"I for one welcome our insect overlords" - The Politics Thread

[true believer]

Labor copped the gfc . without that pressure rudd would have found his sweat spot .
One of the first things labor will do is a federal icac .
News limited will take centre stage there

Chris uhlman hits the nail on the head

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/fed...against-pm-chris-uhlmann-20180823-p4zz7f.html

 

[pjennings]

Have you forgot Rudd Gilard Rudd and penny already. Libs just copying them 10yrs later

And they just copied Billy McMahon knifing John Gorton.

But honestly Australian politics is now approaching the level of farce being seen in USA politics.

 

[MagpieMariner]

No, RGR was just a copy of the dumping of Menzies in 1941, McMahon/Gorton in 1971, Peacock/Howard/Peacock/Hewson/Downer/Howard during the Hawke/Keating years (with Keating showing the Libs how to do it properly) and Nelson/Turnbull/Abbott while RGR was happening.
So really the Libs have knifed their leaders for longer and more often than Labor. You'd have to say that Rudd/Gillard/Rudd was a copy of the Liberal shenanigans over the decades before.

 

[Capn Gus Bloodbeard]

Have you forgot Rudd Gilard Rudd and penny already. Libs just copying them 10yrs later

That was nothing like this. Didn't stop them governing. They had a spill and got on with the job. Even before this clusterf**k the LNP was more fractured and unstable than the alp were during their spills

 

[MagpieMariner]

Since 2007, Labor has had 3 leaders, the last of which has been in the job for 5 years. In the same period, the Libs have had 5, with no evidence that they've stopped there.
They have form in that area in the past too, as I noted above during the Hawke/Keating years they had 6, or 7 if you count Fraser.
In the past, parties kept the same leader(usually) until after they lost an election, then they were allowed to resign gracefully. These days it seems we are governed by Twitter & Facebook.

 

[Forum Phoenix]

These days it seems we are governed by Twitter & Facebook.

Great line. Couldn’t agree more. Populism now rules on all sides.

 

[Capn Gus Bloodbeard]

Well the coal lobby won in the end. It's horrifying to think that the LNP is going to move even further to the right

 

[MagpieMariner]

Not for long I don't think. They're giving every indication that a split is coming. I can see the hard right hiving off and joining Bernardi. Probably after they get slaughtered at the next election. Which election could be as early as October. If Turnbull goes before the next sitting they'll be vulnerable to a no-confidence motion. If Asbestos Julie goes as well and the Nat goes to the cross-bench as he said he would, a no-confidence motion will be the first item of business when the House resumes.

 

[VicMariner]

As a nation, as a world, we have to stop thinking in left/right political views.
We have to look at the hard evidence. The hard data.
The facts, and facing up to them will provide the best future.
Sticking by old political faction views in the face of evidence will lead no where.

Reject the far right and far left.....not every African immigrant is a gang member, not every white, male is a sexist, rascist homophobe.
Balance. That is where the successful future lies
.

That's just my opinion anyway.

 

[pjennings]

I can see the hard right hiving off and joining Bernardi. Probably after they get slaughtered at the next election.

As a nation, as a world, we have to stop thinking in left/right political views.
We have to look at the hard evidence. The hard data.
The facts, and facing up to them will provide the best future.
Sticking by old political faction views in the face of evidence will lead no where.

Reject the far right and far left.....not every African immigrant is a gang member, not every white, male is a sexist, rascist homophobe.
Balance. That is where the successful future lies.

That's just my opinion anyway.

The modern ALP is very much a centrist party. The traditional Liberal party is by definition (by their founder) slightly to the right of centre. These two parties represent the middle ground of Australia.

Unfortunately the modern Liberal Party have been gradually turned into what is fast becoming a party of the far right. John Howard loved to laud what he called the broad church of the Liberal party. All the while he systematically weeded out moderate liberals particularly in NSW, Vic and SA since the 80s. If you disagreed with the hardliners you were out. Steele Hall, Viner, Ian McPhee, Harry Edwards were just some of the talented moderate Ministers that found themselves on the outer. Other moderates such as Vanstone and Ruddock simply moved to the right to maintain their careers. In came people like David and Rod Kemp.

I think we are fast approaching the equivalent of the ALP/DLP split of the mid 50s in the Coalition. I can see the hardliners in the Coalition, people like Abbott, Abetz, Dutton, Andrews and a few Nationals moving to the Australian Conservatives and the Liberal Party moving back towards the centre.

If we could hive of the right wing nut jobs to Bernardi's party and the loony left to the Greens then the modern ALP and true Liberal party (not Australia's answer to the Tories) between them would essentially represent more than the 80% of Australia's that are essentially centrists. That is, they are not idealogues but rather just want what is best for Australia, not vested interests, whether they be big business or unions.

 

[MagpieMariner]

The ALP wasn't always a centrist party, but it has for most of it's existence been pragmatic. When it's needed to be centrist (Curtin during the war), it has been. It started to move permanently towards the centre under Whitlam and then got there under Hawke & Keating. Been there ever since. There are still lefties in the party, true, they don't stray too far to the left, they don't have the power that the hard right of the Libs has.

 

[pjennings]

Let's forget politics for a minute and pause to consider the plight of the Wallabies at Eden Park. Australia has had 8 prime minister since the Wallabies last won at Eden Park.

 

[Big Al]

Let's forget politics for a minute and pause to consider the plight of the Wallabies at Eden Park. Australia has had 8 prime minister since the Wallabies last won at Eden Park.

Well there a politicians with more heart and more likely to make a tackle

 

[MagpieMariner]

Let's forget politics for a minute and pause to consider the plight of the Wallabies at Eden Park. Australia has had 8 prime minister since the Wallabies last won at Eden Park.

We've had 8 PMs, but have we had any rugby players?

 

[midfielder]

I am going to keep this simple.

I am a swinging voter but have voted for the Libs for a while and four weeks ago believed I would never vote for Blinky Bill.

However I agree totally with the Chris Uhlman vid posted by TB above.

The Libs or say the right of the party has been scared by One Nation type parties and want to drag us to the right, with the help of the News especially.

The ALP has my vote and until the Libs return closer to the centre then at Federal level I will never vote for the Libs again and I predict many will follow me and a landslide to the ALP... and my next prediction is they will blame Turnbull & Bishop.

 

[FFC Mariner]

A party prepared to tolerate a man who walked out on an apology for stealing children from their parents.
A party prepared to elect a leader who voted against a banking royal commission 26 times
A party prepared to keep children in detention camps
I could go on but you get my point.

There are lists of names on war memorials honouring people who died to fight against people who think like the current Liberals

There are basic concepts of human decency that these fascists just don't get. I couldn't care less what sneaky Bill proposes to do, he isn't them

 

[Wombat]

Where are the democrats when you need them?

 

[MagpieMariner]

Where they belong...GOOOONNNNEEE.

 

[VicMariner]

I would never vote for Blinky Bill.

Labour would do better with Tanya Plibersek or Anthony Albanese as party leader and potential PM.

 

[pjennings]

Where are the democrats when you need them?

Meg Lees killed them off when she did the deal on the GST. People voted for Howard in the Reps because they wanted him as PM. However, over 60% of Australians voted for parties whose main platforms were anti-GST in the Semate.

Howard had the mandate to govern, but the Australian people wanted a handbrake on the GST. The Democrats changed their position after the election and many of the people that voted for them gave up on them. From there it was a long and long and slow demise.