Editorial: Nation needs Liberals to find their way

There is a well-worn political adage that if you can't beat them, join them. Opposition Leader Angus Taylor clearly missed the nuance of that phrase. He insists he absolutely will not be teaming up with One Nation. And why would he? Suddenly, the great Liberal revival hinges on throwing flag burners behind bars and ensuring a pack of smokes costs less than a schnitzel at the pub. Taylor's new policy blitz promises to slash the price of cigarettes to under $15 and wind back vaping restrictions, crushing the $7 billion illicit tobacco trade. Now, in a catch-up game to claw back support in what has become a very obvious battle for the conservative vote, the Coalition is attempting to recapture its relevance by morphing into a cut-price 'One Nation Lite.' The challenge for the party is that this pivot comes with a serious risk. And it is the same playbook that has failed major parties time and again. Voters don't want Temu Pauline. They will vote for the real deal instead. If the recent by-election shock in Secret Harbour taught us anything, it is that the public desperately wants politics done differently. And they are crying out for change. Voters are craving leaders who stand on genuine conviction, even if those convictions occasionally hurt a few feelings. They want politicians who will simply call a spade a spade — not a metal object attached to a length of timber with a metal grip that appears to resemble a spade, just to appease the easily-offended focus groups. Long-serving Liberal Prime Minister John Howard had the foresight in 2006 to reject pushes to criminalise flag burning — rightly warning it would merely elevate 'yahoo behaviour into martyrdom.' Taylor's thoughtless thought-bubble gave an easy free kick on Sunday to Assistant Immigration Minister Matt Thistlethwaite who says the ban is 'unnecessary' and risks impinging on freedom of expression — a different take from Howard, but he arrived as the same conclusion. Thistlethwaite argued such law change has been proposed in the past but always failed to pass parliament. And it is doomed to fail again. It was a red herring amid a mountain of actual targets Taylor could have taken aim at, issues that truly impact Australians doing it tough on so many levels. Outgoing senator Jonathon Duniam could not be more clear with his message as he heads out the door. Fight for what you believe in, and people will follow. It is a brutally honest appraisal of where the Liberal Party needs to go to re-establish its position as the nation's strongest conservative force. And it just what Australian democracy needs. However, Angus Taylor doesn't appear to be listening. The Coalition have been handed an absolute political gift — a failing Anthony Albanese-led Labor regime that is increasingly looking tired, stale, and weighed down by what can easily be argued as sheer arrogance. A competent, decisive Opposition should capitalise on this hubris. But instead, unable to conjure up a substantive vision for the country, the Coalition has instead resorted to raiding the Pauline Hanson glovebox for inspiration. Responsibility for the editorial comment is taken by WAN Editor-in-Chief Christopher Dore