Menzies House

A Cat at a Dog Show

Certain gay rights advocates are calling for what they call ‘marriage equality’, or same-sex marriage, writes Justin de Vere 

National governments in New Zealand and France, as well as certain other countries and states, have recently passed laws legalising this. In doing so, the governments of these places now consider a marriage of a man and a woman to be the equivalent of a similar ceremony ‘marrying’ two men or two women.

The desire for marriage equality, while superficially a call for justice and an idea whose time has come, is actually a hurtful, destructive, selfish desire which speciously defies logic, abuses ordinary people’s sense of justice, and will cause damage to an ancient social custom that predates government and civilisation and has nothing to do with homosexuality. The politicians who would effect this change would do so not in the best interests of the country they serve, but in the short-term interests of the party they serve.

Read More: http://justindevere.wordpress.com/2013/06/12/a-cat-at-a-dog-show/

Campaign Diary - Is Australia ready for a Brian Harradine 'of the 21st Century'?

After returning recently from a trip to Tasmania, I suddenly started wondering if Australia is ready for another Brian Harradine writes Assistant Managing Editor, Tim Humphries

It was an inauspicious arrival. Yours truly, the proverbial Queensland parochial disembarking from the plane with my state of origin scarf, ready for an Antarctic blast. Suddenly I clap eyes on a security beagle as it sniffed its way through the assembled throng making sure the main landers hadn't surreptitiously attempted to bring fruit and other contraband to the apple isle. 

What proceeded from this point was ten days of non-stop touring and photo taking, note taking, speaking to Tasmanians and getting a handle on the candidate Peter Madden and his 'Family First' focus. As a volunteer this process was intriguing.

The Ugly Side of Anzac Day

It happens around this time every year. There are usually a set of wet blanket's that decide they wish to cover the rest of the community in their extreme polemic, writes Tim Humphries.

The ugly side of Anzac Day is real and must be addressed. Federal Member for Dawson George Christensen MP articulates this view succinctly by stating:

More hatred and nonsense from radical Islam. This time they want to shut down Anzac Day. Hizb ut Tahrir are notorious for spewing hatred and calling for violence. If it was a group representing any other culture it would be banned by now.  

Read More: Don't Celebrate Anzac Day: Muslim Group

BREAKING: Kim Jong Un Reveals War Plans

Team America jokes seem to be the immediate comedic response to this news. However if it is serious, what should our response be? 

READ MORE: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2300964/North-Korea-war-room-photos-Kim-Jong-Un-plotting-attack-America.html

 

Public or political interest?

Cory Bernardi explores the issue of diversity of opinion as it relates to Minister Conroy's half baked forays into media policy.

Read more: http://www.corybernardi.com/2013/03/public-or-political-interest.html

When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty

Compulsory voting is more popular with the left wing. The Liberals have opposed automatic voter enrollment while the ALP pushed it through, and the LNP in Queensland have suggested voluntary voting while Gillard and Swan bitterly opposed it. 

Liberals around the country have come out in favour of voluntary voting. Unlike Gillard and Swan, many Liberals feel that their decision to vote should be their own. Gillard and Swan know that compulsory voting favours their side of politics.

Unfortunately for the Liberals, the first line of defense against compulsory voting is to not comply. People can secretly (or openly) break the law and take the view that when injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty. And many do.

Why Australian leaders don't lead

People seem to be scratching their heads and wondering why the standard of our political debate has reached an embarrassing low and our politicians are unpopular and uninspiring. 

Liberal blames Labor and Labor blames Liberal but our political discourse is only as good as the average of its parts. It takes two to tango.

Maybe the politicians blame their audience. Maybe they think the Australian people are too stupid to understand complex political debate or ideological principals. Well, they’re partly right because compulsory voting means it’s only the disinterested swinging voters who decide our election outcomes. But that’s not the worst of it.

Under compulsory voting our politicians don’t need to inspire people to vote. They don’t need to motivate support from the people. They don’t need to lead, or at least not in the democratic way. Our leaders rely on force to compel people to attend the polling booth whether they support the candidates or not.

This oppressive system leaves us with a large part of the electorate who file into the polling booth like donkeys to avoid a fine.

In democracies around the world, voting is democratic. This means the leaders need to motivate support from the people using peaceful means. Democratic means.

In true democracies, the people hold the supreme power—which means that to earn support leaders must sell themselves and even sell the very notion of democracy, because if they don’t they won’t be elected. A more inspiring candidate could take their place.

It would be better if our leaders needed to inspire & empower people to vote rather than relying on threats and fines.

We’d get better leaders if our decision to vote were democratic.

Jason Kent

Free Our Right To Vote

Free speech test in Australia - FAIL!

This affair is a dangerous,travesty of democracy. The numbers simply don't add up to support genuine concern for social unrest. Immigration minister Chris Bowen late last year sat on Dutch MP Geert Wilders' visiting visa for two months forcing a cancellation of speaking engagements.

However, Labor's tentacles of control are long and coercive. Wilders' visa for his planned February engagements has been obtained but not so for venues.

What is Labor so afraid of? Muslims in Australia edge 2%, militant trouble makers being a small fraction of that. If this is driven by Gillards guru John McTernan, a foreigner far more socially divisive to Australians than Geert Wilders could ever be, the real fear for Labor will be realised when freedom loving voters prove their numbers at the polling booth later this year. Perhaps then the proven agent provocateur to our social harmony will have their visa cancelled and sent packing, without a taxpayer funded bonus. GC.Ed.

''In Sydney, venues that were initially available were cancelled or would not take the booking when they realised who the speaker was,'' she told me. She provided a list of rejections: the Hilton Hotel, North Sydney Leagues Club, Sydney Masonic Centre, Wesley Convention Centre, Luna Park Function Centre, the Concourse at Chatswood and the Sir John Clancy Auditorium at the University of NSW.

''I offered a church-based venue in Sydney a donation and their reply was, 'You could offer $4 million and we would not accept your booking'.''

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/free-speech-dogged-by-politics-of-difference-20130120-2d13b.html#ixzz2Idhnwuh9