4 ms·

Another great feature of the Australian system is compulsory voting, which has made our politicians less extreme.

082349872349872 4y ago
> which has made our politicians less extreme OTOH, if only Murdoch had been happier at home, he might not have felt the need to metastasise?
- ggm 4y ago
  News Ltd were unable to prevent a Labor victory this last federal election here in Australia. I have hopes they won't be able to thwart the coming UK general election either.
  - SturgeonsLaw 4y ago
    They are now coming up against the Millennial and Gen Z tide, a demographic that is both overwhelmingly left leaning, and largely eschews the type of media where Murdoch is prominent. I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch, but I dare say the peak of Murdoch's influence may be somewhere behind us.
    - ggm 4y ago
      If the historical drift right with age is true (I've never believed so, but it's a popular theory) they could return to influence. That's the main fear.
      - te_chris 4y ago
        Good timing: https://www.ft.com/content/c361e372-769e-45cd-a063-f5c0a7767cf4 https://www.ft.com/content/c361e372-769e-45cd-a063-f5c0a7767...
      - Sakos 4y ago
        Imo, it's clear that the 'historical drift' was an artifact of Western society in the past century. It's not an absolute rule or some fundamental property we've established about human beings.
        jquery 4y ago
        Indeed, I also think it's partly an artifact of the sheer size of the baby boomer generation, which gives them outsized political power even as their cultural influence wanes.
        denton-scratch 4y ago
        I'm 66; when I was younger, I assumed (with some dread) that I'd drift right, and become more like my dad. The opposite happened; I have consistently moved leftwards, as centre-left politicians have consistently disappointed me. I did become more like my dad; but mainly on personal matters, not on economic or social issues.
        claytongulick 4y ago
        Perhaps a bit longer than that [1] [1] https://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/02/24/heart-head/?amp=1 https://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/02/24/heart-head/?amp=1
      - ojkelly 4y ago
        I linked this elsewhere in the thread, but given it’s an up to date survey on this very question I’ll post it here too. Top line is, the drift to conservatism as we age no longer holds. The thread goes into more detail as it’s a bit nuanced. But as one LNP strategist said dejectedly on national television during the LNP wipeout “you can make new conservatives if they have nothing to conserve”. If the status quo doesn’t serve the majority of voters why would they do anything but vote to change it. https://twitter.com/jburnmurdoch/status/1608746369505976323?s=46&t=DWSLAiQkpuBdN8em_HtMQA https://twitter.com/jburnmurdoch/status/1608746369505976323?...
te_chris 4y ago
Sorry, Peter Dutton? This is like how the UK Tories always go on about the lack of PR preventing a UKIP entering power: newsflash my dudes, the UKIP is you.
leeroyjenkins11 4y ago
Oh, it sounds amazing to have people who only vote to avoid a penalty. I'm sure they'll make sure they know the issues and do their research and not who they see the most on TV or offers them the most free stuff
- ojkelly 4y ago
  It is though. Because we frame it as a civil responsibility, not a privilege. There’s only a few situations where it’s taken away [0] (convicted of treason or treachery, imprisoned for a sentence greater than 3 years, of an unsound mind). > In 1912, the former Electoral Act was amended to make enrolment compulsory. In 1924, to increase voter turnout and reduce party campaign expenditure, the Electoral Act was amended to make voting at federal elections compulsory. Our election cycles are short, and there’s a small defined period where we talk about the election. After which we all get back to what we were doing. Contrast to some other countries, when the elections (even 4 years out) are always on the cards. But to your point, even if they don’t know the issues, or care their vote is worth as much as mine. They have a responsibility to submit a vote. They don’t have to fill out the vote correctly, they can submit an informal or donkey vote. They can partake in the classic Aussie tradition of drawing richly detailed genitalia on their ballot for the poll worker to admire. What you do with your ballot is between you and that piece of paper. But short of a few very limited circumstances you need to do you duty and make your voice heard. We’re not asking the informed, the educated, the wealthy, the elite or any other subset who they think should run things. We’re saying, your job as a citizen is to record your opinion on who should be running things (even if your opinion is “I don’t know”, you still need to record it). And the key part here is that no one can take that away from you. The alternative is the game of voter suppression, making you think your vote isn’t wanted or won’t change things. Dropping you from electoral roles days before an election. Damaging the postal service to hamper mail in votes. We’re one of a tiny number of countries that do it, and almost a century on I think it was a brilliant idea. We don’t have a draft, and other than Jury duty (which you can reasonably get out of), voting is _the responsibility_ you have as a citizen. [0] https://www.aec.gov.au/About_AEC/Publications/backgrounders/compulsory-voting.htm https://www.aec.gov.au/About_AEC/Publications/backgrounders/...
  - 4y ago

