View Full Version : Aussie Election
baggygreen
11-25-07, 06:57 PM
I'm surprised noone put up any thread about this yet!? its not like its no small news, a govt is voted out after 11 years....
I know that bookworm_020 is a happy man for the result, I'm very much on tenterhooks atm tho.
For those who don't know, Howard's govt has been in power 11 years and Australia has become somewhat splintered by him. he's made a lot of tough choices that have benefitted the country, but his choices have often been unpopular. After a 6 week election campaign in which i was fed up by the blatant lies and scaremongering by many parties, the Opposition was voted in on the weekend, and convinvingly so.
Rudd will be making a lot of changes asap, a major one of which is to pull out the combat troops in iraq, which is about 1/3 of our deployment. Another is his refusal to sell uranium to India until they sign the NPT, and yet another is that we will become signatory to the Kyoto protocol inside a month (i think that timeframe's right?)
big changes for our standing in world affairs i foresee.
Torplexed
11-25-07, 08:33 PM
Yeah...I'm kinda surprised the Aussie election result hadn't come up yet either. Howard being quite the staunch US ally these last few years.
bookworm_020
11-25-07, 08:44 PM
I have mixed feelings at the moment. Glad the John is gone, but a little worried about what will happen in the near future. Even though Rudd has control of the Hlouse of Reps straight away, the libs/nats will retain control of the senate untill mid way through 2008. ( I doubt they will make a move on work choices or Kyoto untill after then, as they have to draw up policy for both) When they do get contol, they will be forced to use the greens to get things past the senate.:-?
It was an intresting night in politics for a couple of reasons. The PM getting the boot as well as losing his seat (only the second time since federation):huh:
The Democrates disappeared from the Senate (I doubt they will be back!):dead:
The fact the government lost the election, despite unemploymnet being low, the ecconomy being strong and people saying they did a good job.:doh:
I was OIC of a polling both in South Western Sydney. We had no problems with any of the voters, were able to get the count done quickly and accurate in numbers, and I didn't have a seat that was marginal or was being threatened by swing votes (you then have scruteneers breathing down your neck, challenging every vote when counted!)
I'm sure there will be some nervous people in the U.S. and the U.K., as they're next up on the election chopping block.:/\\chop
I don't think it was an election to vote in a party, as they both are useless IMO, (gee what happened to Pauline!:lol:) rather, as far as I'm concerned, it was a vote to keep Costello out! ... The sh_t will hit the fan now!!;) Howard was ok, and Rudd seems to be a decent sort of a chap, time will tell though. :yep:
Actually, it was more a case of voting for the lesser of the evils!:up:
There, that should stir things up a bit!!!!
SteveW1
11-26-07, 12:37 AM
Just wait for the Unions to start all there crap now that Labor is in:nope:
Little Johnny did cause a bit of grief with his Workchoices but for having an all time low in unemployment and a strong economy I think it's better to deal with the devil you know than the one you Don't
my 2 cents
I hate that ear wax eating smug bastard Rudd. :stare:
Garrett is a moron as well, hypocrit for joining labour and not being a green, typical labour using celebrities to buy votes.
Democrats.... hahahah!!!
Oh well, the economy will suffer, unions 'ARE NOW BACK!!' and in 4 years we'll be back to liberals.
/shrug
baggygreen
11-26-07, 01:09 AM
I read today of a workplace getting a visit from 2 union heavies, who entered the place yelling "we're back".
What type of workplace i dont know, nor how accurate the story is.
What I hope will happen is that the ALP are able to keep a tight leash on these ugly bullies, if they can do that they'll greatly allay the fears of anyone who is old enough to remember the hawke-keating era. Unfortunately, given Gillard and particularly Combet's histories, i dont like the chances of this.
It'll be a good test of Rudd's strength, if he can withstand the inevitable pressure that those 2 in particular will mount on him, then we might have ourselves a halfway decent leader. The worry though is that he won't be strong enough and will capitulate. then we're in trouble...
I'd love Labour if it wasn't for the unions. As they are, it's nothing but a conflict of interest. Although the same can be said for thw Libs as they get many 'donations' from corporate Australia.
There, that should stir things up a bit!!!!
Yep, it Worked!!:roll:
Question(s): How much effect do you think relations with the current US Administration had on this election? And what kind of effect do you think this change will have on future relations with the US?
