Blogging politics, culture, sociology and life from Brisvegas
In the spirit of Karl Rove McManus’ perennial interview question “who would you turn gay for?”, I ask -
Who would you vote Liberal for?
Go on, admit it. Aren’t you just a little curious? Haven’t you ‘experimented at college’?
Are your optional preferences hard-wired? Might you be electoro-flexible?
So…who’d turn you on to the other side?
Please read the comments policy. If you would like an icon beside your comment, please register a Gravatar.
There is a Comments Preview function below the typing box which activates when you start typing.
Larvatus Prodeo is an Australian group blog which discusses politics, sociology, culture, life, religion and science from a left of centre perspective. more»
Sir Hubert Opperman.
I could have voted for people like Rupert Hamer and Ian McPhee, because ironically their position in the 70’s would be now on the left of the Labor Party! I could have also voted for Tim Fisher.
The only person I could vote for in the federal Liberal Party is Petro Georgiou. Not only he was a constant critic of Howard’s position of refugees, anyone being called a ‘political terrorist’ by Sophie Mirabella has something going for it.
well I’m flattered; maybe a little curious.
But no - I’m afraid the Liberal candidate would have to be exclusively up against One Nation, or pro-gun parties or Hitler Jugend, etc.
Having said that - Mal Fraser is my favorite member of that particular party.
college experimentation? I’ve picked up the pencil in the polling place, but I’ve never inhaled.
Yes, I always had a softish spot for Ian Macphee and Fred Chaney.
Terry White’s decision in 1983 to defy Joh and cross the floor on a vote to establish a Public Accounts Committee (a decision which ultimately led to the electoral annhilation of the Liberals in Queensland) is a notable entry in the (short) list of Liberal acheivements in political propriety.
NSW Labor aren’t getting any more votes from me (and haven’t for 6 years) but Opus Dei aren’t exactly an attractive alternative. Fatt O’Barrell seems decent, but the company he keeps is disturbing. Andrew Peacock was always fun though.
Don Chipp
Guido - Petro Georgiou’s definitely up there for me too. I particularly liked it when Don Randall called him, Moylan et.al. ‘anarchists’ for their position on offshore processing of refugees.
Chaney and Georgiou for mine.
Maybe cos Fred was a family friend, but in Petro’s case… WTF is he doing in that party? I guess I feel some combination of admiration and pity.
Interesting example, Zarquon.
OK then, I’d go right-wing for Michael Costa. Oh you mean voing against the ALP?
Wilson Tuckey of course!
I have never had sex with that party.
Katz, since everyone has been farked by the Liberals at one stage or another, I’d like to hear your secret for avoiding it
Very good, Possum.
There are NO women on the conservative side of politics that I would even consider touching with a party-sized dildo let alone any part of my own anatomy…
Maybe Amanda Vanstone if we were both drunk…
Premature ejaculation.
Despite what Ratty said the other night, sometimes passion can be an impediment to performance.
Barry Jones, in “A Thinking Reed’, quotes Mal Fraser as saying [from my memory] that he, Mal, couldn’t think of a single issue on which Kym Beazley was to the Left of him”
So maybe lots of ALP supporters have been voting for a right wing Laberal party for yonks, they have already ‘been there done that’.
Andrew Bolt…as in “I shot my bolt for the Libs”.
Hajnal Ban?
http://www.newsphotos.com.au/ImageDetail.asp?RefNum=95013258
“Vote for” is not a euphamism Mark.
The Labor candidate wasn’t inspirational, David, that’s my point!
Hajnal Ban - phwaoooor.
Say it ain’t so, Mark - Buffy grew up and joined the National Party?
I didn’t realise we were voting to have them on our members rather than be our members.
Heh!
I’d vote for Spike if he ran for the Tories though… Assuming that vampires (vamps as well?) are the forces of darkness?
OK, just to clarify in case of total thread derailment -
You cannot vote for cast members of Buffy, Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek, Stargate, X Files etc. unless they are actually preselected.
Have some perspective people, please!
Sorry! Live long and prosper!
Although, having said that, the Terminator is Governor of California…
Malcolm Fraser circa twenty-first century *sigh*
Guys (and it is guys on this thread, isn’t it) - just because a Liberal is cute doesn’t mean you should vote for them. Exhibit 1: Karen Chijoff.
As for Liberals I’d vote for now - well, there’s Fraser and Peacock and fark all else. Even 15 years ago, I had no problem voting for them for the local council ward. And I did preference them in 95 when Goss was being insufferable. But that’s 13 years ago.
Vince Taskunas may have managed a top six ballot position in the Senate. But it would be through grated teeth.
I could never vote for Hewson, but he is light years ahead of most of ‘em.
I suppose if ewvery member of Parliament was a RWDB it would be a precondition for revolution
…But otherwise, never.
Steele Hall - abolished his own gerrymanderin SA. Got to like that, at least.
Simon Birmingham.
