If Muttering Turns to Mutiny…

Where to now for Australian conservatives?

The Turnbull ascension has prompted an enormous amount of soul-searching and critical commentary concerning the role of conservatism in Australian politics. Typically, the approach has been to portray those who feel betrayed by the Turnbull coup as turning to the ‘far right’ — or even the lunatic fringe, which is thought to be populated with a range of suspicious, even sinister, groups, including some that might be fronts for other forces and acting as agents provocateurs. Real or alleged association with certain of these groups might make conservative folk easy targets for a media anxious to discredit all those of a conservative inclination.

What doesn’t seem yet to have been adequately explored is the question of which conservatism(s) is (or are) appropriate to Australia in its present situation. Put another way, is there a sufficient unity of interest between those who pursue various conservative causes to make it possible for them…