Reading the Saturday Newcastle Herald last night I came across this letter to the Editor:
Where to begin?
How can you make an informed vote if you don't appear to have any idea how our democracy works? The Australian people can decided on who runs the country. Government changes hands based on who the Australian people vote for. Your vote can be the deciding factor on which party wins your electoral seat. Unless you in a so called safe seat. Like say, Shortland which has been a safe Labor seat for like forever. Then your one vote wont make a difference. But if you're an informed voter you would know this.
As far as I'm concerned an "informed vote" means knowing more then who you are going to vote for. It means knowing what each party represents, which policies they are going to support. It also means knowing a little of the history of the party, and how well they perform as a government and as an opposition. An informed voter also knows a little about their sitting member and not just votes for a party based on their single federal/sate leader.
If you had an informed voter then you should of been watching the polls carefully. Not to base your opinion on the polls but watching the parties reactions to the polls. Therefore it should not of come as a shock when Howard lost. Unless, as a Liberal supporter, you believed Howard when he said they would win and government's don't lose if they're economically viable. Keating's government was, despite a recession (whose harm was lessen by Keating's policies), economically viable. Much of Howard's success was due to policies put in place by Hawke and Keating (policies take time to have an impact and if you are voted out before they do, the next government can reap the fruits of your "Labor")
Your statement that you have just come to the realisation that the country can be lead by someone other then Howard leaves me with trepidation. That's more a statement I expect from someone like an Iraqi:- I awoke this morning to discover Saddam was no longer president and there were armed American troops every where.
The statement seems to voice a sediment I expect from a dictatorship rather then a vibrant democracy. An Anonymous comment on my previous post mentioned that the Liberals were fast becoming fascists with a 'let them eat cake' approach to huge problems affecting the middle classes. At first I disagreed with that staement. But the more I thought about it the more correct it seemed to be. The Howard government had made an art out of hiding things from the public. AWB and the Children overboard the government got away with claiming some sort of debilitating amnesia and never reading their mail - something I still find hard to believe a democratic government got away with.
But now I'm more concerned then ever at how easy it could be for a seemingly democratic country to fall under a dictatorship. The children. If the children believes it's right you have won. Get them to spy on their parents to report any traitorous thoughts like, voting against the government. The Howard government not only wanted a federal circulum, but wanted it set by his eduction minister.
Scary.
Oh and finally, your last comment was quite curious. You claim to be a Liberal supporter and have just came to realisation that Howard could lose and wish you had this epiphany before you cast your vote. So who did you vote for Jessie?
I was told on Sunday morning Rudd Government would soon take over the running of my country.
I am 19 years old. I have now made too well informed votes in the state and the federal election and yet this new leader came as a shock to me.
For most of my generation we do not remember a prime minister other then John Howard, so the thought of a government led by anyone else is a thought of trepidation for the future of our country.
For all those Liberal supporters like myself who are now in mourning spare a thought for my generation who are just now coming to the realisation the country can actually be in the control of someone other then Mr Howard- an epiphany I wish I had before I decided on my vote
Jessie Brown
Whitebridge November 27
Where to begin?
How can you make an informed vote if you don't appear to have any idea how our democracy works? The Australian people can decided on who runs the country. Government changes hands based on who the Australian people vote for. Your vote can be the deciding factor on which party wins your electoral seat. Unless you in a so called safe seat. Like say, Shortland which has been a safe Labor seat for like forever. Then your one vote wont make a difference. But if you're an informed voter you would know this.
As far as I'm concerned an "informed vote" means knowing more then who you are going to vote for. It means knowing what each party represents, which policies they are going to support. It also means knowing a little of the history of the party, and how well they perform as a government and as an opposition. An informed voter also knows a little about their sitting member and not just votes for a party based on their single federal/sate leader.
If you had an informed voter then you should of been watching the polls carefully. Not to base your opinion on the polls but watching the parties reactions to the polls. Therefore it should not of come as a shock when Howard lost. Unless, as a Liberal supporter, you believed Howard when he said they would win and government's don't lose if they're economically viable. Keating's government was, despite a recession (whose harm was lessen by Keating's policies), economically viable. Much of Howard's success was due to policies put in place by Hawke and Keating (policies take time to have an impact and if you are voted out before they do, the next government can reap the fruits of your "Labor")
Your statement that you have just come to the realisation that the country can be lead by someone other then Howard leaves me with trepidation. That's more a statement I expect from someone like an Iraqi:- I awoke this morning to discover Saddam was no longer president and there were armed American troops every where.
The statement seems to voice a sediment I expect from a dictatorship rather then a vibrant democracy. An Anonymous comment on my previous post mentioned that the Liberals were fast becoming fascists with a 'let them eat cake' approach to huge problems affecting the middle classes. At first I disagreed with that staement. But the more I thought about it the more correct it seemed to be. The Howard government had made an art out of hiding things from the public. AWB and the Children overboard the government got away with claiming some sort of debilitating amnesia and never reading their mail - something I still find hard to believe a democratic government got away with.
But now I'm more concerned then ever at how easy it could be for a seemingly democratic country to fall under a dictatorship. The children. If the children believes it's right you have won. Get them to spy on their parents to report any traitorous thoughts like, voting against the government. The Howard government not only wanted a federal circulum, but wanted it set by his eduction minister.
Scary.
Oh and finally, your last comment was quite curious. You claim to be a Liberal supporter and have just came to realisation that Howard could lose and wish you had this epiphany before you cast your vote. So who did you vote for Jessie?
posted by Renegade79 at 7:32 pm
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