Opinion: Why conservative-turned-teal voters are being had

Like lemmings, teal-voting female and young voters believed changing the government would change the narrative, writes Peter Gleeson.

Johnny – not his real name – has a beautiful, sprawling home near Dover Heights, Sydney, where he lives with his wife and three children, aged 18, 20, and 22, and has done so since the kids were toddlers.

He’s a dyed-in-the-wool conservative voter who runs a successful small business with a staff of 15 and he’s worked hard to delegate to cut his hours back from 70 a week to 30 a week in the past few years.

He bought his kids a small car each when they turned 18, so that they could travel to university and maintain part-time jobs. They have been taught to be independent are the apple of his and his wife’s eye.

They were loud and proud about who they voted for at the federal election, cheering home the so-called teal, Allegra Spender, who ousted Liberal Dave Sharma in the traditional blue ribbon conservative seat of Wentworth.

The kids boasted that Allegra would save the planet, and they believed her. So Johnny decided – much to the chagrin of his wife, who is now threatening divorce – to embrace their climate ideology and help reduce the household’s carbon emissions.

Johnny told his kids on the morning after the election that he’d be selling their petrol-guzzling cars and would buy a Tesla, which they could share.

Until then, they could travel on the bus.

He has limited showers to two minutes each to save on gas.

Cold showers are OK. Internet access is being limited to one hour a day to save on coal-fired electricity.

Johnny is so serious about the new regime that the kids have threatened to walk.

The teal Independents who swept the Liberals from power

Mum is not happy that her precious darlings may fly the coop, but unless they’re prepared to live at Camden – 60km away – they won’t be able to afford a rental property near home.

“They’re not happy,’’ he wrote.

“I’m now calling them climate deniers.’’

Now, we all know what will happen in Johnny’s household.

The kids will stay.

Johnny will make his point but it won’t matter.

With the great luxury of incumbency, the teals will remain in their seats for as long as they want.

That train has well and truly left the station for the Liberals.

But herein lies the ridiculousness of our country’s lurch to the Left.

Young Australians are worried about their future, and quite rightly.

We live in incredibly uncertain times, and the threat of climate change is real.

But why should Australia be the outlier around the planet when it comes to reducing greenhouse emissions?

China takes two weeks to match Australia’s yearly greenhouse emissions level.

India is three weeks. The US is a month.

Are we not sabotaging our own future by signing up to a deal that most of the other countries talk about, but in reality are ignoring?

China gets emissions concessions because it is a so-called “developing’’ country. Seriously? Its army is bigger than Victoria.

Australian women and young voters aged 18-35 voted for change. Like lemmings, they believe changing the government will change the narrative. The reality is far different. We’re being had, Australia.

Strap yourself in for a wild ride. Our left-leaning university indoctrination of our kids’ values and minds has just begun.

Originally published as Opinion: Why conservative-turned-teal voters are being had