General Australian Politics Thread

Yeah, I would have to agree with that. Without wanting to be dumping on Gillard or Labor I believe that when she took over a lot of people who voted Rudd were unhappy. I've heard comments like Julia Caesar and Et Tu Gillard. I heard that she was blackmailed into overthrowing Rudd and bringing in the carbon tax, something like if she didn't then the support would be given to the Liberals and Labor would lose, but a lot of people seem to have forgotten that.

http://www.independentaustralia.net/2013/politics/libs-move-to-axe-abbott-after-poll-shock/

New shit has come to light, so they say.

I will confess, a large part of why I don't want to see the Coalition win is because of Abbot. I could view the prospect of Coalition victory with far less worry if he was ousted from leadership and preferably from the front bench (or at least shuffled off to a portfolio that would minimise his ability to stuff it up).

I also heard whispers that Tony Abbott wants to bring in a big new tax on business.

As vile as Tony Abbott is, possibly the one reason why Murdoch's media machine tolerates him is his pro-big business stance. I think he might have just blown that.

Edit: I just confirmed this via ABC and the Australian. Holy crap.

I really hope that this happens. Then at least there will be one side that is actually electable when September is here.

edited 25th Mar '13 11:55:35 PM by IraTheSquire

So Abbot may get the axe?

HORRAY!

Still voting fo ASP or LDP come time for voting.

On second thought, I only confirmed that the last Newspoll Abbot's support has dropped below Gillard.

Still, my fingers are crossed.

edited 26th Mar '13 7:06:07 PM by IraTheSquire

I didn't realise approval polls could go into negative ratings.

So do you guys have any good options or just a wide variety of bad ones?

It's Tony Abbot dude. He can do the impossible. In fact, the reason why he's on at all because the ALP constantly shoots itself in the foot.

Well, Tony Abbot (the Opposition leader) makes my brain hurt whenever he opens his mouth, and the incumbent party is run by a bunch of idiots. The Greens are actually better, but they are not a majority party and they can sometimes get a bit extreme (they started off as environmentalists/leftists) and they seem to be a bit lost after their last leader retired.

So yeah.

edited 26th Mar '13 9:30:08 PM by IraTheSquire

Eerm...

Ah...

Hmm...

At least it's not a dictatorship?

edited 1st Apr '13 3:25:47 PM by PippingFool

If Tony Abbot got on, I'm not sure how long that advantage is going to last.

Then again, I'm not sure if he's smart enough to dictate either.

Maybe we should pull a Selim II or Mustafa I on Abbot and shove him into a room where he can -pretend- that he's actually the leader while the viziers smarter M Ps do the actual ruling governing.

edited 1st Apr '13 3:57:57 PM by PippingFool

Found this and felt like sharing it;

While I don't agree with everything he says (I should probably start spreading rumors about a major bank having financial problems and see if I can start a bank run. Alternately, I should incite a racial riot like the Cronulla Riots), I can see why the News Media Council idea goes a bit too far.

edited 3rd Apr '13 1:34:43 AM by IraTheSquire

Australia opens national child abuse inquiry — So Australia launches its own Savile Enquiry — I wonder when the US will do the same?

I'm just glad to hear some one say that free speech is important. That's an unpopular opinion in Austrailan politics.

I vaguely remember someone proposing to put the freedom of speech into the constitution. Was it the Greens?

Watched the latest Leigh Sales interview, at this point the ABC is more weaksauce than Tony Abbott is, and that's just sad.

Back in my day on the 7:30 Report Kerry O Brian was so brutal to political guests that he would have told Tony Abbott he had a pretty mouth on live television before roasting him.

I'm kind of disappointed in what's become of my country. Scratch that, I find new ways to be disappointed.

You can't have Jeremy Paxman. He's ours. Hands off!

You can keep Peirs Moron, though... We can extend the world-wide loan for however long you want it...

edited 28th Apr '13 11:42:24 AM by Euodiachloris

Not that Abbot needs Kerry o'Brian to make himself look stupid.

edited 25th Apr '13 9:51:27 PM by IraTheSquire

So apparently there was a big thing on 4 Corners about asylum seekers being mistreated and Q and A is turning into an embarrassment.

I'm starting to think we're headed for rough times soon.

Q & A has been an embarrassment for a long time.

4 Corners doing a report on Asylum Seekers is rather old hat, but it's at least somewhat decent.

So Clive Palmer has launched an economically right-wing party with socially progressive policies. Maybe a little similar to the Liberal Democrat Party, if there's a difference it would be that the UAP (Palmer's party) is focused on pragmatic economics (e.g. saving $5 billion by scrapping asylum seeker patrols/offshore camps, increasing the revenue gained from Australia's natural wealth, etc) whereas LDP seems more focused on Libertarian ideology.

Two sitting M Ps have joined with him.

Anyone see this as a positive alternative?

Hmm... Interesting.