Katharine Murphy and Gabrielle Chan report in The Guardian (6.2.17) on indications that South Australian Senator Cory Bernardi is set to leave the Liberal Party to form a new political party for ‘true conservatives’.
‘The outspoken South Australian Liberal senator Cory Bernardi will break away from the Turnbull government early this week to form his own conservative movement. Bernardi has gone to ground but expectations within the government are now hard set that the split is on.
‘The South Australian has been telling friends he’s been waiting for the resumption of parliament for 2017 to clarify his intentions, which have been the subject of internal speculation for much of the summer.
‘… Immediately after the election last year, when the Coalition almost lost office, Bernardi warned a conservative revolution was required within the Liberal party to reset the broad policy direction “and if we don’t do that we’ve got a taste of the revolution waiting for us outside”.
‘He had a ringside seat in the US during the presidential election that saw Donald Trump take the presidency on the back of a conservative, grassroots insurgency. His preparations to break away have intensified after what he witnessed in the US.’
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