Labor Party Standing Committee thread: Endorsement voting

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

I want to thank you for privilege of speaking with you today.

I am asking for your support to continue the reforms to help make Atlasia strong again. When I sought the Presidency last June, I promised a pragmatic but progressive agenda. I was elected with a mandate and I believe governed with the best interests of all at heart. Sometimes that left me with conflicts, but in the end I believe those conflicts help in bringing about effective compromises.

If I am fortunate to receive either your endorsement or a high preference I can promise you both a President and Vice President who know how actually get things done. It's wonderful to have the ideals, but in order to have real impact, they need to become tangible.

I know many of you are thinking 'Liberal' = moderate hero. Well let me make it very clear, I want to create a better economic environment for jobs to be created, but not just any jobs, jobs with benefits that make people feel secure. I believe the union movement in the single most important development in maintaining the middle-class and protecting the working poor. I will never, ever allow union-rights to be undermined.

I will also stand against attempts to privatise our education system. Education is a right, and the quality you receive should not depend on who your parents are, or how much they earn.

Over the next few weeks I will make more specific policy statements, but I ask you to look at my record as president. If you want a strong economy where workers rights are paramount, an education system that is strong as available to all and a place where the separation of church and state is gospel, and if you want to be served by an administration that works for you with a history of getting results, I ask for your support.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

I understand the issues Bgwah has with Tmth's past... but they are not my past.

I tried to institute massive increases in the penalties for crimes against animals, and Tmth will be my Vice President and while will provide his opinions to me, he will be an advocate for my agenda.

So any concerns you have about the presence of Tmth on the ticket really are deeply unfounded.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

I completely respect the rights of every party to put forward a ticket that represents your core values.

However, I ask my fellow progressives and those who want to avoid the presidency falling into the hands of the right wing or extreme libertarians, to consider the lessons of the February 2011 election where the left was divided, petty issues led to vote exhaustion and it cost us an election.

I would also like to point out that in my platform I have:
*stressed that I will protect union rights and crack down on those who would take away the right to collective bargaining
* aim any tax cuts primarily at people who really need them, low and middle income earners
* protecting public education from privatisation

I believe that workers and employers are important in our economy, but we cannot afford the economic principles that would place all the power in the hands of the employers. We cannot pretend that employers are hiring as a public service. In order for their businesses to prosper, they need employers and we all know that happy and secure workers are productive workers.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

No one has to vote for me if they do not wish to, that is rather the beauty of democracy.

But, I quite simply want this to be fun (I know I keep saying that, but I can't say it enough).  Why not have a six candidate race?  With IRV it'll sure be fun.

I agree, I just hope people realise how important preference are going to be in this one...

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Neither should we sit idly by and allow the nation to continue to decay into oblivion.

Democracy at the level of the nation-state is a means to an end. The end has not been met.

I would be very concerned if the Labor Party goes down this path.

The answer to a time of stagnation (especially before November this year) is not a revolution.

This scenario would provide drama, but also more likely to force more people out of Atlasia than compel them to come, let alone maintain numbers.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Neither should we sit idly by and allow the nation to continue to decay into oblivion.

Democracy at the level of the nation-state is a means to an end. The end has not been met.

I would be very concerned if the Labor Party goes down this path.

The answer to a time of stagnation (especially before November this year) is not a revolution.

This scenario would provide drama, but also more likely to force more people out of Atlasia than compel them to come, let alone maintain numbers.

I'd be similarly concerned if the Labor Party became complacent and neoliberal, but if there's not much appetite for this within the Party I'll advise you that my personal support for this need not govern you. Tweed gave me an ultimatum to decide now earlier today and I decided yes but this very well might turn out to have been a bad idea and I admit that. I would still appreciate it if I could get at least some of you on board with this, because I'm convinced that something drastic has to be done. What I do know is that we can't go on like this. There's a certain level of inevitable risk involved.

I won't be resigning any of my offices at this time.

Look, you're completely within your rights to advocate what you want.

I just think it's going to end badly. I'm not saying this out of self-interest of any kind, I say this as someone who sees nothing positive in this kind of destabilisation.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

If I can interject here as a non-Labor person here.

I haven't endorsed anyone, and I don't plan to for another couple of weeks, but one thing is ABUNDANTLY clear... not just our version of the right, but the extreme right are stronger and more motivated than ever.

The last election was a sign how important it is that the left is united. Now, I mean 'united' as in preference flows. Regardless of where your first preference goes, where your second and third preferences go will be important.

That also means endorsing someone who will be able to make all progressives comfortable. Endorsing a candidate that you cannot insure against leaking preferences is a recipe for disaster.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Just one word about the last Senat at-large elections because I see that this topic has been brought up again and again: One very important reason why Labor only managed to get one single seat was the fact that many of your Liberal "friends" chose to give their first preference to Andrew instead of your candidates. Had more members of the Liberal Party actually cared about hat left-wing solidarity that they now demand from you, you would have at least 2 at-large Senators now.

I'm impressed, trying a bit of boat rocking eh?

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Why not Oakvale?

He defines neoliberalism.

....lol

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Just one word about the last Senat at-large elections because I see that this topic has been brought up again and again: One very important reason why Labor only managed to get one single seat was the fact that many of your Liberal "friends" chose to give their first preference to Andrew instead of your candidates. Had more members of the Liberal Party actually cared about hat left-wing solidarity that they now demand from you, you would have at least 2 at-large Senators now.

I'm impressed, trying a bit of boat rocking eh?

You call it "boat rocking", I call it "stating the obvious" because what I said can easily be verified in the voting booth thread. I sympathize with the Labor Party to a certain extent because it is the counterpart of the Whig Party; while the Whig Party occupies the right pole of the political spectrum, the Labor Party is on the left, and the other parties are all more or less clearly identifiable in between. Indeed, for relatively extreme parties like the Labor or the Whig Party it can be frustrating to be expected to support self-declared moderate center-left or center-right candidates when, at the same time, these moderates are not ready to support you when it matters for you.

I think Atlasia is slightly less prone to complete party loyalty.

The fact is, the last election showed that the progressive/left/centre, generally realised that we should work together.

I personally think the Labor Party should make it's own determination, based on its own needs. But, like the last election, realise the reality of the situation, and how easily the situation could backfire.

I'm in no position, and nor would I, if I were in a position, to tell the Labor Party what to do. I've done what I can as President to make sure those who preferenced me highly in the last election did not regret it... too much.

So, it's a big call for the Labor Party - as it will be for me personally when I make my call later in the month.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

That's excellent!

Many congratulations.