F*Ck Society...Australia Rigged Election or People Stupid?

[Callista]

One has to ask: what kind of a 'democracy' is it when they tell you that if you dont vote, you will get fined. Not much choice there!

[Craig]

You know when you are playing a video game and you cross over a boundary that you can't pull back from and you know you are going to die? I feel like that is where we are here now, not just with the election but the planet as a whole. My only battle now is to get over the depression and actually enjoy the ride.

Perhaps it is time for a total reset, but you would think after all this time we would eventually get it right? Why haven't we? Does humanity and free will always end this way?

[Heyoka_11]

Posted by GalaxyHorse (here)
...apathy is a religion here!

G'day GalaxyHorse,

You words above have been quoted before I know , but I shall do so again, as they are an extremely sad and inescapable truth. For all the goodwill in us, and there is plenty of it, we remain an overly hedonistic culture, and our "She'll be right" approach is a two-edged sword. We possess such a casual approach towards life in general, and are the envy of other countries for it, but we have also allowed this to embed itself in our collective psyche to far too great an extent: to the point that our walls could be falling down around our ears, but as long as there's a beer in the esky, and a snagger on the barbie, hey, who could ask for more. I could state that it is time for Aussies to wake up, but that is already happening, as it is around the globe. It is just going to take more time.

Posted by Huntress (here)
...no one I know who voted Green ever thought that they were giving preference to Labour. Everyone that I know that voted Green were furious when they realised their error and I was furious that they never checked before ticking any boxes!

G'day Huntress,

It is so clever, isn't it, to cast a protest vote. One is then given the opportunity to bask in the knowledge that they have at least "voiced" their opposition, and feel so wise when informing their friends that they did so. What a bloody illusion that is when you have no knowledge of preferences. Why no knowledge...because you couldn't be fagged enough to check. Now what was that about apathy?

Posted by Callista (here)
Yes, Huntress, and Bill Shorten is married to the daughter of Quentin Bryce, a former Governor General.

G'day Callista,

Hey, isn't it great to have our own version of a royal family?

Posted by ElfeMya (here)

Posted by apokalypse (here)
we might have hung parliament but in Coalition favor...we need hope and good luck.

When will you know for sure ?

Bonjour Elfe Mya,

It'll probably won't be known until the final counting of the postal votes from country bumpkins (like me!) Could be a day or two (of agony for many!).

Thanks to all ,

Tony.

[ElfeMya]

Apparently not everyone is sleepy and too laid back to voice their opinions...
Found a few quite trashy videos on the net ...
Disturbing.

[heather6thsense]

As far as voting for the House of Representatives, it's not worth the paper it's written on. As for the senate. I voted for Greg Beattie. Interestingly enough, he is the last one on the ballot paper. One of the reasons I voted for him was that he would endeavour to bring back people's right to choose whether or not they wish to vaccinate their children or not. Without penalties for choosing not to.

[Ellisa]

It is not compulsory to vote-- it is compulsory to register to vote if you are over 18. Then you must register to cast a vote on polling day. You can then do what you like-- drawing on the paper is popular, some people write slogans or Mickey Mouse and some sad creatures just hand in a blank sheet! Australia makes a huge effort to ensure everyone has the opportunity to vote. For example, officials visit jails, hospitals and even Antarctica to allow people to vote, as well as holding early voting and postal votes. There are no electronic votes--- just paper and a pencil (or pen if you prefer). I love casting a vote and honestly feel privileged to do so knowing that still today, as a woman, I would not be able to in some countries. People have died for universal suffrage, and I remember seeing the photographs from East Timor showing the long queues of people determined to vote in their first election ever, at great danger to themselves.

Some bright person , can't remember who, once remarked that democracy is not perfect, but it is the best we have got at the moment. I agree, and I am glad I was able to participate yesterday. I live in a marginal electorate and both main parties chose excellent candidates, either of whom would be hard-working and trustworthy representatives. I wish the winner, whom I did not vote for, well.

( I looked it up!!! Winston Churchill said that Democracy was the worst form of government except for all the others! Not quite what I said--- but nearly!)

