#auspol both the Liberal and National parties were formed in response to the creation of the ALP in…
#auspol both the Liberal and National parties were formed in response to the creation of the ALP in Australia, our first party. Both represented existing wealth in Australia, through farming and business mostly. They were formed to counter-act the new ALP. Lessons from this.../1
Conservative parties historically have not really been parties in the sense of putting forward policy platforms towards creating a different sort of society. They've been reactionary, a way to protect the status quo from challenge. /2
In the modern Coalition, there's almost no point of agreement between the Liberals and the Nationals. What unites them is dislike if not hatred for the ALP, and particularly for the unions underpinning the ALP. A coalition of reaction. /3
John Howard would reference Edmund Burke, who actually was a giant of political practice and theory, in his understanding of conservatism as meaning respect for the institutions that have evolved through generations. /4
Very little that the LNP does however relates to Burke's ideas at all. Modern conservatism has become even more viciously reactionary, and now iconoclastic, smashing institutions with abandon. The LNP, like the Tories in the UK and Republicans in the US, have been 'captured'. /5
Regulatory capture, the technical term for when regulators become puppets to the interests they supposedly represent. You can see this in modern conservative policy platforms, which almost exclusively revolve around only 3 basic ideas. /6
Cut taxes. Cut regulation. Cut government. All the things interest groups who support conservative parties have historically been passionate about. You'll see these same 3 trotted out in some variant for just about every issue. /7
Which is consistent with the beginning of this story, about the origins of conservatism in Australia at least, which were about protecting vested interests, rather than a policy platform for a different Australia. /end