What if you lived in Australia?

[blondifan]

A poll conducted in December 2012 showed 64 percent of New Zealanders thought trade agreements, such as the TPP, which allow corporations to sue governments, should be rejected.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Pacific_Partnership

Needless to say I wouldn't trust our PM to heed advice of the general populace, his parties advisors or his own intellect. "Team Australia" is essentially 'Team Abbott' and that will never change.
Remember his ''We are listening" speech just before Christmas, following the Victorian defeat?
His record speaks for itself, which is fortunate, as public speaking isn't one of his strengths.


Random sample:

ahh, Finally I should uh ('clicks' tongue) ahhh just say to Campbell Newman uhhh ahhh how much I feel for him...

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-0...-as-pm/6060490

(sorry for going off topic . My mind races much faster than my Landband broadline speed, now rated at 44th globally, behind Latvia?), not to mention the highest electricity prices...

{Internet 'dropped out' six times in this post alone. Time involved was a whole episode of 'Star Trek' }

... now, there's a Captain.

[effCup]

Speaking of the TPP.

[Estreeter]

Originally Posted by sweatyhat

Kevin Rudd was knifed by Julia Gillard.

Mate, your thread title, here's the deadly one





It's been jot here last few days and will be for another week or so Was just thinking about how much I miss camping and traveling when I was younger and seein' these kinds of sights

[effCup]

Originally Posted by Estreeter

here's the deadly one

It's been jot here

Bishops may be deadly (#2), but I thought only p[r]awns could get promoted to queens?

No, it doesn't all make sense... maybe not one jot of it.

[buttsie]

Come the next election the usual 50/50 toss of a coin will occur

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...eral_elections

A Prime Minister can be woeful but each major party has a core 30-35% who dont move
because they fear the opposition more than the incompetence of their own

Who ever Rupert Murdoch wants in will be in because the media are the real power
in elections

He tweeted in favour of Abbott and he stays as PM

[effCup]

Originally Posted by buttsie

each major party has a core 30-35% who dont move
because they fear the opposition more than the incompetence of their own

I think it's a larger % than that who have firm party self-identities/attachments. [edit: though at first I misread you for you're saying each party has... sorry.]
It's also a lot more complicated than simply fear of the "others".
There's a fair bit of research into the "myth" (&/or otherwise) of the swing voter--& google will find you a whole lot more.
There's an awful lot more research into longitudinal patterns of voters' party attachments, etc.

[deepsepia]

Originally Posted by loosegoose

The fact that there have been two one term governments and plethora of minor parties and interests winning seats should be worrying the powers that be and shaking them out of their sense of complacency. The Australia public is not voting the party line and the media is not as influential as it likes to believe it is.
We are living in interesting times.

I will give Aussies credit -- "The Motoring Enthusiast Party" and "Palmer United" certainly are amusing; responsible, not so much.

I was chatting with an Aussie friend, who noted that both Gillard and Abbott were born in the UK, and there is a downunder "abbott birther" story, that holds that Abbott has never renounced his UK citizenship. (Don't have to be born Australian to hold elective office, but it appears that you do have to have renounced other citizenship).

Its intriguing that Australians mostly don't seem to care, whereas the Obama birther story still gets the crankysphere going.

I think its that Aussies treat the idea of immigration -- particularly from Britain-- as being an "Australian thing to do".

[blondifan]

Intriguing that you don't mention "the major minor party"in Australian politics.

Originally Posted by deepsepia

... Abbott has never renounced his UK citizenship. (Don't have to be born Australian to hold elective office, but it appears that you do have to have renounced other citizenship)..

By some accounts Abbott still ignores FOI requests to prove he is not still a British citizen

One informal vote?

[lagerlout]

Shorten will be celebrating tonight he certainly would rather face The Mad Monk At the next election than Turnbull. I lost any respect for Turnball allowing the NBN to turn into what it has. It was obvious to even blind freddy when he was defending the party line he didn't believe what he was saying

[blondifan]

Originally Posted by lagerlout

... I lost any respect for Turnball allowing the NBN to turn into what it has. ..

You have to wonder, on reflection, if it was another 'captain's call'

Abbotts days are numbered.
This from 2012
Yesterdays result for a proposed spill was 40% against Abbott, by his own party. Six of whom are reported as possibly being from the front bench.

Good on Turnbull for describing the PM's decision to bring the vote forward a day, as yet another captain's call.