I hope that the Aussies on the forum see this:

Will the War and the relationship that Australia has with the US be a key factor in the coming elections ? If so why has no one started bleating on this issue yet ?

EDIT: perhaps we may see this in the upcoming policy debate between Mclleland and Downer

I have to say - didn't like the ear pick-n-eat trick BUT the trip to the strip club balances it out so I'll still go kevin-07 :)

Kevin Rudd is cool hes been appointed by higher countries i read stuff bout him way before he even thought about being in a higher seating in parliament

he has support from other countries and is very important to keep peace with them
is why hes very important here for us aussies too

the Queen of england regards him as the one aswell and this was years ago so yep he has the biggest support the Queen now is really lovely even though the others were quite cruel she aims to keep a good civilised and peaceful way with other countries

yeh Kevin Rudd all the way, he seems to have a better head on his shoulders than John Howard. and i reckon he'll be less of a puppet to George W Bush too.

But my point is, No one has mentioned Australia's relation to the US ? why ? Is it really that Divided ? remember the ANZUS treaty says that countries may decide on what assistance to give THROUGH "due constitutional process" which means that if the US congress doesn't want to see Australia survive an invasion by o, i don't know, NZ:D ? It won't ?

Kevin Rudd is cool hes been appointed by higher countries i read stuff bout him way before he even thought about being in a higher seating in parliament

he has support from other countries and is very important to keep peace with them
is why hes very important here for us aussies too

yes i absolutely support rudd
he is very cool

/waits for more aussies to congregrate

If so why has no one started bleating on this issue yet ?
Why ? Whats the point of discussing it , elections in Australia are an illusion , Australia will do as it is told , as always , be it by Imperial Britain prior to WWII or by America since WWII . Australians are gutless we haven't the nerve to be a Republic , all America does is dangle the promise of a free trade agreement in front of us and we go with them . We are the most economically colonized nation on Earth alongside Canada , we will never be free and democratic whilst existing in a realm of dependency .

Why ? Whats the point of discussing it , elections in Australia are an illusion , Australia will do as it is told , as always , be it by Imperial Britain prior to WWII or by America since WWII . Australians are gutless we haven't the nerve to be a Republic , all America does is dangle the promise of a free trade agreement in front of us and we go with them . We are the most economically colonized nation on Earth alongside Canada , we will never be free and democratic whilst existing in a realm of dependency .

Name one truly "independent" society. Surely not America or Britain? Europe? Japan? We're all beholden to something outside our borders, no matter where we are.

~String

yeh Kevin Rudd all the way, he seems to have a better head on his shoulders than John Howard. and i reckon he'll be less of a puppet to George W Bush too.

Don't Bet on it, Rudd has on more than one occasion expressed support for an Alliance that IS FALSE.
Again, remember kids, If you are sick of both parties, vote yourself in.

Why ? Whats the point of discussing it , elections in Australia are an illusion , Australia will do as it is told , as always , be it by Imperial Britain prior to WWII or by America since WWII . Australians are gutless we haven't the nerve to be a Republic , all America does is dangle the promise of a free trade agreement in front of us and we go with them . We are the most economically colonized nation on Earth alongside Canada , we will never be free and democratic whilst existing in a realm of dependency .Oh please!

Australia doesn't even registrar on the USA radar.
NOT EVEN a SINGLE PIXEL ON THE RADAR.
I know Americans who think Australia is the same size as Hawaii.

As for meddling in AU affairs? Please .. as if America could care. And Australia is not economically colonized. Most everything in AU is from AU and if it's from the USA it was an Aussie who bought the rights to a franchise and then set up shop. It's Aussies who patron the shops. Hell, the Japanese probably own more things in AU than the Americans or English. And most of them are now Aussies anyway.

And the sad truth is Aussies don't do quality work and don't believe in a fair go anymore. Here's the simple Aussie equation: Luckily we sit on top of a mountain of resources. Now, let's maximize real estate by (a) convincing everyone that the billion square miles of national park can not possibly be opened up to development - not one square inch and (b) open the flood doors and let in as many immigrants into the cities as possible. People who are happy to cram in 6 to a two bedroom household. Now at $150/wk rent .. .. ..

It's pretty much impossible to be a normal working family and own a decent place in Sydney.

Ever see those absolute SHIT apartment complexes at St Lenard's? My God - they are only 5 years old and already they are near becoming ghetto. Just pathetic.

Did I ever tell you about the Medical School I work at here?
Just a joke.

