THE REPORTER MARCH 2013
Lib
en ert as Quae Sera Tam
ADELAIDE UNIVERSITY LIBERAL CLUB
4 PRESIDENT’S REPORT 6 LEFTIST NONSENSICALISM 8 LESSONS OF DEFEAT 10 2012 RE-CAP 12 2012 LOOKING BACK...
THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED HEREIN BELONG SOLELY TO THE RESPECTIVE AUTHORS AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE ADELAIDE UNIVERSITY LIBERAL CLUB (AULC) OR THE LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA (SA DIVISION). CONTRIBUTIONS TO THIS EDITION OF THE REPORTER ARE FROM MEMBERS AND FRIENDS OF THE AULC. AUTHORISED BY CHRIS DULUK, PRESIDENT OF THE ADELAIDE UNIVERSITY LIBERAL CLUB.
“It’s too much to expect in an academic setting that we should all agree, but it is not too much to expect discipline and unvarying civility.”
John Howard at a Liberal Party press conference in 1987. Photo: National Archives of Australia
president If you’re reading this edition of The Reporter, then chances are you’re a freedom loving Liberal, a gin-totingTory, or, at the very least, (to put it politely) ‘not the biggest fan’ of Labor and their far-Left cousins in the Greens. And that’s OK. Whilst the Left use government as a means of social control and impose obstacles to individual freedom and choice (e.g. media regulation, cigarette plain packaging, punitive taxes and more recently Nicola Roxon’s Orwellian assault on freedom of speech), we Liberals aren’t so keen on state control. Rather, we believe that the role of government is to safeguard your individual freedom and ensure equality of opportunity for all, so that everyone may fulfill their full potential.
As Liberals we believe in: • The inalienable rights and freedoms of the individual, including freedom of thought, speech, worship, expression and assembly • Limited government, trusting the personal liberty of individuals • Reducing the tax burden on families and small business • The stabilising influence of family in our community • Decentralised decision making and allowing people to govern their own destiny • The power of the consumer to best make economic decisions • Social responsibility towards the weak and less fortunate and respect for Australia’s environment and natural heritage These are the values that underpin our free way of life. They are values worth fighting for.
t’s report Of course, you may be asking yourself: “but what does all this have to do with me?” The answer is up to you… Whether you’re keen to deepen your political involvement within the Liberal movement (… Tony Abbott & Peter Costello first cut their teeth in university politics!) or looking to enjoy the company of like-minded uni students who share your passion for freedom and alcohol, (free alcohol?), I’d like to warmly welcome you to the Adelaide University Liberal Club. Throughout the year we meet regularly to debate policy, discuss ideas with MP’s and we enjoy many drink nights, pub-crawls, parliamentary dinners and a whole lot more! I look forward to seeing you at our next Club event. Chris Duluk President liberal@auclubs.com.au
On Campus... Tony Abbott fought for the seat of President during his student days. Photo: ACP Library
leftist nonsensicalism No matter the level of moisture or lack thereof that lies under the collars of the liberally minded, there has always been a joint antipathy for those who are left of centre. For me, no single event was more indicative of why this attitude exists than the recent student elections that I participated in at the University. Broadly, the institution of student politics on campus itself is farcical. This I believe is due to years of leftist domination and their advocacy of ‘nice’ ideas that are completely inconsistent with governance, organisation or long term sustainability. Nevertheless I have come back this year in the hopes of promoting the more pragmatic liberal ideologies across campus, particularly to the dark apathetic masses who spend more time learning their professions than becoming frustrated by following politics in the modern day. Of course adding to this there is good company, productive discussions and drinks packages at Adelaide University Liberal Club events.
From even my short time on campus I understand why the Labor party suffers from a lack of real world knowledge and skill sets appropriate for efficient governance; they do not often draw so many members from the ranks of the accomplished in society, but instead choose to keep with the soon-to-be Union hacks of Young Labor whom I have become familiar with. It really was an epiphany when I met and argued with these admirably driven but seemingly clueless people. The attitude given off by them is one of self-righteous ignorance. As is said, the path to hell is paved with good intentions, or in this case, how to vote cards printed on 100% recycled paper, complete with redundant policies. These policies aren’t only redundant because they are for a small public university’s Union, but because they simply could not work outside of the fantasy land the socialist mentality of Young Labor exists in. One of my favourites to consistently rip apart was the ‘Textbook Swap’. What a wonderful idea? Saving needy
students’ money and providing them with the knowledge they need to complete their courses! The idea was, at the start of every semester, students would meet at a prescribed location and swap textbooks with each other. It didn’t go any further. No answers to issues where books were of different value, no thought given to how it would affect UniBooks, which is an Adelaide University Union owned entity, and no thought given to the reality that people in their second year have no need for first year books, and people in their third year of study do not need second year books. Again, the sentiment is ‘nice’ and it is refreshing to see people who try to do good things. Yet any uplifting feeling from the ‘niceness’ of it all is struck down tenfold by the sheer catastrophic absence of sound reasoning. Since I was about 10, the bemusement caused by that unacceptable absence in the vast majority of leftist initiatives has graduated to confusion, frustration and finally a desire to engage and challenge any promulgation of what can only be described as leftist antilogic. It is one thing to dismember the policies of opposing people, but of course it needs to be accompanied by a better alternative that touts its own effectiveness. The touting should create ballyhoo to further beat down the confidence of the idea’s creator. For the previous minor example it was the AULC’s idea of creating a small department of the UniBooks business that deals with second hand books. Students could credit their second hand books and other students would buy them, with money, and UniBooks could mark up the books enough to make a profit by accessing the second hand textbook market.
