Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2005 6:25 am Posts: 3216 Location: Aussie Expat in Ireland Gender: Male
No Aussies doing one? It's happening. Now. Or just over. Labour winning is a foregone conclusion anyway, methinks.
_________________ PJ: 1 in 1995, 2 in 1998, 20 in 2003, 13 in 2006, 3 in 2007, 8 in 2008, 5 in 2009, 4 in 2010, 5 in 2012. EV: 8 in 2011, 1 in 2012. Brad: 1 in 1998, 1 in 2002. Shawn Smith: 1 in 2008
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 10:53 pm Posts: 20537 Location: The City Of Trees
Is Abbott really the Lib leader now? I've heard too many Aussies say they'd pull an Alec Baldwin if he were to win, so I guess your sentiment makes sense.,
Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2005 6:25 am Posts: 3216 Location: Aussie Expat in Ireland Gender: Male
I haven't lived at home for 9 years, and I took the missus and I off the electoral role when we left so we wouldn't have to vote. I did it for the same reason I can't answer your question: I'm not really up with the issues.
My understanding is:
Kevin Rudd was labour. He was the great white hope. He apologised to the aborigines for the English decimating them and enslaving their children to the missionaries. He signed the Kyoto Protocol. Then he fucked up. He gave every household 1000 dollars from the surplus to spend to stimulate the economy and it didn't work...he fucked up other ways too, presumably, so he was ousted by his own party. This woman is running the show now.
The other main party is the liberals (who are actually the conservative party), I think.
That is all I know and I've probably got it wrong. Spence'd be more knowledgable.
_________________ PJ: 1 in 1995, 2 in 1998, 20 in 2003, 13 in 2006, 3 in 2007, 8 in 2008, 5 in 2009, 4 in 2010, 5 in 2012. EV: 8 in 2011, 1 in 2012. Brad: 1 in 1998, 1 in 2002. Shawn Smith: 1 in 2008
Is Abbott really the Lib leader now? I've heard too many Aussies say they'd pull an Alec Baldwin if he were to win, so I guess your sentiment makes sense.,
Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2005 6:25 am Posts: 3216 Location: Aussie Expat in Ireland Gender: Male
From the advertiser.com.au:
AUSTRALIA will almost certainly have a hung parliament with independents holding the balance of power after one of the closest elections ever.
Says the race is too close to call.
_________________ PJ: 1 in 1995, 2 in 1998, 20 in 2003, 13 in 2006, 3 in 2007, 8 in 2008, 5 in 2009, 4 in 2010, 5 in 2012. EV: 8 in 2011, 1 in 2012. Brad: 1 in 1998, 1 in 2002. Shawn Smith: 1 in 2008
Joined: Fri May 19, 2006 11:00 pm Posts: 13226 Location: Adelaide, AUS
spenno wrote:
(For what it's worth, I vote ALP in the House of Reps and Greens in the Senate.)
Well, what a difference a few months can make. At this point, I can't see myself voting for either the ALP or the Greens (holy wtf Batman) again, either at a federal or state level.
Gulp, I think I'm a conservative. Or, at the very least, a conservative with certain progressive leanings - or a conservative-leaning centrist who can appreciate some desirable things from the left-wing side of the political spectrum? Oh hell, I'm not sure but I just don't think I see myself as "left-wing" or "progressive" anymore.
I'm curious to see how I'll feel about this a few years down the line - is this just a brief flirtation or the beginning of something lasting, y'know?
Joined: Fri May 19, 2006 11:00 pm Posts: 13226 Location: Adelaide, AUS
Green Habit wrote:
What caused the change of heart?
I'm trying to figure that out. This is early days, so my thoughts are still pretty half-formed.
I guess it's a contributing factor that I started law school this year and for the first time had a lot of exposure to articulate and intelligent conservatives on a face-to-face basis. It removed some of the stigma, I guess. Does that mean I'm just trying to fit in though, or is it just that in removing that stigma I've been able to acknowledge some latent conservatism in myself? Hmm.
In really broad terms, I guess I pretty much agree with all of this. It's from the Liberal website, the more conservative of our two major Australian political parties:
Quote:
We Believe...
* In the inalienable rights and freedoms of all peoples; and we work towards a lean government that minimises interference in our daily lives; and maximises individual and private sector initiative.
* In government that nurtures and encourages its citizens through incentive, rather than putting limits on people through the punishing disincentives of burdensome taxes and the stifling structures of Labor's corporate state and bureaucratic red tape.
* In those most basic freedoms of parliamentary democracy - the freedom of thought, worship, speech and association.
* In a just and humane society in which the importance of the family and the role of law and justice is maintained.
* In equal opportunity for all Australians; and the encouragement and facilitation of wealth so that all may enjoy the highest possible standards of living, health, education and social justice.
* That, wherever possible, government should not compete with an efficient private sector; and that businesses and individuals - not government - are the true creators of wealth and employment.
* In preserving Australia's natural beauty and the environment for future generations.
* That our nation has a constructive role to play in maintaining world peace and democracy through alliance with other free nations.
In short, we simply believe in individual freedom and free enterprise.
Generally speaking, that all sounds pretty good to me.
I mean, this seems pretty absurd on one level - it's not like I'm having any interesting or note-worthy revelations here. But it feels like a pretty huge change for me, so I feel like it's worth talking through. My friends who have an interest in politics range exclusively from vaguely to extremely left-wing, I don't know if I could really have this discussion outside of the internet without pissing somebody off.
Oh, and I guess it's worth noting that I don't think all that highly of Tony Abbott, the current Liberal leader. If he's still leader come next election, I'd probably be voting Liberal despite Abbott being leader.
Joined: Fri May 19, 2006 11:00 pm Posts: 13226 Location: Adelaide, AUS
I've been meaning to return to this thread to state that I'm pretty embarrassed by my posts above. This is a bit of an ongoing process for me but I think I'm much more comfortable in the classical liberal/Libertarian basket than any kind of traditional conservatism. I think at the time (noted, this was only a few months ago) I was still in the headspace of political leanings being divided only on a left/right basis and since I felt like I couldn't honestly identify as being left anymore, by default I was on the right.
Since realising I don't identify with the left nor the right, I'm more depressed than ever by Australian politics since there's really no party I can feel any kind of confidence in voting for. Perhaps at a local or state level but certainly not federally; the ALP are fundamentally tied to the union movement and are both socially conservative and in favour of big government, while the Liberals are even more socially conservative and occasionally talk the talk about small government but rarely put that into practice.
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 10:53 pm Posts: 20537 Location: The City Of Trees
spenno wrote:
I've been meaning to return to this thread to state that I'm pretty embarrassed by my posts above. This is a bit of an ongoing process for me but I think I'm much more comfortable in the classical liberal/Libertarian basket than any kind of traditional conservatism. I think at the time (noted, this was only a few months ago) I was still in the headspace of political leanings being divided only on a left/right basis and since I felt like I couldn't honestly identify as being left anymore, by default I was on the right.
Since realising I don't identify with the left nor the right, I'm more depressed than ever by Australian politics since there's really no party I can feel any kind of confidence in voting for. Perhaps at a local or state level but certainly not federally; the ALP are fundamentally tied to the union movement and are both socially conservative and in favour of big government, while the Liberals are even more socially conservative and occasionally talk the talk about small government but rarely put that into practice.
Australia and the US really do have a lot in common....
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