Many Young Liberals are racist, sexist, homophobic nerds. And proud. Who knew?

I am shocked.

Shocked and stunned.

Collingwood has now lost three matches in a row!

‘Malthouse defends Pies’
The Age
Michael Gleeson
July 17, 2006

“COLLINGWOOD fell from the top four yesterday and faces falling out of the finals altogether after its fourth loss in five games, with coach Michael Malthouse admitting the team deserved to be in its predicament…”

NSW Young Liberals : “Developing Tomorrow’s [Racist, Sexist, Homophobic] Leaders”… Today!

In other news, the entrenched racist, sexist and homophobic attitudes of leading members of the Young Tories have been exposed. Again. This time on Lateline; prompted, perhaps, by the release of video footage of the antics of some young, rather illiberal students at last year’s NUS conference, shot by independent filmmakers Vanessa Hughes and Jessica Tyrrell (a previous example of their work is available here).

In a pre-emptive strike launched early last week, worried Tory Party officials lodged an official complaint with their ABC, alleging “threatening behaviour” and “unethical journalism” on the part of Lateline reporter John Stewart… or possibly Janine Cohen, Four Corners reporter and author of the “The Right Stuff”: “a case study into a political party struggling with democracy”.

Ho ho ho.

But like… whatever. I see no reason to panic. In all fairness to the Tories, there’s little doubt in my mind that the complaint is justified. In informing the Party that they will be exposing racist elements within it, journalists violate the sacred duty of the press: barracking for HoWARd. And declaring one’s intention to do otherwise does indeed threaten vested interests…

Still, if there’s anything worse than the Young Tories it’s Young Labor:

‘Learning the easy way’
Jane Fraser
The Australian
July 18, 2006

MARK Latham, Labor leader manque, and once the scourge of private schooling, has endorsed a book on backroom politics written by former Cranbrook pupil John Hyde Page, a Young Liberal turned law student, to be published next week. “John Hyde Page has made a very important statement about the corrosive impact of machine politics on young people in this country.

The Young Liberals are horrendous and, if anything, Young Labor is worse,” Latham says. How does Page feel about the recommendation? “The politics he depicted in his book, The Latham Diaries, are those with which I became familiar, so I very much value his endorsement.” Page hopes the old truism that books about the Liberal Party don’t sell is turned on its head, and that The Education of a Young Liberal entertains with its account of the inside machinations of a political party.

To be continued…

About @ndy

I live in Melbourne, Australia. I like anarchy. I don't like nazis. I enjoy eating pizza and drinking beer. I barrack for the greatest football team on Earth: Collingwood Magpies. The 2024 premiership's a cakewalk for the good old Collingwood.
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10 Responses to Many Young Liberals are racist, sexist, homophobic nerds. And proud. Who knew?

  1. The ‘Racist, sexist, homophobic’ chant is a parody of the rhetoric the left use when describing Liberal students. Few actually consider themselves racist, sexist or homophobic.

  2. @ndy says:

    Hi James,

    I can certainly imagine the Young Liberals in question thinking that such a chant might be an amusing, or, at least, annoying and ‘colourful’ way of parodying their leftist critics. However, I think their action can also be read as simply being a more vulgar expression of what is, at heart, an underlying hostility on the part of the Young Liberals towards Aboriginal rights, women’s rights, homosexual rights and, by extension, the notion of equality. Further, not only the report in question, but the 4 Corners report, Page’s book, in addition to other sources, do much, I think, to reinforce the notion that what we are seeing in the NSW Young Liberals — and perhaps Australia as a whole — is a reinvigorated far right dominating previously ‘liberal’ institutions, a form of domination which is being exercised by parties with little understanding or appreciation of classical (or ‘moderate’) liberalism.

    Cheers,

    @ndy.

  3. @ndy says:

    Wednesday, July 19, 2006

    ABC hatchet job

    “They seem to be on a bit of a crusade.”

