I showed a map of how my state Victoria voted but let's look at Australian state voting. I can't find a map of state names and voting patterns so I need two maps and you will have to alternate between them to get a full understanding.
As usual the Labor Party is shown in red and the conservative Liberal Party in blue.
The conservative Liberal Party was close to being completely wiped out in the last Western Australia election.
I think the Northern Territory has flirted with the conservative Liberal Party in recent years, but not at the moment.
Queensland is Labor but I think it is now somewhat marginal. Our far north is a little like the US deep south but in the south eastern corner is the capital Brisbane and the very socially aware Gold Coast.
We were in Adelaide, South Australia when the government changed from Liberal to Labor, somewhat helped by the new Premier being a bit of a hunk. Unless the government does something diabolical, it will probably get a second term in office.
Not so long ago our island state of Tasmania elected a Liberal conservative government., perhaps because the former Labor government had become very stale. I don't really know why.
Things would have to change a lot for Labor to lose Victoria's next state election in 2026.
Now to the big state. Within the large blue conservative Liberal Party who governs now is a tiny bit of red, the Australian Capital Territory with our Federal Government being located within in Canberra. So that is Labor, but New South Wales is conservative Liberal. While I won't say the current NSW Premier is a bible basher, he is certainly strongly religious and that is of a concern. The conservative Liberal government in NSW is very stale and with quite a number of scandals in its term of office, with the former Premier having to stand down. I expect a Labor victory at the election early next year.
Wow, that would mean Labor is in federal power for Australia and all states except Tasmania. I don't think that has ever happened.
Why is this so? I don't think one party have almost complete control is a good thing. The problem with the conservative Liberal Party is that there has been strong influence from extreme religious people, for way too long it denied climate change and opposed everything that could improve our environment. It has some very shonky high level politicians it needs to rid itself of, hi Angus. Illegally cleared any more land of late? It is a party for big business and 'family values'. It cares not two hoots for those in dire poverty, the homeless and those in difficult domestic situations.
While I would never vote for the party, I am perhaps a typical voter for the party as a self funded retiree looking for good returns on the share market. I imagine if the party is elected at the next election, we will have fracking all over the countryside where it is allowed. Mining and drilling licenses will be issued willy nilly on land and at sea. Wage rises for workers will be opposed. Anti union laws will grow. There will be cuts to funding our most important institutions, especially our wonderful media organisation ABC but of course not opera and ballet. Anti discrimination laws for same sex attracted people will be pulled back to pay back the religious right for its support. There will be a push to pull back abortion laws. But on the up side, it will support the rights of big business to pay time wasting executives millions of dollars for doing nothing beyond firing staff and increasing their own remuneration. Maps from Wikipedia.
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The conservative Liberal Party pretty well knows it will lose the next election and has put up a sacrificial lamb leader of His Majesty's Opposition, one Peter Dutton. Some puff pieces have appeared in the media, trying to make him sound like a nicer person rather than a nasty and cruel man. He is what he is, a horrible man.
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You will be shocked and surprised to learn that I am in total agreement. Particularly with your last sentence.
ReplyDeleteEC, I truly don't know what sort of bloke he is, but we can only judge by his history of behaviour and not the current white washiing.
DeleteWho knows? Dutton might even attract more votes from ultra-conservative wings
ReplyDeleteRoentare, I think it is a given that he will very easily attract such voters.
DeleteI am so sick of politics. Things in the USA are downright nasty all the time. I have buried my head in the sand and stopped watching the political shows,
ReplyDeleteI know what you are saying Maribeth. Depressing as it mostly is, I can't help stopping my interest.
DeleteThe second map makes Australia look like a giant "Pac Man" with its big blue mouth open wide and a little blue goatee beard below.
ReplyDeleteYP, and then the big blue mouth disintegrated in front of our eyes.
DeleteI agree with you too but you didn't mention that the Murdock press and the ratbag right wing commentators on TV have a lot of influence in convincing people that climate change doesn't exist and Labor don't know what they are doing. I love watching Media Watch on ABC.
ReplyDeleteDiane, I did mention the Murdoch press in my post before about the Victorian election result. Good to see Rupert before the US courts at the moment, not that anything will stick. I missed Media Watch for the first time this year, last night. I will watch it online.
DeleteLooks like Australia got a little sunburnt there, except those two states who obviously either don't get out much or wear buckets of sunscreen.
ReplyDeleteSunburnt we are River. I can't be bothered checking but I wonder if Australia ever had such a dominant party before.
DeleteA lot of truth in what you say Andrew.
ReplyDeleteDon't care for Dutton, nasty piece of work.
Margaret, such a nice old Australian phrase, nasty piece of work, and he is.
DeleteAustralia was settled by farmers, workers and ex-convicts, not members of the royal family, nobility or aristocracy. And as the generations went on, we actively sought to attract immigrants from needier parts of Western and Central Europe.
ReplyDeleteYes there are private men's clubs in the city and private golf clubs in the outer suburbs, but 90% of Australians wouldn't even be eligible for these exclusive communities. With the painful exception of aboriginal communities, most workers have never felt excluded from our political process.
My grandparents were ordinary workers and loved the Labour Party. Hels.
DeleteHels, no House of unelected Lords here. You only have to look at the latest Royal Scandal with the late Queen's lady in waiting. I thought it might have been a beat up, but it assuredly was not. 'Yes, yes, you are British but where do you really come from?' And then the old aristocrat repeatedly pressed the point, if media is to be believed.
DeleteI find it interesting that in the US, the Republicans are represented by red, and the Democrats are represented by blue. Then, when you read a bit of the history of the two parties, they've basically swapped sides on the political spectrum. From what I've read, it was the Civil War that saw them go down different paths to what they started out as. I stand corrected by better informed Americans on here. But equally, it's been interesting here that, at various times, the LNP has sought to portray itself more on the side of workers than the ALP. Many people say both parties are very similar, but I think it's pretty clear recently there have been significant policy differences on a whole bunch of stuff.
ReplyDeleteJames, yes I understand the evolution of the US parties as you do. It is a pity then that LNP members won't pay their farm workers properly. League of National Prostitutes, except prostitutes have more morals. No doubt our two major parties have drifted apart, but not equally, rather the LNP to the right.
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