Aussies are all about getting as much as they can and getting it now. They'd make Americans blush. There is no way to clean up such a mess because the people themselves a making it a mess.

Australians of two generations ago were much better people in my mind.

Michael

And one more thing, ever walk around New Town or Glebe during the day and see the THOUSANDS of Aussie with tats from their toes to the rings in their forehead drinking beer and sitting on the dole all f*cking day long. Hey, sit on you arse and beg - but f*cking sit and drink beer?!?!?! Jesus it pisses me off.

This is because Aussies THINK Aussies are as they were two generations ago. And they want to give the a hand. BUT the TRUTH is Aussies are not the hard workers who built this country. They are about doing as little as possible and trying to get as much as possible.

That's the sad truth.

Will the War and the relationship that Australia has with the US be a key factor in the coming elections ? If so why has no one started bleating on this issue yet ?

It won't be a major factor, because the policies of the two major parties are similar on the Iraq issue. There are differences, but not enough to make this the decisive election issue.

The deciding issue in the election could be one of two things, if you ask me. One would be the Howard government's draconian industrial relations "reforms", known by the misleading name of "WorkChoices" (in fact, they mostly remove choice from workers and give it to employers). The other issue could be the scare campaign the government is running about too much trade union control over the government if the opposition gets into power.

I'm hoping that the electorate won't be sucked in by the scare mongering, but I'm never one to overestimate the analytical powers of the average swinging voter.

Mortgage interest rates in Australia were yesterday raised for the 6th time since the government promised that this would not happen prior to the last election, and that will probably upset many people. The government was stupid to ever promise to keep interest rates low in the first place, of course, but the promise will still bite them to some extent.

But my point is, No one has mentioned Australia's relation to the US ? why ? Is it really that Divided ? remember the ANZUS treaty says that countries may decide on what assistance to give THROUGH "due constitutional process" which means that if the US congress doesn't want to see Australia survive an invasion by o, i don't know, NZ:D ? It won't ?

Both major Australian parties completely support the US alliance and the ANZUS treaty. They differ only in the extent of Australia's continued commitment in Iraq.

Why ? Whats the point of discussing it , elections in Australia are an illusion , Australia will do as it is told , as always , be it by Imperial Britain prior to WWII or by America since WWII. Australians are gutless we haven't the nerve to be a Republic , all America does is dangle the promise of a free trade agreement in front of us and we go with them .

We already have a free trade agreement.

Australia doesn't even registrar on the USA radar.
NOT EVEN a SINGLE PIXEL ON THE RADAR.
I know Americans who think Australia is the same size as Hawaii.

Australia may not register highly on the radar of the average American (which other nation does?) but the "coalition of the willing" is a very useful propaganda tool for GW Bush.

Hell, the Japanese probably own more things in AU than the Americans or English.

Australia's biggest trading partner is Japan. China is likely to overtake the US, if it hasn't already.

And the sad truth is Aussies don't do quality work and don't believe in a fair go anymore. Here's the simple Aussie equation: Luckily we sit on top of a mountain of resources. Now, let's maximize real estate by (a) convincing everyone that the billion square miles of national park can not possibly be opened up to development - not one square inch and (b) open the flood doors and let in as many immigrants into the cities as possible. People who are happy to cram in 6 to a two bedroom household. Now at $150/wk rent .. .. ..

Except that the current government's immigration policies are among the most strict in the world...

Aussies are all about getting as much as they can and getting it now. They'd make Americans blush. There is no way to clean up such a mess because the people themselves a making it a mess.

Out of interest, what would you like to see?

china already did take over we buy too many things and us small aussies have no say the big boys do the talking not us so were stuck with the picture of what ever they show everyone is what they see
not what its really bout they never show the true blue aussie just what they want u to see

micheal dont judge everyone on what u see were all not drinking bums
i dont drink or take drugs nor have tats

for six months i worked hard on a sprained ankle and not once did i say a word to anyone

if people pay us we work and we will work hard i know lots of guys that have medical problems and they still work one had a broken collar bone and he worked for ages till they noticed and sacked him he was then very upset

sont judge what u see on the news were not like that they only show what u wanna see
or what they want u to see
the young kids do get outta hand now and again but thats their hormones they go wild like any boy would just gotta understand boys will be boys

It won't be a major factor, because the policies of the two major parties are similar on the Iraq issue. There are differences, but not enough to make this the decisive election issue.

The deciding issue in the election could be one of two things, if you ask me. One would be the Howard government's draconian industrial relations "reforms", known by the misleading name of "WorkChoices" (in fact, they mostly remove choice from workers and give it to employers). The other issue could be the scare campaign the government is running about too much trade union control over the government if the opposition gets into power.

