Australia - 7 September 2013

[lilTommy]

I don't think Labor would as low as 30 seats, I think they'll fall to 50-40, although it is 100 days away they may scrape a few more together or collapse completely. However, if this really is the end of Labor, it isn't the worst thing is it? For too long Australia has lacked an electable left-wing social/economical party and if Labor truely has such a dire future it paves the way for a new party to be formed.

Is there any talk, if Labour (sorry Canuck here) is that obliterated, of the party splitting (finally)? The party has an obvious schism between Labour Unity and Socialist Left, they could function as two separate parties and in all likelihood should. Here is Canada, it would be like the NDP (Left-wing, like Socialist Left Labout) and the Liberals (the moderate, centrist Labour Unity) trying to operate as one party which would be an overt disaster.
The Socialist left have a natural ally/potential parter to form a new party in the Greens which could be mutually beneficial; and would provide the larger party (i would assume Labour Unity) with a "natural" governing partner like the Liberals and Nationals.

[lilTommy]

At any rate, the momentum towards marriage equality across the western world is now so fast and so unstoppable - I give Australia 2 or 3 years at most and then Aussies won't want to feel like they are to gay-equality like what South Africa was to civil rights in the 1980s and it will quickly become a fait accompli...and 5 years from now, people will be embarrassed that it took them so long to get with the program.

Let's just make one thing clear, countries in which gay marriage isn't allowed are not akin to apartheid South Africa. Full stop.

You would not say that if you were Gay. In essence, Gays are lucky they cannot be pointed out with a physical difference you can count on like skin colour. 
But they are second class citizens if rights available to others are not provided to them based solely on that one criteria. If like in Russia, they have laws designed specifically to take rights away from them or like in many 1st world countires, can't have rights extended to them.

If the ALP were two parties, i think you'd see more politicians in favour of socially progressive movements. I believe the Greens are in favour of SSM, wasn't Bob Brown a big proponent?

 

[lilTommy]

At any rate, the momentum towards marriage equality across the western world is now so fast and so unstoppable - I give Australia 2 or 3 years at most and then Aussies won't want to feel like they are to gay-equality like what South Africa was to civil rights in the 1980s and it will quickly become a fait accompli...and 5 years from now, people will be embarrassed that it took them so long to get with the program.

Let's just make one thing clear, countries in which gay marriage isn't allowed are not akin to apartheid South Africa. Full stop.

You would not say that if you were Gay. In essence, Gays are lucky they cannot be pointed out with a physical difference you can count on like skin colour. 
But they are second class citizens if rights available to others are not provided to them based solely on that one criteria. If like in Russia, they have laws designed specifically to take rights away from them or like in many 1st world countires, can't have rights extended to them.

If the ALP were two parties, i think you'd see more politicians in favour of socially progressive movements. I believe the Greens are in favour of SSM, wasn't Bob Brown a big proponent?

 

The decision to have carnal knowledge of someone of the same gender as yourself is not equivalent to being born with a certain colour of skin.

Both you are born with, both you cannot change and both you are judged by... they seem to equate to me.
THANK YOU... this began to degenerate

Has SSM become the primary question the electorate is focused on? (as much as we are) what have become the big issues?

[lilTommy]

Guardian poll excluded landlines, which is probably as inaccurate as excluding mobiles, like those ReachTel polls did...

Anyway, best and most creative thing in the campaign: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2rTJc36mlU&sns=em

Its hilarious to me that the "conservative" party is using a song written as if it were sung by french republicans (overly left-wing) Oh the irony

Might have been mentioned earlier on but, this vid of Rudd eviscerating a pastor has gone viral up here (north america) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/03/australian-prime-minister-gay-marriage_n_3860113.html

 

[lilTommy]

http://dontbeaingidiot.com/

seems about right

[lilTommy]

Is anyone else unable to fathom that, barring some kind of catastrophic polling failure, Tony Abbott is actually going to become Prime Minister of Australia shortly? This is surreal.

It's a bit strange, but no stranger than Howard becoming such in 1996. We then just got used to his presence, but the very idea would have been (was) laughable a few years earlier.

Considering Australia's avoided recession under ALP its even more remarkable.
It seems a divided party loses every time, regardless of any other factor.

The ALP will always be at a disadvantage then with its current faction system, they are constantly divided it seems