Goodbye Mr Howard

[Al B. Fuct]

hence why i dont vote for any of em.... and as a tax paying citizen i should have the right to turn my back on the system that turns its back on most australians

 

As a taxpaying citizen, if you don't participate in the political process, you're simply handing govt a blank check, drawn on your account. While you say that the govt shouldn't 'turn its back on most Australians' you have no basis for complaints if you don't participate in creating policy or at least drumming up votes for the policies which you do like. Australian politics is not some incomprehensible, impermeable monolith which the people have no control over. While Howard certainly didn't work in the best interest of the people, he was able to be unseated, unlike folks like Hu Jintao, Musharraf or the Burmese military junta.

 

If you don't like the way Australian govt operates, you're more than welcome to jump in and change it. However, if you don't participate and yet sit around and bitch about how it runs, you're just a pointless whinger.

[Shang Tsung]

Kevin Rudd cares more about the environment then trying to get a good spot on George Bushes knee, I believe this will be a great time for Australia

 

I didn't vote either

 

Anyone know if Rudd is for the use of medicinal marijuana?

[Indycar]

Tend to agree with SS

 

Just hope there's a bit more swing towards tidying up some environmental issues.

Distance ourselves from US policies and their economy.

Concentrate more so on the asian market.

Rollback Work Choices.

Less spending on government advertising 'n so on...

 

But something i'm a bit dubious about is our Health and Education departments. Two issues that i've felt have been important for many a years. Labor state run hospitals 'n schools have been run into the ground. So if they wanna be worth some salt. State 'n Federal gov betta sort out these issues to attract my vote next time round. Otherwise, i'd like to see em unloaded like the Libs were yestie.

 

To be honest. Drug law reform is not the most important issue at hand with me at the moment, but with a bit of luck. The Greens will have some influence in the Senate at some time, with this matter.

 

On a slightly different matter. I am getting a chuckle of a few blogs around the place, this morning. Where Lib supporters are carrying on as if 'the sky is falling'. Basically what libs strategy has been all along this entire election campaign...

 

Labor has been handed this election on a platter, by the Australian public. For fuck sake, don't screw it up...

 

[Al B. Fuct]

Australia didn't vote FOR Rudd, they voted AGAINST Howard.

 

Absolutely, 100% agreed.

 

Howard got arrogant when he got control of the Senate and passed WorkChoices, guillotining debate to force his hand. Not a single 'Howard battler' ever voted to have their overtime, penalty rates and unfair dismissal protections cut- and Howard's paying the price.

 

It's gonna be a tough few years and I have kept a copy of Rudd's 5 core priorities for future reference. ;-)

 

The first 8 months are going to be unproductive if the Senate refuses to cooperate. The Libs might try to force a double dissolution on some matter, but I don't think Rudd will bite. Time is on his side.

 

It'll be far easier for Labor to really start running their more progressive agenda items when they can force their legislation past Liberal objections by acting in coalition with the Greens. The Libs are fighting for the rights of the 'oppressed millionaires' who will again have to pay workers and hire/fire fairly. Expect indignant opposition from the fatcats.

[Guest niall]

As a taxpaying citizen, if you don't participate in the political process, you're simply handing govt a blank check, drawn on your account. While you say that the govt shouldn't 'turn its back on most Australians' you have no basis for complaints if you don't participate in creating policy or at least drumming up votes for the policies which you do like. Australian politics is not some incomprehensible, impermeable monolith which the people have no control over. While Howard certainly didn't work in the best interest of the people, he was able to be unseated, unlike folks like Hu Jintao, Musharraf or the Burmese military junta.

 

If you don't like the way Australian govt operates, you're more than welcome to jump in and change it. However, if you don't participate and yet sit around and bitch about how it runs, you're just a pointless whinger.

 

Shityeah.

[Al B. Fuct]

this so called upstanding christian is also a freemason... just like johnny.. and all other PM's before him.. freemasonry comes before god and country.. so i ask.. are we really going to be better off.. or did the masonry just retire one leader and elect another...

 

I'm having trouble finding any confirmation that Rudd is a Freemason- and I'm even more doubtful of what difference it'd make if he was one.

