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An interesting Australian election

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  • An interesting Australian election

    In Australia's election on saturday, the 3-term right-wing Coalition party government was ousted, and a new left-wing Labour party government elected.

    But what was interesting was the record number of people who voted for 3rd parties and independents: An estimated 1 in 3. The Green party got a record number of votes and seats. And a squad of 'independent' female candidates running on a mix of environmentalism and right-wing economics ("Teals") won multiple seats.

    Australia's ranked-choice voting system allows people to vote for a 3rd party who is likely to lose, safe in the knowledge that their vote will still 'count', as they can also include a preference between the major candidates. A big advantage of this system is to ensure two main parties strive to keep their voters happy rather than just trying to be the 2nd-worst party, as their base does have other options and aren't simply locked into voting for the 2nd-worst of the two bad options. Failure to actually be a good party in the eyes of voters, will have them ranking independents and 3rd parties higher than their main party preference in their vote, as happened in record numbers this election.

    When voters were surveyed about their #1 issue, a plurality said Climate Change. That is reflected in the record number of votes for the Green and Teal candidates. Australia recently had extremely severe bushfires, as well as severe flooding. And the conservative government's minimalistic actions on the Climate Change topic were not looked on favorably. It seems fairly likely that as a result of this election the incoming Australian government will be inspired to make significant commitments addressing climate change.

    A blood-red sky in Australia in 2020 as the bushfires raged...

    https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.cnn.com%2Fcnnnext%2Fdam%2Fassets%2F200104195017-01-australia-fires-red-sky-0104.jpg
    We had some days during that time where the wind was blowing such that our sky in New Zealand, 1500 miles away, turned red.
    "I hate him passionately", he's "a demonic force" - Tucker Carlson, in private, on Donald Trump
    "Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic socialism" - George Orwell
    "[Capitalism] as it exists today is, in my opinion, the real source of evils. I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy" - Albert Einstein

  • #2
    Originally posted by Starlight View Post
    In Australia's election on saturday, the 3-term right-wing Coalition party government was ousted, and a new left-wing Labour party government elected.

    But what was interesting was the record number of people who voted for 3rd parties and independents: An estimated 1 in 3. The Green party got a record number of votes and seats. And a squad of 'independent' female candidates running on a mix of environmentalism and right-wing economics ("Teals") won multiple seats.
    Distrust (27.74% in the polling) is a major factor. My own choices were tempered by the worry that both parties might keep their promises.
    Disgust also that this election was far and away the most vicious in terms of personal attacks on opponents that I can remember. There was almost no focus on policies, and the few policies that were promoted did not bode well for the coming parliamentary term.

    When voters were surveyed about their #1 issue, a plurality said Climate Change. That is reflected in the record number of votes for the Green and Teal candidates. Australia recently had extremely severe bushfires, as well as severe flooding. And the conservative government's minimalistic actions on the Climate Change topic were not looked on favorably. It seems fairly likely that as a result of this election the incoming Australian government will be inspired to make significant commitments addressing climate change.
    Flabbergasted.


    1Cor 15:34 Come to your senses as you ought and stop sinning; for I say to your shame, there are some who know not God.
    .
    ⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛
    Scripture before Tradition:
    but that won't prevent others from
    taking it upon themselves to deprive you
    of the right to call yourself Christian.

    ⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by tabibito View Post
      Disgust also that this election was far and away the most vicious in terms of personal attacks on opponents that I can remember.
      Amusingly that was reflected in the leaders of both major parties having a negative approval rating. Only other time I recall seeing something like that was Trump vs Hillary.

      There was almost no focus on policies
      The commentary I heard on Australian TV as I was watching the election was that Labour felt they had suffered last election from having too many policies, which allowed individual voters to find fault with them on something and therefore not vote for them. So their plan this election was apparently to go for no policies and be a blank slate to allow voters to project their own preferred policies onto them.

      It reminds me of Trump's campaign in 2016 where he would endorse both sides of every issue in his rambling speeches, which allowed voters to decide that what he really meant was the statement of his they agreed with, and that the statement of his saying the opposite was just a cunning plan to trick people who didn't agree with them into voting for him.

      It's something that can only really work once, because once you've been in office for a term, people know what your policies are from what you do.
      "I hate him passionately", he's "a demonic force" - Tucker Carlson, in private, on Donald Trump
      "Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic socialism" - George Orwell
      "[Capitalism] as it exists today is, in my opinion, the real source of evils. I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy" - Albert Einstein

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by tabibito View Post

        Distrust (27.74% in the polling) is a major factor. My own choices were tempered by the worry that both parties might keep their promises.
        Disgust also that this election was far and away the most vicious in terms of personal attacks on opponents that I can remember. There was almost no focus on policies, and the few policies that were promoted did not bode well for the coming parliamentary term.
        Maybe they resorted to personal attacks to avoid talking about onerous policy proposals.

        I'm always still in trouble again

        "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
        "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
        "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by Starlight View Post
          Amusingly that was reflected in the leaders of both major parties having a negative approval rating. Only other time I recall seeing something like that was Trump vs Hillary.

