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Indeed he is. Morrison doesnt do culture, philosophy, or ideology. In 2017 he notoriously said freedom of speech doesnt create one job. (To which the reply could be made nor does the presumption of innocence.)

What the recent media attention on the behaviour of MPs and their staff in Parliament House has not done is derail the Morrison governments policy reform agenda because there isnt one.

Presumably the reason the Prime Minister has been silent about the handcuffing and arrest in her home by the Victoria Police of a pregnant mother following her social media protest supporting an anti-lockdown protest, is because he regards the maintenance of the rule of law in the country as falling into the culture wars category.

A few weeks ago Morrison was asked on Melbourne radio [whether] we are too woke and thats affecting democracy and debate, do you think we are too woke?.

Morrison replied: I think theres a lot of talk about all this. But you know what? Right now, what people care about, and what I care about is their health and their jobs.

The challenges the Coalition faces cant be overcome by the application of the Prime Ministers pragmatism.

Morrison has a tendency to personalise policy and draw on his personal and family experiences when talking about the government. All politicians do it, but Morrison does it more than most. For example, when he announced the royal commission into the disability sector he talked about his family.

Using empathy to frame questions of policy can be very powerful indeed, but it does mean that when empathy appears to be lacking the result is particularly stark, such as when in response to a question about the federal governments management of bushfires, Morrison answered: I dont hold a hose, mate. Thats a true statement, but not one thats empathetic.

Whether to select a person to represent the Liberal Party not on the basis of their ability, but according to their gender or ethnicity or some other aspect of their identity is a question of principle, not practicality.

Contrary to what might have been expected, the pandemic hasnt paused the culture wars, it has accelerated them. For at least some people the suffering they endured during the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown of their lives has prompted a search for non-material outcomes that are different from what went before.

From the migration of the Black Lives Matter from the United States to Australia, to the toppling of statues associated with slavery or colonialism, to the debate about the date of Australia Day, the culture wars show no signs of abating.

The empathy and understanding the public demand of their leaders in the current political climate isnt a product of practicalities or pragmatism.

Avoiding any talk about the countrys culture is a strategy that might have worked for Morrison at the last election. He is probably the only conservative politician who could have won the 2019 federal election, albeit narrowly. The persona of a daggy dad focused obsessively on the hip-pocket nerve suited the times of two years ago perfectly. Plus, Morrison wasnt Malcolm Turnbull or Bill Shorten.

But the zeitgeist of 2021 is different from 2019.

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Woke warriors are after the PM - The Australian Financial Review