Vote the Bastards Out

[thorfinn]

Rated MA: Strong Language, Adult Concepts

Alright. Most of the Australians reading know this by now. Little Johnny called the Australian Federal Election for October the 9th. In case you missed it, he called it on the last day possible to kill off the two week parliament session that was about to start. Why then? Because even more incontrovertible evidence has come to light that he knowingly lied about the "Children Overboard" affair, and he couldn't afford to face parliament under those circumstances, as he would have been forced to reveal in Parliament that he did in fact lie and mislead the Australian public about an issue in order to manipulate them.

Apparently, the pundits are saying that it doesn't matter if he lies his arse off, The Peepul will vote Lib anyway. Little Johnny is so confident of this that he's campaigning on a stance of "Who do you trust?" Are the mugs under the impression that it's just Little Johnny who's a lying fuckwit? Because it's not just him. He's just the front man. Front man for whom? Well, front man for the Lyons Forum, that group of right wing fundamentalist christian nutbags that runs the Liberal Party.

The entire party is riddled with and controlled by bigots who would like nothing better than to throw scumbags like myself (Chink, bisexual, kinky, non-conservative, non-Christian, how many more hate boxes would you like me to have?) off the refugee boat I obviously illegally snuck into the country on (skilled migrant parents, fuck you very much Mr Little Fuckwit Johnny who pays his son to spam for him and honestly believes it's a good thing to spam), preferably with lead floaties, if possible.

You may think that Labor is "just as bad"... Well, no, they're not. The Labor moderates actually have some say in party politics, and whilst the Labor Catholic faction is pretty strong, the Labor progressives have significant force too. Sufficient to force compromises within Labor that mean that actual equitable outcomes are a little more likely. Witness the Labor Response on Gay Marriage that they put out. Yes, on the surface, they "caved in", but if you read beyond the biased newspaper headlines, they fully intend to establish a level of equity for gay couples that has never before existed by reviewing the whole issue, and the "new law" changes the actual current situation not one iota. So, no, the two parties are not the same.

Labor has always had fairly solid internal factions, and whilst those factions do have their own separate agendas (sometimes aired too often in public for the party's good), that multiplicity of factions is important. It means that Labor is far more representative of the actual blood of this nation, the multicultural multiplex nation that is Australia. The Liberal Party? Its structure is pretty much run by the Lyons Forum and attendants, and there are no real factions within it. The Liberal Moderates come the closest to a faction that the Liberal Party will ever have... and they will never have any kind of say in actual Party policy. And don't forget the Liberal attachment... the National Party. Some of whom are genuinely nice Australian country folk... but even more of whom are fundamentalist bigots.

Now, the issue of bigotry is hardly the only issue. The "Free Trade Agreement" will cause immediate and utter devastation to Australian Intellectual Property Law, resulting in an even worse brain drain that we have already. We have had a serious and intentional undermining of the office of the Governor General (Little Johnny knowingly put someone in the office who was going to get shot down in flames). We have had many serious breaches of the line between judiciary and parliament, with the Attorney General refusing to uphold decisions along actual legal lines, instead preferring to kowtow and suck on Little Johnny's line. We have tortured genuine refugees, including children. We now intend to imprison them indefinitely if we can't send them home to be tortured there instead. We have gone to war on false pretexts (Why were we told we were invading Iraq? WoMD, right? Now they tell us it was all to get rid of an evil dictator all along). We have had no genuine improvement in our national security as a result, instead, we are more of a target than ever. That's just the tip of the issues that I can recall off hand.

So. The Pundits say that the fact that Little Johnny Lies Like A Mongrel Dog is totally irrelevant. Well, I'm telling you it's not just him. It's his whole fucking party and everything they stand for. Vote for anyone you like, just make sure you put the Liberals and Nationals last. If you're going to vote the Senate ticket above the line, then put Greens, Democrats, or Labor. Nobody else. I highly recommend voting the Senate ticket below the line, despite the effort that this is. And if you're not enrolled to vote yet, then bloody well get to it. If you were enrolled but have moved, then update your enrolment, because the bastards may have dropped you from the roll (there was a concerted campaign a couple of months ago to check voter registrations). If you are enrolled to vote, confirm your enrolment just in case they've fucked up. Or, if you're going to be overseas, then, by all the gods, Absentee Vote!

Vote the Bastards Out. It's Time. And Any Other Damn Cliche You Like. Just get out there and vote against the Liberal Party.

