Except they didn’t expel him. He simply won’t be standing as their candidate. He continues to work for and get paid by them though they could almost certainly terminate his employment on the basis of bringing the party into disrepute.
I think it’s fair to say that they’d have preferred it if they could have got away with doing nothing at all (as was their first response). I suspect that they see the US Republicans’ lack of consequences for Hegseth’s Signalgate breach as behaviour to model.
They may claim that he will be ineffective if he wins but I suspect the Liberal party will embrace his rhetoric next election because that's what happened here. Trump was widely derided until he won in '16. Then almost every Republican ran to the extreme right. Those that didn't are no longer in power. Just like here, Australian politicians will do what they can to appeal to the most people.
That's not the surprise. The surprise is the right wing party booting him for his bigotry. Of course, Republicans here will call them godless commies for that.
I bet she was the sole reason that the makeup industry never collapsed when the economy did a downturn! She must have bought makeup by the barrel roll.
I am 62 yo. Now I tried to count how many times I've been at a church service that was NOT related to marriage or funerals. That would be app 10 times. Never saw any witches anywhere.
...We have had over 3,000 years that shows us religious extremism will never be a synergistic or sustainable solution for the survival of our species or our planet.
...If we keep waiting, thinking some imaginary God will save us we are not nearly as smart as we think we are.
Benjamin Franklin once said, "We must all hang together, otherwise we shall all surely hang separately." I occasionally find it astonishing to see how many people have either failed to learn or forgotten that lesson.
Well of course, you silly man. No imaginary God will save us. Only the real ones will save us. And there are so many real ones. There is yahweh, and Jesus, and Allah, and Zeus, and Odin, and Kanaloa, and Lono, and Kwan Yin.
I'm guessing Mandy has been "disciplined" enough in the past that agreeing with everything her husband says is like a survival instinct. Stockholm Syndrome is a real thing.
Frankly, it's a real pleasure to see any political party clean house when one of their members is as bigoted as Carston is. I don't know where he got the idea that being that reactionary was okay to the general public, but it is pretty evident that neither his party nor the voters are having any.
Would that the Republican party here in the US could be that conscientious. Unfortunately, I think we're a considerable distance from that.
“Like, there’s this whole reality pretending that same-sex marriage is real. Like, it’s not. It’s not. And it ignores, you know, decades of the reality of observations of the dynamics between a man and a woman.”
It is real. You can insist it’s not real. But many of us have pieces of paper that says that it’s real. We have decades together that says it’s real. And what is this about decades of observations? Last time we had this discussion, it was millennia of observations. Now it is reduced to mere decades of observation.
But who are they observing? Heterosexuals, or people desperate to be heterosexual but who will never be heterosexual. It’s great to make comments about heterosexuals and their marriages. But those are heterosexuals in their marriages. What does it have to do with two men or two women? Or a man or a woman and as many mistresses as he likes?
And shall we ask about divorce? Does that mean the marriage was never real? Because when it’s Catholics get their marriages annulled, it means that the marriage was never real to begin with.
The issue here is not marriage or homosexuality. The issue is religious bigots insisting that their religion and only their religion is valid, which means that their point of view through their religion and only their point of view is valid. Unfortunately for them, we have the evidence of every religion X that every religion not X is wrong.
I knew of middle-school girls who couldn't get a complete sentence out without throwing in a few "like"s and "you know"s, and lo, here is Carston Woodhouse applying for admission.
A conservative party expels a bigot instead of embracing him? Australia sets an example for the world. Can we try that here, please?
Except they didn’t expel him. He simply won’t be standing as their candidate. He continues to work for and get paid by them though they could almost certainly terminate his employment on the basis of bringing the party into disrepute.
I think it’s fair to say that they’d have preferred it if they could have got away with doing nothing at all (as was their first response). I suspect that they see the US Republicans’ lack of consequences for Hegseth’s Signalgate breach as behaviour to model.
They may claim that he will be ineffective if he wins but I suspect the Liberal party will embrace his rhetoric next election because that's what happened here. Trump was widely derided until he won in '16. Then almost every Republican ran to the extreme right. Those that didn't are no longer in power. Just like here, Australian politicians will do what they can to appeal to the most people.
Then I hope the Australians see through the ploy and punish the Liberal Party severely for not completing ousting him!
In our last national/federal election the liberal party was CRUSHED! Their own leader lost his seat.
It kinda sounds like they dropped him due to the uproar around his views, not the views themselves.
Which is better than nothing, but certainly not good.
...I mean, sure, better than the US, but that's a bar so low it's awakened a Balrog.
It 𝘪𝘴 nice to see that more civilized countries still have minimum standards of decency for their politicians, isn't it?
A Christian pastor promoting Christian extremism. Who'da thought?
That's not the surprise. The surprise is the right wing party booting him for his bigotry. Of course, Republicans here will call them godless commies for that.
Not to mention yelling PERSECUTION! (tm)
Aussies embrace being called godless!
Who WOULDN'T have???
This seems to be a rush to judgement: who among us has not witnessed witches melting at a church service?
I never have, but that's a small sample size.
