Quite frankly, I don't think it would affect the end results.
It is only those who want to vote who make a difference.
Those who are force to vote, just tick the first box on the form and run to the beach without caring about who will govern their life for the next term.
It would be an ideal world if everyone wanted to vote, not because they have to but because they want to have their say. Until then, forcing people to vote is a way for politicians to cover their <edit> and be able to say "Australia voted for me and they gave me a mandate to do whatever I want." If only 30% of the population turned up to vote, they would be reminded of it each time they claimed to have a mandate.
I think it should be compulsory to vote but an IQ test should be conducted at the polling stations.
If a person needs a 'how to vote card' or follows the 'donkey vote', then that person should be asked to leave. If a person can't name the deputy PM and the deputy leader of the opposition then that person should be asked to leave. If a person can't number a card 1-2-3-4 then that person should be asked to leave. If a person admits he or she always votes ALP or LIB-NP, then that person should be asked to leave.
Quite frankly the level of awareness about our alleged politicians and their alleged policies is abominable. It us understandable though. Politicians only have themselves to blame. A lot of people become disenchanted with the doings of the filth known as politicians.
Two simple demonstrations will prove and illustrate my point. Firstly, we all remember how the workplace became a smoke-free zone. We accepted it. Yes, it made sense. It is interesting to note that up until a while ago parliament house in NSW was exempt from the requirement to be smoke-free. Secondly, if you claim something as a work related expense, your boss will reimburse you. For instance, if you stay at a motel during a country sales trip your boss will reimburse you for your out-of-pocket expenses. He will of course require receipts in order to reimburse you. Not so our politicians. They just submit a travelling allowance claim form and claim out-of-pocket expenses without the need to provide receipts.
Given that politics has attracted a number of turds who only pursue the perquisites of office is it any wonder that people are pi**ed off with out gallant heroes in Canberra or our state parliaments? Something must be done to rekindle their interest in politics.
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Thaddeus Thistlewait III, your logic amazes me: first you say voting should remain compulsory but only if your IQ is high enough for you to be a vaid member of Austraila. Surely everyone over 18 has a right to vote in their country's election regardless of what position they hold in society. The outcome affects them as much as anyone else.
All politicians are filth? That seems like a gross generalisation to me that is both uncalled for and fundamentally wrong. Having perquisites as your only motivation for any career is a foolish decision, and shouldn't be reflected on the entire profession.
However, getting back on-topic, voting should be compulsory but perhaps there should be an option of abstention. In this way voters can choose 'neither' without voiding their vote completely.
Said strumpet, a person's address has nothing to do with a person's IQ nor does a person's position in society impact on that person's IQ, as you seem to be saying. And with regard to a person voting, your statement is correct. A person must be 18 or over to vote. Judging by the mail that Amanda Vanstone received recently, people as young as 11, 12 and 13 have it all figured out and are ready to vote. However, society has certain rules which it applies. Anyone over 18 doesn't report to the RTA and say: "Where's my driver's licence?" That person must pass an examination first (an IQ test centred on road rules). A 16-year-old is not allowed into a hotel even though that person may be able to consume a middy of shandy without any ill effects. But that same person who waits until reaching the age of 18 before entering a pub may be a hopeless drunk who writes off a car, his life and the lives of a couple of mates. He failed the IQ test. So it should be with voting. A person shouldn't just show up and say he or she is over 18 and is there to vote. An IQ test should be put in place.
You may argue that finding the polling station should be enough to satisfy the IQ test but perhaps it's the large crowds that show some people where to report to in order to vote.
Said strumpet, I have a challenge for you: name me one Australian politician who isn't filth.
You're right, it is a gross generalisation. It is both fitting and apt in this case. Or do you think it right that no receipts are to be produced to prove that you have spent some of your own money? ALL politicians support the current system which by definition means they are all tainted.
Wow! Look what turned up just as I was demonstrating how pathetic our pollies are.
You see said strumpet, by the whole party getting together and sending this alleged politician on a victory lap they have revealed the level of interests in the perquisites of office.
The whole party is tainted.
FORGET the gold watch and the handshake – when it comes to farewelling their parliamentary colleagues, nothing short of a fully funded overseas junket will do for our Federal MPs.
