12 July 2016

Two-party crescendo in G-minor

| Neil34
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Roll up, roll up to the one-party circus: it’s politics for dummies, Turnbull-style.

Liberal ringmaster Malcolm Turnbull cracks his whip. Don’t vote for Bill Shorten because you’ll end up with “a hung Parliament, a budget black hole, big Labor taxes, less jobs and more boats”. Resist the “roll of the dice on independents or minor parties”.

Denigration of the Greens, in particular, has been swift and shrilling. So has the punishment. Drop them below Labor on the how-to-vote cards. That’ll teach them. Ruin them.

Turnbull’s directive against minor parties is quite absurd, especially when his government is built on the support of a minor party, the National Party.

The anti-Greens move is straight from the book of Menzies – make them into dangerous maniacs who spout socialism (that is, communism) and threaten true-blue Aussie values. Scare voters witless and get them to vote for the only party you can trust – the Libs. Oh, and the rusted-on rural rump, the Nats, as well. Sure thing.

It seems that even Labor left-wingers need anti-Greens help from the heavyweights. Former Labor PM Paul Keating came to the defence of Anthony Albanese who’s facing quite a battle in his inner Sydney seat of Grayndler. Keating says the Greens are “a bunch of opportunistic Trots hiding behind a gum tree”. Neoclassic Keating hyperbole for Labor’s true believers.

Why is there such a two-party focus of fury on the Greens? Simple: the Greens are a threat to their cosy powerbase. They want to stop these nasty little upstarts in their upward tracks.

In the ACT, the two major parties tend to brush the Greens off. They think the results are foregone conclusions. Labor will win both seats in the Reps, and it’ll be one senator for Labor and one senator for the Libs.

Canberrans like to think they’re different, but their voting habits prove otherwise. They’ll stick with the tried and true. Forget the Libs for a minute, or forever. They love to back unknowns and even Zed. Perhaps the Libs will pick up some disgruntled Labor voters who want to make a very light rail protest. Very silly indeed.

Labor voters mightn’t be happy with some/many of Labor policies, but can’t/won’t make the jump to the Greens – even though Greens policies on refugees, climate change and other matters align more closely with their personal views. It’s quite a puzzle.

The Greens have impressive candidates in the ACT. Christina Hobbs would make a very good senator – certainly much better than the Liberal incumbent. Patricia Cahill, the Greens candidate for Canberra, has campaigned hard and effectively on the southside and on social media. Pushing past the Libs and unseating Labor’s Gai Brodtmann would send a very big message to those who take the ACT for granted. Carly Anne Saeedi, the Greens candidate for Fenner, has a much harder task against Labor star Andrew Leigh.

Why not vote for the Greens? Be courageous, be different and don’t be put off by the scare tactics of the traditional powerful elites.

 

 

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ddd444 said :

The Nick Xenophon Team is more likely to end up another Palmer Disunited Party. The Greens show great sense, especially in renewable energy area – a big jobs and growth industry boosted by solar thermal. Go the Greens.

Rubbish. Nick Xenophon is a good politician. Palmer is a total goof ball. Also, Palmer United “subsumed” existing independents into their ranks. It was a coalition – unlike Xenophon, which is one party.

I agree with you re green energy – the Lib’s record on that is terrible.

However, even that teflon coated ex ACT Chief Minister, now Labor Senator Katy Gallagher, says that the Greens policies will cost another $90b to the federal budget over the next 4 years. You can not say “put people first” if the country goes more broke doing that.

The Greens will be stuffed – their “divorce” from Labor federally does not auger well for their future. Thankfully.

“a bunch of opportunistic Trots hiding behind a gum tree”
is *not* hyperbole.

Lee “Rhiannon” Brown, for one, was committed communist for decades, even *after* the Soviet Union collapsed when she continued to work as the editor of a pro-soviet paper that glorified soviet policies. Her parents were arrested for pro-Communist espionage during the Vietnam war after being caught reporting on Australian troop movements through Sydney Harbour – a despicable act of treason that put Aussie diggers’ lives at risk. She met with the KGB at least once, and she visited Moscow.
The Stalinist regime that she supported was the most evil, destructive and murderous regime to ever exist on this planet.
The Greens has allowed itself to be infiltrated by many more like her. This is the standard modus operandum of Left wing extremists around the world: infiltrate a small party to become a trojan horse for destabilising society in order to hasten (they imagine) the onset of a popular revolution that will put the Communist Party into power.
They may not present anywhere near as significant a danger to our society as they would like to, but that is no reason to ignore them – especially when the net effect is to greatly reduce the effectiveness of popular support for environmental issues and thus creates a significant indirect boost for the fossil fuel industry..

rommeldog56 said :

chewy14 said :

The greens will set Australia back decades with their anti business and economic policies.

Yawn.

Unlike, say, the anti-EU Tories and looney Right in Britain who championed Brexit? No, that’s how to destroy an economy, mate.

I find it amusing that you’ve jumped right on board the “brexit will ruin the UK” bandwagon. I’d love to hear why you’ve reached your no doubt reasonable and considered position. Even more amusing is that you’re drawing a ridiculously long bow to try and connect the Tories in the UK with the Libs here, on an issue that’s nothing to do with us. Bravo.

Also, I know it doesn’t fit into your anti-Conservative fictional narrative, but you should probably know that the majority of Tories in Westminster were against leaving the EU.

The Nick Xenophon Team is more likely to end up another Palmer Disunited Party. The Greens show great sense, especially in renewable energy area – a big jobs and growth industry boosted by solar thermal. Go the Greens.

Crazed_Loner9:54 pm 30 Jun 16

chewy14 said :

The greens will set Australia back decades with their anti business and economic policies.

Yawn.

Unlike, say, the anti-EU Tories and looney Right in Britain who championed Brexit? No, that’s how to destroy an economy, mate.

chewy14 said :

The greens will set Australia back decades with their anti business and economic policies.

Here, you would like this video I just saw: https://www.facebook.com/GetUpAustralia/videos/10153515863351455/

chewy14 said :

The greens will set Australia back decades with their anti business and economic policies.

Set them back how, fiscally? They’re socially progressive, so is the argument just about money?

You serious?

The greens will set Australia back decades with their anti business and economic policies.

I note media reports that claim that polling indicates that in South Australia, the Xenophon Team is getting 25% of the primary vote. The majority of that is apparently coming from Labor/Greens voters. Will be interesting to see how that pans out. IMHO. it’s a shame that Xenophon Team isn’t standing in Canberra seats in the Federal election or in the upcoming ACT Legislative Assembly election.

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