The Australian politics thread

[Redbacks]

Working class may consider:

a) welfare state + increased crime rate, city at night a no go zone as in other countries

b) different culture, aren't as readily trusted.

c) most of all people don't want to affect the status quo in Australia, resistance to change or any move that would cause termoil.

d) wealthy people won't have to actually deal with the bedding in problems nor would any of them volunteer to live in the same suburbs as miagrant communities. Thier moral high ground + indifference ****es people off, and it is a wedge at the disposal of the liberals to drive a divide between the working class and academic class of labour supporters.

[Top_Cat]

Is it weird that I imagine Martha Stewart whenever I read a post by Redbacks?

No offence intended.

"In the English countryside, many prostitutes decorate their rooms with festive gourds. "

[James90]

I just don't understand it. Rudd could have used his huge margin to actually show leadership and do something good for the world. Yeah it might have caused a bit of a media storm but it would blow over in a few days. This is just getting silly now and he's getting his just desserts.

Having said that, I still don't understand how anyone in their right mind could vote for one party over the other based on treatment of asylum seekers. It's like Coke and Pepsi.

[vic_orthdox]

Originally Posted by James90

I just don't understand it. Rudd could have used his huge margin to actually show leadership and do something good for the world. Yeah it might have caused a bit of a media storm but it would blow over in a few days. This is just getting silly now and he's getting his just desserts.

Having said that, I still don't understand how anyone in their right mind could vote for one party over the other based on treatment of asylum seekers. It's like Coke and Pepsi.

Everyone buys Coke, but when it comes down to the blind taste test, Pepsi wins out!

[age_master]

Originally Posted by Burgey

I don't want to go there and experience it. I can do without experiencing it. But if you're desperate enough to want to come here to get away from whatever you're facing, then why shouldn't you come here?

If they are willing to risk their lives to get here in the hope of a better life i think we should welcome them with open arms.

I also think that experiencing it would be valuable to help us realise how well off we are which would hopefully help us to think about the way we live our lives.

[social]

Originally Posted by howardj

Back In Town

41-41

Some sliver of hope that the furniture will at least be saved at the next election.

Anyway, on another note, I found the appointment of Peter Costello as guardian of the Future Fund silly on a couple of fronts. Firstly, it blunts the somewhat successful attack that Labor have waged on the Howard Years - that they were years of wasted opportunity, where the largesse from the mining boom was frittered away. I really think they really had traction with this. Not that I think this will cost Labor the next election, just that it blunts their attack on the Howard Years at least at an economic level.

Secondly, is Peter Costello really the best man for this job? As I understand it, it will fall to him (along with the other guardians) to invest the proceeds of the future fund so as to maximise returns. To that end, I would have thought someone with a little more commercial experience in the financial sector would have been a better fit. No doubt he knows the machinery of government and is a competent person, but I question whether he is actually the best fit for this job.

I think Rudd got a little too cute in appointing him, and was a little too keen to be seen as bipartisan.

Naturally, there are more qualified people to sit on an investment fund than a bloody politician - as Kerry Packer said "Of course I am minimising my tax. And if anybody in this country doesn't minimise their tax, they want their heads read, because as a government, I can tell you you're not spending it that well that we should be donating extra!

But this is simply a political decision that merely highlights how the 2 major parties work together to make sure they all get their fill from the public trough

[James90]

Malcolm and the Malcontents

[Jono]

Originally Posted by Burgey

Bill Shorten is an impressive man, but I fear he's far too reasonable for contemporary politics. That being so, he explains things rationally and in a measured tone.

In other words, he doesn't give good sound bites and therefore won't cut it as leadership material (though I think he'd be excellent tbh).

My girlfriend works in his office actually in Moonee Ponds, Melbourne.

I've never met him though. Works pretty damn hard from what I'm told. Got KRudd to pay a visit here too recently.

[Jono]

Originally Posted by Burgey

TC's right too, at least from my anecdotal experience - th eimmigrant community seem to be harder on asylum seekers than even some of the redneck Australian "born here" population.

Mine too, including some of my family who came here in the 80s.

I don't get it to be honest.

[James90]

Originally Posted by Jono

My girlfriend works in his office actually in Moonee Ponds, Melbourne.

I've never met him though. Works pretty damn hard from what I'm told. Got KRudd to pay a visit here too recently.

Combet is still #1 of the high profile newbies.

I get to meet him in a couple of weeks

[James90]

2010 should be a glorious year for the ALP. Federal election as well as South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria.

It's all downhill from there.

[Matt79]

Hilarious that the conservatives STILL don't have a position on whether climate change is an actual problem or not. The technicalities of what to do about it etc are understandably complex and might still justifiably need further, an ongoing refinement, but the party can't actually agree on whether it's even an issue or not judging from what Nick Minchin says as opposed to Turnbull.

The ALP has to hammer that point til and during the election - "just tell us whether it is the position of the Coalition that climate change is a man-made phenomenon. Not even asking for policy proposals to address it - just want to know whether or not you think it exists". Will either continue to cause Turnbull grief in the party room and his constituency or else will lead them to become overt deniers officially which gives you an even better bat to smash them with during a campaign.

[howardj]

Kevin Rudd's ETS.

The tax on everything which, according to Treasury's own modelling, doesn't even being to actually reduce our emissions for at least 15 years.

The world has slightly cooled since 2001, but I want Kevin to save us by reducing (starting in 2025 on Treasury modelling) our 1% of world wide emmissions.

Seriously, this ETS defies logic.

[Johnners]

Hey, don't let logic get in the way of destroying a nations economy.

[Ausage]

Yeah it's much easier to just trash the planet like we've been doing for the last 75 years. Setting up a green economy would be just so very tiresome.

I'm pretty skeptical that it would cause the sky to fall in on the economy too.