Australia General Discussion 2.0

[GoTfan]

Did anyone see Fraser Anning's speech?

As a rule, you should never say Final Solution when talking about immigration.

Or praise the White Australia policy.

[GoTfan]

Did anyone see Fraser Anning's speech?

As a rule, you should never say Final Solution when talking about immigration.

Or praise the White Australia policy.

Quite

I used to think Katter was alright, especially on economics. If he wants to tie himself to this lunatic . . .

[GoTfan]

Did anyone see Fraser Anning's speech?

As a rule, you should never say Final Solution when talking about immigration.

Or praise the White Australia policy.

Quite

I used to think Katter was alright, especially on economics. If he wants to tie himself to this lunatic . . .

Katter is one weird man.
I've always found that with Katter and especially Jacqui Lambie that they're absolute lunatics but now and again they say something I completely agree with.

I call it the Paul Five Minute Rule, after Ron and Rand Paul: The Five Minute Rule states that any member of the Paul family will make sense on any political issue for exactly five minutes. Precisely at the 5:00:01 mark, however, he will say something so far off the rails that you will find yourself looking at him as though he has sprouted a reptilian head out of his sternum.

[GoTfan]

Catherine McGregor in the SMH (link)
"Abbott is a vulnerable, passionate human being."

[GoTfan]

Confirmed: Liberal Party leadership declared vacant; Dutton to challenge.

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/peter-dutton-to-challenge-turnbull-in-liberal-leadership-spill

[GoTfan]

Confirmed: Liberal Party leadership declared vacant; Dutton to challenge.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2018/aug/21/liberal-leadership-dutton-turnbull-energy?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Copy_to_clipboard

Word is Abbott might be Dutton's deputy.

Hey, they wanna go and lose the next election, I don't have a problem with it.

[GoTfan]

Well that was quick.

Turnbull wins 48-35. Is it fair to say that Turnbull's going to refer him to the High Court?

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-21/politics-live-malcolm-turnbull-in-partyroom-meeting/10146280

[GoTfan]

It's a bit like watching a house burn down, only you don't care about the things you left inside.

[GoTfan]

I have live footage from the Labor party room:

[GoTfan]

http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/7708-morgan-poll-turnbull-shorten-dutton-august-22-2018-201808220930?platform=hootsuite

This is why I think this is a bad move from the Libs. Turnbull's personal appeal is weaker than it once was, but it certainly outstrips Shorten's. I doubt Dutton will get much of a boost, especially in the sordid manner he is assuming power.

Personal favourability didn't work for Turnbull in 2016.

[GoTfan]

http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/7708-morgan-poll-turnbull-shorten-dutton-august-22-2018-201808220930?platform=hootsuite

This is why I think this is a bad move from the Libs. Turnbull's personal appeal is weaker than it once was, but it certainly outstrips Shorten's. I doubt Dutton will get much of a boost, especially in the sordid manner he is assuming power.

Personal favourability didn't work for Turnbull in 2016.

Yes, but it certainly didn't hurt that people actually liked the PM. If Abbott was leading the LNP, we would be talking about Tanya Plibersek's threatened spill against PRime Minister Shorten right now.

You sure about that?

I'm a Labor Party member. Part of the Left faction, which Plibersek is from, and I have friends from the Right, which Shorten is from. He's generally pretty well-liked by both factions.

[GoTfan]

Ipsos (link to the smh article) has released an absolutely garbage poll (not unusually) for the Fairfax papers. The TPP is only 53-47 to Labor, and the primaries are far worse. The Liberals on a reasonable 34% but Labor all the way down to 31% (vs 42% last newspoll). The Greens meanwhile have somehow found their way to a 15% primary vote, despite not passing 10% in the Newspoll since August 2017.
Pollbludger sums it up best: "Ipsos’ primary vote numbers are still idiosyncratic, with an already over-inflated Greens gaining two points to 15%, while Labor slumps four to 31% and the Coalition gains one to 34%."

