Contributed by Jim Hayes

The Liberal Party continues to be torn by internal division. The rise of Sussan Ley into leadership has made it worse. She is a compromise, who rose because none the warring factions had the numbers to put up their own candidate. Lay comes from the Small L Liberal faction and keeping her place at the top means compromise of principle. All in all, Sussan Lay is heading for political suicide.

Compromise of principle must anger those who once shared her opinions. Matters like doing something about climate change, sympathy for Palestinians, and maintaining a reasonable welfare state. She has to turn her back on these and other beliefs to keep the number that puts her in the party leadership.

Photo from MSN? Liberal Party leader Sussan Lay leads a divided party

But this is not enough to placate the powerful radical right faction, which sees itself as being on a mission to reshape the political landscape. Pandering to this faction angers the conservatives who want to return to the party of Rebert Menzies. Meanwhile the exodus of members continues.

This is the state of the Liberal Party. Lasty week’s Newspoll held the combined approval of the Liberal and National parties at just 27 percent, the worst since this was first tracked in 1985. The only thing softening the blow is that Labor’s standing is also low at 36 percent, a gap that is possible to bridge.

Something deeper is going on here. The decline of the party is not merely about the personalities. They are operating in circumstances the world in which the political hacks operate is changing and where they are compelled by circumstances to adjust.

In response to economic and social headwinds, Labor is compelled to either move to the left or usurp the role of the Liberal Party. For various reasons it has chosen the second path. The Liberals have been compelled to find a new ideological and political home. One that will suit its corporate donors and the top end of town. What they want is decisive for the future of the Liberal Party.

The controllers find themselves in a situation where the economy that they profit from is now somewhat more uncertain. They recognise the declining legitimacy of the two-party political apparatus that they have been able to manipulate for a long time. Division is based mainly on differences in how this is going to be repaired.

One tendency is to offer some concessions to placate the demands of society. The opposing tendency holds that the best path is towards authoritarianism and the imposition of a no compromise line on a range of issues. The most important is industrial relations. This extends from dismantling of the welfare system to foreign affairs. Its battle cry is the politics of hate against immigrants, the gay community, those targeted as leftists, as scapegoats to build a base that captures rising anger.

The authoritarian faction, with Amdrew Haste currently leading the charge, is on the offensive. It does everything to undermine Sussan Lay’s leadership, for it wants to topple her and win complete control. The newly emerged March for Australia Movement serves to provide a political base for the authoritarians. Another part is the Promotion of Pauline Hanson and her One Nation. There is no guarantee that they will succeed. It all depends on how Australia responds to the challenges of the day