Federal Politics (Part 1)

[MelbourneOnTheRise]

Originally Posted by Platypus

All sane people realise the real leadership tensions are in the Labor Party, as the caucus dispair about the flatlining opinion polls and the reality that the bulk of voters have simply turned off Gillard's lies and spin.

Tony Abbott's leadership is not a sacred cow. He took it from Turnbull 42 to 41 votes in 2009 and someone else will eventually take it from him. Its 3 years into his leadership and even though he's successfully managed to turn politics into a farce of nihilistic negativity, the polls still say everybody hates him and he's still saying that as soon as you make him PM the budget will suddenly become a magic pudding with tax cuts and improved services for everyone. Turnbull or Hockey wipe the floor with Abbott in terms of policy vision and appeal to swing voters.

And speaking of lies what about non-core promises? What about "everything I say that isn't written down is a lie"? And as for the spin comment, Abbott speaks almost exclusively in shouted three word slogans! "Stop the boats" "Ditch the bitch" "Axe the tax". You're trying to tell me that Abbott's never used spin to further his own political agenda?

[Citystyle]

Originally Posted by Lightness

When the Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia in 1968 a lot of the communist parties around the Western world split into separate movements. Reports of the slave and concentration camps of the Gulag were becoming common knowledge and the regime in Moscow started to refer to leftist parties around Europe as "useful idiots". No doubt a lot of communists at the time had their world-view ruined and gave up on the bolshevist and stalinist ideologies and instead opted for some kind of less rigid type of marxist system.

Not Lee Rhiannon though, she supported the Soviets to the bitter end. This isn't some fringe extremist living in her parent's bedroom and posting wicked comments on marxist websites, this is the leader of the NSW Greens in the Senate! Bob Brown even gave her the portfolios of Democracy and National Security among others! It beggars belief.

I believe that when the Greens appoint a leader with a less strong personality then Lee will start to push her genocidal agenda.

Being a Marxist or a Communist isn't an outrageous ideology to hold to begine with, secondly why people seem the need to brand every socialist as a Communist? i don't know, it's politically and historically inaccurate to do so.

Communism split into a plethora of different groups all the time, most of them were not Stalanist or driven by a soviet ideology.

[Citystyle]

Originally Posted by MelbourneOnTheRise

Tony Abbott's leadership is not a sacred cow. He took it from Turnbull 42 to 41 votes in 2009 and someone else will eventually take it from him. Its 3 years into his leadership and even though he's successfully managed to turn politics into a farce of nihilistic negativity, the polls still say everybody hates him and he's still saying that as soon as you make him PM the budget will suddenly become a magic pudding with tax cuts and improved services for everyone. Turnbull or Hockey wipe the floor with Abbott in terms of policy vision and appeal to swing voters.

And speaking of lies what about non-core promises? What about "everything I say that isn't written down is a lie"? And as for the spin comment, Abbott speaks almost exclusively in shouted three word slogans! "Stop the boats" "Ditch the bitch" "Axe the tax". You're trying to tell me that Abbott's never used spin to further his own political agenda?

Abbott is the Shane Warne of Australian politics.

[Platypus]

Originally Posted by Citystyle

Being a Marxist or a Communist isn't an outrageous ideology to hold to begine with,

Exactly! communism is terrific.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_ki...munist_regimes

[KJBrissy]

And you are saying there has been no wars, no killings and no deaths under a democratic government? Under any anti communist governments?

I don't support the idea of communism but your comment has absolutely no relationship with the topic of discussion.

[aaronaugi1]

Originally Posted by Platypus

Exactly! communism is terrific.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_ki...munist_regimes

Yep. Stalin killed millions of people therefore all facilities of communism are evil.

Imagine if we took the same approach to religion and capitalist political economies.

[redbaron_012]

Dontya just luvit.............the next election is going to be a ripper..heeeee

[Citystyle]

Originally Posted by Platypus

Exactly! communism is terrific.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_ki...munist_regimes

I don't see the connection? does it tell us anything about communism? Probably very little. Communism is totally unworkable at the moment, but it's does not contain any inherit evil.

