To Queenslanders - please use your vote wisely!

[Marty_d]

Couple of interesting news articles recently about that firebrand of fakery, Pauline Hanson, and her One Nation party.

 

The first was about how ON was polling to be the balance of power in QLD.

 

The second was how their replacement for that twit Malcolm Roberts, Fraser Anning, quit the party about 30 seconds after being sworn in to the Senate. Whoops...

 

(Maybe the problem is that neither candidate has a first name and a surname. "Malcolm Roberts" is two first names and "Fraser Anning" is two surnames. Hey, they could combine and form "Robert Anning", or, er.... "Malcolm Fraser"....)

 

Obviously people are tempted to say "a pox on both your houses" to LNP and Labor, and they're looking for a true blue, salt of the Earth member, someone who relates to them and will stick up for them in government.

 

Well, you're not going to get it with One Nation.

 

The party is a shambles, a loose coalition of people with extreme views (because no normal person would stand with them), most of which desert the party soon after election - and who report that Hanson is autocratic and overbearing. This latest rat to hop off the sinking ship had 19 primary votes to his name. (Which is a worry in itself - most people have more than 19 family, friends, workmates and acquaintances - did some of his not vote for him?)

 

Don't waste your vote. Listen to what every candidate is saying and run your bullsh1t-meter carefully over them. Look at their history and judge whether they will be helpful, or harmful, to Australian society. Remember that you'll be paying them over $150,000 base salary to sit in the QLD parliament, and you want value for money.

 

 

[kgwilson]

Well she does call ON "Pauline Hansons One Nation". In other words once you are elected "if you don't do as I say eff off". It would be hard for anyone to be as pathetic as Roberts with his crackpot claims and laughable effort to prove he wasn't a dual citizen.The preferential system is seriously sick when a person with only 19 primary votes is able to become a senator. It was the same with that Ricky whatsisname from the Motoring Enthusiasts mob. No wonder politics in Australia is such a shambles.

 

 

[facthunter]

Despite that, Ricky what's his name didn't do a bad job. It's crazy though when some get so few direct votes and get in. The Senate voting was too complex and some parties names were deceptive (deliberately) SPIV's party would be an accurate name for some. Poorleen OWNs the party. That's a worry.. IF you upset HER you're history. Nev

 

 

[Marty_d]

Well she does call ON "Pauline Hansons One Nation". In other words once you are elected "if you don't do as I say eff off". It would be hard for anyone to be as pathetic as Roberts with his crackpot claims and laughable effort to prove he wasn't a dual citizen.The preferential system is seriously sick when a person with only 19 primary votes is able to become a senator. It was the same with that Ricky whatsisname from the Motoring Enthusiasts mob. No wonder politics in Australia is such a shambles.

I don't think Anning got in on preferences, it was people being lazy and voting above the line. As he's the next one down in the ON listing, he gets the gig, regardless of his number of direct votes.

 

I always vote below the line - I may not always know who I want to be first, but I'm usually pretty damn sure who I want to rate dead last.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

As I've said before, The Constitution specifies that our representatives shall be elected DIRECTLY by the people- not INDIRECTLY via Party priorities. Why then, are we able to vote above the line and, in effect, allow political parties (who are not even mentioned in the damned constitution) to choose our reps. for us?

 

Surely this is is MUCH more blatant breach of our national constitution than the trivia of where a parent was born.

 

 

[coljones]

As I've said before, The Constitution specifies that our representatives shall be elected DIRECTLY by the people- not INDIRECTLY via Party priorities. Why then, are we able to vote above the line and, in effect, allow political parties (who are not even mentioned in the damned constitution) to choose our reps. for us?Surely this is is MUCH more blatant breach of our national constitution than the trivia of where a parent was born.

you can vote below the line. the most recent reforms took most of the power of the parties controlling flows away in so much as above the line votes can only flow to the party list unless the voter adds more lists by numbering more than [1]. Due to preference farming by wacko groups the ticket grew to gigantic proportions which meant that chances of error crept in when voting below the line. in the vast majority of cases people voted a arty ticket so above the line voting was introduced to allow people to vote a ticket without errors creeping in. I vote below the line to put Fred Nile, Shooters, the National Party, anti-vaxers and other bottom feeders down the bottom, where they deserve to be.

 

 

[kgwilson]

Most voters though aren't that savvy & the voting paper is ridiculously daunting so they take the simple option & we get what we've got.

 

 

[facthunter]

The Dumb voter is the saviour of many useless governments. nev

 

 

[Yenn]

I have been away for the firt part of the election and on return I had one voting paper in the mail. That was from the LNP candidate. I don't yet know who else is standing, but from the promotions I have seen they are all talking the usual feel good words. Both the major parties want the Adani mine to go ahead. I cannot for the life of me see why. There have been multiple other mines close and they all produced better grade coal. As I see it Adani wants to get big money from our governments, infrastructure to be provided and then they dig up soot producing rubbish, ship it to India, making their profit is some offshore tax haven, that way they will not pay tax, will produce a few jobs, but nowhere near what Anastia Pile a sh** is saying. Then when it all finishes we will be left with a big hole and a pile of rubbish in place of the original land. Best use bury the politicians in it.

 

Otherwise all the usual feel good promises, more police, better schools etc, but no telling what the real outcome will be.

 

Maybe I will vote Greens, they couldn't run a piss up in a brewery, but they couldn't form government. Could they?

 

 

[Marty_d]

All of what you say is true, plus if you have a look at the pollution in big Indian cities like Delhi, where particulates in the air are 4 times or more what is considered hazardous to human health, pretty soon the population is going to get sick of dying early and push their government away from burning coal. The coal apologists' line of "developing countries need cheap power so they need coal" is the biggest porky ever - renewables are becoming cheaper than coal and they don't give you respiratory problems.