Ousted MP's farwell tour: you're paying By MALCOLM FARR Chief Political Reporter April 3, 2004 Despite being viewed as the wrong man for the job of representing his constituents at the next Federal election, ousted Liberal MP Peter King seemingly fits the bill as the best person to send off on a European jaunt.
After losing his electorate in a preselection vote, Mr King will spend his final days as a federal politician on a taxpayer-funded trip to Europe as a parting gift from his parliamentary mates.
Government MPs have awarded him the two-week trip, which starts this month. Mr King said yesterday colleagues had decided he should be on the visit because of "the tremendous contribution made during the term" of office – his last.
They wanted him to take another tour, of Asia and the Pacific, but Mr King turned it down over the uproar it would have caused.
Do you think the above story is in any way sad said strumpet?
Said strumpet, in view of the revelation about the Asian leg of the trip, do you think the money wasted on this trip would be better used to buy a CAT Scan machine for Mudgee Hospital?
Said strumpet, am I out of step on the disgusting greed that has taken possession of our alleged politicians? Not according to the editorial which appeared in today's (3 April) Daily Telegraph.
Here it is...
FEDERAL MP Peter King is doing a fancy lap of honour around Europe and every bill will be picked up by taxpayers.
The benefit to taxpayers? Who knows? They are never told.
Benefit to Mr King? Quite a bit.
The standard argument is MPs need to exchange views and consult with their overseas brethren for the enrichment of international ties and the Parliament.
But it doesn't hold up when the MP on the trip is about to step aside. That's the situation with Member for Wentworth Mr King. Next election he will be gone, having lost Liberal endorsement to Malcolm Turnbull.
If it is important for MPs to go overseas they should be obliged to report to taxpayers on what they did and what they learned.
The idea that they can use public money to make the trip and then keep their activities secret is insulting to voters.
That they can do a trip and soon after leave Parliament is preposterous.
What is it about Wentworth? You get disendorsed there and a lust for travel arises. It happened to Andrew Thomson who was elected to the seat but then lost his Liberal preselection and embarked on an extended tour of the USA.
Now the man who bumped him, Peter King, is having his turn. Would it be impertinent to suggest that they use their own money?
...And my questions still remain said strumpet: Would the money be better spent on hospital equipment? Would the money be better spent on medical research (childhood leukemia)? Would the money be better spent on sending a child overseas to receive a life-saving operation only available in the USA or the UK? Etc, etc, etc.
And the most salient question is this one said strumpet: Why the f**kin' hell do politicians praise the Internet (Bob Carr etc) if they are not prepared to use it? Most of these trips can be replaced by using the Internet.
Don't misunderstand my mood said strumpet. My anger and frustration is directed at the filth known as politicians and no one else.
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I am all in favour of junkets and free lunches (actually hugely in favour of the latter), as long as the money that funds it doesn't come from something essential, like medical equipment. I'll wont defend against tax-payed jaunts around the world as a parting gift, but I know that I would most probably hesitate, ever waver to the point of being asked to take a breathalyser test, if asked if I would go on one myself.
Since I actually have no idea what you're on about in relation to the Bob Carr case, I'll take a stap at it and take the chance of seeming like a complete fool. When researching (and I mean research in the loosest sense) an area that will come up in parliament as a site for redevelopment, or the issues that center there, it is fair reason that they go there and use their own intuition. Relying on the interpretation of others is something that many loathe to do.
However, Carr and his favourite journos have been going on a few dubious junkets, such as the one to Byron Bay, hasn't he?
Quoted from The 13th Man, posted March 25th, 2004, 7:53pm at here
Yeah I think here in Australia, voting should be not compulsory !! In some countries around the world, people don't have to vote !!
If voting were not made compulsory then elections could be rigged. People could also be persuaded to stay away thereby denying their right to have a say
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Welcome onboard dandifiednewt!
I think if the situation becomes that politicians are vote rigging by intimadation, there is an underlying problem that needs to be addressed first.
Oh yes, the challenge.
Harry Quick, the federal labor backbencher with the people's best interests at heart. But I'll go further than just one, because I know there is more than that. Meg Lees, Brian Harradine, Paula Wriedt (state education minister), Bob Brown, Peter Costello (yes, yes, I know, but he has done good things too), Julia Gillard, as well as many others if foolish idealism isn't a crime.
Sorry about the delay said strumpet. My father wanted me to do something for him.
