General Australian Politics Thread

That's a good point. But when different people value different rights more than others, that can cause a fight over scrapping one right to strengthen the other, which ultimately benefits no one.

For example after Bolt's conviction his supporters argued he should be able to infringe anyone's right to freedom from racial discrimination because of freedom of speech. However Abbott addressed the case by promising to weaken the rights enshrined in the Anti-Discrimination Act. So no rights were strengthened, they were only weakened. If the limits to rights were already inbuilt in their explicit legal protection it would circumvent this problem and in practice strengthen rights rather than weaken them. There wouldn't be a cause to damagingly pit one right against another and reduce overall rights by attrition.

edited 16th Jun '13 8:50:28 PM by editerguy

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jun/18/australia-prism-surveillance

Boy this is depressing.

Where is the outrage? I have been asking myself That question about Australian politics for a very long time.

Most of my solutions to Australian Politics involve burning things and sadly people on Twitter agreed with me after the ghastliness of this week.

It's as much fault of the government covering up (badly) as it is just general Australian political Apathy.

I know we're stereotyped for being laid back but there's a time and place for everything.

I feel angry that nobody wants to join me in changing/burning things around here.

The thing is, compared to the rest of the World, Australia is doing very well. People have no desire to complain.

@NGP

The good thing about Australian apathy is the general lack of people burning things, unlike in Europe these days seemingly.

Donald Horne wrote about this like in the 60s though, basically saying that we're a nation of smug bastards:

@Greenmantle

Well a lot of Australians really obsessively complain that boat people will destroy the country though. Like, they just won't shut up about it. I wish those guys could be more apathetic, this crap eats up elections.

edited 18th Jun '13 7:14:10 AM by editerguy

We Have Become Complacent, indeed.

Can we just have a do-over with politicians, throw everybody out and start over. Maybe with some sort of lottery, draft some people with more qualifications than "Studied politics at Uni and joined young Labor/Liberals then towed the party line".

The media compared the politics to Game Of Thrones enough that it became Game Of Thrones.

So... you're hoping for heads getting lopped off the competition and rivers of blood in the wine? All to a kickass soundtrack? <helpfully takes the literal interpretation for kicks>

edited 19th Jun '13 10:09:37 AM by Euodiachloris

Only if the Game of Thrones is about the family hurling moronic ad hominen attacks at each other.

Please make this show, I will watch it. Get a score by John Williams or Howard Shore. Kerry O'Brien can present with scornful commentary.

Every time I read the news about Australian politics I feel like I'm gonna have a heart attack from the hatred, why couldn't the heart attack have taken Tony Abbott and left the guy from The Sopranos alone?

I'd advise you to try to avoid the news if it's making you that angry. Delete your bookmarked links to news sites for example. Don't watch the TV when the news is on, and keep away from ABC News 24. That's what I did, because reading Australia's news multiple times a day was horrible and it made me an angrier person.

edited 20th Jun '13 4:22:50 AM by editerguy

Avoid ABC radio as well, listening to Question Time at work was horrible, I swear preschoolers have better manners.

Part of my crazed addiction cycle to hatred of Australian politics is because I feel if I don't hate on Tony Abbott, who will? I felt utterly alone in this four years ago and still do, a lot of people are happy but apathetic about the situation to the point that I'm worried that these are the footsoldiers of change I have to work with.

Maybe people don't want change?

Again. 80% of Australian support things like basic human fucking rights and gay marriage, but our government's a joke.

We just don't do shit 'cause we're lazy as fuuuuuuck and they haven't tried to take our alcohol away from us/tax it to all hell.

edited 20th Jun '13 5:31:50 AM by PippingFool

That sounds really unhealthy though. Most of my friends loathe Abbott (so do I), you're not alone. Polls indicate that most people at least dislike Abbott, but they dislike Gillard more.

When I followed the news like an addict I noticed elements of Gillard's politics that no one else I know noticed. But once I realised I despised our PM unconditionally, then what? I'd decided I wasn't going to vote for her, what else was there to do? IMO there's no excuse to keep following politics obsessively once you're at that stage.

If you're addicted to internet news, it's good to start by confining yourself to international news sites, as they only give you the amazing breakthroughs in Aussie politics, so you won't even miss anything important.

There was a poll that 70% of Australians support gay marriage. Unfortunately they haven't polled this issue that rigorously though, as far as I know.

edited 20th Jun '13 6:00:25 AM by editerguy

The sources used in my LGST class said 80 so eh.

Oh OK, sorry I only ever hear about Gallup's 70% one, my bad. What's LGST?

LeGal STudies.

edited 20th Jun '13 6:11:23 AM by PippingFool

To be honest my Judge Frollo like fixation on hating on Australian Politics is probably explained by my inability to either get laid, find creative outlets on a regular basis and general depression.

It probably is unhealthy. Lucky I haven't tried to burn down all of Paris. Though I have wanted to burn the OFLC down... *oh dear*