IMO--Australians are good to have by your side when things get nasty! (Learned that bit on my European Walk-About ;))!
baggygreen
11-26-07, 02:50 AM
Honest opinion, it wont be a case of you say jump, we say how high. Not that it was, but the 2 country's interests are closely enough entwined that thhey should work together on pretty much everything imo.
Rudd pulling troops from iraq is more a silly gesture to get the vote from the anti-war crowd. like i said, he's leaving behind all the logistical troops and platforms, plus a 'security detachment' so in my mind he's not pulling out all the combat troops anyway. besides, he'll send em straight to Afghanistan which is a fight he approves of.
Trade-wise, id expect things to be a little frostier. Rudd is keen to get very chummy with China, and for that matter the rest of Asia. Unfortunately for the US, that means a bit of a clash of heads. While the US might say publicly that it wants china's growth to continue, ultimately this isnt a good thing for the US. Rudd is going to be actively helping the Chinese economy grow wherever he can, in the belief that this will impress our asian neighbours. this, coupled with similar ideas for places such as Malaysia, Thailand, indeed most of SE asia, will drop the economic relevence of the US somewhat as these smaller economies grow, and in China's case, almost set the benchmark.
Defence-wise, I expect a little less support to go to the US in general. Working 'too closely' with the US led to the perception that Oz is nothing more than a US vassal. To make inroads into Asia, this image has to be shed. A significant part of this will mean defence ties wont be quite as close. Think pre-01 and i think you'll be close. things were tight then, but not living in each others laps.
What will be interesting is that Rudd refusing to sell uranium to India means they're going to have us in their bad books at a time when the US is trying to groom India as a strategic partner for the next 20 or 30 years. If our ties with china become closer, this will make for an interesting strategic environment, as India and China are likely to become regional rivals - one one hand you have the US, India and even Russia, on the other you've got China and Oz - and then, Oz and the US. :doh:
I didnt realise this was getting so long, so to sum it up i think the relations between the US and Australia will cool slightly, we'll be at loggerheads on a lot of things that weren't an issue for the past 10 years, but i think on many things very little will change - we've had close ties groomed over the past 60 years, it'll take more than a change in govt to dimish them significantly.
darius359au
11-26-07, 03:24 AM
I hate that ear wax eating smug bastard Rudd. :stare:
/shrug
Hehe , thats a way better description for him than i came up with ;) - I always think of him as the type of used car salesman that make's you automatically stick you hand in your pocket to make sure he hasn't stolen it ;)
SteveW1
11-26-07, 04:13 AM
I hate that ear wax eating smug bastard Rudd. :stare:
LOL My Mrs absolutely hates his guts, I'm actually amazed his credability didn't take a nose dive after the ear wax eating incident, every Woman I talk to about Rudd they all say he's a Sleazy looking Git.
Oh well guess we have to wait 4 years and see what happens in the next election.
Or can we just put a vote of no confidence in and have them removed from office.:arrgh!:
Costello is a bigger sleaze than Rudd, a liberal version of Keating!!:yep: At least he's bailed out! I have voted Liberal all my life, this is the first time I voted Labour!:huh:
Question(s): How much effect do you think relations with the current US Administration had on this election? And what kind of effect do you think this change will have on future relations with the US?
The US has lost one of it's staunchest allies to a mandarin-speaking farmboy... :lol:
Konovalov
11-26-07, 03:20 PM
Costello is a bigger sleaze than Rudd, a liberal version of Keating!!:yep: At least he's bailed out! I have voted Liberal all my life, this is the first time I voted Labour!:huh:
Exactly the same for me. :yep: I was left with no choice this time.
Howard took the Liberal Party down with him. The only question remains how long the party will be in the politcal wilderness. I just can't believe how gutless those within the Liberal party were in not dumping Howard well before the election. Now they only have themselves to blame. :roll:
I have to say that I was a bit of an outside this time living over here in the UK and I didn't keep up to date with the election campaign day to day. However I was embarressed and disgusted with what happened in the Western Sydney seat of Lyndsay where the NSW branch of the Liberal party stooped to race hate Nazi style fake pamphlets. :shifty: What a disgrace. :down: Probably worse was wacky Jackie Kelly and her sorry excuses in trying to defend what her husband did. She should bugger off back to N.Z. and return under that rock from where she came.
That's my 2 Aussie cents. Oh yeah I almost forgot that back home we round to the nearest 5 cents don't we. :lol:
Dose this now mean you don't want our Queen to drop by anymore?