Harry Quick MP. What an interesting character. Able to see out of his left eye but very poor vision in the right eye.
# "The sad thing about this place is corruption is endemic..." Harry Quick speaking in Manila.
# President George W. Bush, along with the Chinese President Hu Jintao, will address the Australian Parliament later this month, and not everyone is happy about it.
Labor MP Harry Quick says he's planning a silent protest against Mr Bush. Mr Quick, one of a group of anti-war MPs, is organising support for Parliamentarians to join him in standing up in protest to denounce the President when he addresses the Parliament.
The above vignettes capture young Harry's persona. Blind to corruption in Australian politics but quick to comment on its existence in another country. Bold enough to protest against the president of the USA (which is his right) but struck mute when observing President Hu Jintao's address to parliament. Why? And granting the ABC so much interview time in which to voice his disgust at the USA but not one word about China. Very curious.
Is Harry aware that China executed 2468 citizens in 2001 which is 37.40 more times than the execution rate in the USA where 66 were executed (source World Book 2003). I'm sure Harry would be against capital punishment being an idealistic chap as you allege. I bet if these figures were reversed Harry would make it his job to point it out every time a microphone was stuck in his face. It seems his right eye irritates him.
And what are we to make of idealistic Harry when it comes to declaring war on one's citizens? Dear old Harry, the man who rails against pax Americana via the use of cruise missiles but is struck dumb when it comes to Chinese students being squashed by Chinese tanks.
Talking of death, is Harry aware that the Dalai Lama alleges that... "The Hans have massacred 1.2 million Tibetans over the years." What a benign mob the Hans are. And sponsored by the Chinese gov't. Just pretend that 600,000 is the true figure. Is Harry stirred up enough to lead a campaign against this slaughter? Does Harry want it incorporated into federal ALP policy that China is to quit Tibet? Harry and his ideals; don't you just love 'em. Harry's alleged ideals and their application would seem to be capricious. He doesn't apply them assiduously.
Let's turn our gaze to internal matters because Harry is a proven poor performer when his international profile is put under the microscope. Let's have a look at the thriving metropolis of Opossum Bay. Opossum Bay is not the capital of Tasmania as you know and therefore should not enjoy the same status as Hobart. So while the honourable (cough cough) Nick Sherry, ALP, Tasmania was claiming travel allowance for staying at Hobart he was physically staying at his mum's house at Opossum Bay. Did the honourable (cough cough) Harry Quick, ALP, Tasmania rise to his feet in parliament and thump the desk and thunder in a threatening voice: "You have just claimed $XX! You are not entitled to it. That money could have been used in one of Tasmania's hospitals. You have tainted this parliament and all MPs."? Not on your life. Harry was struck mute, and not for the first time in his life.
Harry also supports the sealing of the Lionel Murphy file for 30 years. Does it contain national secrets? Does the desultory conversation of a dinner party deserve to be classified as 'not to be seen for 30 years'? Were they discussing a new mix for a fluffy duck? Will we be mature enough in 30 years to gaze upon the contents of the file? Does Harry want open, accountable gov't which has as its centre piece, high ideals? No. Harry is struck mute once again. It would appear that Harry is the quintessence of a whited sepulcher.
Said strumpet, what are we to make of a chap who delivers philippics against Uncle Sam but fails to be just as condemnatory when it comes to the hanging, murdering PRC?
Harry's many interviews for the cameras are prolix in style but they lack principles. His ideals desert him quite often. Every detail that leaks out about our grubby politicians should be condemned by the alleged idealistic politicians. Their silence only taints them and puts them in the same category.
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As you would undoubtedly be aware, Harry is a member of the Australia China Parliamentary Friendship Group that works towards closer understanding between Australian and Chinese people. Yes China has an extremely suspect human rights history, but even the former chairman Peter Nugent was at another time Chairman of Amnesty International and a strong advocate for those rights. If Harry had shunned the Chinese President, wouldn't that have ruined everything the group stood for and significantly degrated the relations between the two countries?
If you search out every bad thing you've heard (or googled) about someone, whether it be a politician or not, you can turn them into a monster. Do that, and you miss all good things they have done throughout their career. I'm not going to tell you all the good things Harry has done because if you are willing to suspend your preconcieved bias against him, then you will look for them yourself.
