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

[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).