Politics in 2004

[katmeow]

I think there is a perception that Latham is still too inexperienced to lead the country.

I think that's where you're right - speaking to a few people today at my surfclub and they were all saying - don't know enough about Latham to trust him.

Yet they're happy to continue with a prime minister who's done nothing to deserve our trust

 

[Wacky]

"The main flaw with democracy is that stupid people get to vote"

(stupid implicitly meaning all those people whos opinions disagree with yours)

Yet in an election campaign littered with lies, from a Government that has made lying a hallmark of it's last term in office, I think it is a saying that is sadly true [/B]

Yes,I sadly agree


Common sense (Or in most Australian's case: uncommon sense) says:- If someone lies to you non-stop,why would you continue to believe anything else they have to say?

The main thing John Howard has going for him: He knows how stupid most Australian's truly are.If the Liberal party gets back in, this will be proof.

I'm starting to think this country deserves to go to hell (Well for the stupid masses anyway But NOT the rest of us )

 

[Taliana]

Just keep doing your best arguing your point of view to others, there is still a chance for change. If everyone just resigns themselves to the fact they think they wont win, what chance do we really have?

KEEP CONFIDENT TROOPERS.

 

[Wacky]

Just keep doing your best arguing your point of view to others, there is still a chance for change.

KEEP CONFIDENT TROOPERS.

I keep arguing my point of view to others and I'm NOT giving up without a fight (As in,I'm doing my best to try to convince people egs: Chatting on other sites, to people in general and posting letterbox leaflets for the Greens :D ).

I'm just feeling down, about the number of people I've come across that are "so clueless" .

But, thanks Taliana I'll try to keep my confidence up more

 

[doofqueen]

I have a big "VOTE GREENS" sign in my front yard. I have a greens badge on my everyday bag, i have a "not happy john" and "the liberals against students" sticker on my garbage bins etc so i'm very visual and vocal about my political stance.

I had a bunch of three girls knok on my door today doing door knocking for something or another tell me that i rock having that sign out the front LOL They said they had to come and tell me when they saw it.

I'm with Tali - talk about your beliefs and then maybe you might show people there is a possible good way out of this.

 

[silvia saint]

I have a big "VOTE GREENS" sign in my front yard.

you're brave

 

[doofqueen]

why? ( i only ask because the internet has no tone and i want to know if your being sarcastic or not)

 

[CynaKill]

Pleonastic: I am definitely going to vote below the line in the Senate, but I am not under any delusion that it will make a difference. How many people actually vote below the line? I hazard a guess that very few do... (Hi, btw)

Family First will get my 58-63 preference for the record, closely followed by One Nation. :/

 

[Pleonastic]

Yeah, I know that most people won't vote below the line. I think a large reason for this is because they show up to the polling booth without actually having fully considered who they'll vote for. It seems a lot of people forget about the senate, and end up stuck in the two party prefererd lower house race. Then they get this big white piece of paper with boxes all over it and realise they don't want to stand at the booth for half an hour considering their options, so they assume the party whos group ticket they choose will serve their interests best. Which often isn't the case.

Regardless of whether Howard or Lathem wins the lower house, they still need to get their legislation through the senate. So even if you live in a safe labour or liberal seat, your voice can still be heard by choosing senate candidates which match your own beliefs. As much as the Democrats are a fading force, I still like their slogan of "keeping the bastards honest". I shudder to think what would happen if one single party controlled both houses of parlament.

If this post convinces one person to think carefully about their upper house vote then it was worth my 5 minutes to write it. Maybe they'll tell other people to think too. Maybe it will make some people realise that this isn't actually just an election to choose a Prime Minister.

Despite the fact that voting below the line may not have the hugest influence on the result, at least I'll know that my personal vote hasn't gone for someone I totally disagree with.

 

[onetwothreefour]

^^^ until now i'd never even really understood how all of this worked (actually read a little about it today after reading your post). so it was worthwhile

of course, i still would have voted below the line, but i hope that now at least i'll have a better idea of what i'm doing. i need to go back and re-read this thread.

 

[Pleonastic]

Some good info pages:

Counting the Votes: House of Representatives
Counting the votes: Senate
Proportional Representation (put your heavy wading boots on for this one)

In fact over the next week, rather than spending time at work at www.addictinggames.com, browse through the Australian Electoral Commission site, or the Parliament of Australia homepage. There's all sorts of fact sheets and stuff. A lot of it is kinda heavy and seems boring, but I think it's important for people to educate themselves on how our system works.

 

[Charlie Brown]

I was gonna vote for the Liberals...but now I think Labour. Back in 1980 Bob Hawke was in power, policies like Medicare etc gave my real poor family get alot of breaks.

It kind off gives me 1980's nostaglia..when thinking of giving Latham a chance to see if he can turn Australia as he puts it what Australia really stands for (Guess he means the Sunday BBQs etc, helping the poor etc.) I was poor once I can empathise and dont see why not to giving Latham a chance for something different.

Not taking anything away from Howard, I still might change my mind at the last minute and vote for the coalition. Its like I see Howards speech, then Lathams speech and its also turning my views around. But voting Labour to give it Aus some change may be a good thing,..although Latham looks like your average 9-5 white collar worker...and after deciding to vote for Labour..also wondering hmmm can he cut it?

It really depends on who can give the best speeches in the last minutes that will swing the votes. Not every one that votes for the Coalition is stupid as some puts it..all comes down to who they put confidence in more.

 

[onetwothreefour]

*cheers*

anyway; you're far better off reading their actual policies than you are listening to their speeches ('cause it's all just blatant propaganda anyway). and it's "labor", not "labour"

 

[onetwothreefour]

i'm just adding a poll to this - vote be-atches :D

 

[Taliana]

haha

just had to giggle at one comment.

and congrats charlie browne.

yay for polls. if only bluelights poll was the real election. haha

 

[Raving Loony]

The problem for me is that voting Labour means putting that klutz Simon Crean as national treasurer. Now as a left-wing socialist and a fiscal conservative, that leaves me in a bit of a mess. Coz even if I vote Green, it still means a vote for Simon Crean.

 

[Macksta]

wow Greens look like they're pretty popular here!

I'm Labor born and bred, I'll preference the Greens 2nd but I don't like their economic policies (restricting foreign investment, increasing top marginal tax rates, messing with negative gearing and CGT), and I don't approve of their drugs policy (legalising all personal use seems dangerous and unworkable to me).

 

[Void]

legalising drugs takes it out of the hands of the black market which effectively destroys the profit margins of criminal gangs and terrorists who funds various illicite activities with drug money. Its a bloody good thing. Clean drugs, in a regulated market, which will be cheaper and it will also allow lots of scientific research into drugs.

 

[onetwothreefour]

^^^ that's also what i think.

that said, a LOT of thought will need to put into it if it ever goes ahead. education is obviously the key, and it might even be worth putting some sort of restriction (apart from the obvious 18+ one which will be enforced) on it. i'd like to see some sort of government funded education courses introduced in such a case (either as a pre-requisite for purchasing any drugs, or at the very least highly encouraged).

that said, the more they restrict the drugs, the more likely it is that the black market trade will stay alive anyway (just like untaxed tobacco is available for purchase if you look a bit harder). a very interesting issue, but i would definitely like to see them legalised, if not just for the very fact that i find it kind of atrocious that *anyone* is allowed to tell me what to do as a fully informed and autonomous citizen.

 

[Macksta]

^^

Not really, Greens policy is to decriminalise personal use/posession, not dealing or manufacturing.

I don't see that as having much of a reducing influence on criminal gangs at all.