 

Then where's Adani going to peddle its coal? There'll be a downturn in the market and guess what, any minimal taxes Adani is paying in Aus will disappear completely, they won't be able rehabilitate the mine sites (not that they will anyway), and they'll trash the Great Barrier Reef in the meantime.

 

I'd encourage you to vote Green - no they couldn't form government, but the more influence they have on whoever is in power, the better.

 

 

[facthunter]

There used to be some green thinkers in most parties. Now it's so politicised you wouldn't mention it in the NATs or Libs but many Farmers are realising you can't allow more soil and water degradation, so what Party can they vote for when the Nat's (who really only exist in Queensland) are so far aligned with bad Coal developments?. Labor has pulled out from supporting Adani in response to public pressure. Nev

 

 

[Yenn]

I went to India in 1984. Looke d at the Taj Mahal in the moonlight, as tourists are supposed to do.

 

Couldn't see a thing for the smog. Not from coal, but from burning cow dung. I think that would be considered a renewable resource.

 

Not saying renewable is bad, just offering up a bit of levity .

 

The only problem with voting Green is that so many of us may do it that they actually win. Where would be be then?

 

 

[facthunter]

You might even have a planet fit to live on. A pretty good start compared to the alternative. Nev

 

 

[Yenn]

I have noticed that both the main parties have avoided talking about Adani mine. They did mention it when in Rocky, but that city is definitely wanting it to go ahead.

 

They have a deal with Adani for fly in fly out workers. Adani will take workers from Rocky. Gladstone City put money into the campaign to get Rocky on the Fi Fo roster and now their residents will not be eligible for a job.

 

LNP and Labor seem to be spouting "Jobs, jobs, jobs" all the time and saying how many they will provide. LNP is talking 500,000 in the next ten years. I don't know what the latest numbers from Adani mine are supposed to be, but am sure it will be far less than the pollies are saying.

 

In the meantime if that mine goes ahead we will lose all our groundwater, plus end up with major flooding caused by the proposed rail line to Abbot Point. Also greater damage to the reef. I cannot understand why it could not be shipped from Gladstone at the Southern end of the reef, where it has been demonstrated that ships masters cannot be trusted to keep away from the reef.

 

We need that mine like we need a hole in the head, especially as there have been closures of mines producing better grade coal and I have not seen any rehabilitation work beeing done for years.

 

I did have to go to a mine site years ago to advise on some rehabilitation work. The bloke in charge there was enthusing about the work already done. He explained that it was really good as there were many species found there now that didn't previously live in the area. That is how an environmental scientist thinks. No doubt when the human race extinguishes itself, that scientist would enthuse about the number of bacteria, where there were only people before.

 

Our local radio station has been giving all the candidates in the area a 90 second spot to explain their views. That is for 4 or 5 electorates and I notice that One Nation candidates could not be bothered in all bu one seat to take up the offer and the the greens were not much better. They obviously think it is not worth talking to ABC listeners.

 

 

[nomadpete]

Yes Yenn, it appears the politicians are treading carefully - keeping the Adani mine out of the publics collective mind.

 

I suspect the deals have already been made. Even the Greens have been silenced. Otherwise they would be capitalising on the opportunity to do something good for the environment, by openly opposing this potentially disasterous new mine.

 

 

[Marty_d]

The Labor insider turned Adani lobbyist who smoothed the way for the mega mine

[Yenn]

Now that it is all over, or nearly so, the LNP is wondering what went wrong.

 

In my electorate of Callide there was one candidate who never gave out any information, didn't talk to the media and all I knew of her was a name. Sandra something or other.

 

The LNP person handing out how to vote cards couldn't tell me why the LNP had Sandra ahead of the Labor party on their preferences.

 

I couldn't vote for someone who would rather see a completely unknown person, who may have been campaigning on the overthrow of all we hold dear, get a vote rather than the Labor candidate.

 

I heard that two of the candidates in Gladstone were under 20 years of age. Would you vote for someone not long out of infancy?

 

What we need in our parliaments is people who can debate a problem, come up with solutions that suit Australia and honestly try to do whatever is best for Australia. Not as we have them at the moment, just looking for what they can do to get re elected, even if it means lying and being generally obnoxious.

 

The recent poll and what has happened in the USA must tell the current mob of pollies, something, but they are to stupid to see it.

 

I wonder what the current crop are going to say in 3 years time when the Adani mine has been nothing but a drain on the Qld economy. Probably nothing as they will be sitting at home in retirement counting their pension, or working in some big business job making use of their political savvy.

 

 

[Bruce]

Good stuff Yenn, but I still say that the only party to oppose insane immigration is the Pauline Hanson party. I would much rather vote for the Dick Smith Party but alas there is not one.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

Good stuff Yenn, but I still say that the only party to oppose insane immigration is the Pauline Hanson party. I would much rather vote for the Dick Smith Party but alas there is not one.

We've got 17 candidates in the New England by-election, including one from the Sustainable Australia Party.

 

Sustainable Australia

 

Barnaby's face and name are plastered on every roadside and across the media. One ad pokes fun at the Science Party candidate's name, but he has avoided all offers to appear on a public forum with other candidates, much less actually debate local issues.

 

 

[Marty_d]

...I still say that the only party to oppose insane immigration is the Pauline Hanson party...

That's kind of like using a chainsaw to trim your toenails because you can't find the clippers.

 

 

[Bruce]

Thanks Old K for the tip about a sustainable Australia party. Dick Smith supports it according to their blurb.

 

I have been looking for an anti population-explosion party which is science based.

 

It will be a long time before they win a seat, but their existence will help make people think I hope.