Australian Elections 2013

[New Chalcedon]

Seems I was in error earlier, when I claimed that optional preferential voting was the case in Queensland state elections only. As someone else in this thread has pointed out, NSW does it too...


.....and per Antony Green's elections blog at the ABC, so do Tasmania and the ACT. He also notes that it would be "much fairer" if that were to be the system at Commonwealth elections.

Mea culpa on the mistake - I was over-hasty and jumped the gun.

[Vitaphone Racing]

Which would be hilarious if Assange has to participate in the Senate from the London Embassy.

Not going to happen. IF Assange gets elected, he walks - or else there'll be an absolute first-class diplomatic incident.

I doubt there would be unless the Greens win a majority in the lower house. Otherwise the remainder of the senate/house would demand Assange relinquish the seat.

[Blouman Empire]

Seems I was in error earlier, when I claimed that optional preferential voting was the case in Queensland state elections only. As someone else in this thread has pointed out, NSW does it too...


.....and per Antony Green's elections blog at the ABC, so do Tasmania and the ACT. He also notes that it would be "much fairer" if that were to be the system at Commonwealth elections.

Mea culpa on the mistake - I was over-hasty and jumped the gun.

Didn't even realise NSW had it pretty sure in the last state election I numbered every box.

And in Tasmania they use the Hare-Clark system (someone is going to say it is the same thing). And Tasmania's way to elect the upper house is just different again.

[New Chalcedon]

Not going to happen. IF Assange gets elected, he walks - or else there'll be an absolute first-class diplomatic incident.

I doubt there would be unless the Greens win a majority in the lower house. Otherwise the remainder of the senate/house would demand Assange relinquish the seat.

And think of the stink that would kick up....

"Oh yeah, you won the Senate seat fair and square and meet all the Constitutional requirements for it, but we don't like your politics, so we're going to demand you vacate it!"

An arrogant display of chutzpah like that could well be what causes the end of the two-party system.

[Blouman Empire]

I doubt there would be unless the Greens win a majority in the lower house. Otherwise the remainder of the senate/house would demand Assange relinquish the seat.

And think of the stink that would kick up....

"Oh yeah, you won the Senate seat fair and square and meet all the Constitutional requirements for it, but we don't like your politics, so we're going to demand you vacate it!"

An arrogant display of chutzpah like that could well be what causes the end of the two-party system.

For Vitaphone's and others sake (I know you are aware of it) but if Assange fails to attend the Senate over two consecutive months of any session of Parliament without the permission of the Senate then his seat will be declared vacant by absence and the party will be able to nominate someone in his place to be the new Senator.

[New Chalcedon]

And think of the stink that would kick up....

"Oh yeah, you won the Senate seat fair and square and meet all the Constitutional requirements for it, but we don't like your politics, so we're going to demand you vacate it!"

An arrogant display of chutzpah like that could well be what causes the end of the two-party system.

For Vitaphone's and others sake (I know you are aware of it) but if Assange fails to attend the Senate over two consecutive months of any session of Parliament without the permission of the Senate then his seat will be declared vacant by absence and the party will be able to nominate someone in his place to be the new Senator.

True, but here's the corollary: if Assange were a sitting Australian Senator, would the UK be willing to arrest him upon leaving the embassy?

Somehow, I doubt it - the UK has enough trouble without the diplomatic incident it would cause, arresting and extraditing a member of the Australian legislative body.

[Australasia]

For Vitaphone's and others sake (I know you are aware of it) but if Assange fails to attend the Senate over two consecutive months of any session of Parliament without the permission of the Senate then his seat will be declared vacant by absence and the party will be able to nominate someone in his place to be the new Senator.

True, but here's the corollary: if Assange were a sitting Australian Senator, would the UK be willing to arrest him upon leaving the embassy?

Somehow, I doubt it - the UK has enough trouble without the diplomatic incident it would cause, arresting and extraditing a member of the Australian legislative body.

Rather hypothetical, isn't this this all?

