Last fall we noted that
Australians elected a libertarian senator by the name of David
Leyonhjelm. Technically a member of the country’s Liberal
Democratic Party, he calls for lower taxes and regulations and more
liberty. He supports same-sex marriage recognition, and now
he’s trying to push Australia’s government to do something about
it, trying to push the Coalition he’s part of to allow for
a “conscience
vote” of its members.
In Australia’s parliamentary system, members are required to
vote the party line unless given dispensation to vote how they
choose. According to
The Sydney Morning Herald, Labor Party members of
parliament have been given permission to vote their consciences on
gay marriage. The Coalition,
of which the Liberal Democratic Party is a member, is formally
opposed to same-sex marriage and has not given members permission
for a conscience vote. Leyonhjelm is pressuring to redefine the
country’s marriage law, but his effort cannot succeed unless the
Coalition either reverses its position or lets its members vote
however they want to:
”I ask you to understand that the liberties you care about
should be available to everybody, and that there is no place in
Australia for second-class citizens,” Senator Leyonhjelm told
reporters in Canberra.”Today, whatever your political affiliations, the Liberal
Democrats are asking all of the closet libertarians in Parliament
to come out of the closet.”
Leyonhjelm is hoping the libertarian argument can overcome
conservative resistance, explaining in an interview, “You don’t
have to approve of gays and gay marriage to believe the government
should leave you alone.” This is all happening right on the heels
of Australian celebrity Olympian Ian Thorpe
coming out of the closet over the weekend.
The Sydney Morning Herald also has posted an interview
with him, where he explains his support for gay marriage in
libertarian terms and discusses some of the basics of libertarian
philosophy. Watch
here.
(Hat tip to Helen Dale)
from Hit & Run http://ift.tt/1wmOGLN
via IFTTT