When the great French novelist Victor Hugo was in his 80s, he reflected on his life with the words, “I am like a forest that has been continuously cut down; yet each time I am cut down, the new growth has more life than ever”.
Hugo’s writings reflect his understanding of Biblical truth – that we are ‘continually and always being sanctified’ (Hebrews 10:14).
His epic novel, Les Miserables, embraces themes of crime and punishment, law and grace, sin and repentance, love and redemption.
As most will recall, the main character in the novel, Jean Valjean, is convicted of a petty crime and is imprisoned. He manages to escape before completing his sentence and begins to lead a bitter and resentful life. When he is treated kindly by a local bishop he repays the bishop’s kindness by stealing from him.
He is caught, but instead of pressing charges, the bishop vouches for him and invokes the words of Jesus, telling him to ‘go and sin no more’.
This is grace, unmerited favour, and it has a profound effect on him. His life, having been cut down, re-grows with love and ‘more life than ever’.
Valjean’s antagonist throughout the story is the ruthless and unforgiving policeman, Javert.
As US cleric Bishop Robert Barron puts it, ‘If Valjean represents grace, Javert is the embodiment of the law’ – harsh and unyielding.
Ultimately, Javert, being the proverbial Pharisee, cannot handle Valjean’s act of grace towards him and takes his own life.
This theme of law and grace permeates the Bible.
Jesus, for example, was crucified between two thieves.
These two thieves represent the two types of people in our fallen world: those who accept God, and those who reject Him.
As recorded in the gospels, both men speak to Jesus.
The first thief to speak represents those who reject God, “Aren’t you supposed to be the Christ? If you are, then save yourself … and us!”
No contrition, no remorse, no acceptance of responsibility for his crimes.
The second thief then rebukes his accomplice, “Don’t you fear God? We’re being justly punished for our crimes, but this man has done nothing wrong”.
The second thief takes responsibility. He doesn’t blame others. He admits he’s a sinner and is redeemed.
This is at the core of what has gone wrong with the world in which we now live.
As described in my last newsletter, Noughts and Crosses, sometimes we need to be reminded of what our Judeo-Christian heritage has brought to the world – the establishment of schools, universities, hospitals, aged care organisations and welfare agencies. The elevation of women, as well as the abolition of slavery, cannibalism, child sacrifice and widow burning.
The ‘equality of human beings’ is a Judeo-Christian idea which led to the abolition of slavery and international human rights.
All form the basis of Western civilisation which acknowledged original sin and the need for redemption.
We fail, we sin, we feel guilty. Acknowledging this is virtue.
In response, we confess, we repent, we accept forgiveness, and then we move forward with confidence. That is how we survive the vicissitudes of life.
I have proven this in my own life.
Marxists, leftists, and people from many other cultures, however, do not see it that way.
To them, admitting fault is seen as weakness. They do not accept responsibility for their situation. They blame others. To them, all is a zero-sum game.
And herein lies the problem.
By rejecting God’s system of confession, repentance and forgiveness, Westerners respond by looking elsewhere to placate their guilt – virtue-signalling being one of the main outlets.
As British-born American philosopher and scholar Kwame Anthony Appiah points out, watching King Charles acknowledge the unceded – or ‘stolen’ land – on which the Canadian parliament stands begs the question, ‘Then why do they continue to occupy it? And the obvious contradiction: acknowledging theft while benefiting from it is like apologising for eating someone’s lunch while still holding the sandwich!’
This is the West surrendering to the anti-God Left.
British journalist and political commentator Douglas Murray makes this point in his 2017 book, The Strange Death of Europe.
It is civilizational suicide.
Speaking of which, allow me to make an observation or two about the recent Federal election.
First, before too many claims are made about Labor getting a ‘strong mandate’, at the previous election (2022) Labor’s primary vote was 32.5%. In 2025, it was 34.5% – a 2% improvement.
As a percentage of registered voters, however – including informal votes and those who chose not to vote – Labor’s vote was just 29.5%
Seats won, however, paints a very different picture – from 77 seats in 2022 to 94 seats in 2025 – a 22% increase.
Winning 62% of the seats with 29% of the vote is starting to look like the UK or Europe!
Or compare Labor’s vote in 2016 (34.7%) 69 seats; 2019 (33.3%) 68 seats; 2022 (32.5%) 77 seats; and now 2025 (34.5%) 94 seats!
The disparity between votes and seats in 2025 is due to changes in preferences by the Liberal Party and minor parties.
In the past, the Liberal Party would typically put Labor last on its how-to-vote cards. This time it put the Greens last, resulting in what one might describe as the bright and silver lining on an otherwise dark and gloomy cloud – the ejection from parliament of Greens leader Adam Bandt!
In India it was said that people did not cast their vote but rather vote their caste. India’s caste system divided its society into hierarchical groups based on birth, occupation and ‘dharma’ – a cosmic order of law and moral principles that apply to all beings and things – and people voted accordingly.
That Labor’s vote does not change materially from election to election suggests that the old ‘Labor, right or wrong’ principle is alive and well.
Whether it’s education, immigration, net zero, energy or the environment – power bills going up $1,300 instead of coming down $275 – Israel and the Palestinians, international relationships (UN, WHO, WEF etc), the taxing of unrealised capital gains on our superannuation, abortion and euthanasia, the Albanese government is deeply entrenched in the Left of politics.
It will not end well.
Which is why we are readying ourselves.
Our merger plans with the DLP (and other like-minded parties) are progressing and we are looking forward to contesting the next election on the horizon – the South Australian State election in March next year.
Thank you for your support.
Lord Byron, in his moving poem Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, offers the following reflection on life:
As most will recall, the Coalition went to the 2013 election promising to ‘abolish the carbon tax, abolish the mining tax and stop the boats’.
The Black by-election is over and, as widely reported, the seat switched quite spectacularly from the Liberal Party to Labor in a massive 13 per cent swing.