Family First are bigots first, says socialist Senate candidate

Family First are intolerant bigots and I thoroughly support what Rachel says in this article. It is most important that we outer suburban family people do not leave it solely up to gays to fight Family First - white Australians speak out against racism, they try to convince other white Australians to be more tolerant and oppose the slur that racists cast on all Australians. Similarly people with so-called "normal" families living in ordinary suburbs and country towns need to speak out against homophobia, tell our neighbours and relatives to be more tolerant and oppose the slur that extremely socially conservative attitudes, packaged as "Family First" values, can cast on people with average family lifestyles or religious leanings. I know of an anti-domestic violence advocate who votes Family First because she says, after everything she's been through, she wants to put her family first. Similarly Greens scrutineers have noticed that some FF voters preference the Greens and vice versa, so FF are picking up an anti-big party vote that is otherwise better earned and deserved by Greens or socialists. When people vote for Family First, they are often taken in by a name or small party image. Extreme right wing parties take advantage of poverty and isolation to try and build a base in out of the way places. Progressives who live, work and campaign in out of the way places need more support from the Left to lead their communities towards progressive ideas, to Family First-proof our communities, or to build what is sometimes called an "Abbott proof fence". Working class people often judge politicians by how they come across rather than by analysing policy. When I stood for Scullin with the Greens a number of people remarked "You are just like Pauline Hanson" despite the fact that I am from a migrant background and oppose her policies. I think we have to talk to voters in the suburbs and the country in a more everyday kind of way about the need to scrutinise and judge policy matters - I think we need to tell them that when you are buying a product from the supermarket shelf you don't just look at the label or the packaging - you have to read the list of ingredients to see what's inside the packet - does it have artificial colourings that cause hyperactivity in children, or too much salt or has it gone past its use-by date? And if you are choosing a government that is going to run this country for the next three years surely you are not just going to look at the label or the packaging - you have to read the list of ingredients to see what's inside this package - does it have policies that are going to harm our children, destroy their environment, lower our living standards, take away the democracy, equality and fairness that should be everybody's birthright? Does it have social policies that have gone past their use-by date? We can only reach out to outer suburban and country people if the Left supports activity in these areas.