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Australian & NZ Politics: Double Dipping in Luxonry

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Posts

  • discriderdiscrider Registered User regular
    Sounds like not only did the Home Affairs minister not know that ScoMo had taken over, but neither did the Home Affairs Secretary/department.
    There's not much point of doing this if no-one knows they should be taking orders from you.

  • electricitylikesmeelectricitylikesme Registered User regular
    discrider wrote: »
    Sounds like not only did the Home Affairs minister not know that ScoMo had taken over, but neither did the Home Affairs Secretary/department.
    There's not much point of doing this if no-one knows they should be taking orders from you.

    Again: unless you're hoping to *have* to announce a takeover.

    Dictatorships always have *very official* paperwork showing everything they just did was legal.

    ScoMo was fantasizing that this might be necessary, and just putting a coin on the table in case the position of Australian crisis emperor became necessary.

  • TefTef Registered User regular
    I think he is a ratfucking, whiteanting, slimy little weasel (apologies to weasels). I don’t think he was trying to prepare for a coup. That is too much work and too much risk for him

    help a fellow forumer meet their mental health care needs because USA healthcare sucks!

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  • electricitylikesmeelectricitylikesme Registered User regular
    Tef wrote: »
    I think he is a ratfucking, whiteanting, slimy little weasel (apologies to weasels). I don’t think he was trying to prepare for a coup. That is too much work and too much risk for him

    Of course not: he was hoping to be forced into it because civilization was collapsing and he would be the right man, ordained by god, to save us all.

    It's the political equivalent of daydreaming you run into your celebrity crush and they find you exactly as you are charming and also ask you on a date and take all the initiative.

  • TefTef Registered User regular
    Now that is a compelling argument

    help a fellow forumer meet their mental health care needs because USA healthcare sucks!

    Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better

    bit.ly/2XQM1ke
  • -SPI--SPI- Osaka, JapanRegistered User regular
    The governor general should resign or be sacked. He was complicit in the formation of a secret sub-government proto-dictatorship.

    Honestly I'm mostly shocked that there is an actual surprise in the fallout of the Morrison govt. I expected plenty of bald-faced corruption combined with rank incompetence, but nothing this insane.

  • Mr RayMr Ray Sarcasm sphereRegistered User regular
    Catching up on all this... that's a thing the prime minster can just do?? Just say "I'M ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL" like frigging Harbinger and its done, with no other oversight?

  • -Loki--Loki- Don't pee in my mouth and tell me it's raining. Registered User regular
    Mr Ray wrote: »
    Catching up on all this... that's a thing the prime minster can just do?? Just say "I'M ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL" like frigging Harbinger and its done, with no other oversight?

    The legality remains to be seen. Albanese has lawyers looking at it.

    It's not common for the PM to take on a portfolio but it does happen. For example, Turnbull was holding the agriculture portfolio when Barnaby Joyce was disqualified over the dual citizenship fiasco.

    I'm not sure about being a second minister. The big thing about it, again, is the secrecy and the fact that his explanation doesn't make sense.

    If he wanted to safeguard the cabinet in case of covid infections, then yeah sure, but signing 5 to himself? That doesn't make sense. Then, there's 3 ministers who didn't even know, and no one outside of the other two ministers at all knew including their staff. The public wasn't notfied. And then he excercised the holding ministers power to kill a deal he didn't like the optics of because he was scared of losing the upcoming election - then said he didn't do it, then issued a statement that in fact, he did.

    Then you've got the Attorney-General who was more than happy to secretly do this, which is a whole other problem.

    Just... so bad.

  • MorganVMorganV Registered User regular
    -Loki- wrote: »
    Mr Ray wrote: »
    Catching up on all this... that's a thing the prime minster can just do?? Just say "I'M ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL" like frigging Harbinger and its done, with no other oversight?

    The legality remains to be seen. Albanese has lawyers looking at it.

    It's not common for the PM to take on a portfolio but it does happen. For example, Turnbull was holding the agriculture portfolio when Barnaby Joyce was disqualified over the dual citizenship fiasco.

    I'm not sure about being a second minister. The big thing about it, again, is the secrecy and the fact that his explanation doesn't make sense.

    If he wanted to safeguard the cabinet in case of covid infections, then yeah sure, but signing 5 to himself? That doesn't make sense. Then, there's 3 ministers who didn't even know, and no one outside of the other two ministers at all knew including their staff. The public wasn't notfied. And then he excercised the holding ministers power to kill a deal he didn't like the optics of because he was scared of losing the upcoming election - then said he didn't do it, then issued a statement that in fact, he did.

