Who Are These People?

I received my postal vote a few days ago. I must say I felt a rush of pride when I opened the envelope and unfolded the Senate paper across the length of the table. There are 50 candidates on the list, and in Australian elections you can list them in the order you choose. I always number every box for the Senate. That, my friends, is representative democracy.

Having the leisure of an internet connection this year, and being happily free of thugs intimidating me to vote a certain way, I decided to drill down a little further than usual. In extravagant detail, even. Who are these people, anyway?
Six incumbents are up for election in Queensland. Both Liberals Brett Mason and George Brandis are lawyers; Democrat John Cherry is a lawyer; Labour's Jan McLucas was a teacher but Joe Ludwig is a lawyer; and Len Harris may have been a fine gold miner, but is a political joke.

(Of the six not up for re-election: Andrew Bartlett was a social worker for a bare 2 years before becoming a politician; Labour's John Hogg was a BSc and life-long union man where Claire Moore was a public servant; the Nationals Ron Boswell was a small businessman; the Liberal's Ian MacDonald is a lawyer and Santo Santoro is a career politician.)

What a depressing collection of lawyers and toadies, especially on the Liberal side. Ron Boswell is almost the pick. Struth.

Who else is on the ticket then. Nigel Freemarijuana must be running for the lower house this year, his brother Guy Freemarijuana is heading up the Hemp ticket. Might throw some preferences their way just on principle. Australian Progressive Alliance doesn't impress. Greens, like their environment and immigration stuff but they're protectionists and Drew Hutton might actually win a seat, best not put them too high. Family First, never heard of them before, probably social conservatives at a guess. Pundits say they've got a Pentecostal church base and preference the Coalition, which is interesting. The website says "Family First wants Australia to be the very best place on earth to raise a family." The Christian Coalition meets the DLP. Not really my style.

Whatever happened to the Natural Law Party? I desperately need taxpayer's money to help me achieve yogic flying and a holistic health balance. Who's going to represent me now ...

Barnaby Joyce heads the Nationals ticket, an accountant apparently. At least he's not a lawyer. Nationals - they should probably split and merge with the Liberals and the Greens. A Green / Green alliance of social and environmental conservatives with economic protectionism, now there's a scary thought. You could mix foreign policy isolationism with self-righteous denunciation pretty effectively though. The Fishing Party - seems pretty self evident and doesn't have a website. Will have to go with my first impression of it being the "habitat protection is irrelevant to my fishing weekends" party.

Hetty Johnston, never heard of her but the pundits say she's the gadfly responsible for bringing down Peter Hollingworth as G-G. Unafraid of slinging mud too. Gadflys are great, but perhaps this one would be better outside Coward's Castle. I wonder who these

other independents are ... Terry Rushton doesn't seem to have a web presence. Selwyn Johnston - ah, interesting. Appears to be in the American Reform Party mold, a states rights, constitutionalist, isolationist, protectionist and Citizen Initiated Referendum man. Well, you have to take the good with the bad, I guess. All the minor parties seem to have a CIR bent, even the major minor ones, as it were. Selwyn doesn't trust people to see his below-the-line how-to-vote card though. Gail Duncan doesn't have a web presence. They're missing a trick here, using the web is a cheap way to get word out with a small campaign. Doesn't help if you're from the Luddite party though.

I am intrigued by the party name The Great Australians. What's the slogan, "Vote for us, we're tops"? Their website is unusually comprehensive for a minor party. More or less Australian libertarians - a point of view sorely lacking in Australian political discourse. However, they lack the intellectual honesty of American libertarians with respect to the economic competence of the state. Rather than planning to abolish government involvement in wide swathes of the economy they claim that a flat tax reform will dramatically increase the efficiency of the state. The claim is that by abolishing all existing tax and instituting a 2% transaction tax they will reduce the costs of labour in tax collection and the Australian government can have its cake and eat it too. Resulting in policy like this:

AusEtax will mean we can provide more funding for Government and non- Government schools. Government schools will be adequately funded to provide the resources needed to educate our children.

They support ratification methods and an independent defence policy, but with tax policy like that they may as well support feline emancipation and the annexation of Munchinland. Are there no serious independent thinkers in Australian politics? Does no-one think this creature of government should treat citizens as adults? Is everyone so in love with the cuddly koala leviathan? American libertarians are wacky and extreme, but at least they recognise that politics involves hard choices.

