spiffmeister
@spiffmeister@aussie.zone
- Comment on Dorinda Cox accuses Greens of racism in scathing resignation letter 6 days ago:
I think the perception that the greens are arrogant is mostly a media thing to be honest, and I’m not sure how much they can do to fight that. Imo there is a general perception of any activist or left wing group that they’re all arrogant/holier than thou types.
They ended up backing Labor’s housing policies despite the analysis from think tanks like the Australia Institute saying they would do nothing. This all seems like a double standard anyway to me, did Labor change any policy on housing? It took months to extract some direct cash on top of the HAFF then they refused to negotiate, the greens at least tried to, yet the greens are arrogant.
- Comment on Dorinda Cox accuses Greens of racism in scathing resignation letter 1 week ago:
the only public self-reflection they’ve done regarding the last term is that “Labor ran an effective campaign on us blocking the HAAF for a year” IIRC.
Basically no political party is going to have an open public discussion on this. There’s clearly two “factions” of the Greens, one more pragmatic and the other more ‘activist’. I think the observation that Labor ran an effective smear campaign on their own unwillingness to negotiate is pretty obvious (not to say that there isn’t also some need for a discussion about how much blocking is the right amount). But everyone seems to think the Greens are “this must be perfect” type people despite the fact that they showed in the last term they were willing to reduce demands or vote for things they didn’t like so I guess it isn’t.
…Max Chandler-Mather’s comments about other politicians being mean
Other MPs complained about how he was treated so… (See here).
- Comment on US condemns Australia's joint sanctions on Israeli ministers 1 week ago:
If they’re not careful we’ll also send them a strongly worded letter
- Comment on Dorinda Cox accuses Greens of racism in scathing resignation letter 1 week ago:
As a previous Greens’ member (I live overseas now) I can say that my experience is that Greens’ members are generally pretty sensitive to causing offence and are more than willing to apologise if they are told they’re causing it, at least by other members. This is of course anecdotal though.
Also maybe changing your vote because you thought an individual action by someone was stupid is a childish way of thinking about politics?
- Comment on What went wrong for the Greens in the Australian election? 2 weeks ago:
I’ve seen a lot of analysis and discussion for a very small percentage change in a single election.
Well you can’t exclude the fact that it’s fun to shit on the left wing party.
- Comment on 'Stupid' or misled? Voters demand AEC explain booth's 45% informal vote 2 weeks ago:
Missabotti resident Spencer Parry said he, too, was given wrong information about how to vote, but decided to follow the instructions on the ballot paper to number every candidate.
Well at least one person did.
- Comment on Whatever you decide to name 'em 2 weeks ago:
100%, saying fish and chips is easy mode for chip context.
- Comment on Whatever you decide to name 'em 2 weeks ago:
Somehow there’s never been any confusion.
- Comment on Bandt's project to change the Greens failed. Along the way, he helped wreck the appeal of minority government 1 month ago:
This is the analysis of a partisan, last year the electorate boundaries were redrawn and Antony Green was already saying it would be harder for Bandt
In the north loses Clifton Hill to Cooper and Brunswick East, Carlton North and Fitzroy North to Wills. Crosses the Yarra to take in South Yarra and Prahran from Macnamara and Higgins.
The Green margin declines versus Labor because strong Green voting areas in the north of the old Melbourne have been replaced by parts of Higgins where the Liberal vote was higher in 2022. On primary votes the Green vote slips from 49.6% to 44.7%, the Labor vote rises from 25.0% to 25.7%, and the Liberal vote rises from 15.2% to 19.6%. It is possible that with Adam Bandt as the candidate, and a less intense local campiagn by Labor in areas previously in Higgins, could help restore Bandt’s margin.
- Comment on All the political mail I got this election 1 month ago:
I’m pretty sure the national library collects all this stuff if you’re willing to send it.
https://www.library.gov.au/news-media/records-democracy-federal-election-campaign-material
- Comment on Rightwing lobby group Advance says it makes ‘no apology’ for support given to anti-Greens groups 2 months ago:
Let’s face it, probably also the Russians.
- Comment on Rightwing lobby group Advance says it makes ‘no apology’ for support given to anti-Greens groups 2 months ago:
The effectiveness of these groups should be obvious from the referendum, if not the US election. Wealthy people are more than willing to throw shitloads around to spread misinformation and flood people’s feeds.
- Comment on Dutton flip-flops on proposals for three separate referendums if Coalition wins election 2 months ago:
Trump’s strategy is to “flood the zone” (as Steve Bannon puts it) so that all the oxygen for reporting on anything is sucked up. This was also more or less Scott Morrisons strategy when he won, they hired a pair of dweebs from NZ whose job is basically to flood social media with bad memes so that it’s all you see. So it wouldn’t surprise me if what Dutton is doing is a similar strategy.
- Comment on Who came up with the idea to cut thousands of public service jobs? 2 months ago:
Informative article, but how did it pass the editor? Half the paragraphs begin with “it said.” Reads like a series of dot points or bad LLM writing.
