Politics

With the less than heartening news that Pauline Hanson may, once again, sit as any form of parliamentary representative, I can only hope that the Liberal party accept their part in contributing to an atmosphere in which one of Australia's most infamous political figures can return and face anything other than derision and rejection. I lament the Labor Party's lack of leadership and moral fibre, as well their inability to maintain a solid course, as well as the Green's stubborn idealism and inability to accept pragmatic compromise, almost as much. I blame all of the players here but, when it comes to stirring up a nasty little right-wing agitation, with apparently no thought for the future, I must hand the cap to the Liberal Party.

I have often said that if there was one thing that I despised more than evil, that it was incompetent evil. To me, setting up a political climate where the Leader of the Opposition can appear, with a smattering of fringe-dwelling party members, in front of signs that make some highly offensive, and questionable, claims about the sitting Prime Minister is, at best, short-sighted opportunism - especially when you look at the groups that showed up at that political rally.

Encouraging right-wing hate groups and the scientifically confused is not a core plank of the Liberal Party's agenda. They're about giving money to the right people and stopping all the bludgers from ripping off the hard working folk who own everything (tongue at least partially in cheek). I have never believed that Tony Abbott is stupid - you don't get to where he is by accident - but I think that he should think carefully about the country that he will most likely inherit in 1-2 years time. He doesn't actually want a country where people like Pauline Hanson can be voted in, because that kind of activism is not actually one that is productive to his party or his voting bloc. He doesn't want a country where scientists are completely ignored because of action by fringe groups and populist nonsense. Bad science == poor industrial development, rampant off-shoring and loss of intellectual property == voted out again.

Contrary to popular belief, mostly among right-wing oriented friends and acquaintances who seem to think that I'm Karl Marx, I'm not a leftist. I support a number of traditionally left-wing causes, such as social welfare systems, unionism and some government imposed limits on overreaching capitalism, but I also support (with some caveats from the previous) entrepreneurship, private ownership and the ability to claim self-responsibility. I will support a government that agrees with my principles. If the Greens ever manage to come down from their mountain and develop a pragmatic, economically sensible and implementable set of plans for the Australian people, I will seriously review them and consider voting them into the House. If the Liberal party actually manage to balance old-style Liberal conservatism with some liberal values, I could vote for them. If the Labor party ever manages to extract foot from mouth and principles from wherever they've hidden them, I'd probably vote for them as they are the closest in a complete shower of possible candidates. Today? Today, I have no idea who I'd vote for. They're all a disgrace or impotent. It is Tom Brown's Schooldays but Flashman has been cloned and is RUNNING THE SCHOOL.

But, whatever you think of the Labor Party, and despite any rants you may have about the money that they are spending, show me the hate groups that they are courting. Show me the real nasties who associate with the Greens. (Seriously, if I'm not seeing them, I'd like to be told!)The political climate is getting colder, and more to the right. While the Liberal Party is seen with the unpleasant fringe, we are all weakened and, as we now see, we risk letting something nasty in while we're opening a door to yell abuse at someone, surrounded by the neighbourhood thugs.

A change of government is always acceptable, but encouraging hate groups is not. Which groups you would be scared to be associated with in public should not be the deciding factor in voting between one centrist party and another. Please, Mr Abbott, consider the country that you want to inherit and how well you can really control things, once you start to play the hate game with the serious players.