> which has made our politicians less extreme OTOH, if only Murdoch had been happier at home, he might not have felt the need to metastasise?

ggm 4y ago
News Ltd were unable to prevent a Labor victory this last federal election here in Australia. I have hopes they won't be able to thwart the coming UK general election either.
- SturgeonsLaw 4y ago
  They are now coming up against the Millennial and Gen Z tide, a demographic that is both overwhelmingly left leaning, and largely eschews the type of media where Murdoch is prominent. I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch, but I dare say the peak of Murdoch's influence may be somewhere behind us.
  - ggm 4y ago
    If the historical drift right with age is true (I've never believed so, but it's a popular theory) they could return to influence. That's the main fear.
    - te_chris 4y ago
      Good timing: https://www.ft.com/content/c361e372-769e-45cd-a063-f5c0a7767cf4 https://www.ft.com/content/c361e372-769e-45cd-a063-f5c0a7767...
    - Sakos 4y ago
      Imo, it's clear that the 'historical drift' was an artifact of Western society in the past century. It's not an absolute rule or some fundamental property we've established about human beings.
      - jquery 4y ago
        Indeed, I also think it's partly an artifact of the sheer size of the baby boomer generation, which gives them outsized political power even as their cultural influence wanes.
      - denton-scratch 4y ago
        I'm 66; when I was younger, I assumed (with some dread) that I'd drift right, and become more like my dad. The opposite happened; I have consistently moved leftwards, as centre-left politicians have consistently disappointed me. I did become more like my dad; but mainly on personal matters, not on economic or social issues.
      - claytongulick 4y ago
        Perhaps a bit longer than that [1] [1] https://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/02/24/heart-head/?amp=1 https://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/02/24/heart-head/?amp=1
    - ojkelly 4y ago
      I linked this elsewhere in the thread, but given it’s an up to date survey on this very question I’ll post it here too. Top line is, the drift to conservatism as we age no longer holds. The thread goes into more detail as it’s a bit nuanced. But as one LNP strategist said dejectedly on national television during the LNP wipeout “you can make new conservatives if they have nothing to conserve”. If the status quo doesn’t serve the majority of voters why would they do anything but vote to change it. https://twitter.com/jburnmurdoch/status/1608746369505976323?s=46&t=DWSLAiQkpuBdN8em_HtMQA https://twitter.com/jburnmurdoch/status/1608746369505976323?...

te_chris 4y ago

Sorry, Peter Dutton? This is like how the UK Tories always go on about the lack of PR preventing a UKIP entering power: newsflash my dudes, the UKIP is you.

leeroyjenkins11 4y ago

Oh, it sounds amazing to have people who only vote to avoid a penalty. I'm sure they'll make sure they know the issues and do their research and not who they see the most on TV or offers them the most free stuff

ojkelly 4y ago
It is though. Because we frame it as a civil responsibility, not a privilege. There’s only a few situations where it’s taken away [0] (convicted of treason or treachery, imprisoned for a sentence greater than 3 years, of an unsound mind). > In 1912, the former Electoral Act was amended to make enrolment compulsory. In 1924, to increase voter turnout and reduce party campaign expenditure, the Electoral Act was amended to make voting at federal elections compulsory. Our election cycles are short, and there’s a small defined period where we talk about the election. After which we all get back to what we were doing. Contrast to some other countries, when the elections (even 4 years out) are always on the cards. But to your point, even if they don’t know the issues, or care their vote is worth as much as mine. They have a responsibility to submit a vote. They don’t have to fill out the vote correctly, they can submit an informal or donkey vote. They can partake in the classic Aussie tradition of drawing richly detailed genitalia on their ballot for the poll worker to admire. What you do with your ballot is between you and that piece of paper. But short of a few very limited circumstances you need to do you duty and make your voice heard. We’re not asking the informed, the educated, the wealthy, the elite or any other subset who they think should run things. We’re saying, your job as a citizen is to record your opinion on who should be running things (even if your opinion is “I don’t know”, you still need to record it). And the key part here is that no one can take that away from you. The alternative is the game of voter suppression, making you think your vote isn’t wanted or won’t change things. Dropping you from electoral roles days before an election. Damaging the postal service to hamper mail in votes. We’re one of a tiny number of countries that do it, and almost a century on I think it was a brilliant idea. We don’t have a draft, and other than Jury duty (which you can reasonably get out of), voting is _the responsibility_ you have as a citizen. [0] https://www.aec.gov.au/About_AEC/Publications/backgrounders/compulsory-voting.htm https://www.aec.gov.au/About_AEC/Publications/backgrounders/...
- 4y ago