    Dunno. If ALP branch-stacking is deemed newsworthy, then so is Tory Party. And the criticisms extend beyond assertions of ‘social conservatism’. (That is, if you regard racism, sexism, homophobia as distinct from social conservatism.) What’s interesting, I think, is the shift in power that has been established through the use of such practices; secondly, the implications this has for the future development of the Party and NSW state politics.

    As for Imre… there are two claims in the article which might constitute evidence of “thuggery and intimidation”. The first is an extract from the letter of complaint:

    “The standard testimony from these members is that (the reporter) has used unwarranted demands of a subpoena to try and obtain an interview,” the letter says.

    Which is definitely odd behaviour for a journalist. I mean, if I read the allegation correctly. (They’re alleged to have issued / threatened to issue demands to appear in court?) If so, this would presumably be considered unethical under the semi-mythical journalists’ code of ethics that MediaWatch keeps tut-tutting at infractions of… again… and again… and again. Not to mention the law?

    Anyway, I think it would first need to be established that the journalist’s (alleged) conduct was as a result of their carrying out instructions from a superior before a conscious campaign of disembiggening of the Tories could be attributed to the ABC as a whole.

    As for the second :

    A former member of the Liberal Party, Kyle Kutasi, has made a statutory declaration claiming the reporter told him: “I know more about you than you could possible know. I have files on you. I have photos of you. I have statements from women saying that you assaulted them.”

    What S. fails to mention is the fact that this cat called Katusi is not just ‘a former member’ of the Tories, but:

    a) a former President of the Sydney University Liberal Club (2001/2002);

    b) in April 2004, received “congratulations” from the NSW Young Liberals for being one of “our very vocal hecklers” at some daft debate with Young Labor;

    c) if S. read the SMH, he might have read the following (July 1, ‘Party Animals’):

    “The most controversial accusation made by moderates is the use of “double agents” or “sleepers” by the conservatives – people who join the party, claim to have moderate views and become friends with moderates, while secretly working for the right and trying to take over branches.

    One of those who has come under attack as a sleeper is Kyle Kutasi, who is engaged to Clarke’s daughter, Anne-Marie. Kutasi is said to have taken over three Young Liberal branches, including Newtown, by posing first as a moderate and bringing in friends. He denies the accusations but will not comment further, saying he has been burnt by journalists in the past.

    In an interview two years ago, Hawke told the Herald the double agent accusations were lies. He said people who were initially interested in the left had simply decided their views were better suited to the right. But Hawke also admitted he had embarked on a recruitment campaign.”

    d) in his *inaugural* speech (27/0503) to Parliament *David Clarke* said:

    “The Liberal Party now has a new young generation of members of talent and dedication to carry our party forward. Nicholas Campbell of our party’s State Executive, Alex Hawke, the new President of the Young Liberals, and his three vice-presidents Natasha McLaren, Anthony Orkin and KYLE KATUSI, are all in the vanguard of our party’s organisational wing. I take great pride in being a member of a party comprised of such good young people as these.”

    e) he’s one of the principal villains of the piece.

    But if it’s true that ABC employees aren’t “very fond” of the Tories, one could be forgiven for thinking that it’s got something to do with Tory Party policy.

    For this reason — taking Liberal Party claims seriously, but without seriously investigating them — and for many others, Imre Salusinszky merits the term ‘hack’ far more than do the award-winning journalists at Four Corners.

    “I doubt any actually consider themselves racist, sexist or homophobic, a point underscored by the fact that women, gays and people not of Anglo-Saxon background have been known to repeat the chant.”

    What the young, self-declared ‘racist, sexist, homophobes’ consider themselves is surely beside the point. That is, if the students who did so say ‘sorry for the offence we acknowledge we caused through our insensitivity’, great. The point its use in the Lateline report underscores is not concerned with whether or not this chant is popular among “women, gays and people not of Anglo-Saxon background”, but the political shift in the Young Liberals to the (far) right it represents.

    Finally, you’re ignoring the context of these remarks.

    “Further, the ‘God save the Queen’ performance was in many cases delivered by staunch republicans.”

    Again, this is beside the point.