The New Country Party website, basically social conservatives that yearn for the days of the Old Country Party, of Australia under God, Queen and Menzies. Two ungrouped independents, gamely trying to get some publicity for their causes, like Hassan Ghulam, Afghani refugees advocate.

Whoops, forgot the Citizens Electoral Council.

... necessary legislation for economic reconstruction, including debt moratoria for farmers and the re-establishment of a national bank, among other key elements; these programmes and legislation are far more urgently needed now, than when they were written.

So, it appears my choice is between lawyers, civil servants, and a plethora of command economy romantics in a variety of socially conservative, socially liberal, or environmentally friendly strains. I might have missed some off my list too, the electorate is a fickle thing.

There is, of course, one name left. Pauline. That woman, who will forever be linked in my mind to The Whitlams, live, singing

Come on Pauline
What the fuck do you mean

to the strains of a song usually featuring Eileen. Ah, Pauline. A riddle, wrapped in an enigma, wrapped in yesterday's newspaper.

What a list of jokers. What dismay. This, my friends, is representative democracy.

And yet, and yet. Whatever the limitations of the unimaginative Australian polity, I will still enjoy my choice as a citizen, when I inscribe the number 50.
Permalink, Who Are These People?, Oct 2004, Scrymarch
cam: Websites: Selwyn Johnston\'s website is hard to read, yellow on green is harsh on the eyes. I disagree with him on some of the public assets, Telstra should get broken up IMO. He also seems to not like activist judges, how rampant has that been in Australia or is it just a conservative meme that has taken hold?

From the \"Great Australians\";

We will establish the people owned Australian Business Bank to provide loans to inventors, new and expanding businesses, women starting up businesses and farmers who other Banks refuse to help.

High risk capital allocation is probably best done through a stock market system than a bank. The cost of capital is definately not uniform and the high risk small amount capital is the hardest to raise. I think this would be better served with some legislation to create a new Venture Capital market that is like the stock market but with caveats like the US REIT legislation, where dividends are mandatory.

We will introduce a compulsory scheme for 18-25 year old males and females where they must perform 3 months paid service in the military or one of a designated list of community organisations.

No mention why they think this is a good idea. Their immigration is ultra-conservative too;

Migrants must become Australian citizens and learn English within two years or leave

So what your saying is, Australia needs a ratification party that is philisophically liberal and recognizes that deals and compromises have to be made in a political system. Welcome Senator Scrymarch for Queensland of the Australian Ratification and Sortitionist Party.

cam
Scrymarch: Sadly missing from my latest ballot paper: I do hope the fad hasn\'t passed.
Scrymarch: A broad spectrum of reactionaries: Bright green and yellow webpages are a sure sign of mental instability.  On the AEC website, his job is listed as Systems Analyst.

I think disliking activist judges is code for disagreeing with Mabo and Wik.  Judges are pretty activist in Australia, I believe partly in reaction to the static constitution.

Yes, it appears I gave the Great Australians too much credit.  They\'re just old-school nationalists who want some magic tax reform.  What is the bizarre obsession with national retail banks?  Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the US are a financial catastrophe waiting to happen.  Does no-one remember the bad old days pre-deregulation, with monthly interest payments, and products like EFTPOS and home-equity accounts but a distant daydream.

I do agree that the large small business to small large business transition is particularly hard in Australia.  Lack of access to capital is surely a factor.  VC markets would help.

Australia needs a ratification party that is philisophically liberal and recognizes that deals and compromises have to be made in a political system

Yep.  Australia needs some minor parties that are crucibles of ideas instead of the detritus of dead ideologies.  This is actually what the Green movement has done over the last 30+ years, and I tip my hat to that.  But I sorely miss a philosophically liberal party, one committed to individual responsibility, smaller government, and expanding channels of participation in government.  A party such as this would be useful in the States too - education, drug and prison reform are all achievable by robust state governments.  

Qld of course has no upper house and less scope for minor parties.  On the other hand it makes re-establishing a radically reconstituted upper house - say half-appointed by Sortition - much more possible.

Have been reading the quite good Palmer\'s Oz Politics and he points out that party discipline in Australian parliament is stronger than either the Washington or Westminster systems.  I\'d noticed the US comparison but not really the UK one before.

Welcome Senator Scrymarch for Queensland of the Australian Ratification and Sortitionist Party.

