Australian elections on the 2nd of July

[Hermit]

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull pre-empted Peter potatohead Dutton's challenge for the Liberal Party leadership (and therefore the Prime-ministership) by declaring all leadership positions vacant as soon as the party room meeting started this morning. Turnbull won by 48 to 35 votes, which isn't much of a margin, considering he caught Dutton on the hop. Dutton resigned from his Home Affairs portfolio, and further resignations by the even more conservative wing of the conservative party are expected to follow.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-21/m ... n/10146574

ETA: Ooops. Wrong thread and too late. I asked to have it moved.

[pErvinalia]

He's a dead duck already. He's fucked the NEG in his spineless attempt to appease the nut bag right, who thanked him by plotting to overthrow him. The only thing standing in the way of Dutton is his horrible public image. I'm surprised ScoMo isn't in the running. He seems a far more capable leader than Dutton. And he's less of a psychopath.

[JimC]

All the political pundits are saying that Turnbull is a dead man walking, and that Dutton will have a second go fairly soon. If he loses, Turnbull will probably resign from parliament immediately, forcing a by-election. He can go back to being a millionaire merchant banker, with a decent top up from his parliamentary pension...

[Hermit]

All the political pundits are saying that Turnbull is a dead man walking, and that Dutton will have a second go fairly soon. If he loses, Turnbull will probably resign from parliament immediately, forcing a by-election. He can go back to being a millionaire merchant banker, with a decent top up from his parliamentary pension...

...and if potatohead becomes our next PM nothing will change...

...so argues the sage First Dog on the Moon.



I kind of agree and I kind of don't. Things will remain the same, only more so, if you know what I mean.

[JimC]

I really don't think that he will be able to win an election, though...

[Hermit]

I really don't think that he will be able to win an election, though...

Recent polls look good for a Labor government after the next election, but they also looked good in 2001 until the Children Overboard fabrication four days before we went to the polling booths.

Complete this sentence: A week is a long time in ********.

[pErvinalia]

South Australia?

[Hermit]

South Australia?

First time I landed in Adelaide the flight attendant reminded us to wind our watches back 30 minutes and 30 years.

Probably hasn't heard what Don Dunstan did after the short Frank Walsh interlude that followed Thomas Playford's long 19th century style government.

Still, when the Bodyline TV mini-series was produced in 1984, all the cricket scenes were filmed at the Adelaide Oval because it was the only cricket ground in Australia that still looked exactly like major cricket grounds looked in the early 1930s. There were no light towers for the Day/Night pyjama games until 1997.

I love the many old buildings in the city that have not been replaced by glass and steel towers. There are only a few of them left in other cities. One of the few in Sydney is the Queen Victoria Building, and that only just escaped demolition in 1913, 1959 and 1971. On the latter two occasions it was proposed to be replaced by car parks.

[JimC]

More complications for Dutton, as shown by this ABC article: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-21/p ... t/10146232

Attorney-General Christian Porter has called on the Government's chief lawyer for advice on whether Peter Dutton is eligible to remain in Parliament.

Mr Dutton's register of members' interests shows he is the beneficiary of a family trust with interests in childcare centres in Queensland.

Those centres, like many around the country, receive Commonwealth subsidies.

Constitutional lawyers, including Professor Anne Twomey, suggest Mr Dutton could be under an eligibility cloud due to the ban on members and senators benefitting financially from the Commonwealth.

That rule is contained in section 44(5) of the constitution, and includes both direct and indirect financial gain.

[pErvinalia]

The Nats have threatened to throw a spanner in the works too. A couple of them are stating they will sit on the cross-benches if he becomes leader, as they reckon he is unelectable. So in that case I hope they do vote Dutton in, and then the government will fall, and we can have an election to vote these pricks out.

[Hermit]

Dutton has asked for aanother spill. The race for the leadership is on still, and heading for a dramatic finish.

[JimC]

It looks like Turnbull will resign, then there will be a leadership fight between Dutton and Scott Morrison...

[pErvinalia]

I'd imagine Morrison would beat Dutton.

[Hermit]

Turnbull will be gone before the end of the day. More and more rats are leaving the ship.

I hope Dutton wins because:

Peter Dutton would actively harm the Liberal Party’s vote if made leader, according to a ReachTel poll conducted on Wednesday night.

The poll of 2,430 voters found that 55.5% would be less likely to vote for the Liberals if Dutton becomes the leader, compared with 22.9% who would be more likely and 21.5% who say it wouldn’t change their vote.

In fact, a majority in all age groups and sexes would be less likely to vote Liberal. Women in particular seem to dislike Dutton - 57% would be less likely to vote Liberal. Young people aged 18-34 are most opposed (57.6%).

Malcolm Turnbull is the preferred Liberal leader with 38%, followed by Julie Bishop (29%), Tony Abbott (14%), Peter Dutton is on just 10% and Scott Morrison on 8.6%.

[pErvinalia]

I can't see them winning the next election now regardless of who is leader. People are sick to death of this selfish behaviour. It will be a poisoned chalice whoever wins the leadership.