While Labor seems to be sailing to a fate similar to the original Titanic come September 7, a swirling maelstrom of murky Senate preference deals could provide life jackets to a very mixed bag of Senate hopefuls including Pauline Hanson, writes John Mikkelsen
Pauline Hanson holding balance of power in the Senate.
The ultimate schadenfreude for Tony Abbott.
On a more serious note :
Suppose Tony Abbott gets enought seats in the HoR for the Liberals to govern in their own right without the Nationals (agrarian socialists).
AND
The Liberals + friendly Independents get sufficient seats in the Senate to pass all government legislation.
WHAT THEN?
Don't panic, my tip for the result -
Tony Abbott to get a net gain of about 10 seats.
Coalition 85, Labor 65, give or take a couple of Independents.
Posted by: AlterEgo | September 6, 2013 at 01:46 PM
Pauline Hanson holding balance of power in the Senate.
The ultimate schadenfreude for Tony Abbott.
On a more serious note :
Suppose Tony Abbott gets enought seats in the HoR for the Liberals to govern in their own right without the Nationals (agrarian socialists).
AND
The Liberals + friendly Independents get sufficient seats in the Senate to pass all government legislation.
WHAT THEN?
Don't panic, my tip for the result -
Tony Abbott to get a net gain of about 10 seats.
Coalition 85, Labor 65, give or take a couple of Independents.
Posted by: AlterEgo | September 6, 2013 at 01:47 PM
Well it will not bother me if Pauline does get that senate seat and it will be to bad if it is a current Liberal seat. I would rather she replace a Labor or Green, but the fact is that she is more honestly concerned with the welfare of Australia and Australians then anyone else. I have already got my voting out of the way, and for the first time ever, I voted below the line in the senate as I could not allow the One Nation candidate being below Labor or Greens as the Libs. preference them. Mind you, filling in 62 squares is a bitch, but I had my guide all printed out thanks to a link provided by Allen in another post.
Posted by: Jim Witt | September 6, 2013 at 06:38 PM
The reason Pauline Hanson rocks up at every election she can, is to get the election funding payback.
The current rate is 288.8 cents per vote. All she needs to do is get 4% of the first preference votes.
Same goes for all the othe minority parties.
Given the current voting polls for 13,000,000 voters :
35% Labour = $13,140,400.
45% Coalition = $16,894,800 (divided between the different parties)
4% of the vote gets you $1,501,760.
What a pack of mugs we are!
Posted by: AlterEgo | September 6, 2013 at 06:53 PM
Charlie Pickering came up with an interesting "end the waste" strategy. Give your first preference to someone you think least likely to get over the 4% mark, and then vote normally after that. That way no party gets the $2.48 associated with your vote, and the federal budget is $2.48 better off.
Of course, if we all choose the same person as the "least likely", the results could be disastrous.
http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2013/248-per-vote-lets-make-it-count-20130831-2sxp6.html
Posted by: dB | September 6, 2013 at 07:18 PM
As long as it was not Larry Pickering.
He only got up once at MH, if I recall correctly.
Thanks dB!
Posted by: AlterEgo | September 6, 2013 at 07:35 PM
Well, mr Alter Ego. Nothing like selectivity from people like you.
Hanson, like her or not , was falsely imprisoned. The two majors united to rid Australian politics from their worry of a third party.
When Hanson and Ettridge were found to have no case to answer, Hanson wanted the return of more than $500,000 from the QLD gov. Beattie refused knowing that a legal challenge would deplete such funds. Very Australian, eh AE? is that your style of justice also?
I don't care how much she gets in electoral funding. It is a pittance compared to the abject waste in every Labor policy during their tenure. Boat people for one example.
I think many would agree that it's people like you who are what's wrong with Australia today.
Posted by: Geoff Crocker | September 6, 2013 at 08:09 PM
Sorry Geoff, I don't understand where you are coming from. Of course Pauline was wrongly imprisoned.
She was bleeding votes away from the right of the Liberal/National coalition.
You seem to be agreeing with what I said and at the same time having a go at me!
Aren't Allan and kraka on duty tonight?
Your fanboi Tony Abbott set up the slush fund that put Pauline into jail, did he not?
The full story on this has yet to be told.
Does not Etteridge have a case in the courts at present?
it's people like you who are what's wrong with Australia today
Why?
Tertary education in a discipline the nation needs.
Never been unemployed.
Have private health insurance.
Paid for my three children's education in the private system.
Will be a self-funded retiree.
Yep - wrecking the country all right!
Posted by: AlterEgo | September 6, 2013 at 09:35 PM
Tertiary education in a discipline....
Whoa... that could be your problem right there. All those pesky formulas, research and centuries of acquired knowledge get in the way of good decision making, don't ya know. Far better to just rely on "common sense".
Posted by: dB | September 7, 2013 at 09:34 AM
dB thy name is satire.
Good one.
Rest assured though, as I mentor a large crew, plenty of common sense gets spread around.
Combine academic discipline with common sense inputs and you get good outcomes.
Posted by: AlterEgo | September 7, 2013 at 01:26 PM