[ghostrider]

It's hard to fill a cup that is already full ... people that are still asleep, stuck firmly in their particular religion, and caught up in lights in the sky are almost unreachable ... no one likes to admit they were decieved ... they think they know everything, they have no clue their whole world is backwards upside down... apes were created from man by genetic tampering, the peace symbol is the symbol for death, turn it upside down and now it becomes the symbol for peace...

[Cassmiranda]

Posted by Huntress (here)

Posted by GalaxyHorse (here)
Well the political scene in Australia has been severely over-ridden since at least 1975, our paltry 20+ million market only care takes a giant resources pit for the world, we don't have the collective political will to overcome the traditional duality and kick them all out to build something better-we keep falling for the same dreary old B.S each time. If politics is your passion, Australia will drive you to drink, apathy is a religion here!

I agree. We are also steadily adopting a more Amercianised system of politics. Which is disturbing - we are not the USA and this is not a presidential campaign and yet every election it becomes more about the illusion of the figure head and less about facts. People understand you are voting for a party not a Commander in Chief please, less and less people know that the GG is the one with the power and not our forsaken parliament.

I feel the same and I think that the creation of confusion and apathy is deliberate. Most people here, even educated people, have no interest and no idea about the political system; it is perceived as boring. Many people know even less about the realities of what is going on in the rest of the world and how it affects us. People are not interested because they feel they are powerless. Why put energy into something that is pointless. If you live in a ‘safe seat’ and really hate the party of the incumbent then your vote probably means nothing. Many people myself included, think that both major parties are on the same trajectory. The only difference is that the Labor Party might have some desire to maintain a less divisive society. Both parties are controlled by big corporate interests.
So, for many we have no one who represents us. I am fortunate to live in an electorate with a strong Independent who is sure to have a big voice in a hung parliament. This electorate was a traditional “blue ribbon” Liberal seat for decades before a group of locals effectively taught the electorate about politics. For me this is proof that it is possible for ‘little’ people to make a difference. Having said that, there was still mass confusion at the polling booths concerning the senate (upper house) voting. So many people don’t even understand what the senate is. Ask most people here anything about football or cricket and they are like walking encyclopaedias. Say the word politics and their eyes glaze over. …
Also here we have another Western Liberal ‘Democracy’ in a state of limbo. Brexit, although I think Britain somehow made the right call, has had an immediate destabilising effect on effective government. I don’t really have the words to start on USA situation. It is unfathomable but scary because of the power and influence of that country. Really what happens in Australia politics is part of the jigsaw but so much of our way of life as Australians might depend more on what happens elsewhere.

[bluestflame]

Posted by apokalypse (here)
we might have hung parliament but in Coalition favor...we need hope and good luck.

when i first read that i thought it said " we need rope " oh well still hopeful



i heard Pauline Hanson got a couple of seats (not a fan) , lets hope she tables the issue of agenda 21 in parliament , apparently she's one of the few openly talking about it , i rekon derrin huinch may just use parliamentary privelege to name and shame a few pedoticians , would love to be a fly on the wall for that one

[heather6thsense]

To vote for the House of Representatives in my view, it's a waste of time. In the last election year political parties received $280 million in donations, public funding and other income. Some donors give equal funding to Labour and NLP because every lobby group's dream is bipartisan support- both major parties on their side. The Greens, Labour and the NLP are all in favour of "no jab no pay" They are all in bed with each other. Why is an election as opposed to a selection? I voted for Greg Beattie for the Senate because he believes it's the decision of parents to decide whether or not to vaccinate their children and child payments to be made regardless. Greg Beattie is an independent candidate and interestingly enough his name was below the bottom line and the last name on the ballot paper.

[bluestflame]

heard reports some places voters were turned away after signing off to say they had attended but unable to vote as they'd run out of ballot forms
still waiting for it to come up in mainstream media
they seem too focused on the SIZE of the ballot form

[TigaHawk]

Posted by apokalypse (here)
can't believe Coalition win Australia election... people haven't enough of corporate ******** Turnbull?

Mod edit from Bill: several other expressive statements deleted here because of inappropriate content... but you get the idea that apokalypse is a little upset

lost hope for humanity...im not scared/fear of death anymore.

here's another thing, this has to be rigged election...Media already claim Coalition going to win and the counting is pretty fast by few hours i pull up excel and already know who going to win. the election is full of questions.

People get really agitated when they ask who I have (or are going to) vote for and i reply with "I draw a penis on the voting form."

