Good on you Bob for at least taking a stand, making a point and having a go. I like what you have to say about some issues and am fiercely opposed to others.

Let's see

The Liberal Democratic Party supports...
- assisted suicide and euthanasia ......I agree with this but there are some details that need working out. I assume you have a proceedural plan for this to be made lawful and transparent.

- voluntary voting and fixed parliamentary terms........Yes I agree

- same-sex marriage and adoption.......I agree with same sex marriage but have concerns about adoption

- the right to own firearms for sport, hunting, collecting and self-defence.........I agree with this 100%. I still agree with licensing for shooters with a criminal and psychiatric offenders data base. Also EXTREME penalties for firearms related crimes. There are grades of licensing and home defence should be legitimate reason for owning a firearm..eg a 1000 yard ultra magnum rifle does not qualify as a home defence firearm. Something like the new Taurus 45/410 revolver firing 410 shotgun shells might.

- the re-legalisation of marijuana for adults at home........uhm maybe, I'm not entirely convinced, certainly for medicinal purposes

- market responses to climate change....Sorry but no bloody way

- private property rights and the privatisation of most public land....Again, no way on the privatisation of public land but agree with permit and rostered access to public land for certain purposes and unrestricted access for bush walking and camping...what private property rights

- uncensored internet access....yes I agree but penalties for illegal material should still apply..eg child porn etc.

- expanded immigration opportunities, with limited welfare and a raise in the requirements for citizenship.....Nope, we are pretty much full. Keep the doors open for the cream but we would need to build a country they they would want to come to first..also as members of an international community we still need to take a certain number of refugees....reintroduce 2 years national service which involves basic military training for 3 months for all, the remaining time can be served in the military or on civil projects. Any foreign service would be strictly voluntary.....compulsory reserve service until retirement age

- "free immigration agreements" with appropriate countries (like Japan, Singapore, Canada, Sweden etc.) like we have with New Zealand.....Not sure, have not thought about this before. On the face of it I am not against it but like to examine more details

- relaxed traffic laws (this includes speed limits and blood/alcohol limits)........Why, if you are a drunk you should be off the road, I'd love to catch up with the dog that almost killed my mother 30 years ago and visit those 30 years of agonising back pain upon him...if you are a hoon you should have your car crushed, preferably with the hoon in it.

- the rights of private property owners (this includes hotels and restaurants) to determine their own rules on smoking on their premises....No, let's not go backwards with smoking...it is a social and economic evil and by it's nature has made parasites rich and murdered millions


- land clearing decisions made by property owners, not government...Urm NO, there has been well and truly enough land clearing in this country..I don't have a problem with sustainable forests with time cycles that favour the environment rather than economics

- privatisation of most government-owned forests....No no, enough with selling off what belongs to aussies...what so some grub can make money from it?

- cultivation of GM crops, subject to safety screening Sure, just what the modern world needs is another super industry that controls crucial resourses...just like oil and pharmacutical companies have our interests at heart....lots and lots and lots more testing and complete disclosure of GM ingredients in food

- private ownership, breeding and trade of endangered species (including keeping native animals as pets).....I can accept this on some level but it can't just be a carte blanche affair. Many australian animals are very primative in the way that there brains work and one favourite (koalas) have almost no brain at all..they do not have the nature to be domesticated en masse. Also prolonged human contact may have a detrimental impact on some native animals...man did not domesticate wolves..we domesticated wolf failures that had a purpose of their own for the relationship. I think we should be looking at ways to farm and commercially use native animals....BTW what view do you take on FACTORY FARMING eg battery hen farming should be outlawed in my opinion

- abolishing government ownership and control of water, water recycling subsidies and water tank mandates....NO. This is a recipe for disaster and open conflict...private control of the the most valuable resourse on Earth...that is simply a crazy idea. Even with government control it has been badly handled with abuses on massive scales...Cubby being a primary example

- sustainable hunting of species such as crocodiles and kangaroos...Yes there should be far more harvesting of native animals...Tim Flannery is a excellent advocate for harvesting of resourse animals and views it as being far more humane than many animal farming practices....when the harvesting is done properly and humanely....I have no problem with extreme penalties for animal cruelty whether it be hunting, farming, or pest control...on that note the use of poisions for vermin control is revolting but would be necessary under the idiotic Greens

- removing subsidies on recycling....Here's a better idea, tax the bejesus out of idiotic products like bottled water and the buffoons that drink it. or companies that cannot make products last a designated period of time or spares to increase the life if products. Satndardisation and modulation across brands should be made law....in the meantime recycling is a very serious must for our planet

- active management of national parks to control pests and bushfires and maintain accessibility to tax payers....User pays and grades of access I can see an arguement for...at a basic level it should be free for Bush walking and camping...by all means earn extra money from the other public land and activities...even as a shooter I generally do not support hunting in National Parks..and definitely no hunting with dogs in State or National Parks....I'd shoot most hunting dogs on sight anyway, they are a menace

- significant tax cuts and welfare reform (see our 30/30 tax reform plan on our website)I'll have to check this out...I'm more interested in increasing and improving public services than tax cuts so on the face of it I'm probably not going to like much of what you say....I will support work for the the Dole but never something like Howard's "Work Choices" a completely shameful way he treated his fellow Australians. Work for the Dole MUST carry with it a positive social perception with no negative stigma .... this is the hard up and deparate contributing

- relaxed industrial relation laws, including replacing the minimum wage with an income supplement from the government (also see our 30/30 tax reform plan on our website).......Ok I have to check this out, I don't really understand. I believe that minimum wages should be viewed as just that...minimum for living a decent life in this society

- replacing all welfare payments with a negative income tax (again, that's covered in our 30/30 tax reform plan on our website)....Again I will have to read up on this..not sure how negative tax can help if you have no income.

