Letter
Fewer from the entitled class will want to enter politics
As David Solomon writes, one of the main reasons for the “thumping” of the Liberal Party was its “negativity” and failure “to present and defend its policies in time.”
On ABC radio, Liberal Senator Hollie Hughes criticised the party’s leadership and lack of policy development, noting that despite submitting draft proposals in October, “we never heard anything about anything back from anybody”.
As Solomon notes, this echoes past failures. Major policy documents like Hewson’s Fightback! and Howard’s Future Directions also lacked internal consultation with the parliamentary party or even the party’s own policy committee.
The role of NewsCorp and the space given to hard-right commentators like Andrew Bolt and Peta Credlin has backfired. Australians are tired of it. The future of Bolt and Credlin must be under a cloud. They will never change.
For example, during the Sky News election night broadcast, Credlin said, “I’d argue we didn’t do enough of a culture war”. Bolt wrote a piece for the Herald Sun admonishing voters. The entitled establishment hates losing and always blames others. While they may still have power in the boardroom, after Saturday’s drubbing fewer will want to enter politics.
— Ray Peck from Hawthorn