There is no point to vote. Nomatter how much you or others really want to believe that you have any power or say in who will be the next people to lead this country.

The people that "win the election" and are voted in were pre-selected by the people behind the curtain long ago. You know it does not matter who gets in, what they say they will do as part of the campaigns or what ideas they bring forward. None of that matters. They do what they want and what the are instructed to do by their superiors.

I really wish they had not tricked me in highschool into enrolling to vote. They have already fined me once, and since then i must waste time to vote or they will fine me again.

Many see donkey voting as stupidity because we are supposedly able and should be "grateful" that we have some power to help choose who will get in to run the country... My frustrations are reflected at them for actually believing they have any power or say over the situation.


Yes i am upset about the situation. No i am not as angry as yourself as i concede we need more people to wake up to the situation and go from there. I cant hurry up that process by getting angry and shouting as then you just become the crazy person in their eyes.


May i suggest watching The Chaser's Election Desk?

http://iview.abc.net.au/programs/cha.../LE1530H001S00


I've found the Chaser Boy's to be incredibly helpful with waking people up on the down low. It's masked with satyr but they do a great job in showing how utterly F'd up our politics are, how stupid the decisions they are making and how hollow and uncaring they really are towards the general public.

[TigaHawk]

Posted by Ellisa (here)
It is not compulsory to vote-- it is compulsory to register to vote if you are over 18. Then you must register to cast a vote on polling day. You can then do what you like-- drawing on the paper is popular, some people write slogans or Mickey Mouse and some sad creatures just hand in a blank sheet! Australia makes a huge effort to ensure everyone has the opportunity to vote. For example, officials visit jails, hospitals and even Antarctica to allow people to vote, as well as holding early voting and postal votes. There are no electronic votes--- just paper and a pencil (or pen if you prefer). I love casting a vote and honestly feel privileged to do so knowing that still today, as a woman, I would not be able to in some countries. People have died for universal suffrage, and I remember seeing the photographs from East Timor showing the long queues of people determined to vote in their first election ever, at great danger to themselves.

Some bright person , can't remember who, once remarked that democracy is not perfect, but it is the best we have got at the moment. I agree, and I am glad I was able to participate yesterday. I live in a marginal electorate and both main parties chose excellent candidates, either of whom would be hard-working and trustworthy representatives. I wish the winner, whom I did not vote for, well.

( I looked it up!!! Winston Churchill said that Democracy was the worst form of government except for all the others! Not quite what I said--- but nearly!)

That is not true.

If you never enrolled to vote you do not have to vote and you will not be fined if you dont vote... because you are not enrolled.

That is why the push the enrollment in high school. You can enroll at 16 but cannot vote at 18.

You can be taken off the electoral roll by either continually not voting and not responding to any of the AEC letters they send you in the mail to update your details. i think after 5 or 6 years? they take you off because you are not contactble.

Outside of that the only other way to be taken off is to get a medical certificate from your doctor that states you are "not of sound mind" to vote as you do not comprehend what it means to vote. If you have a good doctor that is not bias with their views you could get one organised and request your removal from the electoral roll on this form: http://www.aec.gov.au/Enrolling_to_v...005aw-1213.pdf
Tho i would be weary about that method as if you admit to not of sound mind there may be other repercussions later down the track.

So you either dodge the bullet and never enroll, pay out the ass in fines and hope they remove you sooner rather than later based off no contact, Vote or continue to donkey vote.


If voting were truly compulsory there would be no electoral roll - everyone would vote or be fined.

It is only compulsory to vote if you are enrolled to vote

[Heyoka_11]

Hey Aussies,

This is not looking too flash.

A distinct possibility of a hung parliament, and the chaos that goes along with it.

But the thing that has me most worried are the two names that have once again surfaced: surfaced as potentially being among the number that will control the balance of power.

Pauline Hanson and Jacqui Lambie.

Pauline, no doubt, has a very important role to play in government. Local government: in the library. No that wouldn't do. Libraries are supposed to be quiet places, so who needs a two legged air raid siren around. Back to the fish and chip shop eh?

