Impressed
I usually find topical political issues too noisy to worry much about. However, the recent stand taken by Liberal MPs, Judi Moylan, Petro Georgiou, and Russell Broadbent on the Government's migration bill impressed me. Naturally, I was also relieved when Fielding et al. opposed the bill in the Senate, leading to its very public death.
Without knowing many of the details of the bill or its possible effects, I am generally sympathetic to the position of the above three MPs. More than this, however, I support their right to vote according to conscience and not be bullied by party heavies. This, at least, is one thing I remember from undergraduate-level politics: that members of the Labour party must vote according to the caucus' line, whereas Liberal Party members may vote according to conscience. That Howard et al. were so willing to disregard this principle is alarming -- yet hardly surprising.
Mike Steketee wrote an excellent column, "Party History Goes Overboard" in last Thursday's (10th Aug.) Australian. And I thought the first letter in The Age today was on the mark.
Paddy McGuinness's, "Nauru is not a hellhole", also in last Thursday's Oz, was baffling and definitely not to the point (I think it was in the paper's web version only). Though I'm sure that's not the first time these things have been said about one of PPM's articles.
By the way, if anyone can help me find links to Steketee or McGuinness's articles, I'd be grateful.
Without knowing many of the details of the bill or its possible effects, I am generally sympathetic to the position of the above three MPs. More than this, however, I support their right to vote according to conscience and not be bullied by party heavies. This, at least, is one thing I remember from undergraduate-level politics: that members of the Labour party must vote according to the caucus' line, whereas Liberal Party members may vote according to conscience. That Howard et al. were so willing to disregard this principle is alarming -- yet hardly surprising.
Mike Steketee wrote an excellent column, "Party History Goes Overboard" in last Thursday's (10th Aug.) Australian. And I thought the first letter in The Age today was on the mark.
Paddy McGuinness's, "Nauru is not a hellhole", also in last Thursday's Oz, was baffling and definitely not to the point (I think it was in the paper's web version only). Though I'm sure that's not the first time these things have been said about one of PPM's articles.
By the way, if anyone can help me find links to Steketee or McGuinness's articles, I'd be grateful.
posted by Sauntering Walker at 6:38 PM
1 Comments:
However, the recent stand taken by Liberal MPs, Judi Moylan, Petro Georgiou, and Russell Broadbent on the Government's migration bill impressed me.
Fair enough, although most people tend to vote for a party rather than an individual politician, based on that party's policies. Frankly, I don't know if I like a politician deciding that his or her conscience is more important than the will of his or her electorate.
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