On Liberal Australia

A belated congratulations to John Howard--leader of Australia's Liberals--who won a fourth term as Prime Minister this weekend. The victory is even more sweet when one remembers that he contributed forces for the liberation of Iraq despite massive public resentment and protests. While both major parties steered clear of the Iraq issue during the course of the campaign, one can't help but observe Howard's vindication of doing what was right even though it was hardly popular.

For the first time in recent memory, conservatives will have control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, making it much easier to introduce more pro-free market initiatives over the next three years. Some observers expect Howard's government to undertake the following now that there is a cleared parliamentary path towards implementation:

"...Mr. Howard could push through measures that the upper house blocked during his third term, including selling off the government's remaining multibillion-dollar stake in former telecommunications monopoly Telstra and relaxing news-media ownership laws.

He is also expected to push through a controversial industrial-relations bill designed to weaken the influence of trade unions."

In an effort to avoid the ever-growing statism of Canadian society, methinks I may forgo moving to Alberta or America and just take up residence in Australia.