Great Barrier Reef ‘Not White Enough’ Pauline Hanson Says


Controversial Senate candidate Pauline Hanson has criticised a campaign to stop the bleaching of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, saying it is time to accept that the experimentation with colour hasn’t worked.
“Australians are sick and tired of all these different colours taking over our reef. Well enough’s enough. This is Australia. This is our culture. And if you want to be part of our reef then you need to adopt our colour, which is white,” Ms Hanson said.


The former politician, who is hoping to gain a Queensland Senate seat at the upcoming election, said she wasn’t surprised the reef was now split into white and coloured areas. “They [the coloured coral] simply refuse to integrate”.

Source


Jacqui, well I have heard it rumored that she may have received a certificate from TAFE. It was apparently a five evening course..."How to Fake Basic Intelligence 101". She failed, and passed, at the same time. Onya Jacqui!

Senator Lambie says suitors have to have the right 'package'

In the radio interview, hosts Kim Napier and Dave Noonan, offering to act as match-makers, asked Senator Lambie what attributes she was looking for in a partner.
"They must have heaps of cash and they've got to have a package between their legs, let's be honest," replied Senator Lambie.
"And I don't need them to speak."
When a 22-year-old man named Jamie called as a prospective date, Senator Lambie was prompted to see if he met her requirements.
He assured her he had plenty of money, having inherited a "small fortune".
"Are you well-hung?" asked Senator Lambie.
"Hung like a donkey," Jamie answered.
"Oh is that right! I've got a 24-year-old son who reckons he is too. (He) says that as well."
The senator then agreed to a breakfast date with Jamie.

Source

Scary times!

Tony.

[Andre]

One of the unique ways in which the Australian voting system is rigged:

In Australia, we are one of the only parliamentary democracies that use the "preferential voting system" as opposed to the "simple majority system". This system is something the puppet masters managed to introduce eons ago to ensure that all votes eventually find their way back to the two major parties.

How?

In Australia you select your 6 favorite parties or independents out of about 45 different parties (that's about the number on the Senate ballot paper last weekend). You number these in your order of preference from 1 to say 6. If your number one selection fails to garner 51% of the vote (which smaller parties and independents are obviously unlikely to do), then your vote for that smaller party is transferred to your number 2 selection and so forth down the line. Eventually, the majority of votes across the entire electorate end up in the hands of one of the two major parties which is where the puppet masters want them so that they only have to control two parties and not dozens. The puppet masters don't care which of the two gain power - they control both of them. This is abundantly clear by the way corporate political donations are distributed. Almost all of the major corporations in Australia give similar amounts to both of the two major parties (ALP and LNP).

The voting system is a bit more complicated than the above explanation, and a few minor parties do pick up a few seats here and there along the way. And in the last decade or so this is becoming more of a thorn in the side of the puppet masters because these independents and minor parties have been holding the balance of power.

Naturally, this preferential voting system is backed up by the total lack of any real "how to vote" information. Neither the Government nor the media attempts to provide a summary of the range of different candidates and their policies to assist voters. This could easily be seen as deliberate, i.e. keep the public ignorant of any real choice.

And of course, like in other countries, the Australian media maintains tight control over the entire political debate; limiting all discussion to the two major parties.

[Ellisa]

It is compulsory to ENROL to vote if you are eligible. You can legally be fined for not enrolling- I concede this rarely happens. You are eligible to enrol if you are an Australian citizen over 18 years old. Once you are enrolled to vote it is then compulsory to cast a vote (by various means-- mostly people attend a polling station locally). I have a feeling that some British subjects can register to vote, I know it used to be so--- but maybe not now.

I am totally bewildered by people refusing to vote who then whine when the government annoys them. Use your vote to change the situation. Recently in an election in a neighbouring area was won by less than 10 votes! Everyone's opinion is important and worthy of respect. Taking yourself off the roll by declaring you are out of your mind seems rather self-damaging to me, as well as confirming unsuitability.

[Limor Wolf]

Posted by Ellisa (here)
You are eligible to enrol if you are an Australian citizen over 18 years old.

I am totally bewildered by people refusing to vote who then whine when the government annoys them. Use your vote to change the situation.

Hi Elisa, Voting is a system stunt that is sold as a mind control programming to society, for society to believe that they have any 'say' in running their enslaving new world order affair, and it seems to work fine.. even in our 'awake' midst.

