Comments on: Sunday Mail: Labor “holding firm” in SA marginals

By: ltep

ltep — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 23:26:54 +0000

Appointment I should say

By: ltep

ltep — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 23:26:24 +0000

Last Democrat to resign:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/11/07/2412844.htm

On the flip side it’ll mean the first Democrat election in a while.

By: ltep

ltep — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 07:04:12 +0000

Well as you see my comments were really off-topic so you could imagine I don’t particularly care about it either.

By: Oz

Oz — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 07:03:05 +0000

I think you two are the only ones who care about SA.

By: ltep

ltep — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 07:01:57 +0000

If you were going to say democratic, that’s neither here nor there. People argue the electoral methods of the lower house are undemocratic (compulsory voting, compulsory assignment of preferences, disproportionate representation in comparison to vote received etc. etc. etc.) It’s all a matter of opinion. What matters is that people are lawfully entitled to exercise power.

Fielding’s exercise of power is no less democratic than any candidate who receives less than a quota and any senator from a major party that is elected on the resdistributed votes of excluded candidates.

But yes… very off topic.

By: bob1234

bob1234 — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 06:43:47 +0000

It might be lawful but doesn’t make it… no, i’m not going to continue to drag this thread off-topic.

By: ltep

ltep — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 06:41:36 +0000

Are elected in the same way as any other senator, by receiving a quota from votes distributed by a lawful system. Fielding has as much of an entitlement to put his views and vote as he chooses as any other rightfully elected senator.

By: bob1234

bob1234 — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 06:38:10 +0000

Minus the official opposition, the remaining Senators form the majority needed to pass legislation.

By: ltep

ltep — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 06:35:28 +0000

Well it’s not 1 senator blocking legislation. It needs to be a majority (or equality) of the senators voting on any given question.

By: bob1234

bob1234 — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 06:31:50 +0000

Probably, but again I was talking in practical terms, from my own point of view.

Xenophon is actually pretty decent unlike Fielding. I hope he isn’t re-elected come the next election. Honestly, one Senator blocking legislation, on less than 2% of the Victorian vote in 2004, how is that democracy?