Tony Abbott
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Tony Abbott says the NSW Liberal Party could lose the next state election if it does not preselect David Clarke, the man reputedly the leader of the party's religious right - a label Mr Abbott called "one of the nastiest smears".
Dumping Mr Clarke would lead to internal war in the party, Mr Abbott said in a letter to Liberal preselectors, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Mr Abbott's extraordinary reference for Mr Clarke told preselectors that to say Mr Clarke "embodies the religious right" is a smear. He said Mr Clarke has the same views as the mainstream.
"My fear is David's absence [from Parliament] could lead to instability which could threaten our election prospects ... especially in NSW where it's so important to replace an incompetent and hopelessly partisan state government," the letter says.
"At times David has been demonised by people who don't know him. One of the nastiest smears is he embodies the religious right. I know him well and can testify the only big difference between David's views and the mainstream of the broader Australian community is his fearlessness in expressing them."
The letter argues that Mr Clarke should not be seen as having extreme views when all he does is go "to church on Sundays" and respect "traditional values".
FULL STORY
Don't dump religious right, Abbott tells warring NSW Libs (Sydney Morning Herald)