If the polls are correct and the predictions of certain commentators are accurate, we are now less than a month away from the Voice uttering its last gasp. It would appear that the No campaign will win the referendum and the elaborate and confusing construct of an unelected, undemocratic body being enshrined forever in our supposedly democratic constitution will be consigned to the history books of failed leftist schemes rejected by mainstream Australians.

However, the polls are not always correct and neither are many commentators. It would be extremely foolish for those advocating for No to assume victory before the votes have been counted. Complacency is always a risk when it comes to any kind of campaign, and as any good door-stopping politician knows, it’s only a fool who doesn’t keep pounding the pavements until the very last moment.

Several things could still go wrong for the No campaign. Chief among them is the rather disturbing habit of the Liberal party to shoot own goals. The most recent of these, as Neil Brown somewhat irately explains this week, was the asinine decision from the leader of the opposition to commit to a second referendum should this one fail. Whatever tortuous bedwetting logic within the focus groups and research corridors of the Liberal party strategy bright sparks led to this pronouncement –presumably some panicky squealing along the lines of,  ‘Oh no! we’ve identified certain voters who still want recognition but don’t want the Voice, what shall we do?’ –the result was confusion and dismay. Note to the bedwetters: that pronouncement will not have swung a single vote to the No side, and will only have given ammo to the Yes side, the most likely response from any wavering voter being: ‘Bloody hell, the last  thing I want is to go through all this again, may as well vote Yes and have done with it.’

As many on the Yes side have repeatedly pointed out, if No wins then the Voice is dead, buried and cremated and those currently agitating for it will cease their activism. We’ve even had the ‘threat’ from various activists – greeted with much enthusiasm and relief by most Australians – that the ‘Welcome to Country’ and ‘Acknowledgment of Country’ nonsense may even cease or at least be reduced should No win. That alone should be enough to persuade many Australians to vote No.

Apart from the Libs stuffing up, there is also the possibility of stupid mistakes occurring among overly enthusiastic No campaigners. We saw, in the Moira Deeming affair, how easy it was for a group of so-called ‘Nazis’ prancing around a demonstration to discredit those ‘on the same side’. Putting aside the suspicion that in that particular instance the ‘Nazis’ may well have been a deliberate ploy to discredit the women protesters and their agenda, the knee-jerk reactions from many was depressing. Guilt-by-random-association and the resulting ‘cancel culture’ purge is a very effective weapon of the totalitarian left egged on by the sanctimonious media.

Indeed, as the Yes campaign becomes increasingly desperate, it is reasonable to expect the dirty tricks teams will be out in force. The No campaign must be disciplined in these last few weeks and avoid any hint of hubris or gloating. Despite the constant false accusations of ‘racism’ levelled at No campaigners and their arguments, the No campaign in fact holds the moral high ground: it believes you should not judge people by the colour of their skin or their genetic make-up and all citizens of a country should have exactly the same democratic rights.

The Yes campaigners can protest as loudly as they like to the contrary, but the inescapable fact is that by definition the Voice is a racist entity. It is therefore morally wrong, and no amount of sugar-coating or dissembling will ever change that simple fact.

Fraser downunder

Great news for lovers of this magazine. Our sainted UK editor Fraser Nelson is heading downunder to visit this the furthest colonial outpost of the mighty Speccie empire.

Fraser will be delivering the Menzies Oration on ‘The State of Modern Conservatism’ at the Robert Menzies Institute in Melbourne on Thursday, 19 October. Details for how you can attend are on the website: www.robertmenziesinstitute.org.au/events

As editor of The Spectator, and as a popular columnist for the UK Daily Telegraph, Fraser  has been one of the leading lights in modern conservative thought over the last decade and a half. His views on everything from Brexit to net zero will make for a riveting visit. Fraser will also be speaking on ‘Unlocking Human Progress through Capitalism’ at the Centre for Independent Studies in Sydney. Go to: https://www.cis.org.au/event/unlocking-human-progress-through-capitalism/