When I was a kid I saw hair gel melting on the man in the pew in front of me one very hot July day in my father’s un-air-conditioned church.
I hope you called him out and demanded the congregation burn him as a witch/warlock.
😄
Why is it that this calls up a mental image of Tammy Faye Baker?
I bet she was the sole reason that the makeup industry never collapsed when the economy did a downturn! She must have bought makeup by the barrel roll.
I have to admit to only seeing candles melt.
Me too. But melting is what candles are for.
As a kid, I witnessed plenty of nuns have melt downs. I guess the two are somehow related.
Was before or after being sprayed with holy water (considering how contaminated the holy water was)?😇
I am 62 yo. Now I tried to count how many times I've been at a church service that was NOT related to marriage or funerals. That would be app 10 times. Never saw any witches anywhere.
😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠
I do love it when people who believe in imaginary supreme beings accuse others of not living in reality.
Makes one wonder if these folks have mirrors in their homes.
They are always perfect so what would they need a mirror for?
🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
This guy just fills out the whole Bigot Bingo card, don't he?
We're just waiting for arrest record to surface for sex crimes against children.
That's the free square.
That's the Free Space; it's just assumed.
Damnit. I procrastinated reading the other comments.
GMTA and all that!
Until then we can assume that he's deeply closeted, at the very least.
He sure does think a lot about what men do together with their genitals.
...We have had over 3,000 years that shows us religious extremism will never be a synergistic or sustainable solution for the survival of our species or our planet.
...If we keep waiting, thinking some imaginary God will save us we are not nearly as smart as we think we are.
Benjamin Franklin once said, "We must all hang together, otherwise we shall all surely hang separately." I occasionally find it astonishing to see how many people have either failed to learn or forgotten that lesson.
Well of course, you silly man. No imaginary God will save us. Only the real ones will save us. And there are so many real ones. There is yahweh, and Jesus, and Allah, and Zeus, and Odin, and Kanaloa, and Lono, and Kwan Yin.
For starters.
And Loke, Frøy, Balder.
1. Does Woodhouse reboot his wife every morning so that everything he says is followed by a “yeah”?
2. Maybe Carston will get a new job like Special Envoy for the Shield of Witch Melting
It's funnier to imagine her saying "yeah" in the voice of Edward G. Robinson.
I'm guessing Mandy has been "disciplined" enough in the past that agreeing with everything her husband says is like a survival instinct. Stockholm Syndrome is a real thing.
Religion justifies a lot of mental illness. Always has, always will.
Justifies and disguises.
... and causes.
Frankly, it's a real pleasure to see any political party clean house when one of their members is as bigoted as Carston is. I don't know where he got the idea that being that reactionary was okay to the general public, but it is pretty evident that neither his party nor the voters are having any.
Would that the Republican party here in the US could be that conscientious. Unfortunately, I think we're a considerable distance from that.
They would probably have him working in the Justice Dept. or Homeland Security.
Waddaya know, Woodhouse doesn't love his enemies. Bad Christian! Bad! *smacks Woodhoue across the nose with a didgeridoo*
In the USA he would be Speaker of the House.
I’ve adopted Jimmy Kimmel’s term for Mike Johnson: Squeaker of the House, or just Squeaker Johnson.
Or a Supreme Court Justice. Or a red state Governor.
Well done, Australia!! 🇦🇺🇮🇪
Not a bigoted christian in the death cult?
😮😮😮😮
Who would have thought!
I am incredibly shocked. Next we'll learn that he is a pedophile.
The odds on that are pretty high, considering the number of clergy that are pedophiles!
OT
Logic
gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2026/03/13
(click on comic to enlarge/enhance)
♫♪ In heaven there is no beer / That's why we drink it here... ♪♫
Earworm with accordion music playing.
This. right here.
“Like, there’s this whole reality pretending that same-sex marriage is real. Like, it’s not. It’s not. And it ignores, you know, decades of the reality of observations of the dynamics between a man and a woman.”
It is real. You can insist it’s not real. But many of us have pieces of paper that says that it’s real. We have decades together that says it’s real. And what is this about decades of observations? Last time we had this discussion, it was millennia of observations. Now it is reduced to mere decades of observation.
But who are they observing? Heterosexuals, or people desperate to be heterosexual but who will never be heterosexual. It’s great to make comments about heterosexuals and their marriages. But those are heterosexuals in their marriages. What does it have to do with two men or two women? Or a man or a woman and as many mistresses as he likes?
And shall we ask about divorce? Does that mean the marriage was never real? Because when it’s Catholics get their marriages annulled, it means that the marriage was never real to begin with.
The issue here is not marriage or homosexuality. The issue is religious bigots insisting that their religion and only their religion is valid, which means that their point of view through their religion and only their point of view is valid. Unfortunately for them, we have the evidence of every religion X that every religion not X is wrong.
I knew of middle-school girls who couldn't get a complete sentence out without throwing in a few "like"s and "you know"s, and lo, here is Carston Woodhouse applying for admission.
I know, you know?
Good for them. Now if we could get our own political parties to do the same.
Not when we have one party in particular crammed into a bus being driven by a madman, sad to say.
sadly, very true.