Moar pollitiks.

[active_apathy]

So, Brendan Nelson, Liberal MP for Bradfield¹ has been elected as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, with 45 votes. His rival, Malcolm Turnbull, polled 42 votes, after Tony Abbott decided that he didn't want his party to be stuck in opposition forever and, therefore, shouldn't run.

Brendan Nelson, charitably described as a malodorous agglomeration of flobberworm entrails² (and an intelligent design enthusiast³) won in a poll that sources are describing as "a choice of two evils", though expert commentators have said it may take some time yet to determine whether the elected evil is the greater or the lesser.

Probably the greater - Turnbull merely flings children out of swivel-pods and steals from the public purse, whereas Nelson has been sighted with Rumsfeld.


Coming soon: a post on Kevin's chosen cabinet, in which we see if the Liberals can even manage to keep their (non-core) promise about trade union officials.

1. Dear sane Bradfield voters,
   
   we don't blame you. You tried.
   
   Yours democratically,
   active_apathy
   
   
2. By me, at the very least, though I'm sure there's less-charitable descriptions.
3. See?
   

Comments

[photosinensis.livejournal.com]

See, this is where I absolutely fail to understand what happened in Australia, mostly because I wasn't paying attention. I got the part about Harper losing his job (Ha!), but beyond that I don't seem to know anything, particularly what it means for some guy sitting behind a terminal on the other side of the world (surely, your government would be something better for a sick form of entertainment for me: that's what I have the Texas state government for).

[active-apathy.livejournal.com]

Harper's in Canada.

The short version is, Howard used to be leader of the Liberal Party. Howard lost his seat in Parliament, so he can't be party leader anymore, so their party needed to elect a new Opposition leader. It doesn't make much difference, except to the party's chances of being elected in three years, and who gets to lead the chorus line of petty squabbling.

What it means for you at your faraway terminal is... um, nothing, really.

[photosinensis.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I've been up too long, and all those PMs with names that start with H are starting to blend together. Soon, I'll have former UK Prime Minister Blair and President Bush mixed up (not that there's a whole lot of difference).

Wow. You guys not only got the Prime Minister out of power, but out of his seat as well? How'd you manage that? Have your politicians not learned about gerrymandering their constituencies so that reelection is an absolute certainty? I mean, I cannot remember the last time an important House position changed hands because the person with it lost his election back home. I mean, even Tom Delay didn't technically lose his election so much as arrange to make it so that he couldn't legally run for his own seat.

Man, I need some sleep. That ain't gonna happen, though.

[active-apathy.livejournal.com]

Labor ran a real candidate against him, rather than just having someone make up the numbers. After preferences, she's got about 52% of the vote for Bennelong.

[photosinensis.livejournal.com]

Even still, here, a real candidate cannot win against an incumbent. The rules are such that those things are an impossibility, at least in the House, where districts can be designed. The Senate actually allows for some incumbents to lose in disgrace, possibly to dead people (this happened in 2000, but we couldn't get rid of the asshole they kicked out, as he was having buttsecks with W).

[goblinpaladin.livejournal.com]

Intelligent. Design. Enthusiast.

Can...can you give me a source for that? So I can email every Liberal-voter I know and tell them that THIS IS MADNESS?

Yours in science,

B

[lilacsigil.livejournal.com]

There's a link on his Wiki article - he says he wouldn't mind if "Intelligent Design" (sorry, can't even type it without the airquotes) was taught alongside the science of evolution. While he was Education Minister.

[goblinpaladin.livejournal.com]

Words...fail me. So much wrath.

[also, I adore that icon]

[active-apathy.livejournal.com]

It's a little unfair to what he said, but here be a link. I'd still expect a former president of the AMA to look at ID and say something like "SCIENCE SMASH! ...repeatably. And with a control smashing."

[photosinensis.livejournal.com]

Those exist outside of America? *shock*

[goblinpaladin.livejournal.com]

*bitter, mocking laughter*

Creationism (as -barely- distinct from ID) was exported from Australia to the United States. *sighs*

[photosinensis.livejournal.com]

You mean to tell me that you have a religious whackjob problem down there, too?

[goblinpaladin.livejournal.com]

It's not as strong as it in the US, but they are rising. Oh, yes. They are rising up. The tide of filthy, corrupted evil is lapping on the flagstones of secular government and scientific progress.

[photosinensis.livejournal.com]

Dammit. You replied before I could ETA:

Wikipedia actually says that ID is an American invention, designed to sidestep a Supreme Court ruling that classified creationism as religion and thus unmentionable in public schools.

[goblinpaladin.livejournal.com]

ID is indeed an American invention. However, we exported some creationism to your fine country. My point was just that the evil is not limited to the United States: it comes from all backgrounds.

Hence the bitter, bitter laughter.

[lilacsigil.livejournal.com]

I was hoping Tony Abbott would win, because he's unelectable. Still, a Nelson-Turnbull team in Opposition won't be winning anything back any time soon. Also, it seems that I was under a misapprehension that you had to be a human to be elected - zombie!Ruddock should have persuaded me otherwise.

[active-apathy.livejournal.com]

Yes. Oh, yes. With his 'reasonably good' people skills, and his being Tony Abbott. It'd be the best Liberal Party ever, and they could fade into Democrats-style non-existence.

And it's Nelson-Bishop. Nelson-dash-Bishop. Slashes are FORBIDDEN for the Liberal Party leadership.

[ryttu3k.livejournal.com]

*weeps bitterly, and not just cos the final Sideshow taping was tonight*

NOW I HAVE TWO OPPOSITION LEADERS IN MY FEDERAL AND STATE SEATS. HEEEELP!! GET ME OUT OF HERE!!

On the other hand, we're no longer Surrounded By Evil - before, we had Nelson and were surrounded by Joe Hockey, Bronwyn 'kero bath' Bishop, Tony 'snivelling grub' Abbott, Philip 'the undead' Ruddock and the Arselicker himself - now we have elson and were surrounded by Joe Hockey, Bronwyn 'kero bath' Bishop, Tony 'snivelling grub' Abbott, Philip 'the undead' Ruddock and Maxine 'awesome' McKew ^_^

[active-apathy.livejournal.com]

Boo ABC.

Yay Maxine!

Boo opposition leaders. I wanted the unelectable grub to be opposition leader, AND NOT JUST FOR MOCKERY VALUE. Obviously, they DNA tested his nomination and found out it wasn't actually his.

Also: I haven't done the parliamentary secretaries yet, but it looks like the front bench is about 47% former trade union officials. Using a very generous standard for 'union official'.

[ryttu3k.livejournal.com]

Ha ha, Libs. Ha ha.