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Australians Bi-Polar

a_unique_person

Director of Hatcheries and Conditioning
a_unique_person
Joined
Jul 19, 2002
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Waiting for the pod bay door to open.
It's true:confused:

Just had two state elections, both predictably returned 'left wing' (*snort*) Labor governments. Victoria is about to go to the polls, (only six months to go, time is so short). The odds of the conservatives winning are about 1000-1.

This leaves us in the interesting situation where the government for the country is a conservative, Bush loving "Liberal" one, while the states are stuck on "left" Labor governments.

The states are traditionally concerned with social issues, health, education, police, etc, the federal, taxes, foreign affairs, etc.
 
And the incumbent conservative feds are getting mired deeper and deeper in the Iraq Saddam-is/isn't-our-friend wheat-for-money scandal too. Plus they seem to have no idea how to deal with Indonesia at a diplomatic level.

Ed help us, the federal "opposition", such as it is currently, may still be able to win government next time round, and they're a disorganised and rift-riven rabble!
 
So you're saying Australia is on the left domestically, on the right internationally? I realize that's a very un-subtle appraisal, but is it generally accurate?
 
a_unique_person said:
Australians seem to feel that the conservative government is best at enhancing their wealth, and the left wing governments at spending the collective wealth.
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Funny, that was the concensus regarding the two here in the U.S.

That is, UNTIL the Bush administration came about. They've made it so that only the rich can enhance their wealth (while the poor and the disappearing middle-class shoulder the deficit).

Your situation in Australia sounds almost ideal, of course you'll have to consider my viewpoint from five years into the Bush administration. :)
 
BPSCG said:
So you're saying Australia is on the left domestically, on the right internationally? I realize that's a very un-subtle appraisal, but is it generally accurate?
Click to expand...
Close-ish.

Slightly socialist outlook at ground-level, i.e. at state political level. Part of the "mates help mates" idea, I guess. We aren't overly mercenary.

At the international level, the current government is more a "I'll roll over and you tickle my tummy, George" kind of deal. The current PM blows with the political wind, no matter how contradictory the results actually are. He's a right-wing reactionary. However his Treasurer is a usually protrayed as the upwardly-mobile brains of the outfit, just as likely to sink a knife into the PM's back as into political opponents...or the public. And our Minister for Foreign Affairs is...a disaster - a wimpy toy poodle loose in the pit-bull ring of global politics.
 
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