When the time comes for me to scratch away at the voluntary postal plebiscite, I will be voting no. And I say so presuming the question is “Do you approve of the Coalition government spending $122 million of taxpayers’ money to save it from itself?”
Really, that is the question. Or it should be.
The Turnbull government is acting against its own interests. This nationwide opinion poll runs contrary to everything the Liberal Party believes in. Even the party’s manifesto says so. Not that they call it that in order to avoid any ideological misapprehensions. They deign it a platform and in that document, replete with more motherhood statements than a 10 minute harangue from Mia Freedman, there sits this rather incriminating phrase: “…that government exists to serve people and not the reverse.”
But here we are engaging in an unproductive and divisive exercise for no good reason other than the Coalition government will erupt into terminal brawling unless the people bail them out for a couple of months before the next round of fussin’ and feudin’ begins.
Full column here.
shoot me
http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/ben-cousins-fails-drug-test-in-perth-prison-reports-say-20170810-gxtvlm.html
this is very poor politics from Malcolm Turnbull, but let’s face it, he has plenty of form for poor politics.
I expect most Aussies believe that Turnbull would prefer to put the matter straight to a vote in Parliament and he would vote yes. He can’t do that because he made a mess of the last election. if he had a ten vote majority he would have the political capital to carry the party with him, but he doesn’t and he can’t.
Plenty of politics on the other side as well.
“On the issue of marriage I think the reality is there is a cultural, religious, historical view around that which we have to respect. The party’s position is very clear that this is an institution that is between a man and a woman.”
Did Penny Wong believe that at the time or was she spinning us a line? it was an unremarkable statement at the time, just to think of a few, Obama, Hillary Clinton, Julia Gillard, Bill Clinton etc all made much the same point around about then.
“I would rather that the people of Australia could make their view clear on this, than leaving this issue to 150 people.”
Did Bill Shorten ditto?
or was Bill keen on a plebiscite then, as many advocates for SSM were, because he reckoned the numbers were more favourable in a plebiscite than the parliament, and now he knows that the numbers are pretty certain in parliament and there is a always a bit of a risk in going to a national vote.
Good stuff, mate but Labor, Shorten et al are being given an armchair ride. They simply cannot lose on this one. If a yes vote gets up, Wee Billy’s a hero. If it’s no, Shorten will be seen as a man who fought against an unfair process. I’ll have a little sportsman’s wager with you. I reckon at the end of this process (subject to High Court challenge) eg end of November, Shorten will lead Turnbull as preferred PM.
you won’t find me supporting MT in any wager mate, his political skills are non-existent.
One to watch though, mate. I reckon he’s given Shorten a big advantage.
yes, that is very true, it was a near own goal, but if he had any political skills he could do something about it.
He could do some of the obvious, like start talking frankly about what he thinks, more John Howard and than Wanky Malcolm. and forget the Lucy and I think this, it sounds like he is hiding something, “I think this” would be better, you know, I have made up my own mind.
He could say, for instance, that he thinks we should have SSM, and that it will be decided by parliament as it must be because of the 2004 amendment to the Marriage Act.
He could say he thought we should go straight to that but there was a wide feeling in the community and in his party that we should get the people’s view.
Maybe he could note that the plebiscite way was the view of his colleague Bill Shorten as recently as 2013.
If Bill opposes it now, he was BSing then or BSing now.
He might also add that there are different legitimate views on SSM, and we should be wary of labelling opponents.
If it is bigoted or homophobic to oppose it now then that must mean that Penny Wong, Julia Gilliard, Tony Burke, Chris Bowen etc etc were all bigots and homophobes just five years ago, and that is plain wrong.
he will do none of this because he plays to the Q&A crowd, in the mistaken belief that they are the centre in australian politics.
a dud.
Shorten is always BSing, jack. The man is so duplicitous it’s a joke. He will say and do whatever it takes for him and famille to move into The Lodge – his childhood dream.
Jack, I agree. I think I’ve mentioned before that I was very pleased when Turnbull rolled Abbot, but he has proved to be such a disappointment. I try not to watch him anymore, it couldn’t avoid seeing him making a speech in Singapore where he frequently talked about what he and Lucy thought about various issues. Now I am very pleased for them that they have a very good marriage, but to keep referring and smiling at his wife during the whole speech was cringe inducing.
Not that impressed with Bill Shorten either, but it seems he has to do nothing at all to win the next election.
Anyway why should I worry when the noose keeps on getting tighter and tighter around Najib’s neck and he’s too scared to call an election in Malaysia because the populace hate him. We’ll be flying right back into the thick of it all in a couple of months. Our apartment in Penang is now worth only 75% of what we paid for it because the Ringgit is in free fall. Malaysia truly Asia……hmmm!!
