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Why I lament the lack of moderate voices on the right Why I lament the lack of moderate voices on the right
(6 months later)
In the short time that Guardian Australia In the short time that Guardian Australia has been operating, I’ve been honoured to have several posts published here on Comment is free. On each occasion, at least one reader has complained that The Guardian, as a paper that proudly promotes progressive views, should not provide a platform for conservatives such as me, and that I should be banished to right-wing bastions such as The Australian.
has been operating, I’ve been honoured to have several posts published here on I usually have two responses to such comments. Firstly, as the holder of only moderately right-wing views, it’s unlikely The Australian would ever publish my work. Secondly, open-mindedness is a characteristic of progressive politics and publishing a range of voices on a variety of issues, including mine, matters for public debate.
Comment is free. On each occasion, at least one reader has Other forward-thinking media organisations strive to do the same, but all have difficulty identifying moderately conservative writers and bloggers.
complained that The Guardian, as a paper that proudly promotes progressive While some of my left-of-centre blogging colleagues bemoan the lack of extreme (and effective) advocates like Andrew Bolt and Alan Jones for the progressive side of politics, I’ve often lamented the lack of moderate voices for the right. Australian political debate, particularly online, benefits from a rich variety of progressive views and I personally have learned – I’d even venture to say I’ve politically evolved – by observing and reading the discussions, debates and writing of people with those views.
views, should not provide a platform for conservatives such as me, and that I There is no equivalent of that nuanced debate on the right side of politics. This is more than a product of moderate voices being silenced or driven out of the Liberal party; it’s much broader than that. As evidenced by the readers commenting on my articles, we’re now at the stage where anyone who leans politically to the right seems to be tarred with the same brush as Cory Bernardi.
should be banished to right-wing bastions such as The Australian. Yet we Tories, conservatives, right-wingers or whatever you want to call us have a broad and rich range of opinions too. We are distinguished by believing in the importance of the individual, but not all support unfettered free trade or speech. We believe in capitalism and the right to profit from one’s endeavours, yet some also believe that those who can pay should, whether it is for education, health or some other user-pays system.
I usually have two responses to such We support small government, but many of us still want the government to provide a safety net and assist those in need. And we want regulatory reform to reduce red tape but many also think some regulation is needed to deal with businesses which won’t be responsible if left to their own devices.
comments. Firstly, as the holder of only moderately right-wing views, it’s unlikely The To broaden the political debate and show that there’s more to the right than the Australian equivalent of the Tea Party, a few of us have collaborated on a blog called The Other Right to feature the work of writers and bloggers whose right-wing views are closer to the centre of the political spectrum. Only a handful of writers and bloggers are featured at The Other Right so far, and regular readers of Comment is Free will likely recognise a number of them. Over time we hope that other writers and bloggers of the same political persuasion will join us.
Australian would ever publish my work. Secondly, open-mindedness is a characteristic of progressive politics and publishing a range of voices on a We hope visitors to the blog will take away an understanding that the right’s views are diverse, nuanced and sometimes not that dissimilar to others with different political philosophies. We hope editors will visit The Other Right to identify talented writers and commission new work from them. And by showing the variety and depth of moderate views on the right side of the political spectrum, we hope to add a dimension to Australia’s political debate that is sorely missing.
variety of issues, including mine, matters for public debate.
Other forward-thinking media organisations
strive to do the same, but all have difficulty identifying moderately conservative
writers and bloggers.
While some of my left-of-centre blogging
colleagues bemoan the lack of extreme (and effective) advocates like Andrew
Bolt and Alan Jones for the progressive side of politics, I’ve often lamented the
lack of moderate voices for the right. Australian political debate,
particularly online, benefits from a rich variety of progressive views and I
personally have learned – I’d even venture to say I’ve politically evolved – by
observing and reading the discussions, debates and writing of people with those
views.
There is no equivalent of that nuanced
debate on the right side of politics. This is more than a product of moderate
voices being silenced or driven out of the Liberal party; it’s much broader
than that. As evidenced by the readers commenting on my articles, we’re now at
the stage where anyone who leans politically to the right seems to be tarred
with the same brush as Cory Bernardi.
Yet we Tories, conservatives, right-wingers
or whatever you want to call us have a broad and rich range of opinions too. We
are distinguished by believing in the importance of the individual, but not all
support unfettered free trade or speech. We believe in capitalism and the right
to profit from one’s endeavours, yet some also believe that those who can pay
should, whether it is for education, health or some other user-pays system.
We
support small government, but many of us still want the government to provide a
safety net and assist those in need. And we want regulatory reform to reduce
red tape but many also think some regulation is needed to deal with businesses which won’t be responsible if left to their own devices.
To broaden the political debate
and show that there’s more to the right than the Australian equivalent of the Tea Party, a few of us have collaborated
on a blog called The Other Right to feature the work of writers and bloggers
whose right-wing views are closer to the centre of the political spectrum. Only a handful of writers and bloggers
are featured at The Other Right so far, and regular readers of Comment is Free
will likely recognise a number of them. Over time we hope that other writers
and bloggers of the same political persuasion will join us.
We
hope visitors to the blog will take away an understanding that the right’s
views are diverse, nuanced and sometimes not that dissimilar to others with
different political philosophies. We hope editors will visit The Other Right to
identify talented writers and commission new work from them. And by showing the variety and depth of moderate
views on the right side of the political spectrum, we hope to add a dimension to
Australia’s political debate that is sorely missing.