That workable scenario only took us about 2 minutes of brainstorming to come to, which provides a huge insight into the (rather ironic) narrow-mindedness and shortsightedness of our counterparts. I could write a series of articles detailing other such ridiculousness but I would feel embarrassed as I mainly exist in the realm of student politics to remind them of their own stupidity and I would only be reiterating the things that we already know about the ‘lefty scum’. Arthur Wellesley once said of the English that “We always have been, we are, and I hope that we always shall be, detested in France,” and my feelings echo that in reference to the Liberal party and its relationship with the ALP and their akin associations. Alexander Hyde AULC Member alexander.hyde@student.adelaide. edu.au
Did you like this article? How about another? Go online to read our Editorial Vice President Robert Katsambis’s Article.
the convenient carbon conspiracy
tinyurl.com/ahuzmga
lessons of
With President Obama recently inaugurated for a second term, and election hype having died down, now would be a good time to reflect on where it went wrong for the Republican Party. In an election where both sides combined spent a record-breaking $2bn, you can’t help but think the whole exercise was a bit pointless. After all, the make-up of the United States Congress has barely changed; the Washington status quo remains intact. However, despite what may seem like an extraordinary waste of effort, the GOP can still take valuable lessons from their defeat to the next election. The strategy (for both parties) in any US election always focuses around the prized and much sought after “battleground” states. Although mostly small, these are the socalled “swing-states” that decide an election depending on which way they “swing” come Election Day. Of these states, Mitt Romney only managed to claw back two from the President; Indiana and North Carolina. Essentially, the Republican Party failed to convince the swinging voter that they were the better choice for Government. Naturally, this raises questions. These questions are all the more important (and painful) given the circumstances surrounding the election. No President since Roosevelt in 1936 has been re-elected with such high and stagnant unemployment. Romney was supposed to be the guy who really could beat Obama. So where did it go wrong? Depending on who you listen to, you get very different ideas about what went wrong for the GOP. According to the Tea Party Patriots national coordinator Jenny Martin, Romney “was a weak, moderate candidate”. This is an opinion largely shared by the hard right of the party, who are warning that in the future the GOP will be doomed if they don’t stick to traditional conservative values and small-government ideals.
But this idea has been rebuffed by other elements within the party. GOP Senator Lindsay Graham doesn’t think this election was lost “because Romney wasn’t conservative enough”. He reasons that the Party is “not losing 95% of African-Americans and two-thirds of Hispanics and voters under 30 because we’re not being hard-ass enough.”
In reality, I would say that the Senator has a more plausible explanation. Non-whites make up 28% of the American electorate and Obama claimed 80% of this vote. Obama won the young vote with a two thirds majority and he also secured the female vote. But does this mean the Republicans should abandon the Tea Party crazies and take a shift to the left? Should they modernise like the UK Conservatives? The answer, I think, is no. American Conservatives compete in a political arena where the right has a powerful influence, much more powerful than in Europe or here in Australia. To sell out on wealthy right-wing lobby groups would be a mistake for the GOP. But this doesn’t mean that the Republican Party doesn’t need to change. It does. Republican Party leadership needs to eradicate the more lunatic elements of the party, to bring stability and discipline. It can do this without compromising on core principles. Bizarre and offensive comments about rape by Senate candidates in the election did serious damage to the image of the party. You don’t have to be a raging lefty to see how ridiculous it is to suggest that women’s bodies have “natural defences against pregnancy from legitimate rape”, as suggested by candidate Todd Akin. Or that “even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that is something God intended to happen”, as candidate Richard Mourdock believes. Unsurprisingly, neither of these candidates were elected to the senate. And although they represent a small lunatic
f defeat fringe of the party, in the end they cost the Republicans two senate seats that they should have won. Events like these gave the media excuses to press Mitt Romney hard on social issues (where the Democrats have a net advantage) when he wanted to concentrate on the economy (where he felt he had a net advantage). If the Republican leadership rooted out some of the crazier freelancers within their party, they would be able to debate in their comfort zone and not have to explain and apologise for nutcases all of the time.
