I have to hand to the remaining Australian Democrats recognition for their valiant fight.
National executive member Paul Young has used OnLine Opinion to remind us that the ADs still exist. A quick review of their website suggestes that Julie Melland and team have made great strides in re-establishing a functioning machinery.
Technically the machinery fell apart after their early 90s success led to being flush with funds and a centralisation that then collapsed once funds dried up.
It might help Paul Young however to get his history right. Don Chipp only has the chance to create the Australian Democrats because of the pre-existing Australia Party and the Liberal Reform Movement.
Paul is right that there was no single event that sparked the party's demise except the creation of the Greens. The fundamental difficulty for the party is the "cognitive disidence" between its 5 principles - which are all quite libertarian - and its objectives - which are all quite activists.
The party was a party of the middle that the ALP at first colonised, which drove out the Democrats but created the opportunity for the Greens to the Left of the ALP.
There possibly is a role for the Democrats - but they actually need to rework the principles and objectives before doing more policy work.
Novae Meridianae Demetae Dexter delenda est
1 comment:
Looks like your wish is there command.
Core Beliefs = Gone
http://www.democrats.org.au/about/
They have been removed permanently. They are looking for something else that better fits their social liberal philosophy.
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