Abbott, Costello & 'Islam'

Discussion of Tony Abbott's comments forgoets his background as a Catholic conservative., just as Howard's voew reflect his poltical roots in Sydney Protestant conservatism with tis anti-Catholic history, even down to the beleif that Catholicism is abd for women. Just as conservative Catholics were recruited to the poltical right via the DLP after the labor split, Abbot hopes to do the same with Muslims. When he says: 'It's true that not all migrants are predisposed to appreciate current orthodoxies about sexual and gender emancipation'. it is obvious he is doubtful about these orthodoxies as well. Brian Fitzpatrick noted the oddity of the most anti-socialsit church in Europe being aligned with the poltical left in Australia, but more generally this was the case in msot countries of European settlment. yet the catholic alignment with the the left was always tentative, in Canada and the US more observant Catholics were less likley to support the poltical left in the 1950s, Catholcism bolstered left party voting principally when it was ethnic Catholcism rather than religious Catholicism. The analomy of the allaince between devout Muslins and the poltical right is based, as it was for catholics and the ALP, on foreign policy; ireland and Palestine. Socially however devout Muslims belong on the poltical right.