@aj @futzle @peteriskrisjanis @glent I would add a bit of history. While the ALP was named as such in 1918, its roots are in the labour movements of the 1890s, including the shearers’ strike. The Liberal Party was formed in 1944 by a former prime minister Robert Menzies, from remnants of earlier centrist & conservative parties. They were elected in 1949 and benefitted from the long war boom, with Menzies at the helm until 1966. They came to be seen as the “natural party of government”, but in retrospect, that (in my opinion) was a consequence of good luck, the statesmanlike conduct of Menzies, and the connections of a largely white & British descended population. His successors were less impressive, and a more multi-cultural & mature society less enthusiastic about cosplay with British royalty. The Howard government, 1996-2007 attempted to reassert that the Liberal party was the natural party of government, and the superior economic manager, but was thrown out with Howard losing his seat. Wayne Swan was the Labor treasurer during the GFC & was named Euromoney’s 2011 Finance Minister of the Year. The Liberal party’s deeply conservative nature had been made clear by their contributions to the “History Wars” & Howard’s refusal to consider an apology to the Stolen Generations of Indigenous people taken from their homes as children. Any attempt to paint themselves as “financially conservative, socially progressive” rang hollow.
G