Lyrics of Ich Bin Ein Auslander

Listen to the victim, abused by a system.
The basis is racist, you know that we must face this.
It can't happen here. Oh yeah?
Take a look around at the cities and the towns.

See them hunting, creeping, sneaking, breeding
Fear and loathing with the lies they're speaking.
The knife, the gun, broken bottle, petrol bomb.
There is no future when the past soon come.

And when they come to ethnically cleanse me,
Will you speak out? Will you defend me?
Or laugh through a glass eye as they rape our lives.
Trampled underfoot by the right on the rise.

You call us! ... Ich Bin Ein Auslander! [x4]

Welcome to a state where the politics of hate
Shout loud in the crowd. Watch them beat us all down!
There's a rising tide in the rivers of blood,
But if the answer isn't violence, neither is your silence.

If they come to ethnically cleanse me,
Will you speak out? Will you defend me?
Freedom of expression doesn't make it alright.
Trampled underfoot by the rise of the right.

You call us! ... Ich Bin Ein Auslander! [x4]

Ich Bin Ein Auslander! [x8]

Edit: See Also

This has been crossposted to:

• aussielj as [Danger, politics ahead] Vote the Bastards Out
• aus_politics as Vote the Bastards Out
• aust_politics as Vote the Bastards Out

Comments

[loosechanj.livejournal.com]

Well now. That sounds about as interesting a political league as we have here in the good ol' U.S. of A. DNA had it right, anyone who wants the job shouldn't have it when it comes to politics.

[thorfinn]

Heh. I'd take the job of benevolent dictator, if it were available, and I should definitely have it. Unfortunately, the position doesn't seem to be available...

[whitebird.livejournal.com]

I'm glad your political system makes even my fucked in the ass by raving lunatics system look kinda good in comparison!

Not that that helps you, of course...

[thorfinn]

Mmm, our actual political system is a little better than yours, I think... We get preferential voting, which helps a lot, as does compulsory voting. Unfortunately, the system does reflect the majority of the people's will, which is obviously that selfish bigoted arseholism is the order of the day.

[baralier.livejournal.com]

I shall link in my journal.

Might have to look at the option of getting Swedish or Danish citizenship or something if that little bastard gets back in.

[jeds.livejournal.com]

Canada is sounding better all the time.

[lederhosen.livejournal.com]

And if it really sticks in your craw to vote Labour... that's why we have preferential voting. You CAN vote for the party of your choice, no matter how tiny they are, and still make your vote count against the Liberals by putting them last. One good thing about our political system.

[thorfinn]

Yeps. I do love preferential voting. It makes it so easy to vote against... Just start numbering backwards, giving the biggest arseholes the largest numbers.

Refugee intake

[erudito.livejournal.com]

You might want to explain why our refugee intake is overwhelmingly from Africa, the Middle East and SW Asia. See here (http://www.immi.gov.au/facts/60refugee.htm). (And I note the numbers are going up.) Having taught refugee kids, I am more aware of this than most people.

Also, gay couples recently got superannuation rights (http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2004/s1117206.htm). Even the marriage amendment is merely re-stating what is clearly the current law. so doesn't mean any loss of current rights (though it clearly forecloses the courts getting adventurous on the matter).

Howard is a social conservative, no argument. And his government has obviously made a big play of border control, following public opinion on the matter (in fact, given the support for just sending the boats back, a bit more liberal than public opinion).

But it is tedious to denounce anyone who disagrees on immigration or gay marriage as automatically racist and bigoted. See this exchange (http://www.livejournal.com/users/erudito/164890.html) for some egregious examples. It is also self-defeating, since it alienates lots of people one presumably is trying to persuade.

By contrast, Howard's approach has resulted in a dramatic drop in popular resistance to immigration. As I discuss here (http://www.livejournal.com/users/erudito/147740.html), ccording to the AES, in 1996, 63% of voters thought too many migrants were being allowed in. In 2001, 34% did. (I allude to an interesting historical parallel to Howard's tactics here (http://www.livejournal.com/users/erudito/139367.html).)

Re: Refugee intake

[dcarson.livejournal.com]

While I'm certainly willing concede that genuine discussion on immigration has often been curtailed by counter-productive name-calling by people on my side of the political fence, I'm sorry, I have to disagree with you on the gay marriage issue.

