{"id":519931,"date":"2022-02-19T12:30:46","date_gmt":"2022-02-19T12:30:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newpolitics.com.au\/?p=5030"},"modified":"2022-02-19T12:30:46","modified_gmt":"2022-02-19T12:30:46","slug":"chasing-the-april-sun-and-an-election-disaster-for-the-liberal-party","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2022\/02\/19\/chasing-the-april-sun-and-an-election-disaster-for-the-liberal-party\/","title":{"rendered":"Chasing the April sun and an election disaster for the Liberal Party"},"content":{"rendered":"<img width=\"267\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newpolitics.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/ukulele.png?fit=267%2C150&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"float: left; margin-right: 20px;\" link_thumbnail=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newpolitics.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/ukulele.png?w=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newpolitics.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/ukulele.png?resize=267%2C150&amp;ssl=1 267w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newpolitics.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/ukulele.png?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newpolitics.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/ukulele.png?resize=678%2C381&amp;ssl=1 678w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 267px) 100vw, 267px\" \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"no\" allow=\"autoplay\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/1218441472&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" frameborder=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-container-6210ef3315f20 wp-block-buttons\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-vivid-red-background-color has-text-color has-background\" href=\"https:\/\/link.chtbl.com\/e92\" style=\"border-radius:0px\">Listen on other podcast players here<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Butchering a classic pop song from a 1970s Australian band and playing a ukulele might not seem like the best way to prepare for a critical election year, but that\u2019s exactly what Scott Morrison did. It seemed bizarre but there is a method to this madness: it keeps all the bad news away from the headlines and keeps the enemies of the Liberal Party occupied with the unimportant and minute details. It\u2019s the hallmark of a populist politician: distract with stunts and gimmicks, keep your opponents in the electorate occupied with irrelevant material, and hope that everyone else forgets about all of your errors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And, of course, part of the sing-song needs to include your wife and two daughters at Kirribilli House, because nothing overcomes a Liberal Party \u201cproblem with women\u201d better than wheeling out Jen And The Girls\u00a9<img src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/13.1.0\/72x72\/2122.png\" alt=\"\u2122\" class=\"wp-smiley\" style=\"height: 1em; max-height: 1em;\" \/> as a political \u201csecret weapon\u201d. Should family members be used politically to help a prime minister win an election? It would be better to stay in the background but if a spouse is going to become a part of the political process, they need to expect the scrutiny coming their way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.redbubble.com\/i\/t-shirt\/It-s-Time-For-Change-by-NewPolitics\/98831861.WFLAH\"  rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newpolitics.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/its-time-advert.png?resize=800%2C200&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4914\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newpolitics.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/its-time-advert.png?resize=800%2C200&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newpolitics.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/its-time-advert.png?resize=300%2C75&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newpolitics.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/its-time-advert.png?resize=768%2C192&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newpolitics.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/its-time-advert.png?resize=1536%2C384&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newpolitics.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/its-time-advert.png?resize=2048%2C512&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newpolitics.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/its-time-advert.png?w=3000&amp;ssl=1 3000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>A desperate government will always resort to desperate measures and a government influenced by libertarian thinking and free-market and religio-fascist Christian values will always seek the maximum advantage in the most destructive way possible. If there is a vote to be gained, nothing is too low for the Liberal Party and for Morrison to reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And following on from the debacle of the Religious Discrimination Bill, Morrison and Peter Dutton \u2013 aided and abetted by a posse of Liberal Party MPs \u2013&nbsp;decided to create all sorts of problems with China (as if they haven\u2019t done enough damage already) by dropping bipartisanship on foreign relations and accusing Labor deputy leader Richard Marles of being the \u201cManchurian Candidate\u201d \u2013 and their friends at News Corporation managed to find a video of Anthony Albanese speaking three sentences of Mandarin to a China\u2013Australia forum in 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Welcome to modern Australia, as interpreted by conservatives: education and being able to speak a foreign language is rubbished, and national security and relationships with the biggest trading partner is damaged, for the sake of an unlikely and undeserved election victory. It\u2019s another good reason why the Liberal Party needs to be turfed out at the next election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The weekend byelections in NSW suggest the main problems for the Morrison government will be the independents \u2013 the seat of Willoughby was almost lost to the independent candidate, Larissa Penn through a swing of 19%, and this spells trouble in the seats of North Sydney, Bennelong, Kooyong, Flinders and Goldstein.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And how difficult will it be for the Labor Party to win the 2022 federal election? Although they are 10 percentage points ahead of the Liberal\u2013National Coalition in the current polls \u2013 55% to 45% \u2013 it will still be a difficult election, for mathematical reasons: they only need a net gain of seven seats, but where the votes fall will be critical to whether there are also enough seats that will change hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" id=\"block-3bc44166-3e34-4b1e-bb82-2844b2f93588\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"music-interludes\">Music interludes:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tVYsCuhjmU4?controls=0\" title=\"YouTube video player\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\" width=\"100%\" height=\"200\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/J6dtXL_P2b8?controls=0\" title=\"YouTube video player\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\" width=\"100%\" height=\"200\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/eDPhsByCL_o?controls=0\" title=\"YouTube video player\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\" width=\"100%\" height=\"200\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" id=\"block-3bc44166-3e34-4b1e-bb82-2844b2f93588\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"block-e7c63c06-127e-425e-aaad-51ca8736627b\">Support independent journalism!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/newpolitics.com.au\/donate\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newpolitics.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Support-wp-advert.jpg?resize=800%2C200&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4330\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newpolitics.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Support-wp-advert.jpg?w=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newpolitics.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Support-wp-advert.jpg?resize=300%2C75&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newpolitics.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Support-wp-advert.jpg?resize=768%2C192&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>We don\u2019t plead, beseech, beg, guilt-trip, or gaslight you and claim the end of the world of journalism is coming soon. We keep it simple: <strong>If you like our work and would like to support it<\/strong>, send a <strong>donation, from as little as $5<\/strong>. <strong>Or purchase one of our books!<\/strong> It helps to keep our commitment to independent journalism ticking over! Go to our supporter page to see the many ways you can support New Politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-container-6210ef33163f8 wp-block-buttons\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-vivid-red-background-color has-text-color has-background\" href=\"https:\/\/newpolitics.com.au\/donate\/\" style=\"border-radius:0px\">SUPPORT NEW POLITICS!<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/newpolitics.com.au\/2022\/02\/19\/chasing-the-april-sun\/\">Chasing the April sun and an election disaster for the Liberal Party<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/newpolitics.com.au\/\">New Politics<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"syndicated-attribution\">This post was originally published on <a href=\"https:\/\/newpolitics.com.au\/2022\/02\/19\/chasing-the-april-sun\/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=chasing-the-april-sun\">New Politics<\/a>. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"267\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newpolitics.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/ukulele.png?fit=267%2C150&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/p>\n<p>Butchering a classic pop song from a 1970s Australian band and playing a ukulele might not seem like the best way to prepare for a <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/newpolitics.com.au\/2022\/02\/19\/chasing-the-april-sun\/\" title=\"Chasing the April sun and an election disaster for the Liberal Party\">[&gt;&gt;&gt;]<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/newpolitics.com.au\/2022\/02\/19\/chasing-the-april-sun\/\">Chasing the April sun and an election disaster for the Liberal Party<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/newpolitics.com.au\/\">New Politics<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":555,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40991,42593,269,583,516],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519931"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/555"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=519931"}],"version-history":[{"count":103,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519931\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":619745,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519931\/revisions\/619745"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=519931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=519931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=519931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}