    Then you've got the Attorney-General who was more than happy to secretly do this, which is a whole other problem.

    Just... so bad.

    Yeah, it's one thing to not publicly make announcements on things that might pertain to national security, or chain of authority.

    It's another to keep it secret not just from parliament, but from your own party as well. I'd fully expect that the relevant minister, their deputy (so that if something did happen, they'd know who's next in charge if it's not them), the deputy prime minister, the opposition leader and the leaders of both major parties in the Senate all be informed, if not in advance, then at least directly afterwards.

    If you're doing something for continuity of leadership, you don't want the first thing to be questions about IF you have the authority, and when, where and how did you get it. You want it to be "Yep, I'm now in charge of this, the people who needed to, know all about it."

    The manner in which it was done, and the reasoning behind it, are sketchy as fuck. And the GG's complicity in this is absolutely grounds for resignation, unless they have a fucking good excuse.

  • discriderdiscrider Registered User regular
    edited August 2022
    ScoMo holding a press conference to say 'I did nothing wrong; it was all for the pandemic'
    But mainly to get the reporters off his house's lawn.

    Someone needs to go through and auto-tune him to the melody of Still Alive

    discrider on
  • -Loki--Loki- Don't pee in my mouth and tell me it's raining. Registered User regular
    I’d be more sympathetic to his family’s annoyance at media being at his house if he didn’t constantly involve them in his excuses.

  • SolventSolvent Econ-artist กรุงเทพมหานครRegistered User regular
    Eric Abetz nominated to head up the Australian Monarchist League. This comes at a time when ALP is proposing to hold a referendum on an Australian Republic if they get a 2nd term in power.

    Ummm... by the time that comes around, a lot of the people who are inclined to listen to Eric Abetz will have shuffled off this mortal coil... Should someone mention that to the League?

    All good to try to motivate your base I guess, but not sure if Abetz is the man to bring fresh supporters of old Liz onboard.

    Still, much as I'd like things to change, good old Australian conservatism probably means that, realistically, getting a vote for a republic up is still a difficult fight.

    I don't know where he got the scorpions, or how he got them into my mattress.

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  • MorganVMorganV Registered User regular
    Solvent wrote: »
    Eric Abetz nominated to head up the Australian Monarchist League. This comes at a time when ALP is proposing to hold a referendum on an Australian Republic if they get a 2nd term in power.

    Ummm... by the time that comes around, a lot of the people who are inclined to listen to Eric Abetz will have shuffled off this mortal coil... Should someone mention that to the League?

    All good to try to motivate your base I guess, but not sure if Abetz is the man to bring fresh supporters of old Liz onboard.

    Still, much as I'd like things to change, good old Australian conservatism probably means that, realistically, getting a vote for a republic up is still a difficult fight.

    Unless the ALP rush to another election as soon as possible, then put the referendum out immediately, one of the problems Abetz will have, is that Lizzie likely will be one of those.

    She's 96 now, she'll have to send herself a telegram before the referendum happens.

    And I think a lot of enthusiasm for keeping the monarchy will drain away if Charles is king. But will kick back up again when he passes/abdicates and William is crowned.

    It shouldn't matter. It's fucking ridiculous for your opinion on the monarchy to be dependent on the person on the throne.

    The whole fucking point is it's the position, not the person. If you think the monarchy is a good thing with Elizabeth, a bad thing with Charles, and a good thing again with William.... then you're not a monarchist. It's basically a popularity contest, AND WE ALREADY HAVE THOSE. They're called elections.

    I'll be honest, I don't really have much of an opinion on this. I abjectly dislike the concept of a monarchy/nobility/aristocracy (That person is "better" because of who his parents were? Get fucked, it's bad enough they're filthy rich). But given the Crown doesn't have many powers left, and rarely exercises them, I'm more concerned about what will be put in to replace them.

    Will it be an elected position for Head of State? A nominated one, basically the GG? Another power granted to the PM (sorry, Scotty, looks like you missed your chance). I do not like any of those options, and I'm concerned they'll try and expand powers, and I'd rather the HoState be as feckless and inconspicuous as possible. Absolutely do not want to see people lobbying (either the electorate or politicians) to get it.

  • GvzbgulGvzbgul Registered User regular
    The most common solution is for the GG to become an elected President. Kind of is what they are already (minus the election), but I really don't want an elected President.

    Given that GGs seem to do nothing but rubber stamp everything* I don't see why we couldn't just get rid of the position altogether.

    *Although there's an obvious exception in Australian history.

