Election time in the land of Oz.

[Griffin NoName]

Only because they can speak finance. It's always irrlevant what is actually said. But it should be the right langiage.

[Aggie]

One would think a proper leader should be able to handle these conversations. Jargon isn't generally hard to learn.  I (somewhat hopelessly) expect a candidate for leadership to be fluent in all aspects of running a country. They can count on experts for providing advice, but they should understand what they're being told, and be able to report it to the rest of the nation using technically correct language, even if they need to describe it in less technical terms for general consumption.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

My friend, I'm troubled, you keep referring to things that don't exist, like competent managers, leaders -or harder even- politicians, next thing you'll talk about your last Sasquatch encounter, or even more absurd, a considerate banker.

[Bluenose]

Just an update.  The polls are continuing to show an increasing slump in support for the government.  Whilst both leaders claim that it is going to be a close election the available polling suggest that the result will more likely be the proverbial landslide victory to the Liberal-National Party coalition. Whatever the outcome I'll be more than happy when the election is over.  I'm more than a little sick of the lies and distortions from both sides.

[Griffin NoName]

I'm more than a little sick of the lies and distortions from both sides.

I never ever watch the political broadcasts that precede our elections. Though I did watch the three leader debate for fun.

Since we all know it's lies and distortions, it does rather beg the question of why we ever have elected people of any sort. It's quite an odd way of going about things really.

[Bluenose]

Well Winston did say that democracy was the worst possible form of government, except for all the other systems that have ever been tried.

[Swatopluk]

Our elections are in 18 days. The election campaign is the most boring in living memory. The only difference between the social democratic (SPD)leadership and the currently in charge christian democrats (CDU) is the natural coalition partner. Green for the former, free democrats (FDP, once liberal now libertarian) for the latter. A grand coalition between CDU and SPD seems a likely and not totally unpopular idea, although both parties deny any desire for it, primarily for tactical reasons. If we could get rid of the Texas GOP..eh..the CSU (Bavarian sister party of the CDU), the differences would verge on negligible since the SPD lost its left wing to the new Left party (Die Linke). Currently the CDU is in essence a social democratic party painted black that has locked up the mad con members of the family in the basement. Politically we don't live in interesting times around here at the moment. Given the problems the EU has, primarily with its Southern members, we are an oasis of boredom. Could become a rude awakening when those problems can no longer be contained. We sit down and we own, let us sleep (to semi-quote Wagner ).

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Isn't it great when the traditional left parties (Labour UK, Dems US, SPD, Labor Australia) became washed up supposedly centrish right parties?

According to politicalcompass this is Germany:

and Australia:

[Swatopluk]

Since the graphic does not differentiate between CDU and CSU, I fear they threw them together. The bulk CDU would be a good deal closer to the center. And party program and actual policy also tend to differ strongly quite often. That the SPD is in a center/right position owes a lot to the loss of her own left wing that separated and fused with the PDS (heir of the ruling party SED of the fomer GDR).

[Aggie]

Weird.  Canada pretty much has a linear relationship between authoritarianism and the right.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

No commies and no american libertarians (according to political compass) in your midst.

[Aggie]

Nope, we tend to be pretty predictable in linking our love of personal freedom with the other people's right for personal security and privacy.

I'm on the same line, BTW, although apparently somewhere left of the Dalai Lama (and almost dead opposite of Harper on both axes). This may explain why I have so little enthusiasm for any of the current options:  


For what it's worth, I consider myself a leftie, but much less so than many people on the left coast. I'm actually surprised that the Green Party is so central in Canada, as I've always thought they weren't pragmatic enough for my tastes. I tend to vote Green with the understanding that they don't have a hope in hell of actually taking power. I'd love to see them win a few seats, but have no confidence in their ability to run the place. I was reasonably comfortable with a Conservative minority government, but I don't trust any of the bastards to take a majority, except maybe the NDP. I might actually have to start voting for them.  

[Griffin NoName]

Most people in Britain are disenfranchised. I just read an article in The Gruniad about what comes after party politics has failed. oh, and someone has started a new non-EU party which is left -ie. welcomes immigrants etc, to compete with UKIP.

[Bluenose]

Well we had our election and as expected there was a change of government.  The Liberal / National party coalition has won something like a 30-35 seat majority in the 150 seat lower house.  The final results for some seats will not be known for perhaps another two weeks or so as pre-poll votes come in.  There were a record number of pre-polls this time, something like 30% of all votes and the results in some electorates being just too close to call until all the votes are counted.

The most notable thing IMHO on election night was the former PM Kevin Rudd's concession speech.  He rambled on for 25 minutes and had you turned the sound down it would have looked like he was claiming victory.  It was graceless and crass.  The speech has been criticised not only by his political opponents but also by long time stalwarts of his own party.  Kevin has resigned as leader of the Labor party (spelling again...) and it looks like he is going to return to the back benches rather than resign as has been customary for Labor (sic) leaders that lose elections.  Recent history shows that he may well then seek to undermine the new leadership from there as he simply does not get it that he is not the Messiah.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

... as he simply does not get it that he is not the Messiah.

An affliction that is, unfortunately, quite common among those who seek high office...

... *sigh*