If you oppose gays being permitted to marry, you are a bigot. It really is as simple as that.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Something which even that vacuous troll Hugh McKay has had to admit is that Howard has created a society where many may vote for him, there is also a large number of people who now passionately hate him.

And for many good reasons. He's the worse Prime Minister the country has had since Stanley Bruce, and believe me, Bruce was a real class-one wanker.

About that hatred thing

[erudito.livejournal.com]

there is also a large number of people who now passionately hate him

Which is more their problem than his. Howard-hatred I put in the same category as Clinton-hatred and Dubya-hatred. Manifestations of the contemporary tendency to collective psychosis.

Note, I have no problems with disagreeing with the policies and stances of said individuals. I can happily give a list of my substantive disagreements with each of them. But this tendency to levels of animus hugely inappropriate to alleged sins -- and dramatically lacking to much more egregious acts by others -- is not a 'reasonable' response. It is far more about what's in the head of the haters than the actions of the hated. But that is normal for collective hatred.

[belegdel.livejournal.com]

I'm a little heartened by Labor's increased lucidity of late. Though, they seem to be harping on the "honesty" thing a little too much. Whilst it's a good strategy against a lying toad like Howard, one false accusation of lying and the whole thing could backfire.

I think, really, it will come down to how well the media cover the real issues rather than sensationalism and propaganda.

There have been a few acknowledgements in various places lately that the media has a whole have been very slack the last few years. So maybe, just maybe, there is a little hope.

Personally, I'll be avoiding the election campaign - my mind is made up and "Nothing will save the Liberals". As least where I'm concerned.

[thorfinn]

*nodnod* I'm hoping that we can get the bastards out. I'm not actually terribly hopeful that it will actually occur... but one can hope.

[halloranelder.livejournal.com]

I've linked to this from my journal. Thanks for a well thought out and well stated rant.

I hate elections!

[thorfinn]

Don't hate elections! They're your sole chance to interact directly with the political system. There are plenty of good indirect methods, but election time is it for direct interaction with the machinery of politics. Don't shy from it - it's your right and privilege as a citizen of a democracy to participate, and participate fully. Go to it with a will!

[brahe.livejournal.com]

Well said, I'm linking to this if you don't mind

[thorfinn]

'tis a public post, I absolutely encourage linkage.

[catdraco.livejournal.com]

May I post this entry (properly attributed, of course) in thealp?

[thorfinn]

Certainly, so long as there's a link back to this entry, I'm happy.

[fin.livejournal.com]

*applauds*

Well spoken. :)

I think that my only problem with voting Labor would that the more right-wing internal factions are still pretty damn bad, and I'd as soon vote Liberal than vote for them... (ie. not at all).

But I'm in Lindsay Tanner's electorate, so it's all good. :)

[thorfinn]

Yar, but like I said, the Labor right wing does have to put up with and actually make substantial negotiations with the Labor left wing. The Liberals don't have any such "handicap". The Lib moderates don't get a say in anything.

[thebaronmk1.livejournal.com]

Hear Hear.

Mind you it could be worse. Just managed to catch some of the 'Republican Convention' live on Skynews during lunchtime in our canteen.

All September 11 survivors, Candles, Amazing Grace and guys with large Cowboy hats (puke vomit puke)

[thorfinn]

Yechles! Still, at least there was a massive anti-Bush protest in NY, right before the Republican Convention opened.

[blarglefiend.livejournal.com]

Howard really is an amazingly brazen bastard, isn't he?

(Paraphrasing a little here.)

His reaction to the recent "children overboard" discoveries: "It's boring, nobody cares".

And to questions about his personal integrity: "doesn't matter, I may be a lying bastard but I've been doing it for years. I've got experience!"

Loved the way Red Kezza backed him into a corner over Costello last night. FIrst he gets him to admit that Costello is a much better treasurer than Howard ever was, then he delivers the "so mightn't he be a better PM too?" line.

To be honest, though, I reckon they'll probably win again. Not a huge landslide, but a win all the same. Provided nothing major happens in the next six weeks all they really have to do is screech "interest rates!" a lot and they'll keep the outer suburbs on board. Nothing much else seems to matter to those folk, in general terms.

[thorfinn]

Unfortunately, my suspicion is that you're probably correct in your prediction too. That's why I've been making as much noise as possible. Whilst a lot of that noise is preaching to the converted, hopefully some of it reaches people who might otherwise have been apathetic.

hear hear

[taavi.livejournal.com]

well said.

