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Honestly both the major parties here are such dud choices (so bad that a third party won a seat in the lower house last election), and with PRISM hopefully beco

by coopdog 13y ago

Honestly both the major parties here are such dud choices (so bad that a third party won a seat in the lower house last election), and with PRISM hopefully becoming a voting issue the pirate party are surely going to get some notice this election. Thank the FSM for preferential voting

vacri 13y ago
We regularly have minor parties and independents in the lower house, this is just the first time that they have held the balance of power. The ironic thing is that despite being a minority government, the 'hung' or 'hamstrung' government, there has been more legislation passed this term than any previously. But you wouldn't read it in the papers, which have performed the most amazing political smiling assassination.
- JimJames 13y ago
  Our media does an amazing job at presenting labor and liberal as the only two options. Especially by suggesting that voting third party is throwing your vote away (which it isn't because of our preference system). I have no faith in Australian politics anymore, every campaign seems to be entirely focused around mud slinging and fear mongering.
  - milfot 13y ago
    i have no faith in our leader.. (rupert)
  - jacques_chester 13y ago
    I ran as a small party candidate. Based on coverage, there are three major parties. The only microparty that gets any coverage is the Australian Sex Party and that's only because of the undergraduate boorishness of their name. Katter and Palmer will get coverage this time in the "lighter side" columns and then we'll go back to having the majors take turns at the Treasury benches while the Greens get to pretend they are a genuine alternative because nobody actually reads their policies. I miss the Democrats. They were boring centrists and it was wonderful.
    - vacri 13y ago
      The DLP had more success than the Sex Party at the last election, and there's no boorishness in their name... only their policies :) In terms of coverage, Family First gets more than the Sex party, as does One Nation.
      - jacques_chester 13y ago
        The DLP had the benefit of a number of favourable preference deals, but nobody noticed or cared until a DLP Senator was elected. But the ASP got widespread coverage. Family First gets coverage because they are very good at faking noise and movement. They learnt well from previous generations of protest movement. The body of media hadn't yet innoculated themselves against it in the way they have against weekly the National Days of Action and Marches Against Whatever that take place in Sydney and Melbourne CBDs every 20 minutes.
- narcissus 13y ago
  Rolling dangerously into off-topicness here, but at the moment in Canada it's one of the traditionally minor parties that is currently the Opposition party. That is to say, the traditional 'two parties' are no longer. All I'm saying is, keep your head up: things can still change over time!
- girvo 13y ago
  The problem with independents is, as was explained to me by the foremost researcher in political science in Australia, they simply can't effect any meaningful change. What I would LOVE to see is a viable third party. Unfortunately, the Greens are not it. Maybe Palmer's party? GAG VOMIT
- jacques_chester 13y ago
  You're very fond of that "more legislation" metric, but it continues to overlook that this is a very poor metric. And it's inflated by the introduction of very many new tax laws and amendments to tax laws, which the Constitution requires all be introduced in standalone bills.
  - vacri 13y ago
    And you're very fond of handwaving it away as mere humdrum paperwork, conveniently ignoring the point that previous governments also did humdrum paperwork. The point is that the government is not paralysed by being a minority government. And it's not just a small amount more in the way of new bills, it's close to 40% more than the last term of the opposition in power. Even if it's inflated, it's still indicative that they're able to do stuff. Cut the number of bills passed in half and you still have a number competitive with any other modern government. I mean really, are you saying moves like curtailing middle-class welfare are meaningless legislation? I'm not saying that this government is particularly awesome, but I am saying that the picture painted of them by the media is remarkably off-kilter.
    - jacques_chester 13y ago
      I'm saying that it's a meaningless metric that overlooks the quality of the legislation and that when you subtract the new tax Acts, it's around the long-term average. Conclusion: the government, which can scrape together a 1-vote majority ... can scrape together a 1-vote majority. Worrying about passing lots of bills or few bills is really silly because, as you pointed out, almost everything goes through on the nod anyhow. The amount of legislation that is genuinely rejected by Parliaments is miniscule. The government is able to command a majority of one vote: that's all it ever needs, especially with fellow-believers in Magic Pudding economics having the balance up in the Senate. I care less about the amount of activity and more about the quality. I don't think this has been a good government. I didn't think much of the previous one or the one before that. Hawke/Keating and the first 2 terms of Howard/Costello were about as good as this country's had so far. I also note that whatever their position in Parliament, the government is perfectly able to paralyse themselves quite without the help of the independents.
robbiep 13y ago
I think it's a bit of a strech to think that PRISM is anywhere close to becoming a political issue in Australia. The general consensus seems to be that 'it's an American thing' and doesn't in anyway affect us, despite some suggestion that it may

by coopdog 13y ago

vacri 13y ago

We regularly have minor parties and independents in the lower house, this is just the first time that they have held the balance of power. The ironic thing is that despite being a minority government, the 'hung' or 'hamstrung' government, there has been more legislation passed this term than any previously. But you wouldn't read it in the papers, which have performed the most amazing political smiling assassination.

