The Road Ahead

With the Federal Election behind us, I thought to give you an idea on my future plans.

I plan on being informed and active in politics for a very long time. In the near future I will particularly be focusing on reforming the State Government in the areas of home affordability, water and main roads.

To pursue these objectives, I am likely to run as a candidate for the South Australian Parliament in 2010.

Thank-you for your on-going support in helping me reform Australian government.

The Senate Wrap-Up

A big thank-you to all of my supporters and people who voted for my efforts for freedom and a limited government.

It looks like the 6 senators from South Australia will be:

1 Don FARRELL (ALP)
2 Cory BERNARDI (Liberal)
3 Nick XENOPHON (Independent)
4 Penny WONG (ALP)
5 Simon BIRMINGHAM (Liberal)
6 Sarah HANSON-YOUNG (Greens)


In July 2008 when the new Senators take there place, there will be a close balance:

Liberal/National Coalition : 37
Australian Labor Party : 32
The Greens : 5
Family First : 1
Nick Xenophon : 1

Source: ABC

All-in-all we could have done worse. If the Greens and Labor join on a bill and Liberal oppose, they will still have to rely on Family First or Xenophon to get it through.

I will still be active in politics, particularly harassing the State Government on land supply and home unaffordability, and commentary on various issues.

Cheers to all supporters of liberty out there!

Stewart Glass

PS You can get updates by subscribing to this blog on my website www.stewartglass.net

Radio Adelaide Interview

Had a 5 mins interview on The Wire recently. The Wire is a program on Radio Adelaide (FM 101.5) and had been interviewing senate candidates each week.

Download it here (1 MB)

Verify Yourself!

The Australian Electoral Commission has a handy feature to verify your details are up-to-date on the electoral roll. (ie eligible to vote in your area)

Take a second and check it out here

Remember if you are enrolled anywhere in SA you can vote for me!

Libertarian or Libertine?

Am I a libertarian or a libertine or both? (definitions in footnotes)

Well, though I support the right of people to do as they wish (as long as it is not harming others) I do not consider that anything not illegal is morally right.

I remember getting this confused when I was a small boy. I was watching a show, which we would probably consider now mildly questionable for a 6yr old. And I thought to myself "This can't really be bad because otherwise they wouldn't have let it on TV". You wouldn't want to apply that logic now!

And so I support freedoms that I am morally opposed to. And though I might support a bill that keeps pornography or smoking legal, this doesn't mean I won't speak out against them or use other tools (like the boycott) to fight them.

There are pragmatic reasons for this too. Most often the law is weaker way to fight social ills. Look how well the Prohibition Laws worked in the early 1900s. If you haven't changed the individual people find ways to get around it (like making moonshine).

I am proud to be a libertarian, but that doesn't mean you have no morals, just that most of them shouldn't be enshrined in law. So I am a libertarian but not a libertine.

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Definitions:
Libertarian: A believer in a political doctrine that emphasises individual liberty and a lack of governmental regulation and oversight both in matters of the economy ('free market') and in personal behavior where no one's rights are being violated or threatened.

Libertine: one who is loose in morals;

Something I learnt on Monday

You know the old saying "You learn something new everyday"? Well today I learnt that you can't taste sour milk in your hot cup of Milo.

You can however feel the congealed bits of milk in your mouth. (They have the consistency of broken-up yoghurt).

State Elections today. I will be going to the footy with my son in the evening. Ironically I will be listening to the elections on the radio at the footy, while my friend will be listening to the footy at the elections. :)

Hi, I'm Stewart and welcome to my blog.