I'm hoping that the electorate won't be sucked in by the scare mongering, but I'm never one to overestimate the analytical powers of the average swinging voter.

Mortgage interest rates in Australia were yesterday raised for the 6th time since the government promised that this would not happen prior to the last election, and that will probably upset many people. The government was stupid to ever promise to keep interest rates low in the first place, of course, but the promise will still bite them to some extent.



Both major Australian parties completely support the US alliance and the ANZUS treaty. They differ only in the extent of Australia's continued commitment in Iraq.




Great, so we can't distance ourselves unless the Democrats get a majority, People don't seem to realise that ANZUS is a security blanket. but i suppose given the interest rate problems and the hospital crises, we do have other things that take priority. So far, It's been copycat politics, and the usual scare campaign.

Name one truly "independent" society
The US and EU are truly independent as these two monstrosities of trade account for 70% of all global trade , economically , politically and militarily they are unrivaled and these 2 giants act on the own will , whilst the rest of us simply watch .
Australia doesn't even registrar on the USA radar.
Did I write else wise ?
As for meddling in AU affairs?
The US does not have meddle we have arse kissers here who do it all for them , who simply volunteer up Australia , as they did in the British Empire . Australia actually volunteered help to thge US over Vietnam , America never asked .
We already have a free trade agreement.
No we dont we have a preferential trade agreement with America :
Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia-United_States_Free_Trade_Agreement)
The Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is a preferential trade agreement between Australia and the United States of America
Which preferential trade means :
Preferential trading area (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preferential_trade_agreement)
A Preferential Trade Area is a trading bloc which gives preferential access to certain products from certain countries. This is done by reducing tariffs, but does not abolish them completely. An example of a preferential trading area is one formed by the EU and the ACP countries. PTA is established through trade pact.It can be said to be the weakest form of economic integration.
Hardly unfettered access ss our Sugar and wheat farmers can attest to .

The FTA only gave concessions in places where US already had a huge unbeatable lead in.

The FTA only gave concessions in places where US already had a huge unbeatable lead in.
What also is on the table is that Australia's outback will become a vast cavernous disposal ground for Nuclear and toxic chemical waste from the Northern Hemisphere . Thats the price certain persons in Australia are willing to have us pay for this preferential trade agreement . We lose , thats Australians for you , gutless nine day wonders .

A few years ago i was asked to make a desicion to do with alot of anger and hurt and abuse on certain people
i was given one chance to make this say and only once
so i looked at the situation and around it then the people

i realised i didnt like what was going on
i thought about it and then thought about if i was those people if i was in their position
who would help me
if u wanted help and couldnt get it that would be sad to live with out a law and country
to help u when u need it the most
so i gave my vote
to my surprise i was thaniked
but when u look at when u have to make a final vote
i always put myself in the peoples shoes first get their feeling and the surroundings
i know in my heart that voting isnt easy
all i ask is to know in your heart how it feels when their is no one to help and all they do is hurt and bring more trouble
then and only then will you know the answer to your heart and how the feeling is when you make the right choice

yes we dont have guts brian
caue we got more balls than guts
so u are right there

T- 14 days to the election, We'll see who debates foreign policy first ? Will it be out of desperation perhaps ?

On another note: Rudd is as conservative as Howard, as stated by Latham
http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/A-ghost-from-the-past-haunts-Rudd/2007/11/09/1194329476360.html

well howard did wonderful things for this country too dont get me wrong bout him
he did help us in many ways
and the protection of our security is better now than it ever was
the work force is plenty for us and we have opportunity
the support for this is like putting it first class
he does do wonderful things i mean he has made mistakes lie any man no one is perfect
i am very affraid of howard the CIB and the way the govtment has taen me to court over silly things i just think we cant support sumone who allows this sort of procedure

sorree my sp0elling there cumtimes the laptop cant bloody well get it right

it might be french ............

i mean to say that when CIB walk in your home and demand you cooperate and when asked with what they dont know themselves then they ask you to change laws and what needs to be changed what the hell is that all about and then they take you to court saying you worked cleaning churches and their so dam worried you might get money for it like who cares who works for who and why are they allowed to carry one like little bloody kids running amok doing what they want i mean do i look like a law changing person i wouldnt know the first thing about the procedure isnt there a procedure in changing laws how can they assume my ideas are good enough for say the neighbours
come one i know howard is in charge of the CIB they are fliiped out and got caught out in doing their little stunt on people in homes they picked on me and im only 5 feet tall and they expected me to give them ideas on laws i never studied the bloody law thing and i think if a prime minister has given authority for them to act this way
i say he has to go like all prime ministers come and go all the time

Wow!