Let's approach it in a practical way. Let's say we have two people in the same street who own alsatian dogs. One is 40 times more likely to attack and kill than the other. One day two young kids approach each house looking to sell some charity chocolates. Standing on the footpath is a bloke named.......err, let's call him Harry.
As the kids approach the front doors the alsatians attack them. One kid is being mauled pretty badly. The other kid is being torn limb from limb. The owners of the dogs come out and try to control their beasts. Harry walks over to one owner and really lets fly with both barrels: How could you keep such a savage beast? You should be ashamed of yourself. Your dog nearly killed that kid. Why don't you keep your savage dog on a leash? You are a disgrace!
Harry then strolls over to the other owner and says: What a nice dog. What's his name? That kid shouldn't annoy your dog. I guess the dog taught that kid a lesson.
said strumpet are you really asking me to believe that Harry is a good example of a caring sort of person?
You forget said strumpet that politicians have risen above the pack. They offer themselves as being worthy enough to represent us in the house of the people. These 'leaders' aren't your ordinary peasants. They are ABOVE us. That makes it all the more disappointing when they get caught with their fingers in the till.
You're asking me to overlook the following: a politician who forgot he owned a half share of a concrete company but didn't forget to bank the cheque when that company did some work for the RAAF
a politician who made 47 errors in his travelling allowance claim forms. All of the errors were in his favour and none in favour of the taxpayer
a politician who screwed his wife on his taxpayer-funded desk. See if you can take your wife to work and screw her. Does your bus driver carry on like that?
a politician who recorded the movement of $33 million on a white board. Despite her well appointed (and taxpayer-funded office) she used a white board. Do your tax return on a white board and see if the ATO just smile and say it's OK
a treasurer whose PM had to retrospectively amend legislation to prevent him from being charged with fraud. Remember how our pollies say that retrospective legislation is bad legislation
a politician sleeping in his car at truck stops because he wanted to claim travel allowance
a politician who didn't know the difference between a V8 and a four cylinder car. He sure knew which one to claim for when filling out his travel allowance forms
a bunch of filth in state parliament running the clock down to midnight so that they could all qualify for a cab home
from 1990 'til December 1998 , 108 NSW MP's made more than 330 taxpayer-funded trips to Coolangatta. Trade missions no doubt
a politician who claimed $13,500 in travel expenses in his first 18 months as a minister
a gov't bumping up the income of a loyal supporter from $53,000 a year as a grade 7 clerk to $565,000 for a 5 year contract. It was a reward because he agreed to withdraw from a pre-selection battle. His new job was to head up an appeals board despite his lack of legal credentials or training.
Said strumpet, I could go on and list the amusing and colourful lives of our alleged leaders but I realise that you probably have something to do in the next year. That's how long the list of 'venial' errors is which can be sheeted home to the filth you call politicians.
I would like to unload on that blueblood Paula Wriedt. What breeding that young filly has. Daughter of Ken, Whitlam minister. That about sums that one up. Would Paula stick her paw out and collect the 28% pay rise awarded to Tasmanian MP's. Mind you a pay rise not because of merit, merely to bring them into line with their mainland counterparts. Paula wouldn't accept that. Just read her maiden speech. She's there to make a difference. She's idealistic. Did the Tasmanian politicians say that they were doing a bloody good job and the pay rise was well deserved? Were Tasmanian politicians strict on gun ownership?
You'd better ask the prisoner in Risdon Prison. He is living proof of the level of tight gun laws in Tasmania. Who administers gun control laws? Politicians.
My anger is not directed at you said strumpet. Please don't insult my intelligence by trying to pass off politicians as anything other than vile filth.
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I'm sorry, but I am completely unimpressed with your analogy. Words like 'exaggerating' and 'over simplifing' spring to mind.
From you list, there are ten politicians (I'm not counting the Coolangatta ones because it was over eight years. That's what - a trip every 2.6 years? Not quite the once a fortnight I was expecting. Now well and truly in the venial basket.) with less than upstanding scruples. Keep in mind there are 500-odd politicians, not counting local council members. The way you're going, the people who would come under the title 'scum', or perhaps the new standard 'vile filth' would be the generalised groups of corporate business people, lawyers, bankers - hell, just throw in everyone in the top income tax bracket. After all, they are above you.
Should voting be made not compulsory ??
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Should voting be made not compulsory ??
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