23 October 2015

Hordes out for Politics in the Pub

| Charlotte
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Shorten crowd
Who said young people are not engaged with politics? Whoever it was clearly hasn’t attended a uni Politics in the Pub night in Canberra.
Clashing events at UC and the ANU last night attracted capacity crowds. The ANU Labor Club pub talk featuring Federal Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten was a completely full house, with dozens of attendees standing or sitting on the floor once all the seats were taken.
The Uni of Canberra function across town was not quite as crowded, but there were only a handful of spare seats and everyone in the room was focused on the conversation between Deputy Labor Leader Tanya Plibersek, Member for Fraser Andrew Leigh and the pub-goers.

Plibersek event

There’s an election in the air, and Shorten mentioned in his speech that this was the first of many such events in the lead-up to it.
We promised to choose a winner between the two events in our preview article The great ALP Politics in the Pub-off and having raced across town last night to spend half an hour each assessing the crowds and vibe, I’m probably the only person crazy enough to be able to do that.
On a simple headcount basis, there were around 160 people crammed into the Wig and Pen to about 100 in the event room at Zierholz. Points to ANU.
The fact that the UC event was held in a separate function room at Zierholz lost it some points too. It didn’t feel like Politics in the Pub. With the bar nowhere in sight it was more like a lecture hall. Don’t the students get enough of that during the day? I reckon Zierholz should host such events in the main bar in future. It was practically empty so they would be unlikely to lose trade over it. The vibe at the Shorten event was much more relaxed and intimate. Points to ANU.
While Member for Canberra Gai Brodtmann was on hand at Shorten’s event, she didn’t join him on the podium or answer questions and this was a good thing. Andrew Leigh sat next to Tanya Plibersek and was given equal footing, having his say on each question from the audience once she had completed her answers. The students weren’t there to see him and would have preferred to have the opportunity to put more questions to the Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Development, I reckon. Points to ANU.
Plibersek completely avoided the emotive question about keeping asylum seekers who attempt to come by boat in offshore “concentration camps” to the frustration of the questioner and many others nodding furiously and calling hear, hear as he asked it. I’ll give the UC crowd some serious points here. They were more vocal and activist-like than the ANU attendees in their reactions to answers and in the questions they put. Which is not to say the ANU students didn’t ask tough questions. They also opened with a question about offshore detention, which Shorten answered more directly than his deputy across town. But they were more reserved and grown-up. Double points to UC.
But all in all, the ANU/ANU Labor Club/Wig and Pen/Shorten combination easily defeated the UC/UC Labor Club/Zierholz/Plibersek line-up.
Clichéd as this is going to sound, the real winner last night was us Canberrans, spoilt for choice in terms of access to beer and political leaders on a weeknight. Gotta love this city.

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dungfungus said :

rubaiyat said :

News just in the Liberals have resoundingly won the Canadian election.

But then their Party is not false advertising.

That is Liberal as in Democrat?

Canada Liberals are a centrist party, just like the Australian Liberals used to be and hopefully will be again. You might be confused with the Democrat party over there which is probably the equivalent of the Greens here. Just to complete the triumvirate, the Conservative party in Canada is the ideological equivalent of the Abbott era Libs.

rubaiyat said :

News just in the Liberals have resoundingly won the Canadian election.

But then their Party is not false advertising.

That is Liberal as in Democrat?

News just in the Liberals have resoundingly won the Canadian election.

But then their Party is not false advertising.

dungfungus said :

rubaiyat said :

dungfungus said :

rosscoact said :

rubaiyat said :

dungfungus said :

rosscoact said :

Shorten isn’t likely to be PM from my perspective.

Sure while Tones was blundering around with his reverse Midas touch, he didn’t need to do anything and even looked acceptable in comparison. Now that the year of ideas is turning out to be a fizzer he’s looking pretty ordinary.

“Shorten isn’t likely to be PM from my perspective.”
And according to today’s Fairfax Media poll, most of the pollsters would agree with you.

I can’t help it but every time I see Bill Shorten I see Stan Laurel. 🙂

😀

Where are all the Bill Shorten supporters? He is the leader of the ALP isn’t he?

It must seem strange to you, but we are not all one (extremely short sighted) eye supporters.

I’ve voted for all sides of politics at one time or other, as the occasion warranted.

A lot of people contributing to this blog claim they change their vote to suit the occasion warranted.
The fact that we have had the same ACT government for over 12 years indicates this is nonsense.

We all take turns at switching votes.

Sort of cancels it out.

Voted Kate Carnell in and then out, and she was the most electable (small l) Liberal.

Since then they’ve all looked like used car salesmen. We’ve had a near death experience with the Federal Teabaggers, don’t think Canberra has the stomach to repeat the experience locally.

Pity, it would be nice to have a choice.

rubaiyat said :

dungfungus said :

rosscoact said :

rubaiyat said :

dungfungus said :

rosscoact said :

Shorten isn’t likely to be PM from my perspective.

Sure while Tones was blundering around with his reverse Midas touch, he didn’t need to do anything and even looked acceptable in comparison. Now that the year of ideas is turning out to be a fizzer he’s looking pretty ordinary.

“Shorten isn’t likely to be PM from my perspective.”
And according to today’s Fairfax Media poll, most of the pollsters would agree with you.

I can’t help it but every time I see Bill Shorten I see Stan Laurel. 🙂

😀

Where are all the Bill Shorten supporters? He is the leader of the ALP isn’t he?

It must seem strange to you, but we are not all one (extremely short sighted) eye supporters.

I’ve voted for all sides of politics at one time or other, as the occasion warranted.

A lot of people contributing to this blog claim they change their vote to suit the occasion warranted.
The fact that we have had the same ACT government for over 12 years indicates this is nonsense.

