Welcome to Crikey Comments: The Danslide Edition. As we began to roll out the big post-election takes yesterday, readers were right there alongside us, responding to Charlie Lewis on conservatives’ weird way of handling defeat, Guy Rundle on the long road of progressive Victoria, Bernard Keane on the question of Michael Kroger’s Liberal presidency, and William Bowe on the seats Victorian Labor pulled out from under the Liberals Party (amongst other stories). As is often the case, it’s worth a deep dive into the conversations.
On conservative reasoning with defeat
mark e smith writes: I’ve long predicted that the magical thinking of climate denialism would gradually corrode the functionality of conservative politics by bleeding into other areas. Conservatives have become ever more inured to reality insulated and driven by the membership hurdle test of climate denial.
This isn’t just a disaster because it hampers action on climate but because it gums up the function of an important side of politics. I’ve never been on their side but the existence of a functioning conservatism is important for balance and to represent the wishes and aspirations of many.
Terence O’Connell writes: In 2007 when anti-Labor looked absolutely bereft, News Corp took on the opposition role and incrementally achieved a hung parliament at the end of a first term. I don’t think for a moment that the neocons are finished, the punters have no inkling of the tides of history.
On Victoria’s path to progression
Irfan Yusuf writes: It isn’t just about economic determinism, Guy. It’s also about culture. Or rather, multi-culture. Whatever Kennett’s other flaws, he was never a bigot. He slammed Howard for his racism. As far as I can tell, Kennett’s style of pluralism hasn’t gone out of fashion among Liberal voters, many of whom couldn’t stomach the idea of “African gangs”, etc.
Joannamendelssohn writes: I don’t think you can claim this is a specifically Victorian rebuttal of the extreme right wing and neoliberalism. Didn’t you notice the Longman result in Queensland? Or the Wagga Wagga byelection in conservative rural NSW or Wentworth? The change in mood is more complex and more interesting than you imply.
On Michael Kroger’s troubled presidency
The Curmudgeon writes: Political parties are like football clubs: if you know who the president is, they’re probably doing something wrong. Some exceptions, but Kroger’s not one of them. Could anyone name the president of the Victorian ALP?
On the seats that Labor smashed
Graeski writes: And it’s not just that the removal of level crossings has had a beneficial and highly visible impact on people’s lives in Melbourne. It’s also that, finally, we seem to have a government that is actually capable of getting things done – so that when Andrews promised further infrastructure projects, people believed him.
Pedantic writes: The only hope for Liberals in the federal election is that many Victorian voters have vented their spleen in the State election. However it is a vain hope, the Danslide was caused by many issues, but the turmoil in Canberra and toxicity of leading lights like Dutton and Abbott will not be forgotten either here or nationally come next May.
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Australians to their credit have seen through and are over trickle down U.S style voodoo economics and the right wing pedlars of it, the impending implosion of the coalition will see the split and formation of a new middle of the political road of a small L Menzies type party while the mad right will hive off to Bernadi and Hanson and ultimately consume itself and hopefully disappear into the history books like the dinosaurs they model themselves on.