The Aussies being way ahead of us timewise have already started voting in their national elections on Saturday. About 25% of voters have already pre-voted
Climate and taxes dominate as Australia votes
The Aussies being way ahead of us timewise have already started voting in their national elections on Saturday. About 25% of voters have already pre-voted
Climate and taxes dominate as Australia votes
Results look good for Coalition and bad for Labor.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2019/may/18/australian-f...
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-48305001
Shorten concedes
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-48305001
That's not what the polls going into that campaign were suggesting.
Any follow up or analysis of what happened?
Preferential ballots. The ranked voting system that Justin Trudeau wanted.
“the correct way to vote is to put a number 1 next to the Liberals and number every other box”, and appear to be written like an official AEC instruction to voters. https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/election-2019/2019/05/18/chinese-liberal...
Australian Election Betting: Liberal Party Now $5.75
Well, more accurately, false instructions about how to use a ranked ballot. Which isn't really the fault of the ranked-ballot system itself.
They should redo the election but of course the election thieves will have none of that and they are the ones with the power. So Australia will be ruled by a fraudulent government. Ugh!
Why would they re-do the election? The governing coalition won 41% of the vote, while the "Labor" party took 34%. Ranked ballots mean the Greens (10%) have little chance to win more than the one seat they hold. But though the result is horrifying, I've seen no accusations of fraud.
The result is a comprehensive failure for the Australian Labor Party-a "social democratic" party which no longer has any social or democratic values to it and which drove many if not most activists away decades ago when a right-wing cabal took over the party after the "constitutional coup" of 1975, blaming the Left for the defeat of the Whitlam ALP government, even though that defeat was caused solely by the intervention of the CIA in Australian politics.
That same cabal has had an iron grip on the ALP ever since, even though the party has spent more of the post-1975 era in opposition than in government.
This defeat is solely on that cabal. The Australian Labor Party now needs a total shakeup and a removal of that lot if it is ever to regain relevance in Australian politics again.
Currently with almost 77% of the votes counted, the two party preferred count is: Coalition 50.8%, Labor 49.2%. The first preference count is Coalition 41.4%, Labor 33.9%, Green 10.1%.
There seems to be some honest truth to that
Australia is a colonial country. And I can’t see it breaking away from the vicious circle that Australians are caught in.
Racism needs to be addressed for starters
https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/2017/08/09/australia-racist-not-way-you-think
Labor and the Greens have to join forces – for the climate's sake
For some it’s the option of last resort. But how much action on climate change has either party driven alone?
https://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/2019/jun/02/labor-and-the-greens-have-to-join-forces-for-the-climates-sake
Australia has instant runoff voting so I don’t see why Labor and the Greens should merge there.
The reason is simple It is not working for them
Because Labor is in the back pockets of the same corporations as the Coalition?
There is that. In many respects, the ALP has never recovered from all the years it was run by Bob Hawke-one of Reagan's favorite "allied" government leaders, famous for echoing Reagan's arrogant demands that New Zealand drop its no port calls for ships with nuclear weapons policy. Hawke was a nasty piece of work and cared more about making sure nothing remotely socialist happened under an ALP government than he ever did about fighting against the agenda of the corporate neoliberal right or presenting any real alternative to that agenda.
Hawke combined the most thoroughly ugly aspects of the "anti-communist 'social democrat'" type.
Becase vote-splitting is not a problem with instant runoff voting as it is with FPTP plurality voting.
More Police Raids As War on Journalism Escalates Worldwide
https://twitter.com/caitoz/status/1136265980793856000
"The Assange effect is now taking hold throughout the US-centralised empire. You can choose to ignore it or dismiss it with a pleasant story, or you can acknowledge that we appear to be in the midst of a rapidly escalating shutdown of the free press in the western world..."
More Police Raids As War on Journalism Escalates Worldwide
https://twitter.com/caitoz/status/1136265980793856000
"The Assange effect is now taking hold throughout the US-centralised empire. You can choose to ignore it or dismiss it with a pleasant story, or you can acknowledge that we appear to be in the midst of a rapidly escalating shutdown of the free press in the western world..."
Not crazy about Australia. From my perspective, it appears to be too white conservative imperialist.
Backwards, badly informed and barbaric like Canada. And genocidal...
Ban white conservatives from Australia.
I think that strategy is at least 400 years to late.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/11/01/australias-prime-minister-pledges-outlaw-climate-boycotts-arguing-they-threaten-economy/?wpisrc=nl_most&wpmm=1
Can someone please explain why the Coalition still enjoys a comfortable lead in public opinion polls even while climate change is ravaging Australia?
