Mr Stillwater wrote:Yep, their precious 'mortgage interest rates' - gonna be harder to pay off that mortgage when the boss has 'rationalised' his workforce and called in the fellows with balaclavas and dogs.
Maybe that's it? Once these folk start experiencing the results of Howard's soon to be introduced industrial relations edicts first hand, they might to outraged & desperate enough to rejoin their unions & fight back? It's not gonna fun for workers, that's for sure.
How's this for a bit of synchronicity - US elections and Melbourne Cup on the same day - I know which one I think is biggest gamble...
That's the only way I've been able to remember the US election date, hinge! Public holiday! :wink:
Hey, any promising possibilities in Cairns yet?
One possibility - not that promising though. Thanks for finding that cartoon for me and fixing the image.
Quote:PRESSURE is building within Coalition ranks to use the Federal Government's newly-won Senate majority to abolish compulsory voting.
The move would lock in a permanent electoral advantage for the conservative side of politics.
The Government's Senate dominance means it is free to reintroduce that change to enrolments.
Prime Minister John Howard has long advocated an end to compulsory voting but has been stymied by a Senate hostile to the idea.
source
Wotcha reckon? Ladies out first? Or blackfellahs? Or Muslims? Maybe all three....
This is scary....
I wanna bury my head in the sand - re industrial law and social security first.....think they will introduce the disgusting American system in health?
What are the damn things? HMO's?????
It's all up for grabs Deb! What a f*ck-up! Must go, fairly sober now and the gent running the e-cafe is leaning over my shoulder! Seeya Monday!
Mr Stillwater wrote:Quote:PRESSURE is building within Coalition ranks to use the Federal Government's newly-won Senate majority to abolish compulsory voting.
The move would lock in a permanent electoral advantage for the conservative side of politics.
The Government's Senate dominance means it is free to reintroduce that change to enrolments.
Prime Minister John Howard has long advocated an end to compulsory voting but has been stymied by a Senate hostile to the idea.
source
Wotcha reckon? Ladies out first? Or blackfellahs? Or Muslims? Maybe all three....
Oh, What?!!!!
He wouldn't, would he?
This is getting very, very ugly!
Mr Stillwater and msolga, good evening.
Please tell me (and forgive my genuine naivete) about the notion of compulsary voting. Are slackers dragged to the polling booths, kicking and screaming, and forced to vote?
It's morning now in the Antipodes RJ-Boy. As I have returned to sober I'll give you the drum (as we say in Oz) on voting.
Every Australian citizen over the age of 18 should be enrolled to vote. This is done by filling out a registration card and sending it to the appropriate body. You are then added to the electoral roll for your geographical area and your MP sends you a bunch of stuff.
Now, on election day IT IS COMPULSORY FOR ANYONE REGISTERED TO VOTE. By turning up at a polling booth and having your name marked off the roll and answering truthfully to a question about whether you have already voted, you are deemed to have fulfilled your civic duty. Whether you actually vote is moot. You can just hand over the ballot paper with no annotation or you could write "John Howard sucks" on it. No matter as long as the roll has been marked to show that you attended.
No-shows can be fined for this. There are serious penalties for fraudulently registering yourself more than once or voting more than once. Politicians, however, can be expected to get away scot-free....
Lol - no.
It is NOT compulsory to vote!
IF you choose to enrol to do so (which is not compulsory), then you must turn up to a polling booth, and get your name crossed off and such - if you don't, you receive a small fine after the event.
I was thinking, on my way to vote, but a few short weeks ago ... people have died for this privilege ... for this right. It is SO important. Every now & then my "displaced person"/grateful migrant to Oz personae emerges & I think: we take so much for granted.
Ha - I alienated my workmates the day before the election, as I listened to them moaning about voting, by saying I hoped all the people who died and were imprisoned and tortured for the right to have a say in our government - especially for we women, for whom the right came even later, were not in a position to hear how people devalued it now.
Bit of an uncomfortable silence for a while there.
Silly thing to do, really.
I have a couple of friends that never bothered to register.
EVERY time I hear them start talking about politics I delight in telling them to either get on the roll, or shut the **** up!
Silly thing to sit in uncomfortable silence?
Or a silly thing for you to go on your diatribe?
Which one?
dlowan wrote:Ha - I alienated my workmates the day before the election, as I listened to them moaning about voting, by saying I hoped all the people who died and were imprisoned and tortured for the right to have a say in our government - especially for we women, for whom the right came even later, were not in a position to hear how people devalued it now.
Bit of an uncomfortable silence for a while there.
Silly thing to do, really.
Deb, I don't rave on about it, but I truly value this right. My immigrant/displaced person/ father brain-washed me as a child: NEVER take this for granted. You are so fortunate to live in a country where you have these rights. He was right, of course, though we fought like cat & dog over political issues when I was growing up & I we never agreed on anything much at all ...
