NEWS: The Age - 18/07/2006 'Greens offer heroin in rehab plan'

[Tronica]

The countdown is on, only a week until the Greens hold the balance of power, sniffer dogs in public - #1 target

however this should still hopefully be the case And it will make things better in Victoria, in my humble opinion!

 

[hoptis]

You know the Liberals are getting worried.

I live in a fairly safe Liberal seat and got a pamphlet yesterday warning me about the evils of the Greens; all their nasty drug policies that will plunge us into anarchy and give free heroin to everyone, even children and young babies and Bob Brown will administer the smack himself because he's Satan, etc etc etc.

8)

For all Victorians here who have ever complained about sniffer dogs or the stigmatisation of drug users under the banner of a "war on drugs", I hope you get out tomorrow and make yourselves heard.

 

[kapow]

You know the Liberals are getting worried.
For all Victorians here who have ever complained about sniffer dogs or the stigmatisation of drug users under the banner of a "war on drugs", I hope you get out tomorrow and make yourselves heard.

I've never voted before but I'm all enrolled and ready to put my vote in purely for this reason. That and a good mate of mine is running for greens in the suburb I live in.

I hope lots of others will too.

 

[Tronica]

Looks like we have 3 upper house seats, and the city of Melbourne is still in doubt - though looks like it will stay with ALP's Bronwyn Pike.

hoptis: I was handing out How-to-votes yesterday in Hawthorn (safe liberal seat) and chatting with the Liberal people, who said that the Greens were definitely a force worth taking notice of.

One thing I took away from the experience of handing out HTV's was what a great thing it is that we have a society where people with very different political views still treat each other with respect and even have a good laugh! It was all very congenial. Although this may be more to do with the area I was in (Camberwell) than being a general thing across the country! It's my first time so hard to know!

 

[hoptis]

Looks like we have 3 upper house seats, and the city of Melbourne is still in doubt - though looks like it will stay with ALP's Bronwyn Pike.

hoptis: I was handing out How-to-votes yesterday in Hawthorn (safe liberal seat) and chatting with the Liberal people, who said that the Greens were definitely a force worth taking notice of.

One thing I took away from the experience of handing out HTV's was what a great thing it is that we have a society where people with very different political views still treat each other with respect and even have a good laugh! It was all very congenial. Although this may be more to do with the area I was in (Camberwell) than being a general thing across the country! It's my first time so hard to know!

Interesting hey. It looked at one point on Saturday night as if the Greens would take Melbourne with about 35% of the vote counted but now looks like Bronwyn Pike will hold it.

I'm sure it's not deliberate but I realised on Saturday that both Pike and the Greens Di Natale are the respective health spokespersons for both parties so drugs would fall under their umbrella.

Talk about Liberal strongholds, Hawthorn was held comfortably by Ted Baillieu. As an outsider I'd have to say it doesn't look like a fantastic result for the Greens polling less overall than in the 2002 election, though it seems like Family First did very well.

 

[retortme]

Here, here! Good on the Greens. The liberals and labor both claim to be economic rationalists, yet don't see the economic rationlism behind safe injecting rooms and dicriminalisation of certain drugs. Drug users are not a threat to society, it is the law and prohibition that force some users to commit crimes. EEnough said you've heard it all before.

 

[rogan]

This isn't going to win me any friends here but I used to be a young liberal, but not a big 'L' Liberal, libertarian. Anyway there are many liberals that support a complete decriminalization of drugs but as soon as they make there views public to the power brokers they are cut off and isolated. Its a shame I thought things would change with these new small l liberals filling the party, but I can assure you it's only getting more conservative

 

[hoptis]

This isn't going to win me any friends here but I used to be a young liberal, but not a big 'L' Liberal, libertarian. Anyway there are many liberals that support a complete decriminalization of drugs but as soon as they make there views public to the power brokers they are cut off and isolated. Its a shame I thought things would change with these new small l liberals filling the party, but I can assure you it's only getting more conservative

There are conservatives that support decriminalisation, you hear about it somewhat in the US to some extent... usually those will be Republicans not closely connected to the religious right.

I've seen the young liberals website and what they have to say about drug policy isn't exactly progressive

 

[hoptis]

Greens' joy at two seats
Jacqueline Freegard
November 27, 2006 12:00am

THE Greens' dream looked like coming true yesterday as they claimed their first seats in the Victorian Parliament.

While the controversial environmental group appears to have lost its bid for the seat of Melbourne and scored fewer votes than predicted, it may finally have gained a foothold in Spring St.

Greens lead candidates Greg Barber and Sue Pennicuik are close to securing Legislative Council spots. If they do, it will probably cost Labor its crucial Upper House majority.

Polling indicated the Greens would get 12 per cent of the vote but the party finished with less than 10 per cent, on par with their 2002 result.

Mr Barber said he was not concerned the Greens' vote had dropped. "It is our best campaign ever: there is the small matter of winning two seats," he said.

"Everybody else in this election said we were extreme. Well, actually, we are just part of the mainstream now."

The Greens still hope Richard di Natale will snatch victory from Health Minister Bronwyn Pike in Melbourne. But Ms Pike had a narrow lead of 850 votes last night, with more than two-thirds of votes counted.

An anxious Ms Pike spent the day with her family and campaign team, checking the count on the Victorian Electoral Commission's website. "It's still too close to call," she said. "We don't know the full number of absentee votes yet, although it's looking slightly better."

Mr Barber said the Greens were thrilled. "The Greens have run just the most magnificent, exciting, inspirational campaign than we've ever had in Victoria before," he said.

The Greens' more extreme policies include supporting the supplying of heroin to addicts and investigating the prospect of safe injecting rooms.

They also oppose new freeways and want to decriminalise drug use.

Mr Barber said the party hoped to win two more Upper House seats, Eastern and Western Metropolitan.

"If we don't win the seat (of Western metro) it would probably be Labor's 21st seat of 40, which would give them control of the Upper House," he said.

The party's first job would be to introduce a Bill to set a Victorian goal for short-term reduction of greenhouse gases.

Dr di Natale said he still hoped to win the party's first seat in the Lower House: "It's still on a knife-edge. We are a chance of clawing it back."

Greens leader Bob Brown said Labor's decision to bring former Midnight Oil front man and environmental campaigner Peter Garrett to Melbourne, for a street walk with Ms Pike, cost the Greens votes.

However Senator Brown said the Greens were the party of the future.

"It's V Day for the Greens: Victoria Day. I just feel really very, very happy," he said.

Herald Sun