Young Tories: Recruiting now!

Do YOU think Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture is rubbish?
Do YOU believe high schools spend too much time force-feeding their students black-armband history?
Are YOU outraged that Australia is full of rubbishy old “sacred” sites?
Are YOU sick and tired of poor people luxuriating on welfare payments while their unruly children avoid being properly schooled in loving obedience to the state?
Are YOU disturbed at the absence of advertisements promoting the virtues of the largest single preventable cause of death and disease in Australia?
Do YOU seriously maintain that global warming is a conspiracy theory?

So do WE! Yes, join the party to party!

[At the 2007 Federal Young Liberal Convention] …the Young Liberals likened Aboriginal culture to rubbish and said 40,000 years of Aboriginal history could be “taught in one lesson”.

The comments were made in opposition to a motion from Tasmanian Young Liberals that called for a special Aboriginal studies unit at the secondary school level.

The motion was carried, although several Victorian Young Liberals, including president Alexander Lew, vigorously opposed it.

Mr Lew said it was one of the most “politically correct motions” to come out of a Liberal convention.

“Aboriginal history is important and should be taught at our schools, but you can squeeze 40,000 years into one lesson,” he said.

Another Victorian Young Liberal, Miranda Airey-Branson, asked why it was necessary to learn more about Aboriginal history and culture, saying some Aboriginal historical sites were little more than refuse disposed of years ago.

“You go to Rome you see the Colosseum . . . if you come to Australia, we have got really old rubbish,” she said.

[Miranda also said: “I like horses. I don’t like hairy-legged lesbians, although I did give Rowena a peck on the cheek at the last Young Liberals convention. Alex said it turned him on.” How utterly, utterly marvellous!]

The convention unanimously supported a “no school — no welfare” motion to withhold welfare payments from parents whose children were not regularly attending school.

A motion rejecting the teaching of intelligent design in science classes was also passed.

Other motions called for an “end to government legislation prohibiting tobacco advertising” and for the Young Liberal Movement to recognise “the lack of scientific consensus regarding both the existence and impact of man-made global warming”.

The Young Liberal Movement of Australia is considered the breeding ground for future leaders. Its alumni include Federal Treasurer Peter Costello, former defence minister Peter Reith, one-time Liberal leader Andrew Peacock and the deputy Liberal leader in Victoria, Louise Asher.

Coy ambassador hints over troop pullout, Reid Sexton, Jason Dowling, The Age, January 28, 2007

Three years ago, Alexander and Miranda were embroiled in a minor scandal involving the distribution of false how-to-vote cards in the seat of Melbourne Ports during the last Federal election. Apparently, the pair falsely posed as ‘Greens’, and distributed cards urging voters to vote Tory (The Young Lib, the green T-shirt and the how-to-vote card, Misha Schubert, The Age, November 3, 2004). Miranda was also one of the editors of the University of Melbourne student zine Farrago in 2004, and it was in this capacity that she penned an article lauding the journalistic insights of “lovely” right-wing tabloid columnist Andrew Bolt. So when Miranda came under fire in the blogosphere for her duplicity, Andrew decided to write a column in her defence, and in order to attack some of her critics, especially Marieke Hardy… the whole debacle eventually earning the title ‘Pandagate’ (Miranda/Panda).

Ho hum.

Now Miranda’s back, and while she probably still loves horses, she doesn’t appear to have much respect for human culture, especially that of Australia’s indigenous peoples: an attitude which, unfortunately, also appears to be fairly uniform in the ranks of the Young Tories.

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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