The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Commentary By Roger Cathcart More and Continuing Political Turmoil The dangers of and differences within a minority governing party are showing more and more in Aussie politics. The Labour Party had a disastrous election last year thanks to the prime ministerial leadership of Kevin Rudd/Julia Gillard, or lack thereof, and huge, costly, disastrous policies such as the insulation fiasco, the school building plan, money for clunkers, etc., etc. They had to make a deal with the Greens (who have about 13 per cent of the vote) and a couple of despised independents to stay in power, and are now being faced with the results of their concessions. Gillard was really forced by Green Leader Bob Brown and his deputy, Christine Milne (both of whom are senators, not MPs) to reverse herself and propose a costly carbon tax, which appears to be widely reviled in the country. A committee set up by the PM, which includes Greens and independents, was to determine the details of the plan, but it includes no members of the opposition. They are totally opposed to the idea and are rallying business and the conservative heartland against the tax, which, it is feared, will flatten a lot of major producers. The Greens have also proposed a bill to not allow the feds to override state laws, such as proposals to legalize gay marriage and euthanasia. As both Gillard and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott are opposed, the bill should go nowhere, but you never know in a minority situation. In any case, there was a revolt of Labour MPs and senators who urged the PM not to support the bill, which will probably not see the light of day. In one letter to the editor, the author wrote: "Why are the Greens so keen on saving the planet? They certainly don't live on it." Two independent MPs who are supporting the Labour minority are in serious political trouble in their ridings. Their voters are hostile to the carbon tax, and about them supporting Labour in areas where the Labour vote is minimal. This hostility is in spite of a $1-billion regional fund granted to the two MPs for supporting Labour Ð a political payoff no doubt. Threats One of the MPs is receiving up to 500 e-mails a day for his backing of Gillard, including threats like "You'll get yours." A poll in his riding shows that a massive 75 per cent of people do not want the carbon tax. He will likely not be re-elected next time. The other independent, Rob Oakeshott, is also in serious trouble. Many of his electorate are hostile, with some displaying signs on their property viciously attacking him personally. One interesting commentary in The Australian Daily stated: "If I had wanted Bob Brown as Prime Minister, I would have voted for the Greens. If I had wanted Rob Oakeshott as Prime Minister, I would have been sent off for psychiatric help!" Goodbye to Oakeshott in 2012 or earlier! Does this alliance bring to mind Canada's proposed Liberal-NDP-Bloc Quebecois coalition of 2008-09, the one suggested by "the three wise men" of then-Liberal leader Stphane Dion, NDP Leader Jack Layton and Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe? Just imagine if the Liberals had proceeded with the plan (instead of backing out) and if the Governor-General had granted her approval. The third- and fourth-place parties in Parliament Ð the Bloc and the NDP Ð would have been calling the shots even though the Bloc has no seats outside Quebec, and the NDP have few anywhere. The Canadian public viewed this idea with hostility (and not only in the West), and the Liberals quickly got rid of Dion after their disastrous 2008 election showing. There is a continuing fear that new Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff and Layton may try to do the same thing again, which if course will be used by the Conservatives in the federal campaign now underway. It will be part of Stephen Harper's plan to bump his party up to a majority even though his minority government is the longest-serving minority in parliamentary history. Some writers are proposing that Canada and the U.S. should desert the "first-past-the-post" system of electing members and go to a vote transfer system like Australia. There is little chance of this happening as our system usually does not allow radical minorities like the Greens to actually get elected and wield power. The candidate with the most votes wins, and the party with the most seats gets to govern, not like in the chaotic system we see in Australia and especially in Tasmania. Roger's Right Corner runs Wednesdays.3/30/2011