Hehe, well first of all I\'d like to thank the voters of Queensland for entrusting me with this great responsibility ... seriously if someone literally named \"Senator Scrymarch\" is ever elected you should revoke your citizenship immediately, the country\'s rooted :)
cam: Parties and Discipline: The AEC site is better than the Unity party\'s site , NSFW if clicking on the links on the page.

Australia needs some minor parties that are crucibles of ideas instead of the detritus of dead ideologies.

Very good point.

A party such as this would be useful in the States too - education, drug and prison reform are all achievable by robust state governments.

Howard just served notice to the states that government will be taking over education with his package that routes around the state governments for funding. And Latham put the states on notice that the feds will be taking health too with his over 75 health plan. Ironically with the latter the States agreed to it.

he points out that party discipline in Australian parliament is stronger than either the Washington or Westminster systems. I\'d noticed the US comparison but not really the UK one before.

I had thought the UK practiced internal party discipline the same as Au had. Didnt realise there was a difference there.

In the US House of Representives the Au style of party discipline is taking over. Senators are still independant but it is a matter of time for them too. DeLay and Hastert control the reps with an iron whip that is mainly based around DeLays ability to raise and choke off money.

They have also not been scared to break conventions such as keeping the voting open beyond 15 mins. They use that to identify who is being independant and thenn keep the vote open until they get them to change their votes.

Party discpline shows the limits of a representative system in relation to public good.

seriously if someone literally named \"Senator Scrymarch\" is ever elected

Your from Queensland so this gives you some latitude in your portfolio; you could be the \"Minister for Everything\".

cam
Scrymarch: Whips: Howard ... Latham ... served notice to the states

This is quite a depressing election campaign.  It\'s just pure bribery and grasping from beginning to end.  Medicare Gold is so dumb - let\'s catch up with the Europeans and Americans by building our own demographic timebombs!

I had thought the UK practiced internal party discipline the same as Au had.

It does.  The whips are a powerful force, it\'s much closer to Australia in this regard.  However conscience votes are more common, and crossing the floor is unusual but not extraordinarily rare.  I get the feeling it\'s more common since Blair\'s landslide in 1997, but precedent existed.  Large numbers of Labor MPs have no prospect of ever getting to cabinet (some were chucked out), and have a lifetime of angry lefty protest against Thatcher behind them.  So there\'s a faction of rebel MPs within the Labor party that are essentially Old Labor - command and control social democrats.  These voted against the Iraq war in a block.  They also vote against choice in health and education policy.  A number of distinguished Tories also voted against the Iraq war and crossed the floor on whatever that blasted rule on schools not promoting homosexuality is called - Section 28 or something.

The point is they do so without their seat or their party membership being at risk - in fact some of them would have improved their electoral prospects by being rebels.

Canada and India would be two other interesting comparisons, I don\'t know much about either.

In the US House of Representives the Au style of party discipline is taking over

This is a worry to me.  One of the appeals of the American system is the relative independence of the representatives.  This, combined with the legal strength of the committees is why they can get away without institutions like Question Time.

Party discpline shows the limits of a representative system in relation to public good.

I think I would agree with almost all of that sentence: Party discpline shows the limits of a representative system in relation to the public.  I think parties are a sail used to tack against the wind of popular opinion.  Sometimes this is used for good: Australian economic reform in the eighties would not have happenned without using parties as ideological instruments.

you could be the \"Minister for Everything\"

I\'ll need to put a lot more work into my beergut to qualify for that role :)
sven: Numbering every box: I\'ve always supported numbering every box for the Senate. Politicians can\'t be trusted to decide where my preferences go. But apparently 95% of voters are lazy and stay above the line.

I found it very enlightening to look at the group voting tickets for some of the lesser-known parties. Seeing the Group A Independents directing preferences to One Nation in preference to Labor and Liberal is a bit of a turn-off. And it\'s interesting to see that Family First , Non-Custodial Parents Party , and New Country Party all have the Greens last.

I wonder how many of that 95% actually know where their vote is going. Probably very few. It\'s a bit sad really.
Scrymarch: That\'s a good link: Gives a better indication on where they stand than the platform, in some cases.

I think the 95% probably have a vague idea of where their votes going, unintuitive backroom deals aside.  I wouldn\'t have picked the Democrats preferencing Family First, for instance, but the other ones are pretty intuitive.  I think it\'s just rational ignorance.  It\'s not worth the average voters time to know the ins and outs of the Senate ticket any more than it\'s worth the average consumer\'s time to know the ins and outs of TVs.  Instead they ask some people who know the field more for their opinion, then go on gut feel.

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