I’ll have $20bux…Shorten is hopeless. A Looter govt that won an election on ‘the carbon tax was gonna destroy the country’ , ‘Labor’s debt and deficit’ and ‘the carbon tax is the main reason for high electricity prices’ continues to get away with these lies. On these fibs alone Shorten should have ALWAYS been ahead in the preferred leader poll if he was any good. As November is my birthday (or a charity donation?) 3 schooners will be nice. That said, I lost $100bux to RODENT…he correctly (like Michael Moore) tipped Trumper to win.
Jack:- but T.Bull may not be leader in November? Hee hee. I can’t see them going for Dutts.
Nah! You’ve missed the lessons of history Bassy.
When the chips are really down and defeat is a dead cert, both parties revert to putting a woman in charge.
I would bet on one of the most internationally respected people in parliament – Julie Bishop – taking charge.
Your last paragraph is spot on, jack.
Jack re the EPL, I tend to send a reminder out every week.
I’m rather over ssm, if there’s a “don’t give a rats” category that’ll do.
Here’s good.
Saw your note Tracy but no time to note that were offending tradition and playing on a Friday. I could have used that point, I’m pretty crap in the EPL. Actually, only noticed last night I cracked a Whopper last week in the AFL. Who’da thought it?
This is the only way Turnbull could do it – regardless of whether he wanted a conscience vote or not. Weak maybe, but he’s not stupid – give him that.
To have agreed to a conscience vote would have spelt the end of the Coalition and of their term in government. A gift To Shorten.
This way , he can be seen to let the people decide, which takes something away from his vicious right wing.
His hands are tied – and the only winner is Labor.
They weren’t going to do anything until a handful of Lib MPs started raising the prospect of private members’ bills. So this cobbled together solution was arrived at. People want to have a say. I get that. But a non binding voluntary postal survey is a lousy mechanism and IMO will only lead to further division in the community.
It will certainly be an interesting result. IMO, the LGBTIQ community and all the younger heterosexual generation are going to latch onto this and make it into a kind of ”up yours, Malcolm” issue – which could get a Yes vote over the line.
If the people deserve a say, the ABS survey was the only option – because Bill, the Greens and the senate wouldn’t have a bar of that – presumably because they thought the No would win?
What a CUFU – the whole lot of them are a disgrace – how about governing the country instead of these political games.
Meantime threats of a nuclear war to the North go almost unnoticed whilst we stuff around
Correction: I should have said ”’wouldn’t have a bar of a plebiscite” .
Up yours, Tony, too, I guess.
Up the whole lot of them. Jack. Could use stronger language – but we’re gentle folk down here in oaky oaks.
And thats a NO from me too, Mr Insider, for the very same reason you gave in paragraph one of your blog. What a useless waste of space, money wasting government Turnbull runs. Many people in our society today struggling to make ends meet, find employment etc and here he goes frittering away $122 million of taxpayers money on a non binding opinion poll. No wonder the Newspolls are counting this wastrel out, he’s up to 17 negative consecutive ones now just 13 outside the all time record of one T. Abbott at 30.
Nevertheless, Jack, I’m looking forward to Sam Newman in bridal attire.
The whole process reminds me of the plot of The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer.
Mal gets trophy wife from powerful family. Moves into politics and rapidly rises up the ranks to become PM by disposing of previous PM. Then attempts to gain (in his case retain) ultimate control by requiring the populace to engage in endless postal voting on trivial matters.
Sounds rather like David Cameron and Theresa May in the UK. Hence Brexit without the slightest clue how to proceed short of Boris Johnson trying to make a play to become Prime Minister by switching his views 180° on a penny, and the snap election earlier this year.
I’m a big fan of direct democracy in theory, I just don’t trust the motivations of the proponents of this plebiscite, now survey, now Christ-knows-what, in that the words cynical, disingenuous, meretricious, and malicious come to mind immediately. The likelihood of things getting ugly is already high enough.
Not to mention postal ballots are the easiest way to pull off all manner of electoral jiggery-pokery.
I don’t much like it, but I’ll be voting ‘Yes’ – if my ballot ever turns up.
Rhys the vitriol will be running thick and fast. Very unedifying for my beautiful country.
Is there a government in this country that is actually governing? Looks like pantomime to me.
Utterly disgraceful Dwight – and worrying, if this is what we have degenerated into for the foreseeable.
Thinking about how we have become this pathetic ungovernable nation, it seems to have started with TA deciding to play negative blocking politics when in opposition – which every subsequent parliament has now resorted to. Would I be correct?
It’s been happening at the state level earlier than that I would argue. I think Rudd started the rot, which gave TA an opening. He wrecked havoc on the RGR governments. Bill is taking his cue from Tony.
It would be cheaper to give return flights to NZ to all the same sex couples who want to get married. NZ would love the extra coin.
Politics doesn’t seem to be Turnbull’s strong point. He has gone from being pedestrian to ludicrous. And whilst Shorten may be the winner on this one he is no better.
Here’s a read on the ssm “debate”:
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/why-marriage-should-be-between-a-man-and-a-woman-20170810-gxt87w.html
We will soon be inundated on this matter which many don’t care or think about.