The election thread - Two middle-late aged white men trying to be blokey and convincing..., same old shit, FFS.

Who will you vote for?

  • Liberals

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Labor

    Votes: 21 31.8%

  • Nationals

    Votes: 1 1.5%

  • Greens

    Votes: 21 31.8%

  • Independant

    Votes: 15 22.7%

  • The Clive Palmer shit show

    Votes: 4 6.1%

  • Shooters and Fishers Party

    Votes: 1 1.5%

  • One Nation

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Donkey/Invalid vote

    Votes: 3 4.5%
  • Total voters
    66
Haakon

Haakon

has an accommodating arse
dirtdad said:
This is the bit that gets to me too. Play the ball, not the man. Petty ad hominem attacks on all sides.
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That’s all true, but it’s a bit tricky when the LNPs whole slogan was “it's ok to be ignorant”. Not a massive leap to contemplate that the majority of the electorate might be ignorant.
 
The Duckmeister

The Duckmeister

Has a juicy midrange
johnny said:
This thread is such a disappointment.

Those who want change, the Yes side need to grow the fuck up and stop being so easily played by those with malign goals.

I'm referring to those, some of whom I've had beers with and call mates, who are lashing out with personal attacks and calling the No side chunts, bogans, racists, etc. Try to be a bit more sophisticated and mature about politics. The childish shit that you're acting out is PRECISELY the response the Duttons of this world want. Your abuse of the opposing side does noting more than polarise and calcify the politics we have today. The United States is stuck in 2016 and all that does is benefit the Trumpers - they'll never desert the MAGA side because they are seen as the enemy, and that is perfect for Trump. All you do when you lash out is ensure that Dutton's base remains loyal and confirm that the politics of division is a successful strategy for political opportunists. Try to be a little smarter and little more sophisticated.

Sure, being viscerally personal with your response is cathartic, but it's myopic and completely lacks strategic intelligence. It's like you're not only sticking your dick in a bear trap but trying your hardest to fuck it after it's snapped shut. And while you're at it, google "active measures" and then have a think about the potential damage you're doing to the national interest by deepening the divide.

I'm not innocent of acting in this way myself - reading back through this thread alone will unearth any number of posts from me talking all colours of shit about the opposing view. However, most people here look at the US and decry where it is today, we've all been doing so for 7 years now. Try and learn from that and do your part by not falling into the same trap. Move forward, not backward. Do what you can for positive change, don't be part of the negative.

I voted yes, obviously.
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Australia has a long-running poor tally for referenda succeeding; fundamentally we are a very conservative culture reluctant to adopt change of any significant kind, because to the majority of the community things are pretty hunky dory as they are and don't see any need to change anything. Plus there's probably a long-standing general misunderstanding of what The Constitution is; it sounds Big, so there's a cultural fear that changing it could have us rolling around on our heads or something for enternity....
 
dirtdad

dirtdad

Wants to be special but is too shy
Haakon said:
That’s all true, but it’s a bit tricky when the LNPs whole slogan was “it's ok to be ignorant”. Not a massive leap to contemplate that the majority of the electorate might be ignorant.
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I don’t understand what you’re point is, sorry.

On a related note, I have wondered whether chatGPT could pull out the data for username vs count of “potato dutton” references. Then I could get it to make me a chart with stacks of potatoes as the bars. Maybe ask it to throw a little Samwise LOTR reference in there for shits and giggles.
 
fjohn860

fjohn860

Alice in diaperland
The Duckmeister said:
Australia has a long-running poor tally for referenda succeeding; fundamentally we are a very conservative culture reluctant to adopt change of any significant kind, because to the majority of the community things are pretty hunky dory as they are and don't see any need to change anything. Plus there's probably a long-standing general misunderstanding of what The Constitution is; it sounds Big, so there's a cultural fear that changing it could have us rolling around on our heads or something for enternity....
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Most Australians wouldn't know who our first PM was, let alone what the constitution is (or what is in it).
 
johnny

johnny

I'll tells ya!
Staff member
The Duckmeister said:
Australia has a long-running poor tally for referenda succeeding; fundamentally we are a very conservative culture reluctant to adopt change of any significant kind, because to the majority of the community things are pretty hunky dory as they are and don't see any need to change anything. Plus there's probably a long-standing general misunderstanding of what The Constitution is; it sounds Big, so there's a cultural fear that changing it could have us rolling around on our heads or something for enternity....
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The data suggests that this is the case. I do wonder, though, what that history would read like if the same sex marriage thing was a binding vote.

