Meddling in morals But 'irrational' senator not forcing PM's hand
Edition 1SUN 23 FEB 1997, Page 126 Meddling in morals/But 'irrational' senator not forcing PM's hand By BY RICHARD FARMER TO blame Brian Harradine for the latest example of the Federal Government's imposition of its own version of political correctness is to miss the point. The Tasmanian senator is not forcing John Howard to make decisions which are against the Prime Minister's better judgment. Australia is now run by a very conservative man who needs no encouragement at all to impose his moral values on the rest of us. There is a startling inconsistency in Mr Howard's intellectual position. When it comes to economic life, he embraces the virtues of a free market in which individuals should be able to make rational decisions which they see as being to their benefit. In that respect, Adam Smith would be proud of him. But when it comes to the actions of individuals in their personal lives, Mr Howard abandons any pretence of libertarianism. It's quite all r