Seems like some of you are pretty negative about your country. I can't say enough good things about Australia and Australians. If I didn't live in the States my first choice of another country would be Australia and my second New Zealand. Sydney is as cultured as New York with a better looking group of people walking around. I could pack up and move there on a moment's notice and feel right at home. The same with Brisbane or Adelaide. Even Cairns is a good place to live. I would have a bit of a problem up in Darwin but then who wouldn't.

You guys have everything, great cities, lots of open space, friendly people, you should be sitting back and bragging about your country rather than complaining.

Wow!


You guys have everything, great cities, lots of open space, friendly people, you should be sitting back and bragging about your country rather than complaining.

We love our country; not too keen about the politics.

Yeah Austrailians are great until they hear your British accent :(

Stop the press.
At the eleventh hour, Spud Emperor has thrown his formidible hat in the electoral ring.

What shall be his catchcry, his motto?
Rudd, a dud, vote for Spud?
John, begone, Spud lead on!?
Greens for queens( you know what this means)?

Or, my personal favourite..Sooner or later Spud for dic 'tater?

It looks like the race is tightening up and Howard is not yet out of it. It will probably all boil down to what Queensland does. Whichever party wins they will most likely not have a clear mandate.

It looks like the race is tightening up

Not really. All the polls say Labor has about an 8 point lead. If that's still true on election day, it will be a landslide.

Stop the press.
At the eleventh hour, Spud Emperor has thrown his formidible hat in the electoral ring.

What shall be his catchcry, his motto?
Rudd, a dud, vote for Spud?
John, begone, Spud lead on!?
Greens for queens( you know what this means)?

Or, my personal favourite..Sooner or later Spud for dic 'tater?

Hmm, Been waiting for that one. I like the John begone one.

On another note, I missed the foreign policy debate, anything happen ?

Shit, thought this thread might have had a wee bit more action tonight seeing as the
Shtrayans are off to the polls tomorrow!

'spose all the Aussies bar Spud have carked it for the night anyway.

The tipsters are saying it will be close, oh so close!
No way, Rudd in a landslide...easy.

I'm off to a "Don's party tomorrow" you guessed it, with my drinking boots on!

p.s Did any Aussies catch Chasers tonight?
I was absolutely pissing myself, funny, funny bastards.

Australia votes and the world stands still!?

We are voting on whether we should go for colour T.V ( Dr. Phil looks shit in B+W)

Obviously, I'm not in much of a position to comment, but I came across this, and thought of y'all:

Williams, Daniel. "Kevin Rudd: Australia's Next PM?" Time.com. November 22, 2007. See http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1687075,00.html

Kevin Rudd took on what appeared to be an unenviable challenge when he became leader of the Australian Labor Party in December last year. It was to sell himself to the Australian people in time for an election — due within a year — that would pit him against Prime Minister John Howard, who, after a decade in office, had come to be regarded by many, including himself, as the natural leader of the country.

Eleven months later, and on the eve of the election, Rudd looks set to drive Howard into retirement and return the ALP to power for the first time since 1996. In some ways, Rudd has had a smoother ride than he might have expected. His elevation to the leadership resulted in Labor immediately overtaking the Liberal-National Coalition government in opinion polls — a lead it hasn't relinquished since. Australians don't even seem to mind that Rudd espouses some of the same policies as Howard. What is important is that Kevin Rudd is not John Howard.

Indeed, on many issues — a new pulp mill in Tasmania, tax cuts, school funding — Rudd has simply echoed the government. That tendency prompted long-serving Treasurer Peter Costello to declare: "The more I hear from Kevin Rudd, the more I wonder whether even Kevin Rudd wants a change of government."

(Williams (http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1687075,00.html))

Hummm, you have politics down there? How intriguing!
What are the biggest parties and how do they register on the ideology radar?

australian alp is 72
and coalition is 42

now its alp 75
coalition is 48

labour is gonna win
howard is out the coalition is not on the winning circle
woohoo

HAHAAAAAAA!!!!

Looks like the PM could lose his own seat! :roflmao:

I'm off to a "Don's party tomorrow" you guessed it, with my drinking boots on!



I didn't know that you drank spud!

