What if you lived in Australia?

[buttsie]

I avoid both sides of the argument

All candidates placed on the dart board

Two throws later I have my votes done for upper and lower house


Then I get on with the daily grind


Having experienced both parties over the past 3 decades of my working life tossing a coin would be a better option than listening to the bullshit 'policy' spin and trying to work out who is actually better for your country.

The truth as I see it is we live in a very narcissistic age and as the population grows that will only become worse

The capitalist system has some extreme weaknesses and big business since the 80s via out sourcing and governments privatisation have been stripping away workers rights built up over a century all in the name of growth / profit.

Flawed thinking as it isnt sustainable

Here we are in an age where the Executive levels pay have skyrocketed while many below cant get enough hours of work to ever do anything but tread water

Its a good laugh but without welfare assistance our capitalist system would fall apart at the seams

Yes we do vote for whats in it for us but only because you cant help others if your not thriving yourself is my best guess

As Australians some of us still have an instinctive sense of wanting to help out others in any way if possible but not for financial reward.

[effCup]

Originally Posted by palo5

Is there evidence? - only from polls, afaik

There are shelves & shelves of studies by political scientists, among others.

[palo5]

Originally Posted by effCup

There are shelves & shelves of studies by political scientists, among others.

I know, but their knowledge is all derived from polls. There is no other way to get the information, and no way to know if respondents tell the truth

The best political scientists can hope for are smart statisticians. To this they add their own interpretations, which are..., well, you know... about as much worth as an economist's opinion

That's my A$ 0,02

[Estreeter]

Originally Posted by palo5

That's my A$ 0,02

And here's my руб 100,000,000,000,00,000,000,000

It's true mate, it's said here a lot, Australians tend to vote with their pockets.

Only a minor example, from the mid 90's till mid 2000's, having worked in the car industry, things were really booming. Though the company I worked for had a few lean years in there, Buttsie, tmee, kananga, will know, The AU Falcon didn't sell well, the production workers were making less money due to having extra days off and no overtime, Myself being a tradesman and many tradesmen like me were making a lot of money preparing the plants with new lines for model upgrades......we made tons of cash. A few of my workmates who tend too always vote too the left commented how they'd never made that much in a year in their life....... Even changed their voting habit till the 2007 election. The Liberal Government brought in new work place laws, It threatened that they might make less in a year.....So they changed back too voting labor. Most of the country felt that way even though the previous Liberal government was very fiscally responsible.

The best way of looking at it here , and I suspect most countries around the world is like this

A left government will look after the worker and ruin the economy,
A right government will look after the economy and ruin the worker.

[effCup]

Originally Posted by palo5

I know, but their knowledge is all derived from polls. There is no other way to get the information, and no way to know if respondents tell the truth

The best political scientists can hope for are smart statisticians. To this they add their own interpretations, which are..., well, you know... about as much worth as an economist's opinion

That's my A$ 0,02

Much political science on voting behaviour uses poll data, but there are many other sources of information used such as surveys (not necessarily those of political polling organisations whose clients are largely business/media), electoral demographia, etc. These are seldom shown/discussed when a political scientist is interviewed for TV election night coverage.

The idea that people are highly influenced (socialised) by their parents' political views has been well-established for much of the second-half of the 20C, studying electoral outcomes from across that century (i.e. both halves) & from many countries. It fills several of the many shelves in the pol. sci. section of many university libraries.

Such socialisation is not deterministic/solely causative (various reasons). Like weather/climate it's difficult to identify/isolate in individual cases (i.e. many people insist they don't vote like their parents did, and many who say so aren't necessarily lying). Each decade/year someone tries but (so far) fails to convince that it no longer applies. It remains significant, but such "stability" would make boring TV on election night, & likewise with much else from pol sci.

[palo5]

Originally Posted by Estreeter

...
A right government will look after the economy and ruin the worker

Right Governments are more capable, Comrade. They can ruin the worker and the economy, while making the rich richer. How's that for efficiency

I wonder what the AUS election result will be

[palo5]

Originally Posted by effCup

Much political science ...

I read academic opinions, but don't trust them. They're just opinions and not scientific at all, imho

Politics has as little to do with "science" as economics, imho

[Estreeter]

Originally Posted by palo5

while making the rich richer.

But ya know what......There's actually nothing too stop anybody becoming rich. If one makes up their mind early in life that they want success, and with dedication and effort, they'll do it. Unless inherited, financial success don't come from not working too a goal

Originally Posted by palo5

I wonder what the AUS election result will be

Very recent....
Gillard faces challenging week as voters desert her

, And it was actually worse this week, just can't be assed wasting time on, Her/It/That

[palo5]

Originally Posted by Estreeter

But ya know what......There's actually nothing too stop anybody becoming rich. If one makes up their mind early in life that they want success, and with dedication and effort, they'll do it. Unless inherited, financial success don't come from not working too a goal

It comes from luck & exploitation, Comrade, even in Australia. Don't kid yourself

[Estreeter]

Originally Posted by palo5

It comes from luck & exploitation, Comrade, even in Australia. Don't kid yourself

I'm not,
Never heard of self made millionaires
A family friend of ours, came here after WW2...No cash, one suitcase etc.
Worked on a sugarcane fame in North Queensland, just as a farm hand. Saved some money, moved south too my hometown in early 60's with my Dad.....Worked in the Ford factory for about a dozen years, all he did was feed metal into a press 8 hours a day 5 days a week. Kept saving his money, thought that's crap, but he did save his money....Bought a sandblasting business, he knew nothing about sandblasting, he kept the businesses employees who were there before he bought it, they taught him. His business has been working for the Shell refinery in my hometown since the mid 70's...... Trust me, he's not wanting or needing anything.

I know of dozens of stories like that, He set himself a goal and did it all on his own, and came here with nothing,