Cards on the table. I am a conservative. If you seek reassurance about Bill Shorten you will not find it here; you will not find much support for Malcolm Turnbull either. You might say I am disappointed, frustrated even, with the state of politics and public debate in our country.
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Let’s not be confused about what a conservative is. It is not the same as the capital C Conservatives in England and it is not the same as the Republicans in America.
And it is not the same as Malcolm Turnbull’s Liberals who have been captured by the politically correct and have lost the capacity to relate to mainstream Australia.
Consider this: in the 1970s the primary, first preference, vote for each of the major parties was in the mid to high 40 percent range. Both are now around 35 percent
The general state of disenchantment is reflected in those figures. The message is the centre is shrinking as both major parties fail to satisfy the broad middle ground.
A conservative seeks to hold on to traditional values. A conservative does not want to lead the community but will accept change when it has been demonstrated that change is beneficial.
Consider the approach of a conservative in relation to the energy debate that is consuming so much political energy.
A conservative would not have put the economy at risk and threatened the standard of living of vast sections of the community by accepting something like the Paris agreement and promoting the renewable targets without a demonstration that there was a genuine benefit for Australians.
A conservative would ask why Australia exports coal, gas and uranium to the world but suffers from unreliable energy generation and increasingly higher prices for households and industry.
A conservative would be suspicious of models. Estimates of price reductions and emissions are simply that – estimates. They are based on modelling and have no more reliability than the models.
A conservative would ask why Australian energy prices have almost doubled in the last decade for no result. Australia’s emissions have not fallen.
In short, a conservative seeks to speak the truth, to cut through the political correctness and posturing from both sides to find responses to what Australians care deeply about.
Would those who make up that 20 percent in the sensible middle accept a conservative’s challenge? To think in terms of Australia’s best interests rather than the narrow interests dictated by identity politics. To ask if they want the nation’s destiny determined by pressure groups, power centres and special interests. To resist the silence attributed to the silent majority.
If that middle ground think and vote responsibly might Australia be a better governed country?
Stephen Lusher
Port Macquarie