[New Chalcedon]

True, but here's the corollary: if Assange were a sitting Australian Senator, would the UK be willing to arrest him upon leaving the embassy?

Somehow, I doubt it - the UK has enough trouble without the diplomatic incident it would cause, arresting and extraditing a member of the Australian legislative body.

Rather hypothetical, isn't this this all?

It's not terribly likely that he'll win, but Julian Assange is on the ballot, and there's at least an outside chance that he'll win.

And if he does, this stops being hypothetical in a hurry.

[Jehovaland]

Probably Katter's Party or Liberal Party.

[Socialist EU]

Seems I was in error earlier, when I claimed that optional preferential voting was the case in Queensland state elections only. As someone else in this thread has pointed out, NSW does it too...


.....and per Antony Green's elections blog at the ABC, so do Tasmania and the ACT. He also notes that it would be "much fairer" if that were to be the system at Commonwealth elections.

Mea culpa on the mistake - I was over-hasty and jumped the gun.

Interesting, under this type of situation I'd just put a one for Socialist Alliance only, or one for SA and two beside a Ferguson left Labor candidate.

[Vitaphone Racing]

I doubt there would be unless the Greens win a majority in the lower house. Otherwise the remainder of the senate/house would demand Assange relinquish the seat.

And think of the stink that would kick up....

"Oh yeah, you won the Senate seat fair and square and meet all the Constitutional requirements for it, but we don't like your politics, so we're going to demand you vacate it!"

An arrogant display of chutzpah like that could well be what causes the end of the two-party system.

It would be more like:

"Oh yeah, you won the Senate seat fair and square but you're a wanted man with warrants for your arrest, we don't intend to help you evade custody and you probably should resign the seat in the best interests of your state"

[Respawn]

I suppose Labor’s best case scenario would be for Rudd to lose his seat but for Labor to still win the election. It's unlikely but I am sure many in the ALP masturbate at that thought.

[Respawn]

Seat of Watson.

1. John Nasser (Palmer United) : Surprisingly a lot of their policies make sense. Also, I cannot bring myself to preference either Liberal or Labor first so it is a protest vote as well. Still haven't bothered to watch his DVD yet.
2. Ron Delezio (Liberal) : Pretty respectable given all that he has been through, he would make a decent local member.
3. Tony Burke (Labor) : He's been a great MP, one of the few in parliament worthy of any respect. I'd probably preference him ahead of the Coalition if Gillard were still PM. It would be shame if he lost his seat.
4. Barbara Bloch (Greens): Combination of their nice social policies and the fact that everyone below them is just as bad a choice.
5. Stephen Rawson (DLP) : The party name is a bit misleading
6. David Fraser (Christian Democratic Party) :
7. Paul Kamlade : (Rise up Australia) : I find it hilarious that Australia's right wing nationalist party is lead by a dark skinned immigrant.

Not too sure for the Senate. Maybe CEC because of how bizarrely loony they are.

[Blouman Empire]

True, but here's the corollary: if Assange were a sitting Australian Senator, would the UK be willing to arrest him upon leaving the embassy?

Somehow, I doubt it - the UK has enough trouble without the diplomatic incident it would cause, arresting and extraditing a member of the Australian legislative body.

Perhaps though Carr seems pretty happy to throw him to the wind.

[Blouman Empire]

I suppose Labor’s best case scenario would be for Rudd to lose his seat but for Labor to still win the election. It's unlikely but I am sure many in the ALP masturbate at that thought.

Even I would be happy for that to happen. Though they may force a member out of a safe seat and have him contest in the by-election to allow him back into the house.

[New Chalcedon]

True, but here's the corollary: if Assange were a sitting Australian Senator, would the UK be willing to arrest him upon leaving the embassy?

Somehow, I doubt it - the UK has enough trouble without the diplomatic incident it would cause, arresting and extraditing a member of the Australian legislative body.

Perhaps though Carr seems pretty happy to throw him to the wind.

