2010 Federal Election

[Wysiwyg]

The huge back-flip that Rudd has done on Climate Change is just mind-blowing. How many Australian delegates went to Copenhagen and how much money did that cost? Now it's all dead and buried like it never happened.

Yes indeed. We are still slowly but surely poisoning the planet.

 

[zzaaxxss3401]

Re: 2010 Elections

I vote informal sometimes, just put a 1 or x in all the boxes...sometimes its the only thing i feel comfortable doing.

I hope you don't complain at the next election, that you're sick of the "current Government" (whoever it is). If you don't vote (or vote incorrectly), you've got no one to blame but yourself.

We're lucky here where voting is compulsory. If we didn't have to vote, would we bother. Obviously you wouldn't. If only 50% of the country voted. And 50% voted for the winning party, then they have actually won with only 25% of the vote - hardly a majority (of the 100% potential voters).

Rudd appears to have wasted his 3+ years, whilst Abbott just seems to have very weird ideas about what's best for Australia. If Costello was leading the Libs, I'm pretty sure he'd get my vote... but Abbott... ummm definitely NOT!

 

[Sdajii]

Re: 2010 Elections

I hope you don't complain at the next election, that you're sick of the "current Government" (whoever it is). If you don't vote (or vote incorrectly), you've got no one to blame but yourself.

I'm not sure I agree with that. It really does look like we are stuck with no good options. We're damned which ever one we take. It's quite horrible.

I'm actually a fan on non compulsory voting. Most people are uninformed, and shouldn't be voting. The ones who would choose to vote are the ones who care enough to read into it and inform themselves.

We all know most people are stupid, and if you force everyone to vote, you run the country based on a stupid decision. The propaganda used to convince people to vote for each party is just empty emotional fluff. That's what we're basing the way we're run on. I'd rather see a few informed people who care make the decision rather than a mass of naive morons.

For the record, I don't vote, because I don't consider myself adequately informed to do so (though I have no doubt I'm better informed than most voters).

 

[So_Cynical]

Re: 2010 Elections

I hope you don't complain at the next election, that you're sick of the "current Government" (whoever it is). If you don't vote (or vote incorrectly), you've got no one to blame but yourself.

We're lucky here where voting is compulsory. If we didn't have to vote, would we bother. Obviously you wouldn't.

Dude your clearly missing my point...i vote because i have to and i take that seriously...seriously enough that sometimes i decide that with the 2 party preferred voting system we have, both candidates don't deserve my vote.

And if the current leadership prevails at the next election that's exactly what ill be doing...and because its a deliberate act i will certainly not be complaining about the outcome other than complaining about how i hate 2 party preferred voting.

 

[Knobby22]

Don't vote then. Makes my vote worth more

 

[nioka]

Re: 2010 Elections

We all know most people are stupid,

What a stupid statement.

Are you stupid to make such a statement?

How do YOU define stupid?

I suggest most people are NOT stupid.

Then again we are all guilty of some stupidity at times. (After all I am replying to your stupid post.)

 

[Julia]

We're lucky here where voting is compulsory. If we didn't have to vote, would we bother. Obviously you wouldn't.

That's not true at all. I spent most of my life in NZ where voting is not compulsory. The usual participation rate was around 80%. Far more meaningful, imo, to have 80% of the population voting because they care enough to want to do so, than to force people who know nothing and care less to mark something on the ballot paper.

There's a good reason candidates are keen to be listed at the top of the ballot paper.

 

[Bolle]

Once again, very excellent point and well put, Julia. I would absolutely prefer a non-compulsory system. Far more democratic.

For what it's worth, I would have liked to see "Greens" as an option on this poll. I think i may vote green, simply based on the fact that they are opposed to the internet filter.

Whatever else happens, I feel compelled to vote against internet filtering.

(Having said that, I also think Kevin Rudd is a complete waste of oxygen, and cannot wait for him to be moved on.) Tony Abbott, I don't feel particularly strongly in favour of.

I sort of wish the leadership battle was between Joe Hockey and Julia Gillard. That would be much more interesting.

A more worthy contest, if you will.

 

[YELNATS]

Re: 2010 Elections

For the record, I don't vote, because I don't consider myself adequately informed to do so (though I have no doubt I'm better informed than most voters).

What do you mean?

Do you mean you don't register a valid vote (ie. you "vote informal"), even though you present yourself at a polling booth and have your name so recorded as having voted?

Or do you mean you are not even on the electoral role, legally or otherwise?

From the AEC website:
Quote
Who is eligible to enrol?
Any person who:
is 18* years of age or over, and
is an Australian citizen**, or
was a British subject on a Commonwealth electoral roll as at 25 January 1984
Note: A person who is serving a sentence of imprisonment of three years or longer is not entitled to enrol or vote in federal elections.
Unquote

Non-voting is illegal for eligible persons.

 

[Julia]

For what it's worth, I would have liked to see "Greens" as an option on this poll. I think i may vote green, simply based on the fact that they are opposed to the internet filter.

Whatever else happens, I feel compelled to vote against internet filtering.

I feel similarly. The Greens are also prepared to hold a genuine debate about voluntary euthanasia, about which I feel even more strongly than about the internet filtering. They are socially progressive in a way neither of the two god bothering parties are.

But then I'd fear that the Greens would sacrifice the economy for everything ultragreen, impose massive taxes on e.g. coal fired electricity which would mean we'd have an underclass of Australians too poor to heat/cool their homes, cook proper meals etc.
They are so fanatical about the environment that they lose objectivity about what can reasonably be imposed on the population.

Bob Brown at least doesn't yell and rant. I'm more than a bit tired of the overblown, high volume nonsensical rhetoric spewing from the two leaders.

