Ella

I thought I'd start a discussion thread that stemmed from some comments in the Oz Music thread.

As you would have heard, Garrett has indicated he will run in the safe Labor seat of Kingsford Smith. It came to light today that Garrett has not voted in any of the past three Federal elections, and indeed, is not even enrolled to vote!

Now, being someone who doesn't give a fuck about shit like this, I don't give a fuck. But it has provided the oppostion with some pretty potent ammo to oppose Garrett.

Howard says ""The average Australian will scratch their head and say, 'gee I thought this bloke was passionate but he hasn't voted in the last three elections'."

I dunno. Is he sacrificing his ideals to become part of a major party? Why isn't he running for the Greens if he wants to get into politics? What about Pine Gap? Does Garrett have a short memory?

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"Afterwards, the universe will explode for your pleasure."

slimshaydee

Ill never vote for a major party, i always vote independent, shifts the balance of power a bit

frozenstellar

before even reading what howard said, i thought the same.

who was the other polly (i think he was a leader of a party??) who wasnt enrolled? now how the hell can someone run the country, when they cant even get their act together themselves.

theres only one kind of politician - a dead one.

Stick

What about Garretts' dalliance with the Nuclear Disarmament Party? That seems like centuries ago.
I wont vote for any major party, no matter who's on the ticket. All politicians are liars and thieves. Yeah, I know, I've got a bad attitude. Heard it all before. I'm not a pessimist though, just an optimist with experience.

Ella

The ABC has recently posted this piece, that discusses whether Garrett was a "silent voter".

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems...6/s1129014.htm

Although our major daily paper up here in QLD, The Courier Mail (who broke the enrolment story) said the AEC only consider people whose lives are at risk, such as those in the witness protection program, to be classified as silent voters, not celebrities.

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"Afterwards, the universe will explode for your pleasure."

bundy

what i see happening here is some serious factional restructuring within the Labor party.

its my understading that Brereton has been a very important powerbroker in the Labor Right movement for a long time. his Kingsford Smith replacement, Garrett, chosen by Latham (and not the rank and file from the electorate), is untested and clearly not of the Labor Right ilk. This is a major power shift away from the Right... and they aren't happy.

however, i think the party as a whole has learnt its lesson with factional in-fighting (see the last eight years in opposition under Beasley and Crean), and Latham is a strong enough leader to overcome any damaging dissention.

i'd be interested to read other opinions on this thought.

these are interesting points.

i'd expect Garretts reason for not voting in the last three elections is that he hasn't seen any reason to... what with there being no real canditature supporting what he believes in. he is a passionate man with strong beliefs, so why waste a vote for the Greens (who'll probably preference to Labor, who in turn won't promote any real environmental changes), or the Democrats (who these days could possibly preference either major party).

is he sacrificing his ideals?
i think so yes, to an extent. he must realise that even with his influence in the Labor party, there will be no serious changes in the issues that he has promoted for such a long time.
i have too much respect for the man to believe he'll become a yes man, but i do fear he will be bogged down within a major party.
Bob Brown must be bitterly disappointed that Garrett hasn't signed on with the Greens.

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Ohayo!!!

ismark

not quite right on the silent voter thing... there are a number of rules, also if you are overseas a lot (I was in Malaysia for 3 years) you can still vote but don't have a local address and therefore don't appear on the roll. (Max 3 years though)

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The Grumpy Old Bloke

almostaugust

Yeah, Garrett in the ALP is a bit of a backflip especially considering the huge shift to the right that all politics seems to be having. Im not a big fan of celebrities running for office in politics, like with Arnie, or the state of things in India, but in Garretts defence, he has always spoken IMHO with a great deal of passion, eloquence and conviction.

__________________
'And it's been a long December and there's reason to believe
Maybe this year will be better than the last
I can't remember all the times I tried to tell my myself
To hold on to these moments as they pass'

Ella

Nicely said, Bundy. I dunno if it's just me as a 30 something Oils fan and longtime Labor voter (yeah, inherited it from the folks), but this is almost like a dream come true. Not only do we get a new leader who fucks the fat cats up the ass with the reduced super, but we get a possible federal member who, if elected, has the potential to make a difference. And I truly believe his ideals will NOT be lost.

Garrett could almost use his non-enrolment as a selling point to those not enrolled...."I enrolled! So can you!"

Anywho...he's been fast tracked and is now an official member...

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems...6/s1130105.htm

__________________
"Afterwards, the universe will explode for your pleasure."

Macheath

Haha, I can understand why he fell into line on Pine Gap. If he didn't, Howard would make it a BIG election issue. After a call from Uncle Rove, a bunch of seppos from the NSA/CIA would discover their "true calling" as Liberal Party muckrakers. The shit would hit the fan worse than 1975.

Some inconsistencies in his record could be attributed to the idea that we're living in a "different era" since September 11 and the Bush administration.

The true test will be how he communicates this idea. With the right kind of eloquence and sincerity, he may help start a dialogue about this new world we're in and Australia's place in it. This coming from a cultural spokesman would be a powerful counterpoint to the "relaxed and comfortable" Howard line and would be more significant than any influence he had on specific legislation.

The wildcards here, as Bundy said, will be highly placed factional figures and whether they'll want to be "wreckers".

Brereton won't be a problem. He was, after all, a Latham confidant. But there are others.

Ella

I was reading in the Oz today how Garrett had been questioned in a radio interview if he had ever used drugs. Well, d'uh! Sydney surfer dude...rock muso...damn, I'd reckon he'd tasted a reefer or two! He gracefully declined to comment, stating that part of his life is a closed book.

Not like it would do him any harm...like Damien Lovelock said (Celibate Rifles dude), it's not like he'll never be able to enter the hall of fame just because of that crappy b-side he recorded in the 80's.

Nice analogy, I thought.

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"Afterwards, the universe will explode for your pleasure."

almostaugust

I hate the way that all politicians are required to have never tried drugs and/or never fucked up in life in any capacity.

__________________
'And it's been a long December and there's reason to believe
Maybe this year will be better than the last
I can't remember all the times I tried to tell my myself
To hold on to these moments as they pass'

arnie

ok let make peter garret the member for aboriginal affairs and see if he still has THE POWER AND THE PASSION at the end of his term!!!!!!