    JOHN STEWART: In 2004, Aboriginal elder Ted Lovett opened the national student conference with a speech from the land’s traditional owners. He says that throughout his speech, Liberal students sang God Save the Queen.

    TED LOVETT, BALLARAT COMMUNITY ELDER: I sort of, you know, I just sort of stopped dead and I let ’em finish their song and when they finished, I said, “alright you’ve had your national anthem,” I said, “I’ll give you mine”.

    JOHN STEWART: Mr Lovett says the students were later removed.

    TED LOVETT: *You know how they humiliated me, they not only humiliated me, but they humiliated all elders right across Australia and all Aboriginal people.*

    JOHN STEWART: *The Aboriginal elder wants an apology and a guarantee that it won’t happen again at this year’s conference.*

    “It’s all about taking the piss out of the left, and seeing how angry we can make them. The Michael-Moore like editing doesn’t help the representation of ‘young liberals.'”

    I’d have to watch it again before I compare the work of Vanessa Hughes and Jessica Tyrrell to Michael Moore (I expect they’d be flattered — he is is kinda popular, after all!).

    What’s it “about” you seem to think is the Young Liberals sole right to declare, which is, basically, taking the piss out of lefties. How does shouting at a conference that you’re racist, sexist and homophobic, or disrespecting Aboriginal elders achieve that? And why do you so easily allow the ‘left’ to be identified with opposition to bigotry? Do you really believe that opposition to racism, sexism and homophobia, and showing a modicum of respect for invited guests — who are simply being generous with their time — is confined to ‘leftists’?

    All such antics demonstrate is that the Young Liberals are rude prats, with a stunning lack of imagination when it comes to taking the piss, and a really bad sense of humour.

  4. Don Oorst says:

    Thing is James, they might not consider themselves to be, but a hell of a lot of them really are.

    Ask around a Young Lib conf whether any support hoWARd’s refugee policy. I bet you’ll get close to 100%.

    OK, so we established the young libs are racist.

    Homophobia? Ask around what they think of queer marriage.

    Yup. So we have a hostile attitude on queer rights.

    And abortion?

    Hmmm. Probably not 100%, but I\’d say a high ratio opposed.

    So 23 ain’t bad as far as observations go.

  5. @ndy says:

    Hi Ben.

    Hi Don.

    Ever read *Anarchy* comix Ben?

    There’s a really funny one about *The Bizarros*.

    (I expect James’ jerky knee is playing up on him again.)

    Don — yeah; I see it as being basically a vulgar display of power (privilege) — but not in a good, bogan-ish, toe-tapping way *a la* ‘Hold yr mouth for the [class] war’ PANTERA.

    (Poor Dimebag: Rest in Pot.)

  6. New York says:

    What a pack of dumb fucking bullshit. Last time I check isn’t this reserved for conservatives.

  7. @ndy says:

    Huh? I think, maybe, yr misunderstanding the meaning of the term ‘liberal’. In Australia, as opposed to, say, New Yawk. (In Australia, the Liberal party is conservative.)

  8. Adam says:

    Oh wow, really funny.
    We’re so sexist! WOW! (SARCASM)
    Like the conservative men who treat their women do it right. I mean why are conservative guys universally hated? Why do nerdy women prefer guy friends? And we’re so sexist.
    Jesus Christ, deal with it. Every guy has sexual thoughts, all guys are racist to a certain extent, and all guys are homophobic.
    Deal with it.

  9. Adam says:

    If there even is such thing as “homophobia.” That’s just a dumb PC phrase.
    Don’t accuse us of being sexist.

  10. @ndy says:

    Hi Adam,

    The post is a response to a news report. Here it is:

    Footage released of ‘racist’ Young Liberals
    John Stewart, for Lateline
    July 19, 2006

    A member of the moderate faction of the New South Wales Young Liberals has warned of growing racist attitudes in the group’s right wing.

    Footage aired on ABC’s Lateline shows Young Liberals chanting: “We’re racist, we’re sexist, we’re homophobic.”

    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2006-07-19/footage-released-of-racist-young-liberals/1804904

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