Rather than chasing the teal vote, the party needs a clear set of principles and a renewed sense of purpose
Photograph: Mike Bowers/The GuardianPhotograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardianhe lesson to be learned from the rise of the teals and other fracturing of the centre-right vote in Australia is that theThis disintegration is not entirely without precedent. By the time the United Australia Party officially dissolved in 1945 the party had long been rudderless, its raison d’etre of getting the nation through the Depression with thrift and sacrifice having exhausted itself.
The Liberal party represented a revival of Australia’s strongest political tradition, namely liberalism, and with it came a clear sense of direction. Menzies was tapping into something with deep roots in Australian history, so much so that by the end of the nineteenth century virtually every Australian politician called themselves “liberal”.
The concept of the “broad church” when it comes to the Liberal party of Australia is a legacy of John Howard, who was trying to put to bed ideological infighting which had dogged the party throughout the 1980s. But the fact that the Liberal party was led out of the wilderness by Howard rather than a Peacock says a lot.
Leaders who define themselves by their “moderation” have failed because they go out of their way to make the party pointless. Look at not just Peacock’s failure, but the unexpected near defeats of 1969 and 2016. It must be remembered that Malcolm Fraser, who was electorally successful, only drifted to the left after office.
The recent wave of teal independents follows the fracturing of the UAP into multiple parties towards the end of its lifespan, but even before this it was the centre-right who introduced preferencing because of a tendency to have a multiplicity of candidates.
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