A month ago, Victorian Liberal MPs simultaneously posted a red graphic to their social media accounts with a simple mantra written in big, white text: “Remember this November”.
The three-word slogan is key to the state opposition’s efforts to end their time in the political wilderness by defeating the Daniel Andrews Labor government. At the moment, this looks like a tall order as the Labor Party still has a comfortable lead in the polls.
The Victorian Liberal Party’s plan to overcome this popularity deficit is a campaign that doesn’t mention them. The “Remember this November” branding doesn’t use the Liberal Party’s name, logo, policies or members. It’s even coloured red, not too far off from the Labor Party’s own branding.
Instead, the Victorian Liberals’ campaign hopes to make the election a referendum on the Andrews government’s handling of COVID-19 restrictions, health, spending and corruption. This includes focusing on the state’s lockdowns and well-publicised issues with hospital bed and ambulance shortages, as well as new taxes.
The campaign calls on its audience to “share your stories about the last four years”. Rememberthisnovember.com.au features a handful of video testimonials from people talking about how the Labor government’s policies have hurt them; these people, only identified by first name and by occupation, aren’t Liberal MPs or identified as associated with the party. So far, Facebook posts mentioning the website have fewer than 3000 interactions — a small amount.
The “Remember this November” branding is being used in MPs’ talking points and in physical and digital advertising, as well as across the Victorian Liberals’ social media presence. On TikTok, the party has changed its account name to rememberthisnovember and uses the #rememberthisnovember hashtag on all its videos (so far, only two other non-Liberal accounts have made videos using the hashtag).
The Victorian Liberal Party’s “Remember this November” campaign places its hopes on channelling anti-Dan Andrews backlash and frustration at a handful of policy areas into widespread appeal. The question is whether the Matthew Guy-led party room can stay disciplined even as the party’s faithful can’t help but play to the extremes.
Matthew Guy – ‘lobsters and mobsters’ will follow him around like a faithful dog…
Yes, who’d a thunk it? Victorian Liberals are the far right, Alt Right, conspiracy theorists who are closer to Trump and the American coterie of religious nutjobs and fascists than their predecessors of Menzies, Holt, Peacock, Kennett, Hamer, Brigden, Baillieu, Napthine, Frydenberg. All of these afore-mentioned Liberal moderates (in today’s neo-liberal, neo-paleo-Calvinist terms and times) must be rolling in their graves or choking on their wheaties as to what has become of the Jewell in the Liberal Party Crown that was Victoria. All well-educated, moderately religious to non-religious, even handed, even tempered, cultured, classical music loving, top private school educated, some Knights of the Realm, good sense of humour, stiff upper lippers down there in Victoria seeing their party taken over by suburban, lower middle class to lumpen proletariat, religious, anti-intellectual, anti-university, anti-educational, anti-abortion, anti-women’s rights, racist, nationalist, down on their luck loser fascists who are more at home in places like…well Queensland. My God, how the mighty have fallen.
Hey?! What would happen if Guy got up? War? I really can’t see it with their current crop who are I alluded to, talentless and brainless. And few in number. Only Labor can lose it for themselves like they have in NSW since 2011 and the result here in 2023 is no foregone conclusion for a Labor win either. Victorian Labor have been full of mistakes but they have at least owned up to them unlike the ethnically based and factionally oriented cretins who are the Labor party here in NSW. Obeid and McDonald are still the gifts that keep on giving for the Liberals here. Andrews is smarter politically even though he is somewhat lacking in administrative, organisational and policy capability.
The problem with Labor in Victoria is the same as the problem with Labor in NSW. Both big states share common socio-economic and demographic characteristics. This requires a special political capability to manage. 2 big State elections coming up. One may determine the other, consecutively of course.
Even better, think something past Liberal MPs etc. are looking at from Victoria now, is how the Liberal’s ‘jewel in the crown’ will be impacted under Dutton’s leadership by QLD LNP sociocultural influence……
Victoria Liberals are more representative of past QLD than present QLD is of its recent past. There was a sizeable swing to Labor in QLD federally, its just that it wasn’t in the right seats as I have elaborated considerably in the recent federal election analysis and the Greens concentrated their vote in 3 inner city seats. Labor was unable to replicate their vote they got State-wide in the 2020 election where they cleaned up 5 Gold and Sunshine Coast seats. If Dutton goes poorly which I hope he does and he is still the leader come 2025, the Libs will lose a few to half a dozen seats in QLD to Labor. The Greens have gone as far a they can go and have excelled and surprised themselves and weren’t expecting that in their wildest dreams – 3 federal seats. QLS is switching slowly but surely Left at the moment – State and Federally.
Victoria is different. Labor went backwards on primary vote but got the minor party preferences but, get this, went ahead in the eastern suburb seats that were marginal and counted – Chisholm and Higgins. They are on track to get Aston, Casey, Deakin and Menzies next time. Issues of vaccine mandates, anti-vaccination theories, lockdowns and political competence and government administration were present federally and it will be interesting to see how these issues play out in State political matters leading up to and going through an election campaign.
The Liberals should get some seats back but I think the money is on that it won’t be nearly enough. What will be interesting also is to see if the minor right-wing parties contest this election and what fist they will make of it – the libertarian Palmerites and the nationalistic, racist Hansonites. And of course who they preference.
Fantastic assessment.
“Who’s the leader of the Victorian libs again?”
“Dunno, I think it’s the guy who was dumped a few years ago, but I can’t remember his name?”
Amazing. The Libs dont seem to understand that there are still a lot of people who want to vote for an actual liberal party. Not a party that calls itself liberal but is actually a right wing religious fruitcake party. So all they need to do is look neat like they used to in the past and have a genuine liberal policy agenda, just like in the old days.
Most people are liberal in outlook, whether they vote liberal or labor. Get too far away from that and you are off the fairway and into the rough.
Yes but liberal in outlook is not a feature solely the realm of the Liberal Party which is more a Conservative Party. It is a misnomer and the name, liberal, was borrowed from State politics of the 1890s and the issues revolving around Protectionism versus Free Trade. The original Federal Liberals were originally called ‘Fusionists’. This is what the conservatives should still be called but most Australians won’t understand what that means so ‘coalition’ it is.
Hilarious watching every State Opposition claiming that the health/hospital/ambulance issues are unique to that State! Every single one is suffering the exact same issues, due in part to the fact that there are thousands of frail elderly clogging up hospital beds when they should be in aged care (thanks, ScoMo, you moron!) and partly due to Covid-related staffing absences. I know a lot of Australians are stupid (look at the number who think the GOP and Trump are the answers!) but most of us hopefully will realise the truth.
The Ambulance and Hospital system issues are not even unique to Australia, as a lot of other Countries are suffering similar issues due to Covid.