RUDD ONE HES PRIME MINISTER

YEEEHAAAA:)

Alp 80
Coalition 51

Maxine Mckew took howards job his seat is gone

man ohh bloody man
she said she said we need a prime minister for children and she said Rudd is the one and kids even told her kids said to her he was
fuck me rome woooohoooooo

and she said a blind woman told her that no one is blind in heaven

the blind woman said Rudd is choice for her

I Close My Wings

I Got A Personal Thankyou Off Rudd
Woohoooo

Prolly A Million People Got The Same
But Who Cares
Wooohoooo

Alp 87
Liberal Caolition 56

Howards Nelly Finished His Speach

I Want Him Off My Bloody Tele

Donnal's Broadcasting the highlights of the Australian election.

What's happening now Donnal?

Howards Nelly Finished His Speach

I Want Him Off My Bloody Tele

Nelly! Nelly!
Get him off the Telly!

(Who is Nelly?)

Howard has conceded defeat, Rudd is the new prime minister of Australia. right now, I think all the states except Western Australia have had a labour majority. For most, this is a significant victory, kyoto will be ratified, reforms will take place.

But i wonder, Why do the two parties look exactly the same to me ?
Both have the same foreign policy and both have promised near similar deals in nearly every department.
But there is a slight Difference, Labour may actually say Sorry for past injustices to Aborigines, sign kyoto, perhaps, given time, we will see a shift in foreign policy too...

If my post doesn't make sense.. Its coz its 12 23 am.

I suspect the debacle in the seat of Lindsay did not help matters much at all. I suspect it was the last straw for the majority of the Australian public. Fraud and racist propaganda has a tendency to do that. Especially when Kelly tried to say "it was just a joke".:rolleyes: Yes Ms Kelly.. it is always a joke to commit fraud and spread racial hatred.

I am still laughing loudly that Howard may very well lose his own seat. It appears highly likely with the swing against him in Bennelong. :D

Amusing results all round. Will the average Australian see a change? That remains to be seen. The campaign promises of both parties are very similar. Labor does not have a majority in the Senate, so their desire to repeal the IR laws may be difficult in the extreme. On the up-side:

The routing leaves the Liberal Party depleted at every level of government across the nation - Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman now holds the Liberals' highest public office.
Link (http://www.theage.com.au/news/federal-election-2007-news/historic-win-for-labor/2007/11/24/1195753376406.html?page=2)

Heh!:)

Ahem! A wee little gloat from me for picking the result 4 weeks out! Now where is vincent28UK when you need to give him the bird.

Bells, I saw Maxine McKew interviewed last night, it's no wonder she's edged Howard off his perch.
She is awesome, what a great woman!

Will it make a difference to average Australians? Yes, absolutely, I feel less slimy already.
Feel some positivity towrds the future.
I won't feel embarrassed for our Country every time our P.M appears internationally.
I just used to squirm when the George/Johnny would cuddle up and look so smug.

Ahem! A wee little gloat from me for picking the result 4 weeks out! Now where is vincent28UK when you need to give him the bird.

Bells, I saw Maxine McKew interviewed last night, it's no wonder she's edged Howard off his perch.
She is awesome, what a great woman!

Will it make a difference to average Australians? Yes, absolutely, I feel less slimy already.
Feel some positivity towrds the future.
I won't feel embarrassed for our Country every time our P.M appears internationally.
I just used to squirm when the George/Johnny would cuddle up and look so smug.

:xctd: LOL... Spud, you're right, I feel much less slimy, but very expectant of this new govt. But I'm sure to be disappointed in the foreign policy area.

Ahem! A wee little gloat from me for picking the result 4 weeks out! Now where is vincent28UK when you need to give him the bird.


LOL! I had an inkling Labor would win. I did not think it would be by such a large majority however.:)

Bells, I saw Maxine McKew interviewed last night, it's no wonder she's edged Howard off his perch.
She is awesome, what a great woman!
Indeed. I suspect she may beat Howard out of his own seat because she campaigned so much in the electorate and actually made an effort. Benelong saw little of John Howard over the past 11 years. He would send his wife in to do the tour's of duty and only make token appearances at election times. Howard will go down in history alright. As the second ever sitting Prime Minister to lose his own seat. I laughed so loudly when I saw that last night, I woke the children up.:bawl:

Will it make a difference to average Australians? Yes, absolutely, I feel less slimy already.
Feel some positivity towrds the future.
I won't feel embarrassed for our Country every time our P.M appears internationally.
I just used to squirm when the George/Johnny would cuddle up and look so smug.
I agree with the less slimy thing. As to whether Rudd will make drastic changes to our foreign policy, that remains to be seen. At least Kyoto will be signed.