- free trade with any country that wants to trade with us....There are countries that we shouldn't or shouldn't want to trade with..dictatorships etc..I'm old fashioned like that

- continue the privatisation trend of the recent coalition and labor governments, including ABC and SBS....God no, and destroy the only consistant quality programming on television. Surely you can't be serious. I'll go one step in the other direction actually.....increase funding to community TV...Briz31 Rocks

- deregulate the market with the end goal of a free market system....With corporate power the way it is now free market systems are an illusion. It's as ludicrous as speaking of a free press when a radio license costs $20-30 million.

Equitist wrote on Aug 1^st, 2010 at 8:44pm:


With you all the way on the self defence issue of gun ownership Bob with a few minor caveats.

Equitist wrote on Aug 1^st, 2010 at 8:44pm:


Are yes one of the most stupid political decisions I have ever heard of. She and the idiot that canvassed her should be let go. Mind numbingly gob smackingly dumb. Law abiding gun owners don't need this trashes "help".

phantomlady wrote on Aug 2^nd, 2010 at 12:09pm:


Yes you shouldn't own a gun!

locutius wrote on Aug 9^th, 2010 at 4:16pm:


Thanks. I'll try to provide come feedback on the comments, questions and criticisms you made. You can't convince everyone but you can at least let them know where you're coming from.

locutius wrote on Aug 9^th, 2010 at 4:16pm:

We support the right to assisted suicide. But we don't yet have a formal policy on that because as you said, we need to establish safety measures to make sure assisted suicided is consensual. On euthanasia however, our policy as of now is to repeal the Andrews bill which removed state's rights to permit euthanasia.

locutius wrote on Aug 9^th, 2010 at 4:16pm:

We are definitely open to negotiations on the rules and regulations involved in owning a gun for self-defence. Having to obtain a license would of course be in there. What guns you can then own under that license can be debated. But the first step is getting back to where you're allowed to protect yourself and your property.

locutius wrote on Aug 9^th, 2010 at 4:16pm:

Admittedly, our policies regarding the environment and global warming will be hard to sell. There's been a massive and very successful campaign for government responses to climate change and that campaign has centred around the market being responsible for it all. So selling a free market approach to solving this issue will be difficult. But we're not the only ones fighting against emissions trading schemes, price on carbon and carbon tax. All over the world people are turning against that idea and the skepticism about what we've been sold on this issue is growing and support for less government control is definitely growing. So I'm not totally sure that my view and the view of the LDP wont be the populist view soon enough. What I think I'll do is start a thread about our environmental and climate change policies with the reasoning and logic behind those policies. Because I've gotten many questions and criticisms about those policies. I think it's best to explain the logic and reasoning behind it in more detail than I've done so far. So I wont comment on your criticisms about those policy, and policies regarding privatisation of public land (because that comes into it), but rather start a new thread on the subject.

locutius wrote on Aug 9^th, 2010 at 4:16pm:
I definitely agree with punishing the owner of the IP address that uploads child porn and taking down the website that hosted that child porn. But a blanket censor is not a good idea.

locutius wrote on Aug 9^th, 2010 at 4:16pm:

I don't at all support compulsory national service. Nor do I agree that we are necessarily full. With the system the way it is now, we can't double our population by 2020. I agree with that. But I don't agree that means we need more central planning to build a nation that can support more intake. I think the opposite is true. We need less central planning, less regulations or development, zoning, housing etc. Let developers develop more housing communities, let people put a business in the middle of a residential area, let the growth that is witnessed by freeing up the market create jobs, housing and infrastructure for 40 million, 60 million, a hundred million people. Let the free market do it's thing.

Hello Bob, I hadn't heard of your party before, but now I have, and I kind of like it.

I agree with your policies on gay marriage and adoption, as well as euthanasia. I find it pathetic that our government can deny gay people equal rights, and that I don't have the right to end my life when I see fit.

I disagree with legalising guns, though. I am fine with guns for self defence, but for no other reason. Anyone who wishes to own a gun should be required to take a gun safety course, be over the age of 21, and not have a criminal record. There should be a limit to the number of guns you can own, and the type.

All the other stuff doesn't interest me, but you seem to have the right idea with the issues I feel passionately about.

LDP isnt anti-environment. they want individual that are passionate about something to take action. they want to give Aust back some of the taxes they pay, reduce the cost of living and the whole time saying you do want is best for you, for your community, for your family etc.
business charge the full cost and customers pick on quality and price.
its a no brain win-win

sounds pretty fair
yay Aust got a libertarian party, how refreshing.

Josh wrote on Aug 16^th, 2010 at 9:29am:

I've always found it interesting that people feel like their voice are being heard and they are participating in the democratic process because they get to fill out a ballot paper every three years. Yet they take for granted the power they wield every time they make any consumer decision. Choosing to buy a Pepsi instead of a Coke for example. It is essentially a vote. But you get to do it every day, many times a day. The truth is you're choices are a lot more important and influential when you go to Hungry Jacks instead of McDonalds, than when you vote Liberal over Labor.