Charlotte Harper said :

Everyone is still too excited to have Turnbull instead of Abbott to give Shorten much thought.

Not everyone.

Charlotte Harper11:42 am 20 Oct 15

Yes, that was something of a generalisation but I think it’s true that Turnbull is in honeymoon period.

dungfungus said :

rosscoact said :

rubaiyat said :

dungfungus said :

rosscoact said :

Shorten isn’t likely to be PM from my perspective.

Sure while Tones was blundering around with his reverse Midas touch, he didn’t need to do anything and even looked acceptable in comparison. Now that the year of ideas is turning out to be a fizzer he’s looking pretty ordinary.

“Shorten isn’t likely to be PM from my perspective.”
And according to today’s Fairfax Media poll, most of the pollsters would agree with you.

I can’t help it but every time I see Bill Shorten I see Stan Laurel. 🙂

😀

Where are all the Bill Shorten supporters? He is the leader of the ALP isn’t he?

It must seem strange to you, but we are not all one (extremely short sighted) eye supporters.

I’ve voted for all sides of politics at one time or other, as the occasion warranted.

VYBerlinaV8_is_back10:22 am 20 Oct 15

Charlotte Harper said :

Everyone is still too excited to have Turnbull instead of Abbott to give Shorten much thought.

Shorten was a good match for Abbott.

For Turnbull, not so much…

dungfungus said :

rosscoact said :

rubaiyat said :

dungfungus said :

rosscoact said :

Shorten isn’t likely to be PM from my perspective.

Sure while Tones was blundering around with his reverse Midas touch, he didn’t need to do anything and even looked acceptable in comparison. Now that the year of ideas is turning out to be a fizzer he’s looking pretty ordinary.

“Shorten isn’t likely to be PM from my perspective.”
And according to today’s Fairfax Media poll, most of the pollsters would agree with you.

I can’t help it but every time I see Bill Shorten I see Stan Laurel. 🙂

😀

Where are all the Bill Shorten supporters? He is the leader of the ALP isn’t he?

Few people are so blinded by ideology that they cannot laugh at a political leader.

rosscoact said :

rubaiyat said :

dungfungus said :

rosscoact said :

Shorten isn’t likely to be PM from my perspective.

Sure while Tones was blundering around with his reverse Midas touch, he didn’t need to do anything and even looked acceptable in comparison. Now that the year of ideas is turning out to be a fizzer he’s looking pretty ordinary.

“Shorten isn’t likely to be PM from my perspective.”
And according to today’s Fairfax Media poll, most of the pollsters would agree with you.

I can’t help it but every time I see Bill Shorten I see Stan Laurel. 🙂

😀

Where are all the Bill Shorten supporters? He is the leader of the ALP isn’t he?

Charlotte Harper10:06 am 20 Oct 15

Everyone is still too excited to have Turnbull instead of Abbott to give Shorten much thought.

rubaiyat said :

dungfungus said :

rosscoact said :

Shorten isn’t likely to be PM from my perspective.

Sure while Tones was blundering around with his reverse Midas touch, he didn’t need to do anything and even looked acceptable in comparison. Now that the year of ideas is turning out to be a fizzer he’s looking pretty ordinary.

“Shorten isn’t likely to be PM from my perspective.”
And according to today’s Fairfax Media poll, most of the pollsters would agree with you.

I can’t help it but every time I see Bill Shorten I see Stan Laurel. 🙂

😀

dungfungus said :

rosscoact said :

Shorten isn’t likely to be PM from my perspective.

Sure while Tones was blundering around with his reverse Midas touch, he didn’t need to do anything and even looked acceptable in comparison. Now that the year of ideas is turning out to be a fizzer he’s looking pretty ordinary.

“Shorten isn’t likely to be PM from my perspective.”
And according to today’s Fairfax Media poll, most of the pollsters would agree with you.

I can’t help it but every time I see Bill Shorten I see Stan Laurel. 🙂

rosscoact said :

Shorten isn’t likely to be PM from my perspective.

Sure while Tones was blundering around with his reverse Midas touch, he didn’t need to do anything and even looked acceptable in comparison. Now that the year of ideas is turning out to be a fizzer he’s looking pretty ordinary.

“Shorten isn’t likely to be PM from my perspective.”
And according to today’s Fairfax Media poll, most of the pollsters would agree with you.

Shorten isn’t likely to be PM from my perspective.

Sure while Tones was blundering around with his reverse Midas touch, he didn’t need to do anything and even looked acceptable in comparison. Now that the year of ideas is turning out to be a fizzer he’s looking pretty ordinary.

tonyb said :

I was at anu to hear bill shorten. He arrived 30 minutes late, not a good start. I wanted to hear him speak so I was patient. I wanted to ask a question but as it turned out that wasn’t even a possibility. Only hand picked labor club loyalists got to ask their pre arranged questions. If labor wants to engage then it needs to take a risk and let people ask a non approved questions. From your report pliers El did what shorten did – avoid any meaningful answer to the pressing question about what labor will do about Nauru and manus

” Only hand picked labor club loyalists got to ask their pre arranged questions”.
Sounds like anyother ABC TV Q&A production (without Tony Jones).

I was at anu to hear bill shorten. He arrived 30 minutes late, not a good start. I wanted to hear him speak so I was patient. I wanted to ask a question but as it turned out that wasn’t even a possibility. Only hand picked labor club loyalists got to ask their pre arranged questions. If labor wants to engage then it needs to take a risk and let people ask a non approved questions. From your report pliers El did what shorten did – avoid any meaningful answer to the pressing question about what labor will do about Nauru and manus

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