Cartoonists' dream scenario:Last Friday the Australian Electoral Commission advertised the Liberty and Democracy Party's application for a name change to the Liberal Democratic Party, with the abbreviation Liberal Democrats (DLP). Objections to the change close on 1 September 2008.
This appears to be the party's second attempt to effect this name change.
Somehow the proposed new name doesn't quite match the party's eccentric website blurb.
The Government is comprised of politicians and public servants with no special insight or wisdom. Despite that, it constantly tells us what is best for us and how we should run our lives.
It tells us we should eat healthy foods, not smoke, wear a helmet when we ride a bicycle and not use marijuana. It tells us how to discipline our children, whether we can renovate our houses and who we are permitted to marry. It prevents us from owning a gun to protect our families in our own home and stops us from obtaining help to end our own lives even when we are in terminal pain. It forces us to vote even when we don't want to.
It ties up enterprising businesses in regulations and red tape that prevent them from investing, expanding and employing more people.
The LDP believes people should make their own choices and accept responsibility for the consequences. It believes governments have neither the expertise nor the right to tell people how to run their lives and should stick to things like protecting Australia from attack and safeguarding property rights. The LDP believes in legalising assisted suicide, the right of self defence and voluntary voting. It considers property owners (including hoteliers and restaurateurs), not the government, should decide whether smoking is allowed on their property and whether to remove trees on their land.
It believes the government has no business regulating victimless crimes such as adult consensual prostitution, adult pornography or risky behaviour that harms nobody else. It believes speed limits should be determined by what most motorists regard as safe, not what public servants deem to be acceptable.
Even when the choices that individuals make are unwise and could harm them, so long as nobody else is involuntarily adversely affected the LDP says, "It's your choice, not the government's."
Wonder what the response from the Liberals and Democrats will be this time around to an obvious attempt to bounce off two well-known political brands?
Found by Clarrie in his ceaseless roaming across the ether and sent on to me (with a smile) as a "must have" gift from Peters of Kensington.So says the online spiel for music to grow wrinkles by.
Think I'll pass, Alan.
Former prime minister and current bore John Howard recently spoke out in support of his successor as leader of the parliamentary Liberal Party, 'Little Brennie' Nelson.
Who cares? replied the Australian electorate, which has Nelson's standing pegged at a meagre 14% and which rates him as
trailing Rudd in all key areas in the last Newspoll.I'm still wondering why Howard thinks that his opinion matters in the looming Lib leadership battle.
After all, his 'considered' opinions lost the Coalition the last federal election.
It really gets on my wick (and I blame the current Lib leadership for indulging him in this) that post-defeat John Howard has been offering a gratuitous running commentary on Australian politics, when he so clearly undertook to be "a very quiet ex-prime minister and would not be making a running commentary".
It's time the Libs realised there is nothing so ex as an ex-prime minister - the rest of the country certainly does.