[hestia.livejournal.com]

I agree with most of your points but I'm not so sure about the Lyons Forum having as much influence as you say. There doesn't need to be a conspiracy or secret society for this govt to do what its done. The Liberals are the Tory party and Tories are bigots. The 1980s kicked their arses and they've been dying for pay back ever since.

[thorfinn]

Seriously, there is a Liberal left, and they are actually quite progressive and sensible. I even know some of them, and I know a reasonable number of people who used to be in the Liberal Party. Mostly they're ex Young-Libs who didn't realize that "Liberal" didn't mean "liberal". But, because of the internal structure of the Liberal Party, they have zero influence. The people that do have influence, are all Lyons Forum people. And they are the bigots.

[glittalogik.livejournal.com]

Wouldn't it be nice to have a liberal party that was...well, liberal?

[hestia.livejournal.com]

*ucken oath!

[drjon.livejournal.com]

Would you mind if I linkfrenzyed this? About 50 people read it - but they're mostly prolifics who very often repost links - and have large readerships. So it might be a problem for you. I dunno. I thought I'd best ask you, anyhoo. Let me know.

[thorfinn]

No, please go ahead. I'm very good on my LJ information hygiene... if I don't want a post to be public, as in, public, as in, the entire world is perfectly welcome to read it, it won't be public.

[the-christian.livejournal.com]

This is a deeply impressive essay. Bloody good show.

[thorfinn]

Coming from you, sir, that is extremely high praise. Thank you. I just hope that it reaches at least one person and changes their mind.

[ronniefaerie.livejournal.com]

I have to congratulate you on one of the most coherant post I have read about the upcoming election and Littly Johnny. I'd love to link it in aust_politics, if you don't mind.

[thorfinn]

Just cross-posted it there myself.

[lisanne.livejournal.com]

-applause-

Well written thorfy!

[thorfinn]

Thanks.

For all those "undecided" voters out there...

[daern.livejournal.com]

Just remember next time you vote: Regime change begins at home.

Thorfy, excellent post dude. No time to reply to all 80 odd comments I've just read through, except to give this lighthearted aside:

(Chink, bisexual, kinky, non-conservative, non-Christian, how many more hate boxes would you like me to have?)

You forgot about "IT geek", "roleplayer", "net.goth" ('cos I googled to check)....hehehe...basically, One of Us. Don't forget your true minorities!

*but seriously* I wonder what our political landscape would be like if we had compulsory, prefential voting for the main players themselves, rather than the local party candidate and not based upon where you live, which is often a question of "safe" seats.

Re: For all those "undecided" voters out there...

[thorfinn]

We'd have a lower house that looks an awful lot like the Senate.

For $DEITY's sake...

[sjl.livejournal.com]

Have a look at this little piece of politics (http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200409/s1191315.htm) ... can the rhetoric get any worse? (Before anybody starts jumping on me as a Liberal hater, I'd say exactly the same thing if the equivalent words came out of a Labor member.) "Split the vote", they say. Shyeah, right. We have a preferential voting system for exactly that bloody reason. The only way the vote would be split would be if we had people voting like this:

1. Liberal


2. Labor


3. Independant

and

1. Independant


2. Labor


3. Liberal

Considering that the independant is an ex-Liberal member, just how likely do you think that is? If you said "not very", join the club. My view is that the most likely vote from Liberal-leaning voters would be:

1. Independant (or Liberal)


2. Liberal (or Independant)


3. Labor

Split the vote indeed. For fuck's sake.

On the good side, of things, consider this little article (http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200409/s1191450.htm). He's on to a good thing. Now, if he'd just extend the ban to 24 hours a day, 365.25 days a year, I'd be a very happy camper. (A co-worker suggested 365 days; that would work out to just under a minute a day of political speak. Sounds good to me!)

Re: For $DEITY's sake...

[sjl.livejournal.com]

Oh, and if anybody's wondering: yes, I fully agree the Liberals need to be voted out. The problem I have is that I don't see Labor as being significantly better. Of the major parties, the Greens seem to be closest to what I'd agree with, and even then there are issues. Sigh. The really fun part is that I don't see anywhere else on the planet as being better, either. :( Oh, well; this is why I vote one way in the lower house, and the other in the upper house. No way would I give anybody a majority in both houses at the same time...