  • SolventSolvent Econ-artist กรุงเทพมหานครRegistered User regular
    edited September 2022
    Yeah I'm also of the opinion that if it's just a matter of having a rubber stamp president, then there perhaps shouldn't be elections. Too much hassle. Also, to add in some more 'stability' I'd like to see 5 or 6 (or even longer!) year terms for a head of state.

    But I think these positions are not super popular. Certainly, at Howard's referendum on this, it seemed the idea of an unelected head of state was a non-starter.

    Solvent on
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  • discriderdiscrider Registered User regular
    I'd say the head of the AEC should become the pseudo-GG and really only have the power of dissolution when no government can be formed.

    Don't really see why Royal Assent would need to be continued if we became a republic.
    The acts would have already gone through both chambers.

  • lonelyahavalonelyahava Call me Ahava ~~She/Her~~ Move to New ZealandRegistered User regular
    For anybody in NZ, looking into local elections there's a website up from The Spinoff
    https://policy.nz/2022

  • Sanguinius666264Sanguinius666264 Registered User regular
    Royal Assent is such a stupid waste of time. The number of projects I've worked on that have passed both houses and are delayed so that the GG can sign with a flourish is ridiculous.

    Just make the PM the head of state and be done with it - the Foriegn Minister already does most of the glad handing over seas, the PM can go to the odd summit or two like they already do.

    I really would prefer we didn't have a directly elected head of state so we don't get Eddie McGuire or some Murdoch apparatchik wandering the globe on our behalf, though.

  • GvzbgulGvzbgul Registered User regular
    My dislike of Presidents stems mostly from my dislike of America, but it does seem like parliamentary governments do better on the whole than presidential ones. Whether that's down to the system of government or just luck, who knows.

  • MorganVMorganV Registered User regular
    Royal Assent is such a stupid waste of time. The number of projects I've worked on that have passed both houses and are delayed so that the GG can sign with a flourish is ridiculous.

    Just make the PM the head of state and be done with it - the Foriegn Minister already does most of the glad handing over seas, the PM can go to the odd summit or two like they already do.

    I really would prefer we didn't have a directly elected head of state so we don't get Eddie McGuire or some Murdoch apparatchik wandering the globe on our behalf, though.

    Yeah, that's my concern too. A popularly elected President relies on people not being fucking stupid, and I'm no longer confidant of that.

    The only issue with making the PM act as President, is there are certain things that currently happen by law, that would need to be subsumed, and some of those I'd rather the PM couldn't do completely unilaterally. See ScoMo becoming Minister For Everything.

    As others have pointed out, the whole dissolution of Parliament is another of those. Sort that out, and I'm fine with the PM having at least some of those powers, especially the summit shit. Have the Speaker do the rest, and have the leader of the opposition required to sign off on certain things by law too.

  • FencingsaxFencingsax It is difficult to get a man to understand, when his salary depends upon his not understanding GNU Terry PratchettRegistered User regular
    Gvzbgul wrote: »
    My dislike of Presidents stems mostly from my dislike of America, but it does seem like parliamentary governments do better on the whole than presidential ones. Whether that's down to the system of government or just luck, who knows.

    Plenty of parliamentary governments are also terrible, it's just generally harder to fuck them up with one or two people

  • MorninglordMorninglord I'm tired of being Batman, so today I'll be Owl.Registered User regular
    edited September 2022
    For example, we had a prime minister over in OZ land who secretly swore himself into like 6 ministries recently. Go go parliamentary amirite?

    Good ol Sco Mo cant help being in the news for a huge fuckup even after we kick him out.

    Morninglord on
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  • FishmanFishman Put your goddamned hand in the goddamned Box of Pain. Registered User regular
    Ugh. NZ Post, citing a lack of available staff, has just declared they will no longer deliver election campaign material.

    There was no advance warning, no deadline. They just said "Nope, we're not dong that any more".
    We're still 6 weeks out from elections. Voting packets still have to be sent to every household.


    Now, some candidates have had their flyers delivered already. Others had pre-paid bookings for future dates scheduled. Those are all now cancelled.

    You might think to yourself 'this sounds like a material economic and messaging advantage has been arbitrarily given to certain candidates in local elections', and you'd probably be right!

    You might follow that up with 'that seems like an exposed failure for a fair and balanced democracy' and, well, you'd not be wrong about that, either.


    If you intended to deliver flyers, this can still be done - at far greater expense, through private marketing companies, or by hand delivering yourself over essentially days of work. Effort and money that could have been better spent on other outreach, but now only accessible by those lucky enough to get in before the cutoff.


