election

simon seasons

How many votes does it take to change a lightbulb?

peter_j

You calling our Prime Minister a lightbulb?

simon seasons

Well, I am not calling him a beacon if that's what you had in mind.
I suppose I must declare my hand to explain it. There is a site called riot for austerity which I can't access because we block a lot of crap for the kids sake but they have a slogan, "Change more than lightbulbs".
I think yes, very good idea, and then I think 'burned out tungsten steel filament that once had a promise but it broke that 'non core' promise along with the rest of them'. Please don't think I am therefore a Kevin man.
But I have to say, better Rudd than Elma Fudd.
Actually I am green, mainly because as you all may have guessed I am leaning towards the sustainable. Also however , I have followed German politics for a while and notice that the strength of a third faction, a green one that is, in parlimaent is in direct proportion to the enlightenment of the parliment as a whole.
Of all the European parliments, the German one is the most on the ball when it comes to the enviroment and it's economy is strangely the strongest,
I really can't say that I would like a green government mainly because (and this may be my greatest immaturity) my experiance of most hippies is that they are even more selfish than the right wing they so vehemently disparage. (Witness the poor fellow I have had a go at in the enviroment thread).

Even more importantly as far as my vote for the Greens goes however is the fact that politically in all democracies it makes much more sense to have a ruling party in power by a knife edge than it does to have one in power with a thumping majority. Only then do the fringe elements have to shut up and put up with consensus'.
I can't stand it that some jumped up farmer bellyaching about the predujudices of the city or some stiff shirt front frothing about the green conspiricy to ruin his balinese holiday with a carbon offset, has enough of a majority behind him to be able to toss off over the lecturn.

But back to light bulbs.
The Howard govts biggest, or should I say most publicised, 'green' initiative so far has been the phasing out of tungsten steel light bulbs. Well big woop is all I can say to that.
Intrinsicly the premise of the joke is that tomorrow we may shift from one good idea at the time to another good idea at the time. All hail the voting public, but don't expect too much flouresence.

peter_j

Some kiwis might have a thing or two to say about your post, as I think German-style Mixed Member Proportional representation has been the go there since '93. Whether the odd bedfellows who have had to form coalitions have done the country any good is for them to say. It reminds me of Dr Doolitte's Push-me-pull-you, a rather inefficient creature with two heads pointed in opposite directions.

While I am often left frustrated by Australia's First Past the Post voting system, it offers the government more of a license to do what it intended. Not usually a good thing, but if we're going to cut carbon by the 90% required by 2030 (George Monbiot's figures) we're going to need something close to a dictatorship to push it through aren't we? Otherwise we'll drown in our comfortable coastal homes while our governments obsess about keeping us comfortable for the next 36 months... Sorry was that a rant?

Back to the lightbulbs, I've been mildly impressed at how quickly we have switched (so to speak). I see yellowish fluoros everywhere I look these days - maybe that's just Melbourne. People have quickly come over to them (apart from the dimmer fetishists) and that's meant they're getting cheaper. Let's get rid of door air curtains next!. Unfortunately these wee measures, because there are so few of them, are of so little consequence to be a joke. Like green bags at the supermarket making shoppers feel good about all the plastic crap they're throwing into them.

Till tomorrow!

[ps will shift this thread off to somewhere else soon]

simon seasons

Peter, I was just about to go to bed having spent half an hour around the corner from Belconnen. It
It is remiss of me to neglect the Kiwi parliment but as they get about as much press as the Fijians in the US of A, I feel, well,,, remiss i suppose.

I must bring to your attention that we don't have a first past the post system of parlimentary democracy in Australia. That would be the UK.
Proportional representation means that the preferences that one party gives to another amount almost to a second vote and especially if the recipiant is a minor party. It also means that the votes are counted towards the swing of the electorate and not as if all the parties are beginning from an equal base line footing(as patently they are not). This means that the vote is counted from the number of existing seats to the new number of seats. This is why at the last election Howard was re elected even though he actually had less votes than the then opposition because his previous majority was big enough to leave his remaining 'majority' at that election, still with more seats than 'the losers'' In Australia and New Zealand it is not votes that count but seats in parliment.
This is why this election is going to be a doozy because Howards majority was substantially trimmed last time to the point that even a minor majority of the votes to the opposition is likely to just see the swing tip over to Labour and especially if the greens hand back their preferences.

To my beef about the system and voting green as a first preferance. If as is predicted the Labor party not only sneak over the line with a majority of seats, but romp home with a landslide ( I sooo want to see Howard loose his seat) then they would be in a position to ignore the Greens, which would be a bloody great shame in my book. Hopefully Garret will kick against the pricks but as far as great white hopes go, don't forget he is about four bibles this side of a born again christian, and they only reveal their true colours when they have a captive audience. Just ask Yothu Yindi's Yunupingu who had to share a tour bus with him from Darwin to the Alice. I heard that he didn't stop trying to shove his version of christianity down Yunupingu's throat for 500 kms

Who knows what the future holds but i feel that tomorrow evening there is going to be a gigantic chorus go up across the land "HOWS ZAT!" and Howard will walk from the crease a dejected old shadow of a man, diminished in history and diminished in Bennelong I hope as well.

simon seasons

Sleeping on it, I'd like to know more about the Kiwi parliment. I also hate the notion of being mistaken for a US of A fan over and above NZ. Far from it, but before I get swamped with bad vibes I want to stress that I qualify the Kiwi influence by how much press they get in America because that frankly is how the current govt (8 hours to go) asseses Kiwi influence as well.
I wish it were differant, on that level. On another level I bring to your attention that the new dean of architecture at Colombia University is a Kiwi who is quoted roughly by me http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/11/21/interview-mark-wigley-on-greening-architecture-school/#more-7198 as saying that the americans are completely mad for insisting on icecubes in their drinks.
Kiwi's are the archetypal quiet achiever and I have loved that deepest aspect of NZ for a long time. But sometimes being quiet is not appropriate and then sometimes being a loud aussie isn't either.

beatriz

I am so happy to read your insightful and educated comments on the elections. For now I want to remain ‘consciously naïve’ in the hope that this election will signify a change—a women as a deputy leader as a start. I know I won’t be able to enjoy this feeling for too long, but for now, YAY!!

On the other hand, what is missing is an honest assessment of what the Howard regime meant to the Australian society. Comments so far are too cautious and praising of the economic achievements, while the immorality (perhaps criminality) of his political decisions have not been discussed. Without an acknowledgment of the abuses, there is little room for substantial change in areas such as individualism, consumerism, abuse of power and ‘future blindness’—all issues that have an impact or are the driving force behind the environment depletion and social injustice. On that note, today I heard someone on radio referring to Howard’s attitude as arrogant—that’s a start.

simon seasons

I sooo got my wish that Howard loose his seat. HOW"S ZAT !
The future for the enviroment just got brighter.

Anonymous

Further to your desire Beatriz to read more informed anti Howard commentry. Try Phillip Adams and Paul Keating at 'The Australian' newspaper online archives and recent or google 'Paul Keating' for a swag of hilarious sprays from all over.