Change comes with risk, the less ethical of us play on the fear that risk invokes. But that fear is corrosive and the worst thing we can do is feed it by driving division and enmity. We become saboteurs of our own interests when we buy into that game.
 
Haakon

Haakon

has an accommodating arse
dirtdad said:
I don’t understand what you’re point is, sorry.

On a related note, I have wondered whether chatGPT could pull out the data for username vs count of “potato dutton” references. Then I could get it to make me a chart with stacks of potatoes as the bars. Maybe ask it to throw a little Samwise LOTR reference in there for shits and giggles.
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That sometimes calling people ignorant idiots isn’t jsut an ad hominem and is merely an observation …

I dunno, I used to be optimistic and assume people were decent fundamentally. Maybe it’s just en masse they become corrosive. Or maybe they’re just not paying attention and get swayed by those who are smart enough to know their audience and are not above playing dirty.

I’m no saint, but I do feel like it would be nice if everyone got along. I abhor the nasty tactics of the right on this one, and have zero time for those who went along with them through ignorance, laziness or worse.
 
The Duckmeister

The Duckmeister

Has a juicy midrange
johnny said:
The data suggests that this is the case. I do wonder, though, what that history would read like if the same sex marriage thing was a binding vote.

Change comes with risk, the less ethical of us play on the fear that risk invokes. But that fear is corrosive and the worst thing we can do is feed it by driving division and enmity. We become saboteurs of our own interests when we buy into that game.
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Hindsight is helpful, but I think the marriage equality thing would still have been successful as a referendum rather than the plebicite it was; the public vote (basically a mandatory opinion poll of the entire electorate) was high enough to get it over the line.Ultimately it went to a parliamentary vote, and fortunately most MPs recognised the views of their electorates and voted accordingly. Although an extra point on the score sheet, it still wouldn't have changed the fact that referenda in this country are rarely successful.
 
johnny

johnny

I'll tells ya!
Staff member
The Duckmeister said:
Hindsight is helpful, but I think the marriage equality thing would still have been successful as a referendum rather than the plebicite it was; the public vote (basically a mandatory opinion poll of the entire electorate) was high enough to get it over the line.Ultimately it went to a parliamentary vote, and fortunately most MPs recognised the views of their electorates and voted accordingly. Although an extra point on the score sheet, it still wouldn't have changed the fact that referenda in this country are rarely successful.
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I think that it would have been successful as well. Agreed on the score sheet as well.

I place the majority of blame for the No vote getting up on the LAbour government and the Yes23 campaign. They provided more than enough space for the No campaigners to feed doubt and fear. There should have been more clarity and messaging that cut through. They fumbled it.
 
Haakon

Haakon

has an accommodating arse
johnny said:
I think that it would have been successful as well. Agreed on the score sheet as well.

I place the majority of blame for the No vote getting up on the LAbour government and the Yes23 campaign. They provided more than enough space for the No campaigners to feed doubt and fear. There should have been more clarity and messaging that cut through. They fumbled it.
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No arguments there. They never fight dirty, and hence will always lose.
Feels like they keep trying to take the high road and naively assuming that people either want to do the right thing or are smart enough to think about things and want to learn. Massive fails all round there…
 
Haakon

Haakon

has an accommodating arse
And jsut to add to a great day for the right, NZ has taken a hard right turn and gone back to a “conservative” government.

Not seeing a great deal of progression globally these days…
 
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