    Anyway, in related news, I am now the proud owner of 2 second-hand electric scooters off TradeMe, which will probably be getting a workout on the north suburb hills over the next few weeks.

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  • FishmanFishman Put your goddamned hand in the goddamned Box of Pain. Registered User regular
    One of the satisfying things about helping erect progressive candidate signs in the wealthy part of Khandallah is the dirty looks shot by drivers of M-series BMW's and late-model Mercades.

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  • Sanguinius666264Sanguinius666264 Registered User regular
    MorganV wrote: »
    Royal Assent is such a stupid waste of time. The number of projects I've worked on that have passed both houses and are delayed so that the GG can sign with a flourish is ridiculous.

    Just make the PM the head of state and be done with it - the Foriegn Minister already does most of the glad handing over seas, the PM can go to the odd summit or two like they already do.

    I really would prefer we didn't have a directly elected head of state so we don't get Eddie McGuire or some Murdoch apparatchik wandering the globe on our behalf, though.

    Yeah, that's my concern too. A popularly elected President relies on people not being fucking stupid, and I'm no longer confidant of that.

    The only issue with making the PM act as President, is there are certain things that currently happen by law, that would need to be subsumed, and some of those I'd rather the PM couldn't do completely unilaterally. See ScoMo becoming Minister For Everything.

    As others have pointed out, the whole dissolution of Parliament is another of those. Sort that out, and I'm fine with the PM having at least some of those powers, especially the summit shit. Have the Speaker do the rest, and have the leader of the opposition required to sign off on certain things by law too.

    Yeah agree - reporting to Parliament and having the power to dissolve Parliament shouldn't rest in the same hands. So a unilateral decision to dissolve Parliament, or maybe it originates in the upper house first? Dunno - plenty of options, though that don't need to have a GG or a President that more or less does nothing but that.

  • FishmanFishman Put your goddamned hand in the goddamned Box of Pain. Registered User regular
    edited September 2022
    In NZ local elections, all the focus has been on stealth VFF candidates on the ballot and groups like FACT Aotearoa and Stuff media doing their very best to unearth them and their efforts to 'become ungovernable'.

    But word amongst the local government candidates is that there's a group of VFF anti-vaxxers that going around to each and every community meeting and doing their best to be hostile and disruptive.
    Anyway, their own anger also stirs up other anger and sets an acrimonious tone that can really cut through a civic meeting, especially if the chair/organiser doesn't get on top of it.
    It's getting so bad candidates are pulling in cross-supporters from other wards, because it's apparent that some of this group are definitely also going around across borders and being belligerent in numbers wherever the opportunity presents.
    It's been particularly bad in the Southern ward, for some reason (maybe because there's a high profile African Muslim with a good chance to make it?).

    Anyway, last night was so bad in Brooklyn that several people who cycled snuck out early because they were genuinely concerned that some of the audience espousing vehement anti-cycle views might intentionally try to run them off the road when they left. The incumbent candidate (a Green!) was targeted with some pointedly hostile and leading questions to the point where she left through the back because she didn't feel confident that it was safe to leave by the main entrance.

    Even an ordinary year's campaigning can be as draining as a run through waist-deep mud, and this year's campaign has been that, with the added bonus of a toxic sheen of misinformation floating on top like a foul miasma that leaves behind a burning rash everywhere it touches. But it's only a thin layer on the surface.

    Please vote. Please please vote. I really really want VFF and the proto-fascist clingers-on to go away in such a way that I never have to think about them again.

    Fishman on
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  • The Zombie PenguinThe Zombie Penguin Eternal Hungry Corpse Registered User regular
    I've voted, and so has my partner!

    Ideas hate it when you anthropomorphize them
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  • GvzbgulGvzbgul Registered User regular
    They just didn't allow questions at the local debates here. You can tell who are the VFF anyway, half of them have dreads.

  • TefTef Registered User regular
    If I hear another reference to “flax roots” politics I’m going to scream. I had one decent candidate in my ward, so hopefully she gets the win

    help a fellow forumer meet their mental health care needs because USA healthcare sucks!

    Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better

    bit.ly/2XQM1ke
  • lonelyahavalonelyahava Call me Ahava ~~She/Her~~ Move to New ZealandRegistered User regular
    I've been diligently going through my voting pamphlet and googling folks this week.

    My little booklet has many many X's and not very many ticks.

    Shaneel Lal had a great piece the other day about Efeso Collins that's made my vote for mayor a lot easier than it was going to be.

