kidattypewriter

Tuesday, September 07, 2010

Labor loses election, stays in government

Julia Gillard: unelected Prime Minister of Australia. Twice.

8 comments:

Alexis, Baron von Harlot said...

She's been elected (twice) by a majority of the federal MPs, each of whom was elected by a majority of their constituents, which is exactly how any other prime minister in Australia has ever been elected.

If you think there's something wrong with that system, then I guess you want something like the US's presidential elections.

TimT said...

Yairrrs but as I've commented before Labor ran during the last election making it pretty clear that Rudd would be the leader.

Last time Australians didn't choose Gillard to be PM. This time, they didn't really either - The Coalition got more seats. In the end it came down to the whim of a few independents. I think that's a bad way to get a PM.

They actually have a form of primaries in the UK while retaining the Westminister system of parliamentary democracy - at least I know UK Labour does - and it could be implemented here too. After Labor's leadership shenanigans I kind of think that a form of primaries amongst party members is not only possible, but desirable. But it's not likely to happen under Gillard.

Alexis, Baron von Harlot said...

It's tricky, because we don't actually vote for a prime minister. We vote for an MP, who represents our electorate. She or he participates in the election of the prime minister. In some cases, you think you have a pretty good idea who your preferred MP will vote for (e.g., if she was an ALP candidate, she's likely to vote for the current ALP parliamentary leader), but there is no explicit contract made that when you vote for, e.g., the ALP candidate in your electorate, that she will give continuous support to her party's current parliamentary leader.

Anyway, blah blah. Can I have some chocolate frog?

TimT said...

You had me right to the chocolate frog bit...

broken biro said...

This would NEVER happen in Britain.

(Sorry, did I interrupt a game of 'pass the frog'? - Get a room!)

Word verification - entibly
This ought to be a word

TimT said...

I think Gillard probably won in the end by promising Oakeshott an extra nibble of her chocolate frog.

TimT said...

Stranger things have happened. I quote from the superb Ms Audrey Apple here:

In Natashsa Stott Despoja's first senate year, she gave an interview that, among other things, revealed she liked strawberry Freddo Frogs. Later, Amanda Vanstone sarcastically referred to this partiality in a Senate speech, suggesting that other senators had more important things to do than to give interviews and eat chocolate. A bit shaken, but determined to hold her head high, Stott Despoja sent a humourous-as-you-can-get-when-you're-political-enemies note to Vanstone with a strawberry Freddo included. Quick as a whip, Vanstone sends one of those *giant* strawberry Freddos back with this note:

"You call that a frog? THIS is a frog."

Stott Despoja still has that chocolate frog in its wrapping.


From here.

Alexis, Baron von Harlot said...

How can I get in touch with Vanstone these days?

Email: timhtrain - at - yahoo.com.au

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