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Post by questa on Oct 21, 2018 10:00:25 GMT
Jackals and hyenas fight fair. These sods don't. About 5 days before the vote "someone" letter-boxed every home in the electorate saying that Phelps had 'caught' HIV and would not last out her term. Naturally not true. The Libs ran a full page in newspapers showing the voting slip marked to cast a Lib vote. OK they have the money. What was nasty was they had removed her name and check box from their version of the slip.
The most cynical move...Wentworth has the highest Jewish population in Sydney...12.5% . Aware that the polls were against his party, our PM started talking about moving the Oz embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, just to entice the Jewish community to vote Lib. Now, of course, it will be dropped.
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Post by questa on Apr 30, 2019 1:16:38 GMT
Amid the machinations (I love that word) of the Northern Hemisphere politics we are having a bit of electoral rough and tumble down here. We go to the polls in 2 weeks with both Labor and Liberal/ Nationals running neck and neck. It is a case of whoever is the lesser of 2 evils will form Government.
As you know, we have a voting system whereby the voter numbers their choices from 1 to the end of the boxes. Many candidates get elected on the second choices being added to the first when there is a close call.
Enter Clive Palmer, filthy rich (I mean filthy. google his history) and has his own Party, United Australia Party. He has spent 30 million dollars standing a candidate in EVERY electorate in the nation, spent squillions on advertising including double page ads showing who are his goons (sorry, candidates) in every State. His policies follow the red-neck right and the UAP is mainly a collection of people who can't see anything wrong with him (like USA Right and Trump.) Pauline Hanson is linked to this group, along with her followers.
He is currently doing a deal with the Liberal (Conservative) party to place their second preferences to UAP and he will give UAP preferences to Libs. There are many independent candidates standing this election who would be wiped out by this move. We rely on them to form coalitions to prevent immoderate laws being passed.
The picture changes daily. Two inept leaders, a crook and a crock kicking up the dust and in between the ordinary people trying to get on with their lives.
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Post by kerouac2 on Apr 30, 2019 3:45:40 GMT
Zillionaire candidates at least pour money into the economy. Such a shame that it is not part of the useful economy, though.
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Post by questa on May 5, 2019 8:29:47 GMT
How far back should the sins and stupidity of youth count against a candidate at election time? These Federal elections have attracted many younger people to stand for office and everyone was thinking it was a Good Thing.
Unfortunately these candidates are also the same kids who grew up with Facebook and video cameras and a tendency to make bad choices about what they said and did 10-12 years ago.
Apart from a candidate being dumped a week ago for sleazy behaviour at a nasty US strip club recently, the other 2 that have "resigned" this weekend are a young woman who was found to have had a rant about Muslims which was caught on camera years ago, and a 29 year old man who was recorded telling dirty jokes and being disgusting...in 2002.
19 candidates were ruled out for not stating parents' birth countries, there were a couple of undischarged bankrupts and one with police charges pending.
Why not have a Statute of Limitations for these media situations. We all make mistakes or fools of ourselves at times...it should not deprive our country of good candidates who have learned from their old mistakes.
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Post by kerouac2 on May 6, 2019 6:02:58 GMT
It's the same all over. The media just love all that kind of shit here, too, and they are always "exposing" something dumb that somebody did twenty years ago. It is wrong to dig up old stuff in any case, but what I find even more infuriating in political camps is that things that behaviour of people on your side who erred long ago is completely forgiven while things about people on the opposing side proves that they are sleazebags, racists, homophobes or whatever because they engaged in PUI when they were 19 years old or ran a red light one day.
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Post by questa on May 17, 2019 1:23:56 GMT
Former Prime minister of Australia, Bob Hawke, died on Thursday 16th May. He was a true statesman and a bloody good bloke. There will be many obits for you to google to get a picture of him. Suffice it to say the news reader on TV was teary and choked up as she read the news, and the senior journalist was also emotional.
Goodbye Bob, thanks for the life you brought to our country
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Post by kerouac2 on May 17, 2019 3:51:42 GMT
Oh wow, I had not seen the news yet. Will this have any effect on election day? (I guess that's a silly question.)
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Post by questa on May 17, 2019 6:45:00 GMT
Will this have any effect on election day? (I guess that's a silly question.) I was pondering that myself.I don't see it doing anything positive for the Liberal cause which may lose a few votes as older Australians remember the Glory Days. The Labor side can increase its support if it links itself to Bob and his achievements or plays on the nostalgia for the era. As for the Greens, independents and loonies, I think they may lose some of their votes. Older voters recall Bob's excellent negotiating skills and may decide to stick with what they know. |
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Post by questa on May 17, 2019 7:33:32 GMT
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Post by mickthecactus on May 17, 2019 8:44:59 GMT
This lack of quality politicians is world wide.
They are forcing Theresa May ( who is hopeless) out but the alternatives are equally dreadful.
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Post by kerouac2 on May 18, 2019 19:35:51 GMT
Oh well, better luck next time for Australia.  |
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Post by questa on May 19, 2019 13:49:03 GMT
One can only hope! Conservative Scott Morrison (aka Scomo) is an evangelical, and his church had a prayer day where the crowds of that faith prayed for him to win the election. It must have worked because after being well below Labor in every poll since 2016, his Liberal Party has squeaked in at the last moment. He calls it 'a miracle'but as his party is hell-bent on destroying the environment that is rather ironic.
There are 4 million pre-polling votes to be counted so I hope a couple more seats come to Labor.
One good thing the voters achieved was to get rid of the "Mad Monk" (Abbott)
Over 85% of people indicated that climate and environment was the biggest problem, yet the votes went to the party some of whom think that climate change is "CRAP" and the leader took a lump of coal into the House to show it was"safe". Now the blessing will be given to mine coal and destroy a large part of the Great Barrier Reef.
I haven't read or watched much about this election...there are plenty of journos to give comments.
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