When something is rotten, it is rotten big time. The smell is detected to far out places and no air freshner can help

We are not 'eligble' to anything anywhere in the world, but to a mind **** - excuse my French, and giving our energy in seriously considering this may point on the severe 'stockholm syndrom' we are diseased with, with complete self unworth, not even understanding what is healthy anymore..

The next wake up call may be less nicer then the first one. Until we uderstand, until we finally get it

All the very best,

Limor

[TigaHawk]

Posted by Ellisa (here)
It is compulsory to ENROL to vote if you are eligible. You can legally be fined for not enrolling- I concede this rarely happens. You are eligible to enrol if you are an Australian citizen over 18 years old. Once you are enrolled to vote it is then compulsory to cast a vote (by various means-- mostly people attend a polling station locally). I have a feeling that some British subjects can register to vote, I know it used to be so--- but maybe not now.

I am totally bewildered by people refusing to vote who then whine when the government annoys them. Use your vote to change the situation. Recently in an election in a neighbouring area was won by less than 10 votes! Everyone's opinion is important and worthy of respect. Taking yourself off the roll by declaring you are out of your mind seems rather self-damaging to me, as well as confirming unsuitability.

This was what i was talking about.

You're getting upset about us not wanting to vote / donkey voting yet complaining about the current situation.

The issue i see is you appear to have faith in a broken and rigged system.

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different result, which is exactly what you and others that share the same view's that your vote will actually count towards something is failing.

Hopefully the realisation of this fact will set in sooner rather than later: It does not matter who you vote in. What the person you decide to vote for promises to do or not do. They're a puppet for someone further up the line hidden behind a curtain, pulling the strings. Their agenda will still be played out the way they want it no matter who gets voted in.

There are countless examples of this happening right under your nose. I can totally understand the need to cling on to a hope that it's not rigged and our votes actually do count, but the sooner you come to terms with the reality of that situation the better off we all are.

The realization of just how f*d up we are and how deep and complex the illusion we live in is, It's not easy to take in or accept. It's terrifying. Other examples of this would be WW2 and Religon. Someone that is an avid believer of religion, goes to church every week and their whole life is centered around the belief that there is a god. If someone were to provide 100% proof that there is and never was a God, the person would go into denial and start justifying on why they are right and you are wrong. They will not accept the reality.

From the above example put into reality - WW2 the Jew's heard / knew that they were being rounded up and exterminated. Some had the chance to flee before the nazi's went through their part of town. Most refused. They could not accept the idea that their governments would do something like that to them.

And the same thing is happening here. We are raised to believe that this is how the system works - and the system is sacred and follows set rules that make's it a fair and just system. To find out that it's all a sham, that we are essentially living in a dictatorship and have no ability to change anything hits you just as hard, and ones first reaction to hearing this is disbelief then to justify how you are right and the person telling you otherwise is wrong.

The whole system needs to come down and be rebuilt from the ground up before any real change will ever happen.

To start that process you need to realize voting is pointless and is only done to maintain the illusion of freedom, and continue waking more people up to this fact.




Or you could continue playing ping pong with voting one of the two main party's in - complain like hell when they do exactly the opposite of what they promise then vote for the opposite party next time around and when others talk to you about how stupid the situation is reply with "Oh that's just how politics works!"

[Franny]

I really feel for you and can certainly relate.

People will vote more readily if they know the election and voting processes are clean. Here, as in many places, it often doesn't matter who or what you vote for; what matters is who runs the elections and "counts" the votes.

[Ellisa]

I think there is a good example of all the special little snowflakes thinking they are too smart to vote happening right now in the UK. Only about 35% of the younger voters bothered to vote and now they are mad as fire that they have to leave the EU. Their votes mattered and they were too----something to bother to cast them. It is an excellent example of the collective being more powerful than the individual. You may feel that your vote is worthless for any number of reasons but when it is combined with others of the same persuasion it can bring down empires, regimes, or local governments, or split countries. The strength of the people is strongest when it is unified, and that is what we do when we vote. My candidate did not win this time, her opponent did-- but the winner will listen to all her electorate closely as if she doesn't (and some don't) she will have lost my vote for next time. It does work--- you have to assume honesty, and most of us are honest I think- but together the ordinary people's vote can surprise their arrogant leaders. Look what happened in BREXIT!