Is our 2 party system just a con?

[nomadpete]

55 minutes ago, willedoo said:

The Federal Labor party is asking for donations to help them fight One Nation:

Have they asked Gina or Clive?

[willedoo]

I think Gina would like to donate them all a one way ticket to Siberia.

[rgmwa]

1 hour ago, willedoo said:

I'd been wondering about that one. I thought it might have belonged to another thread.

Worse than that. It was meant to be a text message.

[willedoo]

33 minutes ago, rgmwa said:

Worse than that. It was meant to be a text message.

Technology is frustrating sometimes. With facebook messenger, if you are halfway through typing a message to someone and a message comes in from someone else, from that point on the text you are typing automatically goes to the other conversation. It's easy to send it to the wrong person if you're not careful.

[willedoo]

I hadn't seen a picture of Clive for a long time; it looks like he's lost a fair bit of weight. It was Pauline's birthday yesterday and she was kind enough to let him have some of her birthday cake to fatten him up a bit.

 

[nomadpete]

Birds of a feather?

[Grumpy Old Nasho]

Lately, I'm seeing more and more private Australian flags flying out here in my district ... that can only mean one thing, a public display of support for One Nation, and BRS perhaps. 

[Litespeed]

meanwhile...

 

Poorline the battlers pollie and Barnyard are on the worlds richest cruiseship for billionares, and claim it on expenses.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/may/28/pauline-hanson-barnaby-joyce-one-nation-bill-taxpayers-flights-private-events-gina-rinehart-ntwnfb

[facthunter]

Setting a pretty Poor example. Nev

[willedoo]

3 hours ago, Grumpy Old Nasho said:

Lately, I'm seeing more and more private Australian flags flying out here in my district ... that can only mean one thing, a public display of support for One Nation, and BRS perhaps. 

Same thing in this district, a lot more noticeable in the last twelve months. Mostly younger people doing it.

[Marty_d]

All it means is Australia has stupid people, just like the US.

They have a greedy narcissistic psychopath in the oval Office, busily stealing everything that isn't nailed down for himself, his family and criminals who rioted in the Capitol.

That anyone here would want the same thing is a poor reflection on their mental processes.

[willedoo]

7 minutes ago, Marty_d said:

All it means is Australia has stupid people, just like the US.

Not sure what you're referring to there Marty. I hope you don't mean people are stupid for flying the Australin Flag. Using quotes can make a post intention a bit clearer.

[Marty_d]

32 minutes ago, willedoo said:

Not sure what you're referring to there Marty. I hope you don't mean people are stupid for flying the Australin Flag. Using quotes can make a post intention a bit clearer.

No, I was responding to GON's comment about people supporting one nation. If there's a large crossover in the Venn diagram of PHONeys and flag wavers then I guess the (MAGA) cap may fit, but I know correlation<>causation.

[willedoo]

Thanks, I'm glad you cleared that one up otherwise there would be a lot of stupid people on Anzac Day. But then again, parliament house flys a really big flag and they're not the sharpest tools in the shed.

[willedoo]

I was listening to the bloke from the Demographics Group tonight on the ABC radio and he was talking about the decline of the major parties. As he said, it's happening in a lot of other places around the world as well. The primary vote of the majors is at historic lows and a couple of opinion polls have even put the federal Labor primary vote below the 30% mark. He was of the belief One Nation would become the official opposition after the next election and that eventually a new centrist party would likely emerge.

 

I think he and a lot of other commentators are jumping the gun on the One Nation as official opposition thing. For sure, recent poll projections show the Nationals without a seat, the Libs with about twelve, Labor with a majority of one or in minority and One Nation with fifty plus seats. But that's on current opinion polls and there's almost two years to go to an election. A lot can happen in that time. Labor could unravel, the coalition could get their act together and win voters back, and One Nation could continue to rise or they could implode and fizzle out. It's still early days. The end of the two major party system seems to be the talk of the town among commentators; I guess time will tell.

[Marty_d]

Teals are still discussing whether to form a party too.

If they did I could picture a few moderate Libs jumping ship. And Teals would poll a lot better than PHONey in urban electorates.

[willedoo]

The Demographics bloke mentioned Malcolm Turnbull in the context of a centrist party but I have no idea whether he's still interested in active politics or not. The Lib/Nat coalition won't go back to the centre under the current leadership team. Angus Taylor and Matt Canavan as parlimentary leaders and Tony Abbott party president, plus Peta Credin's husband has taken on the role as temporary Victorian party president. It will leave space in the centre and a few unsatisfied Liberal moderates.

[old man emu]

It is interesting that in times of hardship people seem to move to the Right. Over the last half century laws have been passed that are supposed to enshrine the Rights of individuals, but many individuals feel that their Rights have been stripped from them, or are never available to them. Those feelings allow the sort of Right Wing movements to take hold. 

[Grumpy Old Nasho]

Australians don't have Rights, there is only laws that are supposed to protect us. Whenever people say: "You have the Right to do this", they really mean there is a law that gives us permission to do it ... and that law can be changed, unlike an inalienable Right, which can never be changed.

 

PS, I thought that we always moved to the left in hard times. It's hard times now, and mostly Labor is winning power. They hand out more freebies than anyone else, but they can only do that if there's an adequate National income. When that is skint, the right-wing parties start to look good.

[facthunter]

You have it R'S  About . Menzies got kicked out during WW2  Abott said to Turnbull "Your JOB is to DESTROY the NBN" THAT alone accounted for about 50 Billion. Overseas Commentary On How Australia is Managing things is VERY Complimentary, by and Large. Remember .. IS it the TRUTH? or did you read it in the Murdoch Media?   IF you think it's HARD times now, just wait till Pauline gets into Power. AT present she HAS ONE person LEGITIMATELY in the Lower House.. She HAS ILLUSIONS of Grandeur  and IS a "Would BE if she could Be", if ever there weas one.  Nev

[octave]

5 hours ago, old man emu said:

but many individuals feel that their Rights have been stripped from them

I'm wondering what rights people think have been stripped away?    

[facthunter]

In America.. A lot. Nev

[octave]

I guess I was referring to Australia. No doubt in the US, there has recently been a drift towards fewer rights for some, but I think the wealthy are doing fine!

 

The reason I asked is that I am wondering if many people tend to fall into the "help, help, I am being repressed" way of thinking. 

My life has had much more "freedom" than my father's life.

    

[facthunter]

The religious tend to want to restrain Freedoms.. Look around the World, and down through History.  Nev

[octave]

23 minutes ago, facthunter said:

The religious tend to want to restrain Freedoms.. Look around the World, and down through History.  Nev

 Absolutely,   but I don't think this means we are losing freedom or rights. In our society, religion has lost much of its power to repress.