caldwell in his minor masterpiece The Age of Entitlement, have pointed out BIG mistakes.  But Reagan was the complete conservative, with utter belief, sunny optimism, rhetorical skills, masterly communications skills, a unerring connect with the folks, common sense and a nuanced understanding of the big picture.  Lessons remain.

There IS one group in Australia, to date well under the radar, led by Glenn O’Rourke, starting a process along these lines.  It is called the Australian Federation Party.  It has emerged out of the failure that was the Australian Conservatives.  It is attempting to at least get the Club Sensible people talking to one another, and beginning to act in a coherent, strategic, political manner.

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It may or may not be the answer to the questions I have raised above.  But it is worth our attention, in crazy and, for the right, sadly non-productive, times.  In times where the main game is – speak truth to power.

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This article was first published on The Freedoms Project.



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About the Author

Paul Collits is a freelance writer and editor and a retired academic. He has higher research degrees in Political Science and in Geography and Planning. His writing can be followed at The Freedoms Project. His work has also been published at The Spectator Australia, Quadrant, Lockdown Sceptics, CoviLeaks, Newsweekly, TOTT News and A Sense of Place Magazine.

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