Australian Election

[fishie]

Can anyone explain why it matters one bit?

Uhm, yes. To begin with, the previous time the coalition parties were in government, they altered the tax scales to favour the already well-off, pulled bargaining rights of the workers out from under their feet by introducing legislation with the Orwellian moniker of "Work Choice", shovelled a few billion dollars to their mates like the head of Manildra, opposed environmental limits to what the mining industry could do in regard to the Great Barrier Reef...

Shall I go on? I'd rather not. Hey, rEv and fishie, let's find a rock to live under for the next three years, and let's all bring a lot of booze.

Show me that rock! Booze I have. It's gonna be a long 3 years. Stupid abbot face, and his stupid face.

[fishie]

Jesus fucking christ! Palmer? Hansen? Family First? Really? Three years of abbots stupid face! Kill me now

Can I do you first?

No, we have a liberal government now, so NO HAVING ANY FUN for at least 3 years. It's their main policy

[Tyrannical]

Abbot and Putin would probably get along. Should be plenty of good photo ops of them off doing manly things.

[Hermit]

I'll say one thing, I don't think there can be too many politicians that can be so immune to embarrassing photos like Tony Abbot. I guess he is or was some volunteer lifeguard. And it's hard to top pics like these

The Australian volunteer Surf Life Saving movement was established in 1906 and has become an iconic entity of this nation. Abbott's part in it is not as much an occasion for embarrassment as it is an attempt to have some of its glory rub off on him. He's been a member of the Queenscliff SLSC since 1984 - ten years before he became a member of parliament. He was studying at St Patrick's Seminary that year, his intention being to become a priest.

[Hermit]

Can anyone explain why it matters one bit?

Uhm, yes. To begin with, the previous time the coalition parties were in government, they altered the tax scales to favour the already well-off, pulled bargaining rights of the workers out from under their feet by introducing legislation with the Orwellian moniker of "Work Choice", shovelled a few billion dollars to their mates like the head of Manildra, opposed environmental limits to what the mining industry could do in regard to the Great Barrier Reef...

Shall I go on? I'd rather not. Hey, rEv and fishie, let's find a rock to live under for the next three years, and let's all bring a lot of booze.

Show me that rock! Booze I have. It's gonna be a long 3 years. Stupid abbot face, and his stupid face.

Oh, well, we survived twelve years of Howard. Hopefully, the current stint of the conservatives won't last beyond the next election. Instead of crawling under a rock, I'm actually considering to do something about that. Not that I think the Labor Party is all that great at all, but it certainly beats the alternative.

[charlou]

A double dissolution would be good right about now.

[Svartalf]

Who can do that and why would it be done?

[charlou]

A contested carbon tax might bring it about .. but then the electorate has to wake-up and shift as well, so yah .. any change in the current result seems unlikely ..

[rainbow]

Funny (or not)... French news covered the election in Mali for days, but not a word about those in Oz.

The French obviously have the right priorities, plus they can play Rugby.