He's not a sitting Senator yet.

I suppose Labor’s best case scenario would be for Rudd to lose his seat but for Labor to still win the election. It's unlikely but I am sure many in the ALP masturbate at that thought.

Even I would be happy for that to happen. Though they may force a member out of a safe seat and have him contest in the by-election to allow him back into the house.

In Queensland? Labor doesn't have any safe seats there, and moving him to another State would generate such a stink that he'd lose even in Blaxland....

[Forster Keys]

I suppose Labor’s best case scenario would be for Rudd to lose his seat but for Labor to still win the election. It's unlikely but I am sure many in the ALP masturbate at that thought.

Even I would be happy for that to happen. Though they may force a member out of a safe seat and have him contest in the by-election to allow him back into the house.

That would be a cuntish thing to do.

[Gravlen]

Which would be hilarious if Assange has to participate in the Senate from the London Embassy.

Not going to happen. IF Assange gets elected, he walks - or else there'll be an absolute first-class diplomatic incident.

Yeah, no. That's at best wishful thinking. Legally, nothing changes. Getting elected is not in any way a "Get out of jail free"-card. Neither the UK nor Sweden will avoid taking legal action against him simply because he's been elected to the legislature of his home country, and they're in no way obliged do so. The fact that he would be an elected representative would be secondary to the fact that a valid warrant for his arrest and extradition to Sweden exist.

A diplomatic incident? A minor one, maybe, but not in any way something which would make the Home Office disregard the legal duty to extradite Assange to Sweden. And who will protest on behalf of Assange? The next government, which in turn then will have to deal with a subsequent extradition request from Sweden if Assange returns home? (Considering that parliamentary privilege wouldn't stop him from being extradited and he meets the relevant criterias under the Extradition Act 1988.)

No, IF Assange gets elected, he stays where he is - or he'll be arrested and extradited to Sweden.

[Beta Test]

Even I would be happy for that to happen. Though they may force a member out of a safe seat and have him contest in the by-election to allow him back into the house.

That would be a cuntish thing to do.

It's happened all over the world. In Canada and the UK, it's not uncommon for a member to be forced into resigning to allow the leader to reenter the parliament.

[Dazchan]

That would be a cuntish thing to do.

It's happened all over the world. In Canada and the UK, it's not uncommon for a member to be forced into resigning to allow the leader to reenter the parliament.

I doubt it would fly in Australia, though. I imagine most people would see it as:
1. A subversion of democracy
2. A waste of taxpayer dollars
3. Forcing people to waste another Saturday morning queuing up for an election

In short: it would end very, very badly for them.

[Greater Beggnig]

The Liberals. Tony Abbott is a legend.

Um...No?

[Blouman Empire]

In Queensland? Labor doesn't have any safe seats there, and moving him to another State would generate such a stink that he'd lose even in Blaxland....

Well I suppose if he loses his seat then it would mean they don't have any safe seats.

[Blouman Empire]

Even I would be happy for that to happen. Though they may force a member out of a safe seat and have him contest in the by-election to allow him back into the house.

That would be a cuntish thing to do.

This is the ALP we are talking about and more to the point this is the current PM we are talking about.

But as many within the ALP parliamentary party aren't his best fans they would be happy to have got rid of him as their boss without having to fight to get rid of him.

The whole thing is hypothetical anyway, the ALP will win and he will win his seat.

[Forster Keys]

The Liberals. Tony Abbott is a legend.

Um...No?

The guy's got a quote from fucking Salazar in his sig.

[Forster Keys]

That would be a cuntish thing to do.

This is the ALP we are talking about and more to the point this is the current PM we are talking about.

But as many within the ALP parliamentary party aren't his best fans they would be happy to have got rid of him as their boss without having to fight to get rid of him.

The whole thing is hypothetical anyway, the ALP will win and he will win his seat.

Who knows, I reckon the Socialists are going to form government. Then I can die my hair purple, marry a hamster and finally show the fascists whose boss.