What Can Liberals in Australia Learn? The political landscapes of Australia and America cannot be superimposed on oneanother, so drawing comparisons is difficult. However, in this election year, the Liberal Party should heed some warning from their American counterpart’s defeat. Clear direction with policy is needed to convince voters you are ready for Government, and this requires discipline within your party so that no federal politician or candidate might speak out of term. (Note: Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock). It is unsettling for voters to see federal politicians and candidates contradicting each other or themselves, simply because they don’t know their own party’s policies. Unfortunately, the Liberal Party seems to have done this a few too many times recently. In one incidence Joe Hockey stated in a televised interview that the coalition would scrap the planned increase in super contributions from 9% to 12%. He later had to withdraw this claim, as it was a clear contradiction of Coalition policy. In another instance, when questioned about a possible economic zone in North Australia Tony Abbott stated that this was “not something that the Coalition considered and it’s not something that the Coalition is planning for.”
However, his Shadow Treasurer disagreed, stating that “We want to explore it”. Again, when questioned on the hot-button topic of GST reform, Tony Abbott contradicted his previous support for the WA led reform when he said “Well, my response you’ll get in good time before the next election, and after the Government’s response”. All of the aforementioned happened within the last two weeks. In an election year the opposition cannot afford this kind of misdirection so frequently. The Liberal leadership needs to ensure that its member s and candidates are clearly schooled on party policy if they are to avoid these Republicanstyle embarrassments, which distract from the main debate. If we are to believe the polls, the Coalition should be on track to form Government, but we cannot afford to become sloppy and complacent. The electorate can be funny, and as the US election showed only a couple of rogue voices can damage a party and change the debate. And as the previous Australian election showed, only a couple of seats can decide who forms government. Having said all of this, the problems the Liberals face are technicalities concerning party procedure, and can be fixed with better communication and party discipline. The same cannot be said for Labor. The issues they have are a record of bad policy, immoral dishonesty and severe internal divisions which have been played out in public. These problems stand on their own and cannot be fixed by any amount of Labor spin. Hopefully, on September 14th, voters will call time on a hopeless government and the Abbott-led Coalition will be allowed to restore hope, reward and opportunity for all Australians. Matthew Mercer AULC Member matthew.mercer@student.adelaide.edu.au
2012 re cap 2012 was a successful year in terms of gatherings and events which saw two pub crawls, two Parliament House dinners, a well-attended policy debate on euthanasia, and many good nights at the pub. Our first pub crawl was themed “Why be politically correct when you can be RIGHT?” and had more than 40 rowdy Liberal students parading through the streets of Adelaide. We started at the UniBar before trekking to the London, Little Pub and Savvy. Fervent debate took place between pub crawlers and the general public, who made no mistake about our political views upon seeing a big picture of Tony Abbott on the front of our shirts!
The pub crawl in semester two, “Spirits, not socialism” was also well-attended, starting off with jugs of beer on a warm evening on the UniBar Balcony. After an unruly ‘walk’ across the university bridge towards North Adelaide we stopped off for more drinks and a meal at the Queen’s Head before infiltrating the Cathedral, Dan O’Connell, and then finishing a good night off at the Oxford. Our Club patron, John Dawkins MLC hosted dinner at Parliament House for us on two occasions throughout the year. These popular nights were accompanied by talks from Peter Treloar MP, Isobel Redmond MP, and Liberal Senator David Fawcett. The nights were concluded by a tour of Parliament House, where members of the club had the opportunity to sit in the House of Assembly and the Legislative Council… like real politicians!
One of the highlights of the year was our euthanasia debate between Dr Phillip Nitschke and Paul Russell. Question time was tense and emotions ran high, which really made the night unforgettable. Despite the debate occurring on an evening with some of Adelaide’s worst thunderstorms and heavy rain more than 100 people attended the debate and the audience flowed out the door. In Semester 2, members of the Liberal Club attended the Future SA debate featuring former Senator Amanda Vanstone and David Ridgway MLC. It was an enjoyable evening and it was great to see so many AULC members in attendance
supporting the fundraising efforts of the SA division of the Liberal Party. The AULC has just come off a massive year in terms of functions and events, and we are already working hard to make sure events for 2013 are even better. 2013 is a great year to join the AULC ranks and get involved. I hope to see you at our first pub crawl for 2013 on Friday, March 5th and the Parliament House Dinner on Tuesday, March 19th. Rhys Williams Policy Vice President rhys.williams@student.adelaide. edu.au
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1. Alex Hyde (Right) handing out how to vote cards at 2012 student elections 2. Club President, Chris Duluk with AULC members during “Spirits, not Socialism� pub crawl 3. Campaigning on Barr Smith Lawns 4. Dr Philip Nitschke speaking on euthanasia at an AULC policy debate