The Maxim Institute seems to take my column seriously, which is a compliment. I speculated about possible rifts inside the organisation, and Logan and Fleming announce a double act in Timaru. More interesting still, the presentation seems to have comparatively little to do with trad Christian Right obsessions like homosexuality, abortion, sex work or euthanasia. Okay, it does focus on the bugbear of "political correctness" - which is populist gibberish for resentment that professional organisations provide evidence-based backing for most liberal social reforms, apart from euthanasia and assisted suicide law reform. We could have some fun with this one. For example, whatever happened to Frank Ellis and his booklet about "PC?" Have they disavowed it because Ellis backs the British National Party, recently exposed as containing high-ranking staffers that vocally engage in racist verbal abuse and either advocate or engage in organised racist violence in a BBC documentary, aired on Television New Zealand a fortnight ago? Are they still distributing Ellis' work? If so, why? If not, commendable, but why? Instead, they're trying to focus on issues that will make them of interest to the broader centre-right, like welfare privatisation, more aid to fundamentalist and Catholic private schools, and the alleged failure of Labour's remedial social policies. Is this window-dressing, or does it mark a new departure for them? Is the Maxim Institute trying to transition into a more mainstream centre-right organisation, given that its obituary for the National Party (2002) proved to be somewhat premature? And will this work? Have they decided that they're no match for the lgbt communities, pro-choice movement and rest of the cultural left, so have they turned over a new leaf? Have they realised that their reputation has been damaged by repeated political defeats over reproductive and sexual health issues? Watch this space, and their website. Recommended Reading: Maxim Institute http://www.maxim.org.nz Frank Ellis: Political Correctness and the Theoretical Struggle: From Marx and Lenin to Marcuse and Foucault: Christchurch: Maxim Institute: 2003. Craig Young - 24th November 2004