A warm welcome to MenziesHouse.com.au

Downunder, MenziesHouse.com.au has been launched. It aims to provide a one-stop site for Australian conservative, centre right and libertarian thinkers. Like ConservativeHome its focus is on the Liberal Party and with an article from Julie Bishop, Deputy to Tony Abbott, it appears to have the blessing of the party. But, again like ConHome, with articles like this - urging abolition of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - it is willing to go further than the party leadership.

Australian PM Kevin Rudd must be a strong favourite to be re-elected later this year but Tony Abbott - installed as leader after Liberal MPs rejected Malcolm Turnbull's climate change policy - has modestly improved the Liberals' poll position:

"The two-party preferred vote has gone from a 57-43 split in the dying days of Turnbull's leadership to a 54-46 split. Abbott scored a higher rating as preferred prime minister (25 points) than either Brendan Nelson (14) or Turnbull (24) on their poll debuts as opposition leader. He has also reversed the fatal trend where more of Turnbull's satisfaction rating came from the approval of Labor voters (42 per cent) than Coalition supporters (32 per cent). Abbott's satisfaction rating is based on 61 per cent support from Coalition supporters and 32 per cent among Labor voters. Certainly, successful party leaders need support from outside their natural constituency to win, but the notional support of people who are never going to vote for you is neither here nor there." 

Tim Montgomerie