- Comment on tale as old as time 2 months ago:
Well she has full confidence of the Chancellor that I’m sure has nothing to do with the contracts for mates or the free travel.
- Comment on tale as old as time 2 months ago:
I’ve been enjoying the AFR articles on the VC. I got out just in time I think.
- Comment on Australia: Melbourne residents receive letter offering $200k for information on Hong Kong pro-democracy activist 2 months ago:
Oh yeah I definitely saw him, he went that way
- Comment on Albanese in trouble as polling shows Dutton most likely to be next PM 3 months ago:
It might make it more difficult to run a scare campaign, arguably like “mediscare”. But if Labor is worried about not being able to lie a bit I get the feeling they’re about to see just how outclassed they really are.
- Comment on Albanese in trouble as polling shows Dutton most likely to be next PM 3 months ago:
I think the right has been emboldened by their success in the US as well and is dumping more money into the campaign this time. For instance advance has a shitload of money to throw at LNP opponents and have absolutely no problem lying or astroturfing movements.
Yep, this is true. It comes down to the media in this country.
Which makes me pose the question, where the fuck are Labor and the unions on opening or supporting friendly media?
I agree RE the friendly media, but also the teals did propose a truth in political advertising law that may have been able to clamp down on some of the bullshit. Because you better believe that the lnp is using the same dickheads that Morrison used for political advertising.
- Comment on Albanese in trouble as polling shows Dutton most likely to be next PM 3 months ago:
I was honestly hoping that people would see trump, see Dutton trying to emulate him, then go “ahh no maybe not.”
- Comment on What are some games you like that most people hate and/or were panned by critics? 4 months ago:
Damnation
Funnily enough this was originally a mod for UT2k4 which was actually pretty good and has good ratings on moddb: https://www.moddb.com/mods/damnation
- Comment on SA Police arrest man for allegedly displaying Nazi symbol as two neo-Nazis granted bail 4 months ago:
This article reads way to neutral for my liking. Like sure you want to report the facts, but with all the quotes the neo-nazis come off not looking too bad, which is kind of the reason they did this to begin with…
- Comment on Israel-Hamas war: Gaza death toll 41% higher, Lancet study finds 5 months ago:
I dunno, sounds like the authors might be antisemitic /s
- Comment on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese orders Victorian Labor to remove Peter Dutton meme 5 months ago:
Never mind the sort of attacks that the libs/their propaganda wing are more than happy to level.
- Comment on Labor looks likely to win 2025 Election 5 months ago:
They inherited a bit of a mess thanks to covid, the global economy and the previous government.
I like how during the 10 years of lnp government it felt like we heard “we’re cleaning up their mess!” what felt like all the time. But I don’t recall this government saying it beyond the first few weeks. Are their political strategists dumb? Maybe.
- Comment on Green Guillotine: how politics prevailed over principles in legislative avalanche - Michael West 6 months ago:
Pretty disappointed in the Greens tbh. What they got for guillotining debate seems poultry also,
$500m for social housing energy upgrades and commitments against fossil fuel investment.
Those better be some amazing commitments that Labor definitely won’t just not act on.
- Comment on 'Families are going to be ripped apart': Labor's 'brutal' migration law trio, explained 6 months ago:
It also clears the government from legal recourse for negligent decisions, making them immune from civil lawsuits in relation to the removal of a person or their treatment in a third country.
Surely this can’t stand up in courts? The government can just pass a law effectively saying it’s above the law?
- Comment on Labor, Coalition to suspend Lidia Thorpe from the Senate after she tore up a motion by Pauline Hanson 6 months ago:
Yeah don’t suspend Pauline for being a racist though dw about it.
- Comment on Why doesn't Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather own a home yet? 6 months ago:
Keep Peter Dutton out? The Greens? Consider the seats the Bandt has explicitly said the Greens will target at the next election: Sydney, Macnamara, Wills, Cooper, Richmond. All Labor seats.
This is true.
I wouldn’t say they’re cannibalizing the nationally left party though, Labor is centre left at best and we don’t have a purely 2 party system like the US so a left wing party could easily run in coalition. Otherwise you could also make the case that the nats cannibalise the libs.
which it makes it easier for the right-wing party to become the largest grouping in Parliament and thus best-placed to form government
If neither major party has the numbers to form majority government next election then they will deal with a minor/independent to form government, the Green’s obtaining more seats means if Labor is serious about forming government they would have to deal with them.
- Comment on Why doesn't Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather own a home yet? 6 months ago:
“And our government is not going to wait around while members of the Greens political party call for more housing in the media while opposing it in their electorates and voting against it in the parliament,”
I already said Labor would like credit for the $2B.
Nonetheless, the Greens say they will now “wave through” such terrible legislation.
So on one hand the Greens should get out of the way and pass Labor’s policies on housing, but also they shouldn’t pass this because it’s not good enough. I recall the help to buy scheme at least was assessed by the Australia Institute to make literally no difference because of the scale.
vote for the greens is a vote for the liberals
Ok champ.