Konovalov
11-26-07, 03:34 PM
Dose this now mean you don't want our Queen to drop by anymore?
Can't say that it's an issue for me either way. In other words I don't care. :smug:
Dose this now mean you don't want our Queen to drop by anymore?
Can't say that it's an issue for me either way. In other words I don't care. :smug:
That could be high treason. ;)
waste gate
11-26-07, 03:49 PM
I don't know very much of Australian politics but I dare say that not much will change between the US and Australia. Or Austalia and Britain.
Konovalov
11-26-07, 03:50 PM
So it's off to the Tower of London and the :/\\chop for me. :lol:
So it's off to the tower and the :/\\chop for me. :lol:
No, not in this day and age. ;)
Your most likely be given £100,000 and a world tour. :rotfl:
On behalf of the board PC Madness
bookworm_020
11-26-07, 05:29 PM
Better a queen that's paid for by another country, than an Aussie president who will cost us a fortune!:shifty:
The relationship between Australia and the US will change more after the U.S. presidential elections. Many democrate senators were unhappy with the free trade agreement that happened under Bush and Howard (don't know why and it's beifited the U.S. more in trade than Australia). Howard didn't spend as much time building bridges with the democrat party as he should, so some do have a chip on there shoulder.
I don't no if they will hold it against Rudd. They could see him as a new chance.
Defence wise the relationship won't change too much, Labour back many of the former goverment's decisions in this area, so they're not going to scrap them.
waste gate
11-26-07, 05:43 PM
Defence wise the relationship won't change too much, Labour back many of the former goverment's decisions in this area, so they're not going to scrap them.
What if the US decides to scrap them? Agreements always go two ways.
bookworm_020
11-26-07, 07:28 PM
Defence wise the relationship won't change too much, Labour back many of the former goverment's decisions in this area, so they're not going to scrap them.
What if the US decides to scrap them? Agreements always go two ways.
I don't see the U.S. saying to Australia "we don't want you here in Iraq or Afganistain anymore, so go home!" It would also leave America open to the loss of intelligences bases here in Australia, which would be hard to replace in the region.
Originally Posted by STEED
Dose this now mean you don't want our Queen to drop by anymore?
I certainly will allways have a lot of respect for the Queen & the monarchy,:yep: however I don't have much time for Prince Charles and Camilla!!:nope:
Defence wise the relationship won't change too much, Labour back many of the former goverment's decisions in this area, so they're not going to scrap them.
What if the US decides to scrap them? Agreements always go two ways.
Well, we can always sell Uranium to China or Iran if the USA doesn't play how we want them to. :p
j/k
waste gate
11-26-07, 08:17 PM
Defence wise the relationship won't change too much, Labour back many of the former goverment's decisions in this area, so they're not going to scrap them.
What if the US decides to scrap them? Agreements always go two ways.
Well, we can always sell Uranium to China or Iran if the USA doesn't play how we want them to. :p
j/k
Absolutely.
Originally Posted by STEED
Dose this now mean you don't want our Queen to drop by anymore?
I certainly will allways have a lot of respect for the Queen & the monarchy,:yep: however I don't have much time for Prince Charles and Camilla!!:nope:
I feel the same way, if he's smart he'll abdicate and let his son become the new heir. Otherwise I can guarentee Australia will be leaving the British Empire.
Which kind of sucks... No more kicking ass in the Commonwealth games!
bookworm_020
11-26-07, 08:45 PM
Originally Posted by STEED
Dose this now mean you don't want our Queen to drop by anymore?
I certainly will allways have a lot of respect for the Queen & the monarchy,:yep: however I don't have much time for Prince Charles and Camilla!!:nope:
I feel the same way, if he's smart he'll abdicate and let his son become the new heir. Otherwise I can guarentee Australia will be leaving the British Empire.
Which kind of sucks... No more kicking ass in the Commonwealth games!
I think England would become a republic before we do!:rotfl:
And on that day Dame Edna will be queen!
She's allready a Queen, isn't she!:rotfl:
Venatore
11-27-07, 08:00 AM
Defence is screwed :dead:
“Mdnight Oil” singer Peter Garrett* becomes Minister for Climate Change, Environment & Heritage, Arts!