Ask someone from Ft. Mac. Maybe they understand.
Are those even identical situations? As I understand, Fort Mac had one particularly bad wildfire season with things going back to normal after that, whereas in Australia the wildfire seaons have been consistently getting worse.
What country do you live in?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fires_in_Canada
There was the big wildfire near Fort Mac in 2016, which is when and where I presumed that the picture you posted was taken. The fires taking place after that were listed as taking place in "Alberta, which could have taken place over a much larger area than Fort Mac, or even nowhere near. Did the fires go through Fort Mac once and then return to a relative calm? Was there fire after fire in the area since 2016? Those 2 things would impact people's perceptions quite differently. I can't tell from that list.
In any case, Morrison's come under fire for vacationing while his country burns.
Parts of our boreal forest burn every year. What does one town have to do with it? The irony was the fire engulfing the town that is one of the drivers of problem that is causing the fires everywhere.
Our Premiers don't worry about forest fires enough to change vacation plans. At best they do a fly by and send thoughts and prayers.
In the mean time, Prime Minister Morrison received a hostile reception after visiting a forgotten fire stricken area. This after he was critiziced for vactioning in Hawaii during the fire season, and not cancelling the Sydney New Years fireworks. Meanwhile conservationists are worried about half a billion animals killed, and possible extinctions resulting from this wildfire season alone. And the fire season is not over yet.
No polls yet have come out since the impact of the wildfire season has been felt. Looking at the reception that Morrison had in that moment, I wonder if he's had his "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job" moment.
The real fear is that Morrison will be made to walk the plank for this, and his government manages to choose someone else and that gives the government a new lease on life. Anybody more familiar with Australian politics who can weigh in?
The fear is certainly legitimate. Unpopular leaders get booted from parties and they run with new leaders often there.
The fear is certainly legitimate. Unpopular leaders get booted from parties and they run with new leaders often there.
double post no idea why - pressed return the once
double post no idea why - pressed return the once
I give up something wrong here
This really shocked me (emphasis mine):
[quote]
The ad shows Scott Morrison in the field, taking charge (angry locals refusing to shake his hand are nowhere to be seen). Firefighters battle the flames with abundant support from Defence Force personnel and aerial assets. The Federal Government's contributions are proudly listed in on-screen text. Uplifting background music instils confidence that this is a man with a plan.
There will no doubt be debate as to whether this is indeed a party political advertisement capitalising on the disaster, or simply an effort to disseminate information.
But when it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck …
When a written version of the ad was posted on Morrison's Facebook page, it initially carried a big DONATE button at the top.
Donate to the Liberal Party, that is, not any of the worthy bushfire relief efforts. A grab for cash as well as political capital. Classy stuff. At least this appeal for donations was quickly taken down.
It speaks only of the response and not about the cause or the ongoing risk. It is absurd and out of touch. I do not know how Australians will recieve it. You would think that they would recognize what is wrong with the video. But they voted for this guy knowing pretty much what he was and what he stood for now they just have more proof. I do not expect him to change but will this experience change the people of Australia? I am not sure. Will similar things change people in the US or here or anywhere? I do not know becuase people protect themselves from information that makes them question their beliefs.
I've noticed that double posts are up a bit since the last upgrade. I you like I can contact tech support and see if there is an explanation/solution.
I think the problem is for the community and the board rather than an irritant for the person whose post is doubled. I tried to fix it but it only got worse.
This happens rarely I think.
Meanwhile, is there dissension in the ranks of the ruling party on the climate change issue?
Rising up Down Under:
I hope that Morrison is not made a scapegoat, and that they remember that he is part of a government that was responsible.
Australians move to help affected wildlife
In a poll released today, Scott Morrison has "suffered a massive hit to his personal approval rating and been overtaken as preferred prime minister by Anthony Albanese in the first published opinion poll of 2020." However, the margin between Labour and the Liberals is very close suggesting the the Liberals may be tempted to change leaders before an election.
The more shocking thing is that they are close even with all that is going on. The Liberal party ought to be in single digits and they are not. This is a sad reflection that even as the consequences of climate change become painfully clear the politics of denial is still extremly strong.
The following article provides an explanation of why, despite the catastrophic damange done by climate-change induced wildfires and drought many Australians remain in denial.
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2020/01/08/analysis/humans-wrestle-drag...
It's great do know the challenges in raising awareness and acting on climate change. Has anybody figured out how we actually get past that and convince people to act? Without that part of it, it all seems pretty pointless if we can't convinve anybody what needs to be done.
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