“The message to Christians coming out of the Liberal Party in South Australia is clear: ‘You are not welcome.’ ” Tony Pasin, Liberal MP
Fresh from shepherding through abortion-to-birth and euthanasia legislation, the South Australian Liberal Party is now expelling Christians.
I kid you not.
One hundred and fifty Christians have been turfed and another 400 have been issued “show cause” notices as to why they should not be kicked out, according to media reports.
Sir Robert Menzies would be rolling in his grave.
The fault line in the Liberal Party, not just in SA but nation-wide, is between its conservative base and so-called “moderate” factional players.
“Moderate” is a terrible descriptor for people who vote for babies to be ripped apart in their mothers’ wombs, for suicide to become health care and for children to be taught their gender is fluid.
But these are the people now controlling most State divisions of the party.
John Howard’s “broad church” has become intolerantly narrow.
It’s a battle for the soul of the party which once stood for the values of Sir Robert – an arch defender of the Christian faith and the natural family.
Any reading of the collections of his speeches published in recent years by the Liberal Party’s think tank, the Menzies Research Centre, would confirm how un-Menzien today’s factional warlords are.
The good news is there are a few brave Liberal parliamentarians pushing back.
Three of them, Senator Alex Antic, Nicole Flint and Tony Pasin went to war on behalf of Christians at a Liberal party room meeting in Canberra this week.
“The message to Christians coming out of the Liberal Party in South Australia is clear: ‘You are not welcome,’ ” Pasin told MPs.
Imagine if the Liberals were kicking Muslims out?
According to the Australian, Flint said the requirement for members to sign statutory declarations pledging their loyalty was “offensive to our founding principles, especially free speech and democracy”.
Sir Robert would agree.
I’ve had my own travails with the Liberal Party – or the Liberal National Party as it is in Queensland.
After running for the Senate in 2019 with Cory Bernardi’s now defunct Australian Conservatives, I sought re-admission to the LNP.
Despite urgings from senior LNP people to re-join the party, my application was rejected multiple times over more than 18 months. This was despite written references and representations from past and present high-profile parliamentarians on my behalf.
Sadly, the power brokers kept the gate firmly shut.
It is why when Reverend Fred Nile reached out to me in March that it made sense to move to Sydney to succeed him at the Christian Democratic Party.
The woke left’s dominance of our politics, culture, media and academia means that it is necessary for Christians and conservatives to join the battle for ideas.
There is no better place than as a member of a right of centre political party.
The Liberals drift to the left needs to be arrested as a matter of urgency.
Working from within the party is necessary and I encourage people to do this and re-take the party for Menzien values.
Another way is by putting pressure on the party from the outside, through minor parties like the CDP.
Both strategies are necessary.
Lyle Shelton is Director of Campaigns and Communications for the Christian Democratic Party. The Reverend Honourable Fred Nile MLC has nominated Lyle to succeed him in the NSW Parliament when he retires in November. To keep in touch with Lyle and the CDP, sign up here.