Ian Hodge | On July 12, 2013

Photo: Dan Himbrechts

In the aftermath of the Labor Party’s internal demolition of itself, the Australian people are putting their hope in the Opposition, the Liberal-National Party (LNP), and its leader Tony Abbott.  In Australian politics the LNP are supposed to be the conservative party, the word “liberal” in their name being from the older European tradition of liberalism.  This is the view that encourages individual freedom or liberty, and a government that guarantees individual rights and liberties.  While the LNP tends towards liberalism, its legislative programs do not always match the rhetoric.

The forthcoming federal election, September 14, will provide the answer of which party will be in the majority, and who the next Prime Minister will be.

Is there a best way to determine the future outcome of Australian politics?  Australians like gambling, so the bookmaker’s odds on the election might have something to tell us.

And what they tell us is that the odds of Labor winning have come down from about $4.20 to $3.60, while the odds of the LNP win, while still around $1.20, have dropped eight cents in the past week.

If nothing else, this indicates a trend.  And if the trend continues until the scheduled election September 14, the expected romp home for the LNP is at an end.  In fact, they may not be the first past the post at all.

Add to this trend Kevin Rudd’s success at appealing to young people with his Facebook and YouTube presentations, and it might be relatively easy to predict a Labor victory.  Now that’s one prediction I’d like to be wrong, but unless the LNP party can find its way out of the doldrums, it’s in for a political licking.

While Julia Gillard was Prime Minister, Tony Abbott and the LNP had it easy.  She was so unpopular the LNP merely had to wait for the day when voters would have thrown her out of the Lodge.  But the Labor Party took that away.

Now the LNP has a fight on its hands.  A serious fight.

And the tragedy is, neither party has the right moral standard to make a difference.  Kevin Rudd, Australia’s current Prime Minister switched sides on the same-sex-marriage issue earlier this year.  So he is now the first PM in Australia to support same-sex-marriage.

Tony Abbott, a somewhat conservative Catholic and family man does not support same-sex-marriage.  But this is not the bell-weather issue in politics.  Economic management is.  And both Labor and LNP are committed to the idea of government solutions to the economic conditions of Australian citizens.

And that means higher taxes, less wealth for all, and more legislation aimed at controlling Australian commerce.

Ideas certainly do have consequences.

Ian Hodge

Ian Hodge is an accomplished musician and music teacher, an executive manager and a management consultant to business owners.

Dr. Hodge began his working career as a professional musician. His interest in Christian economic theory, however, led to a move into the investment industry, where he made his way to the ranks of executive management. His first position as a CEO outside of his own company was a turnaround situation, and he found this was “his” place in the business world. For the past 16 years has been a business consultant to help turn around struggling businesses. He has clients in USA, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.

He actively uses his consulting skills to help train church pastors, elders and deacons in leadership and church growth practices.

As a musician, he worked with several singers around Australia and the South Pacific as their accompanist and music director.

A current project is the development of SonCross Academy, an online school that starts with the Bible, providing lessons in music theory and piano, economics, business, history, philosophy and theology for ages 8+. www.soncrossacademy.org.
 
Ian Hodge received his Ph.D. degree from Whitefield Seminary in “Christian Intellectual Thought – Economics”. He has written over 500 articles on topics such as business management, economics, education, law, finance, health, philosophy, politics, theology, and music as he explores the application of a biblical world view. He runs his own blog at www.biblicallandmarks.com.
 
He is the author of:
 
· Why Would Anyone In Their Right Mind Believe the Bible? An introduction to the Christian Faith.
· Baptized Inflation: A Critique of “Christian” Keynesianism.
· Is This The End of Religious Liberty? The Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination and Intolerance Based on Religion or Belief.
· Making Sense of Your Dollars: A Biblical View of Wealth.
· How To Be Diabetes Free . . . For Life. An analysis of the biology of diabetes, and how this disease can be prevented and even halted.
· Ian Hodge’s Read, Write & Play Music, a self-teaching program that instructs young students on how to write (compose) music.
· Powerhouse Piano, online video and live lessons in classical piano.
· Publisher, editor, William the Baptist. A classic in Christian literature, reissued with an introduction by Dr. Hodge.
 
In his spare time, Ian can be found actively debating atheists on his city streets and elsewhere (anywhere) whenever the opportunity arises.