Rowdy . # .

Political Patterns: I am working on trying to describe a suitable holding pattern, so to speak, for liberal democratic politics. Perhaps the different parties have more to do with how the party members understand politics and how they agree to work together collectively, rather than the actual values and policies that that collaboration brings to the fore.
The Liberal Party of Menzies apparently was described as being a broad church and dissenting views were tolerated. It is interesting to see how a Right putsch is changing the party since Howard became PM. The Wentworth saga was interesting to watch, among other instances of the right gunning for dominance.
The Right factions are perhaps also changing the way the ALP works - witness the bunfight about branch stacking in Victoria last weekend.
Perhaps this also shows how the two main parties are converging, and should there be a real alternative you could expect these two percieved antagonists to swap preferences quick smart.
The ALP wooing the Greens could be touted as a counter example, but the Greens are not quite what they make themselves out to be either, in my opinion anyway.
I think that the right of the two main parties now are not interested in keeping our liberal democratic traditions.