JimJames 13y ago
Our media does an amazing job at presenting labor and liberal as the only two options. Especially by suggesting that voting third party is throwing your vote away (which it isn't because of our preference system). I have no faith in Australian politics anymore, every campaign seems to be entirely focused around mud slinging and fear mongering.
- milfot 13y ago
  i have no faith in our leader.. (rupert)
- jacques_chester 13y ago
  I ran as a small party candidate. Based on coverage, there are three major parties. The only microparty that gets any coverage is the Australian Sex Party and that's only because of the undergraduate boorishness of their name. Katter and Palmer will get coverage this time in the "lighter side" columns and then we'll go back to having the majors take turns at the Treasury benches while the Greens get to pretend they are a genuine alternative because nobody actually reads their policies. I miss the Democrats. They were boring centrists and it was wonderful.
  - vacri 13y ago
    The DLP had more success than the Sex Party at the last election, and there's no boorishness in their name... only their policies :) In terms of coverage, Family First gets more than the Sex party, as does One Nation.
    - jacques_chester 13y ago
      The DLP had the benefit of a number of favourable preference deals, but nobody noticed or cared until a DLP Senator was elected. But the ASP got widespread coverage. Family First gets coverage because they are very good at faking noise and movement. They learnt well from previous generations of protest movement. The body of media hadn't yet innoculated themselves against it in the way they have against weekly the National Days of Action and Marches Against Whatever that take place in Sydney and Melbourne CBDs every 20 minutes.
narcissus 13y ago
Rolling dangerously into off-topicness here, but at the moment in Canada it's one of the traditionally minor parties that is currently the Opposition party. That is to say, the traditional 'two parties' are no longer. All I'm saying is, keep your head up: things can still change over time!
girvo 13y ago
The problem with independents is, as was explained to me by the foremost researcher in political science in Australia, they simply can't effect any meaningful change. What I would LOVE to see is a viable third party. Unfortunately, the Greens are not it. Maybe Palmer's party? GAG VOMIT
jacques_chester 13y ago
You're very fond of that "more legislation" metric, but it continues to overlook that this is a very poor metric. And it's inflated by the introduction of very many new tax laws and amendments to tax laws, which the Constitution requires all be introduced in standalone bills.
- vacri 13y ago
  And you're very fond of handwaving it away as mere humdrum paperwork, conveniently ignoring the point that previous governments also did humdrum paperwork. The point is that the government is not paralysed by being a minority government. And it's not just a small amount more in the way of new bills, it's close to 40% more than the last term of the opposition in power. Even if it's inflated, it's still indicative that they're able to do stuff. Cut the number of bills passed in half and you still have a number competitive with any other modern government. I mean really, are you saying moves like curtailing middle-class welfare are meaningless legislation? I'm not saying that this government is particularly awesome, but I am saying that the picture painted of them by the media is remarkably off-kilter.
  - jacques_chester 13y ago
    I'm saying that it's a meaningless metric that overlooks the quality of the legislation and that when you subtract the new tax Acts, it's around the long-term average. Conclusion: the government, which can scrape together a 1-vote majority ... can scrape together a 1-vote majority. Worrying about passing lots of bills or few bills is really silly because, as you pointed out, almost everything goes through on the nod anyhow. The amount of legislation that is genuinely rejected by Parliaments is miniscule. The government is able to command a majority of one vote: that's all it ever needs, especially with fellow-believers in Magic Pudding economics having the balance up in the Senate. I care less about the amount of activity and more about the quality. I don't think this has been a good government. I didn't think much of the previous one or the one before that. Hawke/Keating and the first 2 terms of Howard/Costello were about as good as this country's had so far. I also note that whatever their position in Parliament, the government is perfectly able to paralyse themselves quite without the help of the independents.

robbiep 13y ago

I think it's a bit of a strech to think that PRISM is anywhere close to becoming a political issue in Australia. The general consensus seems to be that 'it's an American thing' and doesn't in anyway affect us, despite some suggestion that it may