          The commentary I heard on Australian TV as I was watching the election was that Labour felt they had suffered last election from having too many policies, which allowed individual voters to find fault with them on something and therefore not vote for them. So their plan this election was apparently to go for no policies and be a blank slate to allow voters to project their own preferred policies onto them.

          It reminds me of Trump's campaign in 2016 where he would endorse both sides of every issue in his rambling speeches, which allowed voters to decide that what he really meant was the statement of his they agreed with, and that the statement of his saying the opposite was just a cunning plan to trick people who didn't agree with them into voting for him.

          It's something that can only really work once, because once you've been in office for a term, people know what your policies are from what you do.
          A better comparison was Obama's "Change you can believe in" while never discussing what sort of change he had in mind and allowed people to project their own ideas onto it.

          Trump actually had a laundry list of things he wanted to do and campaigned on them.

          I'm always still in trouble again

          "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
          "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
          "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by rogue06 View Post
            Maybe they resorted to personal attacks to avoid talking about onerous policy proposals.
            Yeah. A lacklustre election usually means that neither party really wants to take the reins. Much easier to sit back and blame the other side for all the tough decisions that need to be made.
            1Cor 15:34 Come to your senses as you ought and stop sinning; for I say to your shame, there are some who know not God.
            .
            ⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛
            Scripture before Tradition:
            but that won't prevent others from
            taking it upon themselves to deprive you
            of the right to call yourself Christian.

            ⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by tabibito View Post

              Yeah. A lacklustre election usually means that neither party really wants to take the reins. Much easier to sit back and blame the other side for all the tough decisions that need to be made.
              For several decades it seems that was what most conservatives here were content with -- playing the roll of what used to be called the loyal opposition. They never made any serious attempts to become the majority in Congress and instead were content with acting as a brake on the left's policies.

              I'm always still in trouble again

              "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
              "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
              "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by rogue06 View Post
                A better comparison was Obama's "Change you can believe in" while never discussing what sort of change he had in mind and allowed people to project their own ideas onto it.

                Trump actually had a laundry list of things he wanted to do and campaigned on them.
                A common lament among Democrats was that Trump was the first president in decades to actually keep his campaign promises.
                Some may call me foolish, and some may call me odd
                But I'd rather be a fool in the eyes of man
                Than a fool in the eyes of God


                From "Fools Gold" by Petra

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by Mountain Man View Post

                  A common lament among Democrats was that Trump was the first president in decades to actually keep his campaign promises.
                  That was said about George W as well.

                  But that was in contrast to Bill Clinton, who as George Stepanopolous famously said, has "kept all the promises he intended to keep."

                  The MSM literally did not how to respond to Bush when he first took office. They kept asking "but what does he mean when he says..." not being used to someone saying pretty much exactly what they meant after four years of President "It-depends-on-what-the-meaning-of-the-word-'is'-is"

                  I'm always still in trouble again

                  "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
                  "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
                  "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Starlight View Post
                    The commentary I heard on Australian TV as I was watching the election was that Labour felt they had suffered last election from having too many policies, which allowed individual voters to find fault with them on something and therefore not vote for them. So their plan this election was apparently to go for no policies and be a blank slate to allow voters to project their own preferred policies onto them.
                    So long ago and still so funny ...

                    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxBtGuu9BVE

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Alien View Post

                      So long ago and still so funny ...

                      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxBtGuu9BVE
                      Did you ever see him in the movie Being There? An absolutely brilliant political satire.

                      I'm always still in trouble again

                      "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
                      "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
                      "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        I have some non-TWeb friends in Oz and they both said that they voted for 3rd party because of the lockdowns in the last 2 years. That may have also been a factor for many people
                        That's what
                        - She

                        Without a clear-cut definition of sin, morality becomes a mere argument over the best way to train animals
                        - Manya the Holy Szin (The Quintara Marathon)

                        I may not be as old as dirt, but me and dirt are starting to have an awful lot in common
                        - Stephen R. Donaldson

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by rogue06 View Post
                          Did you ever see him in the movie Being There? An absolutely brilliant political satire.
                          Yes. "There will be growth in the Spring".

                          Brilliant indeed.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Mountain Man View Post
                            A common lament among Democrats was that Trump was the first president in decades to actually keep his campaign promises.
                            Your hallucinations are incredible.
                            "I hate him passionately", he's "a demonic force" - Tucker Carlson, in private, on Donald Trump
                            "Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic socialism" - George Orwell
                            "[Capitalism] as it exists today is, in my opinion, the real source of evils. I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy" - Albert Einstein

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by tabibito View Post
                              A lacklustre election usually means that neither party really wants to take the reins. Much easier to sit back and blame the other side for all the tough decisions that need to be made.
                              I think you underestimate the typical desire for power among politicians. I would be absolutely shocked if there has ever been an election anywhere in which "neither party really wants to take the reins".
                              "I hate him passionately", he's "a demonic force" - Tucker Carlson, in private, on Donald Trump
                              "Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic socialism" - George Orwell
                              "[Capitalism] as it exists today is, in my opinion, the real source of evils. I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy" - Albert Einstein

                              Comment

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