One of the more entertaining things you'll read this election…

Posted on November 6, 2007 by andrewleigh

…is the Liberty and Democracy Party’s response to a questionnaire from the Australian Christian Lobby.

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18 Responses to One of the more entertaining things you'll read this election…

  1. Brendan says:
    November 6, 2007 at 10:17 am

    what’s so funny about the LDP? they make a lot of sense.

  2. Leon says:
    November 6, 2007 at 10:43 am

    This is so funny about the LDP :)(particularly the first answer in each instance):

    19. Advertising: The Australia Institute and family groups have raised concerns about the premature sexualisation of children through marketing, advertising, music videos and a range of other media. What actions would you take to protect childhood?

    * The Australia Institute is a socialist organisation.
    * Raising a child is the job of parents, not the government.

    25. Industrial Relations: The loss of penalty rates for weekend or public holiday work threatens to erode family time, and intrudes on Sunday as a day of worship and rest. What would your Party do to safeguard family time?

    * Nothing.
    * Individuals should be free to decide how they spend their time.
    * Work contracts are for workers and employers to decide on freely without government involvement.

  3. Brendan says:
    November 6, 2007 at 10:53 am

    they don’t beat around the bush, they are direct and upfront.

  4. conrad says:
    November 6, 2007 at 11:02 am

    I thought most of the answers were fine — I don’t see whats wrong about being honest and nor do I see whats wrong about having some sort of ideology (cf. the crap we get from the major parties. Here’s some money for you vote). The only one I thought was off the mark was 19. I’m not sure why they felt obliged to remark on the Aus Institute rather than just offer their policy.

  5. Leon says:
    November 6, 2007 at 11:04 am

    Why do you think The Greens refused to answer?

  6. gilmae says:
    November 6, 2007 at 12:11 pm

    I venture that the entertainment would be found in the collision of two (completely?) opposing world views. I like to imagine the reaction of whatever bluenose had to receive, read and edit the answers sent in by the LDP…most amusing.

  7. Mikel says:
    November 6, 2007 at 12:43 pm

    They are giving a principled answer, rather telling a special interest group what they want to hear.

    It’s funny precisely because of this. Their answer was more likely to lose votes than gain them!

  8. Andrew Norton says:
    November 6, 2007 at 12:55 pm

    How I would have loved to fill in these surveys so honestly when I had to do them for the Liberal Party in 1998.

  9. Jacques Chester says:
    November 6, 2007 at 1:11 pm

    Yes, I saw that about a week ago when the ACL got in touch with me.

    Ripping stuff I must say. As it happens I’ll get to spruik here in Solomon on the 20th of November at an ACL meet-the-candidate do.

  10. Patrick says:
    November 6, 2007 at 1:46 pm

    Those responses have pretty much convinced me to vote LDP. I don’t like the abortion parts so much though, and there could be greater recognition of the problem of human trafficking (the position was fine, but could have been more emphatic on what is probably one of the greatest evils of our time).

  11. Leon says:
    November 6, 2007 at 5:54 pm

    “I venture that the entertainment would be found in the collision of two (completely?) opposing world views.”

    I don’t think they (Christianity and Libertarianism) are “completely opposed” at all (at least, there seems to be some demographic crossover, especially in the ‘States).

    They’re *politically* opposed however, in that the ACL sees almost no distinction between their values and what ought to be society’s values; there’s basically no “gap” which would otherwise be filled by an ideology of some kind. But that’s the same with basically every group which has no clear limit to its “nannying” tendencies.

  12. Patrick says:
    November 7, 2007 at 7:08 am

    Spot on, Leon.

    ‘I don’t think they (Christianity and Libertarianism) are “completely opposed” at all ‘

    Nope, not necessarily any at all. In fact some of us think that God wants us to be politically libertarian. After all, virtue obliged is little virtue at all.

    Which is why I agree with the substance of nearly every answer, except for the wishy-washy bits about ‘not taxing’ abortion (?! – er, LDP guy, the question was about banning!!).

  13. Andrew Norton says:
    November 7, 2007 at 8:36 am

    The humour was in the LDP not playing the game. Normally parties try to pretend that their views are consistent with the questioners, and when that is impossible are almost apologetic about it. The LDP frankly told the questioners that they were wrong.

  14. Leon says:
    November 7, 2007 at 4:12 pm

    That was more or less lost on me: I had never read any questionnaires like that before until I checked out some of the others on that site. So I just found the “socialists” and “we’ll do nothing” comments funny.

  15. Yobbo says:
    November 8, 2007 at 5:04 pm

    By the way click on the “Full response” tab for a more reasoned answer.

    I’m not sure who answered these, but im guessing from the Drollery that it was John Humphreys.

  16. Yobbo says:
    November 8, 2007 at 5:05 pm

    And I’m also guessing that pointed reference to the Australia Institute as “Socialists” is an attempt to wedge the christians against them 🙂

  17. mookrit says:
    November 10, 2007 at 10:17 am

    The LDP has a real chance of getting a Senator up in NSW due to our preference deals. We’d appreciate if anyone reading this could chip in $10 by signing this pledge:

    http://www.pledgebank.com/donate4freedom

    Even if you don’t agree with all our policies, a libertarian voice in parliament would provide balance.

  18. Sacha says:
    November 11, 2007 at 9:40 am

    “John Howard is not our mother….” – yes.

Comments are closed.