I think what you will find that the Leninist structures of most communist states allowed for an extreme concentration of political power, rather than anything Marx wrote himself.

[Mornnb]

Originally Posted by MelbourneOnTheRise

Tony Abbott's leadership is not a sacred cow. He took it from Turnbull 42 to 41 votes in 2009 and someone else will eventually take it from him. Its 3 years into his leadership and even though he's successfully managed to turn politics into a farce of nihilistic negativity, the polls still say everybody hates him and he's still saying that as soon as you make him PM the budget will suddenly become a magic pudding with tax cuts and improved services for everyone. Turnbull or Hockey wipe the floor with Abbott in terms of policy vision and appeal to swing voters.

Liked or not he's effective, just look at the poll numbers. He was stealing support from Labor will before Gillard was around. In fact if not for Abbott's solid performance against Rudd, it is unlikely Gillard would have been able to take over.
Liberals are not going to dump such an effective leader, one who has a great chance of winning the election. And the likability factor, well he's running against Gillard, they're both unpopular.

[Mornnb]

Ugh double post, damn you iOS.

[ryan79]

Originally Posted by Mornnb

Liked or not he's effective, just look at the poll numbers. He was stealing support from Labor will before Gillard was around. In fact if not for Abbott's solid performance against Rudd, it is unlikely Gillard would have been able to take over.
Liberals are not going to dump such an effective leader, one who has a great chance of winning the election. And the likability factor, well he's running against Gillard, they're both unpopular.

But I'd feel much better voting for Liberal if Abbott wasn't in charge.

[manrush]

Originally Posted by Platypus

Exactly! communism is terrific.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_ki...munist_regimes

A lot of irony can be found in a Krauthammer fanboy lecturing about bankrupt ideologies.

[metro_minotaur]

funny how the Liberals had full confidence in him for the whole time he was on their side.. now that he's not:

http://www.news.com.au/national/pete...-1226334819088

[KJBrissy]

And they only care so that it would be easier for them to win bills. The Labor party should pass a law that states that pairing for a speake is essential in a minority Government or on a situation where the opposition has one less member than the party in power.

[Lightness]

Originally Posted by metro_minotaur

funny how the Liberals had full confidence in him for the whole time he was on their side.. now that he's not:

Of course they had publicly, but behind the scenes they were investigating him all over the place and turning every rock and checking every receipt. And Slippery Pete felt the heat and jumped ship ... and Labor thought they'd trapped their saviour .. not realising they had bought the cat in the sack. And then the evidence was on the table for all to see and the music stopped .. and Julia found that there was no chair left to sit on!

[Joelby]

^ What an unnecessarily complicated metaphor.

[Aussie Bhoy]

Slippery Pete would have been gone in 2010, but under the LNP merger deal all sitting members kept their endorsments. He knew he was going to be given the shove before the next election, hence the switch.

Him and Thomson, they are just the never ending bad headlines for the ALP. Do they have an election soon, and lose pretty badly, or delay longer and get a NSW/QLD style wipeout?

[KJBrissy]

Many people still associate Peter Slipper with the Liberal Party. Most know he isn't part of the Labor Party.

BTW, I thought the public voted against politicians that lied. Looks like Abbott won't be elected seeing he promised to always pair members in votes

[manrush]

Originally Posted by KJBrissy

Many people still associate Peter Slipper with the Liberal Party. Most know he isn't part of the Labor Party.

BTW, I thought the public voted against politicians that lied. Looks like Abbott won't be elected seeing he promised to always pair members in votes

Only against Labor politicians that lied/lie, mate. Because only Labor lies.

[Danubis]

Originally Posted by KJBrissy

And they only care so that it would be easier for them to win bills. The Labor party should pass a law that states that pairing for a speake is essential in a minority Government or on a situation where the opposition has one less member than the party in power.

that's ridiculous.