 . . . They have Labor behind on primaries?

[GoTfan]

What the hell happened in the Liberal Party yesterday?

[GoTfan]

And on a 22% swing we have lost the Wentworth by-election to Independent Kerryn Phelps, and with it our majority in the House of Representatives.

Does that mean a new election is imminent? Looking at Wikipedia there seems to be one National MP who is sitting with the opposition for some bizarre reason (I guess he could go back to the government bench). Alternatively I guess at least one of the independents can defend the government? Or Katter/Centre Alliance?

The only way an election happens is if the government loses a no confidence motion and fails to form a government in the time given. For them to lose a no-confidence motion, that would require all the crossbenchers to vote with Labor. That's not going to happen. There is a world of difference between a Katter and a McGowan and people like Bandt and Wilkie.

[GoTfan]

https://www.perthnow.com.au/politics/federal-politics/mark-latham-to-join-pauline-hansons-one-nation-party-ng-b881014130z

Mark Latham, former leader of the Labor Party to join One Nation.

That is the political equivalent of Hillary Clinton teaming up with Alex Jones.

Speaking as a Labor member, people like Mark Latham and Anna Bligh have effectively been Trotskyfied.  That is to say, airbrushed out of existence. They're rarely spoken of, and when they are, It's only to label them as sell-outs.

[GoTfan]

I think it's too hard for voters to figure out secondary options.

The preferences are mostly in the domain of the political parties.

Knowing a lot of people dont look at them in detail when they vote.

But getting something changed within the Australian government is a generational thing.

All that really matters with preferences is whether you put Labor or the Liberals ahead of the other.
Other than that, all the other numbers don't really matter. All that matters is which of the 2 main candidates you put first, be they Liberal, Labor, National, Greens or an Independent.

Preferencing works because it means people can vote for who they want first, then go down the list.


In other news, Labor has won an absolute landslide in Victoria.

[GoTfan]

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climate-change-australia-protests/australian-kids-walk-out-of-school-to-protest-climate-inaction-idUSKCN1NZ0FN

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Not good for PM Morrison’s re-election campaign when these kids actually turn up to vote.

Well voting's compulsory; you face a fine if you don't vote.

[GoTfan]

Today is a very significant day in Australian politics. in a vote of 75-74, the government side has been defeated in a vote for a bill for the first time in modern history. The last time this happened was 90 years ago

https://twitter.com/politicsabc/status/1095219170549985280

ABC corrected that to 78.

Still, That's a long bloody time.

[GoTfan]

We cant assault our politicians in public. Someone else will hit him now.

In other news, Milo had been rebanned from entering Australia following his commentary on the NZ shootings.

https://amp.abc.net.au/article/10908854

 . . . It was a f***ing egg.

[GoTfan]

We cant assault our politicians in public. Someone else will hit him now.

In other news, Milo had been rebanned from entering Australia following his commentary on the NZ shootings.

 . . . It was a f***ing egg.

He didn’t throw an egg, his hand hit the guy’s head. As awful a human being that guy is, that was assault and you just can’t do that.

Did you forget the part when Anning PUNCHED him

Correction: PUNCHED a MINOR

Not sure what that has to do with what the kid did.

And the fact that he was nearly killed by 4-6 nazis?

[GoTfan]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-03-18/fraser-anning-egging-teenager-hero-or-was-it-political-violence/10911278

This article gets at exactly what I'm saying. Of course the retaliation was worse and that senator is an awful human being to begin with. This kid did what many of us would dream of doing. But actually endorsing a "mild" act of violence against a politician you disagree with is setting a very dangerous precedent.

Just wait until your favorite 2020 candidate gets sucker punched in the back of the head while on the campaign trail. The nutjob who does that will point to this kid and say "well that kid did it and everyone praised him." Its beginning down a road you really shouldn't want to go down.

If Bernie had the same thing happen to him I'd probably have a good laugh.