  • GvzbgulGvzbgul Registered User regular
    Imagine the chaos if we still voted for DHBs. It was probably the voting that people cared about the least, knew the least about the candidates and would have attracted the most loonies. Well, not would have, it did, even before covid.

  • lonelyahavalonelyahava Call me Ahava ~~She/Her~~ Move to New ZealandRegistered User regular
    Welllllllll

    Fuck.


    I mean, there were worse options than Wayne Brown
    But


    Fuck.

  • FishmanFishman Put your goddamned hand in the goddamned Box of Pain. Registered User regular
    Overall Wellington a better result, but from a personal perspective bit more upheaval than I would have liked.

    But that's the only left mayoral swing in the big centers.

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  • The Zombie PenguinThe Zombie Penguin Eternal Hungry Corpse Registered User regular
    Fishman wrote: »
    Overall Wellington a better result, but from a personal perspective bit more upheaval than I would have liked.

    But that's the only left mayoral swing in the big centers.

    Could you expand on that? I'm just pleased Whanu got in, and also finding it very funny that Eagle came 4th in a 3 horse race as many folks put it.

    (now the fact that Ray chung came in third is uh...)

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  • AntoshkaAntoshka Miauen Oil Change LazarusRegistered User regular
    Welllllllll

    Fuck.


    I mean, there were worse options than Wayne Brown
    But


    Fuck.

    Didn't most of the worse ones drop out?

    n57PM0C.jpg
  • lonelyahavalonelyahava Call me Ahava ~~She/Her~~ Move to New ZealandRegistered User regular
    Antoshka wrote: »
    Welllllllll

    Fuck.


    I mean, there were worse options than Wayne Brown
    But


    Fuck.

    Didn't most of the worse ones drop out?

    Yeah but


    70 something Pakeha man that has said he's going to print photos of a journalist, who had the temerity to announce the candidate's age, and tape those photos on the urinals at work and piss on them....

    Is now the Mayor.

  • FishmanFishman Put your goddamned hand in the goddamned Box of Pain. Registered User regular
    Fishman wrote: »
    Overall Wellington a better result, but from a personal perspective bit more upheaval than I would have liked.

    But that's the only left mayoral swing in the big centers.

    Could you expand on that? I'm just pleased Whanu got in, and also finding it very funny that Eagle came 4th in a 3 horse race as many folks put it.

    (now the fact that Ray chung came in third is uh...)

    Overall it's been pretty good in Welly. Whanau should be better than any of the alternatives.

    Personally, at the moment my wife (a progressive) has lost her incumbent seat and trails by ~170 votes with maybe around ~1200 votes left to count. She needs about a 20-point swing in the special votes to have a job on Monday. Not impossible, but a pretty steep uphill battle.

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  • AntoshkaAntoshka Miauen Oil Change LazarusRegistered User regular
    Antoshka wrote: »
    Welllllllll

    Fuck.


    I mean, there were worse options than Wayne Brown
    But


    Fuck.

    Didn't most of the worse ones drop out?

    Yeah but


    70 something Pakeha man that has said he's going to print photos of a journalist, who had the temerity to announce the candidate's age, and tape those photos on the urinals at work and piss on them....

    Is now the Mayor.

    Oh, apologies, apparently I had the cavalcade of idiots mixed up, and thought that was one of the other ones. Well, fuck.

    n57PM0C.jpg
  • FishmanFishman Put your goddamned hand in the goddamned Box of Pain. Registered User regular
    In the final accounting, my wife is voted out on a 100-vote difference, or <1%.

    It probably wouldn't be so insulting if the dude who pipped her at the post wasn't so obviously a downgrade on her. I mean, he's fine, I've played cricket with him, but he's almost a cliché of the mediocre white middle aged professional. But he's well networked, and that's politics, sometimes. It's about who and how well you know.

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    That's unbelievably cool. Your new name is cool guy. Let's have sex.
  • The Zombie PenguinThe Zombie Penguin Eternal Hungry Corpse Registered User regular
    Fishman wrote: »
    In the final accounting, my wife is voted out on a 100-vote difference, or <1%.

    It probably wouldn't be so insulting if the dude who pipped her at the post wasn't so obviously a downgrade on her. I mean, he's fine, I've played cricket with him, but he's almost a cliché of the mediocre white middle aged professional. But he's well networked, and that's politics, sometimes. It's about who and how well you know.

    I'm honestly mostly just sweating right now at seeing the gains a hypothetical National-Act alliance is making. They would be beyond terrible for this country at a time when we cant really affoard terrible.

    But Labor is just pissing around and not doing shit all with their mandate and aaaaaaaarghs.

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