What is the best way to get rid of Bill Shorten?

Tannin · Posted: Wed May 20, 2015 7:44 pm

Take the money.

Wokko · Come and take it. Joined: 04 Oct 2005

Tone has Boring Bill's measure, it's going to take an epic meltdown or colossal fuckup for the Libs to lose it from here.

David · I dare you to try Joined: 27 Jul 2003 Location: Andromeda

^ His own party were shitting themselves three months ago and came within an inch of knifing him. Impossible to predict how things will be in 12-18 months.

Wokko · Come and take it. Joined: 04 Oct 2005

That was the tipping point, and what did Labor do? They sat back and waited for Tony to implode. Didn't happen, so we are where we are. The Liberals are generally pretty good at keeping their house in order while in power, I just can't see where Shorten pulls a win from (Abbott self immolation not withstanding).

HAL · Posted: Wed May 20, 2015 10:01 pm

I thought it was too.

Dave The Man · Posted: Wed May 20, 2015 10:16 pm

swoop42 · Posted: Wed May 20, 2015 10:24 pm

Bill Shortens hair is enough to put me off voting for him.

It's a comb forward and it irritates me.

Wokko · Come and take it. Joined: 04 Oct 2005

Dave The Man · Posted: Wed May 20, 2015 11:07 pm

thebaldfacts · Joined: 02 Aug 2007

Just confirming what we all know.

http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/labor-dysfunction-fears-bill-shorten-fails-to-cut-through-with-middleaustralia-20150520-gh61q9.html

David · I dare you to try Joined: 27 Jul 2003 Location: Andromeda

Good article, TBF. You'd like to think the ALP are listening, but I dare say they're stuck with him now.

Wokko · Come and take it. Joined: 04 Oct 2005

haw haw Conspiracy Theories Rolling Eyes

Remember there have been coups, conspiracies, assassinations and political power buying since the dawn of time. I don't have any idea on the deeper stuff that people go on about but I can scractch the surface pretty easily.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/interactives/tables/aec-political-donations-table/

I don't think they give 'donations' for the warm fuzzies.

I'm sure that list of disclosed donations to parties is the tip of the iceberg of favours, backscratching, threats etc that lead to a compromised government system. The non thinkers of course just go along with whatever the news tells them to do anyway, and due to compulsory voting we can't even rely on them to just stay home and toke bongs on election day, so the public voting game really is just a side show (entertaining for political wonks like me, but ultimately pointless).

David · I dare you to try Joined: 27 Jul 2003 Location: Andromeda

An eye-opening list, Wokko, thanks (puzzling that Hancock Coal give to Labor and the Nationals more or less equally).

Personally, I'd be inclined to get rid of political donations altogether. I don't see how they can ever not cause a conflict of interest. But rather than speaking to a grand conspiracy ("one hand pulling left and right strings"), I think it just goes to show the mundane old axiom that "money is power".

Politics is a chaotic business and not nearly as centralised as some people believe. And how is it pointless? Unless you're a revolutionary socialist, the only end game of politics most people want is to to push society in a certain (very mild) progressive/conservative, equal/unequal direction whilst keeping things more or less functional. So long as that situation is being maintained, then politics is more or less doing all that we're asking of it.