*“Beds are burning”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10BbpGKLXqk
+++
Another old classic, from England this time, dedicated to our subsim homie "Steed":
The Stranglers: “Gordon Brown”
http://collect.myspace.com/music/popup.cfm?num=0&time=undefined&fid=187381428&uid=1&t=3nC603RCuLYc78WH0V7gd81rLK5x/ONfs0SNwkpsbbClkZQ11gaLY bsZd6w1/Mhh/ThPWhN4Gwo4KalFJ0CLw==d=MTg3MzgxNDI4XjExOTYzMDQwMj c=
Defence is screwed :dead:LOL so are the Libs with Brendan in charge!
bookworm_020
11-29-07, 09:51 PM
I could see a geat cartoon of howard looking for a new home and saying that he has empathy for those who are in the housing market.
:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:
bookworm_020
11-29-07, 10:06 PM
Maybe this sums it up
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/opinion/animations/0,25199,19,00.html
Venatore
11-30-07, 04:03 AM
Defence is screwed :dead:LOL so are the Libs with Brendan in charge!
I join The Australian Infantry in 1988 and for 8 long boring years we sat on our bums conducting exercises within Australia the good old LABOR policy of "Home-Defence", same exercises year after year, same concept, defend Australia, dig defensives positions year after year, outdated warfare and the infantry were getting stale.
When the Liberal Party got in during the 1996 elections, my boring stale career changed, we are now deploying all over the world East-Timor, Iraq, Afghanistan, Solomon Islands, Kuwait, soldiers doing what we joined to do, now I think we (the soldier) are in for a our own dry drought and deployment will soon dry up.
The writing is on the wall, and its all in the history; compare what the Liberal PM does with his defense force from 1966 to now and where they have deployed in the world and then compare what the Labor PM does and where the infantry have deployed during that same time.
You can't deny history. I prey for Rudd's sake that he doesn't lower the morale of the infantry.
I am trying to keep an open mind with this new leadership government, I hope they prove me wrong.
The people of Australia have spoken, and thats why I love this country, you never see a soldier waving a sign, or going on strike, or getting on the news to gob off, we just take what ever pineapple come our way and soldier on.
:|\\
I hear you Ven! I agree that Labour is likely to make the soldiers life boring again. But think of the polishing and marchin practise your's get in. :rotfl:
My comment was aimed at the fact that I don't see B Nelson as PM material and neither does anyone else I've spoken to. IMHO he is not the man the Coalition need to lead them back to government.
Venatore
11-30-07, 07:03 AM
I hear you Ven! I agree that Labour is likely to make the soldiers life boring again. But think of the polishing and marchin practise your's get in. :rotfl:
My comment was aimed at the fact that I don't see B Nelson as PM material and neither does anyone else I've spoken to. IMHO he is not the man the Coalition need to lead them back to government.
LOL you got me a beauty with the marching :rotfl:I tend to agree with you on Mr Nelson, I reckon he has no personality (which seems to be a key factor theses days), its funny to know that he was once a LABOR man & a union rep, he walked across the floor to the Libs. Its also funny to see the Libs mirroring the Lab in that they have elected a man the same age as Rudd (so that cant be used as an attacking tool as they did towards Howard) and the Libs have a female in the same position as Lab.
I reckon we sack them all and put Mr Bean in charge ;)
baggygreen
11-30-07, 05:40 PM
I just got notice i was deemed class 1 last week, so I'm just waiting to sign on the dotted line for ARES, I'm just hoping they dont cut defence spending by too much, if at all.
and Ven matey, you just needa change forces if you want to head away - I hear the navy's always got a ship in the Gulf which isnt coming home...;) :lol:
As for nelson being the opposition leader, well I dont know a single person under the age of 25 who voted Liberal. Most of them I asked why they voted for Labor, the response was invariably that Rudd is different and/or Rudd is cool. Nelson rides a triumph, doesnt mind gettin his hands dirty.... my guess is they might try and play him as a 'cool uncle' to appeal to young voters who wouldnt know the first thing about policy. He's got a brain too, so that will no doubt help.
Venatore
11-30-07, 06:13 PM
I just got notice i was deemed class 1 last week, so I'm just waiting to sign on the dotted line for ARES, I'm just hoping they dont cut defence spending by too much, if at all.
and Ven matey, you just needa change forces if you want to head away - I hear the navy's always got a ship in the Gulf which isnt coming home...;) :lol:
Baggygreen,
Congradulations on moving closer to joining.
As for the Navy, yea its funny that I'm in the infantry and yet I love German U-boat warefare :doh:
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