GetUp! a thought police bully in same-sex debate, an editorial by The Australian newspaper.

If the No side of the same-sex marriage debate mounted a hateful, personal attack on the career and livelihood of an individual who spoke out against its views, the condemnations would be deafening. And rightly so. In singling out Sydney general practitioner Pansy Lai in an online petition demanding an investigation into her registration, GetUp!, a leading advocate for a Yes vote in the upcoming plebiscite, has revealed its true nature.

Far from wanting to “bring participation back into our democracy’’ as it pretends, GetUp! is so intolerant of those with opposing views that it wants to bully them into silence.

That’s hardly news.

Like political dictators, the controllers of GetUp! evidently believe that doctors who disagree with them are not entitled to practise medicine. Bill Shorten, who was head of the Australian Workers Union when it donated at least $100,000 to GetUp! when it was set up, should dissociate himself from the organisation.

hat-tip Matthew