 

While it's not as popular as it once was, it's still not at all unusual for people in the leading echelons of business or politics to be involved with social service or special interest organisations- Lions, Rotary, and yes, even the Masons.

 

There's far too many conspiracy theories about these social organisations- wear your skeptic's goggles when you confront these tales. Yes, they are 'old boys clubs' where some rather conservative ideas dominate- but I doubt many of the conspiracies attributed to them.

 

Rudd describes himself as a Christian socialist. I'm taking that to mean that he's old school Christian, the sort which are committed to social justice and equality, not stuff like demonising Muslims, Jews and otherwise getting in bed with the far-right.

[WantDaChronic]

im happy to see howard out of power, but kevin rudd seems only minimally different from john howard both are conservatives, have a zero tolerance attitude towards all drugs, etc. i could go on for days but in the end we just elected a new face as we were sick and tired of the old one that was stuck up an american's arse

 

personally i think kevin rudd is a pussy and wont do anything major to help us out. for instance, he wants to reduce carbon emissions dramatically, but we wont see him impliment laws forcing car makers to only produce hybrids for the next 10 years and zero emission vehicles after that. nor will we see him recommend hemp growing for farmers with poor land, low levels of water, etc. when it would reduce greenhouse gases considerably and give the farmers a chance to grow a viable and valuable crop

 

i just hope that he doesnt turn into more of a dick head with all the power we just handed him on a silver platter...we definately dont need another version of john howard leading our nation so lets just hope that the greens keep him in line

[Al B. Fuct]

With you, WDC. However, I do think come June of next year, Rudd will wheel out his more ambitious policy. He ran the campaign on a basis of minimal controversy or risk- after all, many voters have known no other govt than Howard in their adult lifetime.

 

Yep, it's incumbent upon the Greens to prevent runaway hubris, but I think Rudd doesn't have the ideological militancy to hurt enough voters to pay like Johnny did. The Greens will round off any edges.

[iamnotacop]

As a taxpaying citizen, if you don't participate in the political process, you're simply handing govt a blank check, drawn on your account. While you say that the govt shouldn't 'turn its back on most Australians' you have no basis for complaints if you don't participate in creating policy or at least drumming up votes for the policies which you do like. ......

 

If you don't like the way Australian govt operates, you're more than welcome to jump in and change it. However, if you don't participate and yet sit around and bitch about how it runs, you're just a pointless whinger.

 

 

So we have to choose the best of the bastards. No thankyou. I did have my say by refusing to vote. I refuse to vote for the best of a bad bunch. You say 'jump in and change it' but how? As a person with a criminal record there is no way that I could ever participate without those bastards spending our taxes to ridicule, defame and basically stop me before I ever began. Pauline Hanson may have had some bad policies but what they did to her was cruel. It was designed to shut up anyone that has an opinion other than theirs, and it worked.

 

I honestly believe that the same decisions will be made, and it will not change anything. But I am happy Howard is out because he got too cocky and arrogant. He lied to much, and we never had a say.

 

Did he ask you to go send our "Defence" Force to go and "attack" other countries?

Did he ask you if you wanted a GST?

Did he ask you if you wanted a Zero Tolerance towards drugs?

Did he ask you if the kids on the Tampa be refused entry into Australia?

Did he ask you if you wanted Industrial Relations changes?

Did he ask you if he could refuse to fund the Health department, the proper amount that they need?

Did he ask you if he could scrimp on spending to the education department?

Did he ask you if he could waste Millions of dollars on pointless political advertising, to get himself re-elected?

 

Why did they announce all this money for all these services, when they have not paid the money, they should have, in the first place. He has had 11 years to spend the money, not save it for election time.

 

 

I could go on all day. If you really believe that we the public have a say then you are kidding yourself.

 

We never have and we never will.

[Guest niall]

You say 'jump in and change it' but how? As a person with a criminal record there is no way that I could ever participate

 

Join a party and contribute to their policy making process, donate, volunteer, engage in political debate with friends and family, change people's minds, change people's votes.... there are heaps of ways to get involved.