 

[Logique]

Libs nearly 65% on your poll! The Rudd govt is a goner if this is reflected in the wider electorate.

 

[Whiskers]

Rudd putting in a much more amiable performance on the 7.30 Report tonight.

Looks very neatly dressed too, maybe bright new shirt, tie and suite... or maybe it's just my better TV reception tonight.

O'Brien threw in a stinger or was that a stinker at the last... will you resign and hand over the reigns to Gillard.

 

[Julia]

Rudd putting in a much more amiable performance on the 7.30 Report tonight.

Looks very neatly dressed too, maybe bright new shirt, tie and suite... or maybe it's just my better TV reception tonight.

O'Brien threw in a stinger or was that a stinker at the last... will you resign and hand over the reigns to Gillard.

Amiable? He was at the start patronising, with that amused expression which says "I realise I have to front up here, so I'll do my best to look as though I'm not in the least bothered about anything - all a bit of a joke, really".

Which he then proceeded to confirm by saying his line at the ball last night apparently addressed to miners:
"Mate, I've got a very long memory"
was just a throw-away line meant in jolly good humour.

What is it with this man that he thinks anyone will actually believe that, given the bitterness of the current fight?
No one considering such a remark would remotely interpret it as anything other than a threat.

How many facades have we seen from Mr Rudd? A few months ago the abject contrition and repetitive mea culpas all over the media, and now the "I'm going to just ride roughshod over all my mess and hope my sheer brashness will convince the electorate".

But never once have I seen what resembles a real person.

 

[noco]

Rudd putting in a much more amiable performance on the 7.30 Report tonight.

Looks very neatly dressed too, maybe bright new shirt, tie and suite... or maybe it's just my better TV reception tonight.

O'Brien threw in a stinger or was that a stinker at the last... will you resign and hand over the reigns to Gillard.

You know something Whiskers, I thought he was his usual self, BLAH,BLAH,BLAH.
The lies he told on the 7.30 report about his "I've got a long memory" being a throw away line was a typical cover up for his big mouth.
The further lies he told about all decisions not being made by the gang of four.
Poor old "Midnight Oil" had to find out about the dumping of the ETS in the paper. I'd like to see Peter Garrett (a cabinet minister) blow the whistle on Rudd over the Home Insulation program, having told Rudd on several occassions about existing problems months before it was ceased.
It's a wonder Garrett has not jumped ship to the Greens!!!!!!!!
If the polls for Labor get any worse, Rudd won't resign, the Party will kick him out, then we'll have Gillard who is even worse. She couldn't organise a p@#s up in a brewery.

 

[zzaaxxss3401]

Re: 2010 Elections

I'm not sure I agree with that. It really does look like we are stuck with no good options. We're damned which ever one we take. It's quite horrible.

That's what you should be telling your local MP. Get them to release some policies NOW, instead of waiting for the race to actually start. I've contacted several current and "shadow" MPs - unfortunately, I've either received a standard response, or none at all. But if everyone did it, perhaps they'd realise that there are a lot of undecided voters out there - because of our options.

Hmmm... New Zealand is looking good right about now - Skiing, space (all the Kiwis are over here looking for jobs), no import duty on luxury cars, stable government (they kicked the last one out because they were sick of him... I mean her).

 

[noco]

Re: 2010 Elections

That's what you should be telling your local MP. Get them to release some policies NOW, instead of waiting for the race to actually start. I've contacted several current and "shadow" MPs - unfortunately, I've either received a standard response, or none at all. But if everyone did it, perhaps they'd realise that there are a lot of undecided voters out there - because of our options.

Hmmm... New Zealand is looking good right about now - Skiing, space (all the Kiwis are over here looking for jobs), no import duty on luxury cars, stable government (they kicked the last one out because they were sick of him... I mean her).

Sorry to disagree with you on Coalition policy release old mate.
If Abbott releases any policy too soon, you can betcha boots Rudd will copy and present it in a different format.
As I commented some time back, when you are in battle, don't shoot 'till you see the whites of their eyes.

 

[Julia]

Hmmm... New Zealand is looking good right about now - Skiing, space (all the Kiwis are over here looking for jobs), no import duty on luxury cars, stable government (they kicked the last one out because they were sick of him... I mean her).

No capital gains tax and non-means tested national superannuation.
Recently judged - along with Finland and Denmark - as the world's least corrupt country.
I'd be back there in a millisecond if the weather improved.

 

[Logique]

The smirk..it was just a joke...mea culpa...we''ll do it better next time thing - might have worked for QLD ex-premier Peter Beattie, but it looks very forced on Kevin Rudd.

Rudd is now officially in trouble, because Kerry O'Brien and the 7:30 Report have turned on him. There was no soft-soaping, no circling of the wagons last night, Kerry went straight for the jugular.

The ABC's agenda was confirmed when the Clarke and Dore comedy skit then took up the attack, followed by the ABC announcing the repeat next week of the Australian Story program about Julia Gillard.

 

[Calliope]

Now we know The decision who to vote for on the 21st August is now easy. Gillard stands for everthing that is good for hard working Australians going forward.

Abbott stands for everything that is bad for hard working Australians going backward.

 

[J&M]

Now we know The decision who to vote for on the 21st August is now easy. Gillard stands for everthing that is good for hard working Australians going forward.

Abbott stands for everything that is bad for hard working Australians going backward.

Going forward to where ?????
They cant organise FA
Look at the mining tax
The insulation debacle where 4 died
The asylum seekers where Timor wont agree
Not to mention the schools where excess money was spent
all at a cost to US the tax payers
James