Alan Missen. Mainly because his writings about the Australian political system were so helpful to me in my politics course in first year Uni. Twenty years on and I’m still grateful. Chaney wrote well, too. Agree about Steele Hall. What about the other floor-crossers? Phillip Ruddock–before he turned into Dorian Gray? Baume or McPhee?
The moral courage of Petro Georgiou, Judi Moylan and Russell Broadbent would make me consider them too. But it wouldn’t make any difference — I live in a very safe Labor seat.
Alfred Deakin! Tho, in retrospect, his role in the development of irrigation has much to answer for. How he must roll in his grave at the doings of the Tory bunch that arrogated to itself the right to his party’s name.
From the Oz Tory party - if I had to & only if, like LeftyE, I had to do so to stop a more ghastly alternative’s being elected - John Gorton, if he wasn’t standing, Casey or Hasluck. Harry Holt at a pinch.
Not that any of the above would join the current bunch!
Alfred Deakin
Well I actually generally vote Liberal in the lower house, since I don’t actually get to vote for John Howard or Kevin Rudd, and I live in one of the safest ALP seats in the country, and consider that anything I can do to make my seat more marginal is a good thing.
Besides, Nicola Roxon is my local member, and I’ll never vote for her after her time as shadow A-G. (though she did keep Phil Martin out of parliament, which is a good thing)
I probably would have voted for Bill Gunn post ‘87 if I were given the chnace. He made a big call with the Fitzgerald inquiry while the boss was out of town.
Alfred Deakin?
Nah, I’ll pass.
Chookie,
Much as I’d prefer to keep the blokey badinage rolling along, you have a point in writing: “The moral courage of Petro Georgiou, Judi Moylan and Russell Broadbent would make me consider them too.”
They stood up for the kids of asylum seekers, suffering in detention centres. They defied JWH on it. At the last Federal election, Russell Broadbent was re-elected for the FIRST time. He had a Gippsland seat earlier (kate 80’s?) and was a oncer in it. Then he held Corinella (I think) but only for one term. He’s now begun his second term as member for McMillan. Prosperoous rural seat taking in much of West Gippsland: dairying, timber, provincial towns; and South Gippsland (where he took up the local cause and opposed the Bald Hills wind farm). Plenty of ute persons. Some Labor voters here and there.
After his recent victory he told the local paper that he felt his stand against JWH on refugee policies had NOT harmed him in the electorate.
Members like that deserve plaudits for their strength.
Well, the ALP of the era was equally hardline (if not more so) Guido!
But yes, its a slim pool of candidates. I’d probably go informal if pushed on the Lib question.
Speaking of Deakin, wasn’t “Fusion” the first exercise in non-labour unity, and should Borg draw instructive example from it?
As a New Sth Welshman, virtually anyone the Libs hypothetically may be sentient enough to run, who isn’t a raving far right freak & member of a faction founded by an actual Hungarian Nazi, would have to be getting close next time. But they’ll doubtless dump O’Barrel and draft Augusto Pinochet. In his sluggos.
Getting back to Ms Ban for a moment:
She must feel like the only teatotaller at the pub in them Nat meetings. “Vote” eh, “vote”, he asked them knowingly.
Interesting that, overwhelmingly, lefty sentiments are agnostic on the whole economic stance but vehemently anti social conservatism. I wonder if the same question was posed in reverse whether a mirror of that would occur.
DR - ummm… so many reverses and mirrors… I’m not sure what way is up any more.
Anyway, if you mean what I suspect, I’d say most self-identified Libs voters would turn gay for the ALP folks with conservative economics, as long as they’re not TOO socially liberal.
Libertarians, who knows? It would probably depend on the phases of the moon or something.
“Although, having said that, the Terminator is Governor of California…”
And the chimp, oops, sorry, I mean Ronald Raygun did become Prez.
I know you guys didn’t invite us conservatives to the party but just to spice it up a little if the question was reversed this conservative would have happily voted for Peter Walsh. I think many respects he has most legitimate claim to best Finance Minister of Aust. It is comparatively easy to be a Finance Minister in a coaliton govt but to be tight as a fishes backside in an an ALP Govt takes real steel.
If we moved to NSW (which won’t happen)…& Malcolm Turnbull decided to shift to state politics (which probably won’t happen)…& ran against Morris Iemma (the walking disaster area…healthcare, public transport, over-use of police, pandering to religious organisations, crap service delivery, privatisation, privatisation, pissing off unions, my gay & Green mates in Sydney detest him)…I’d probably vote for Malcolm. He’s sneaky & waffly at times, and too much the merchant banker on occasion…but i reckon he’s a decent fella at heart, has a good sense of humour & yoofful glint in his eye. Needs to stay away from the Howeirdians & corporate vampyrs.
On a Federal level? Noone. I wanna see Gillard &/or Tanner &/or Shorten &/or Albanese &/or Combet etc. etc. have a go before any of those Liberal corporate whorebores.
The same Peter Walsh of Lavoisier Group fame?
Why Kevin Rudd of course…. what?….. he’s a lefty?……. No, would never believe it….. he’s just like Howard from the 90s
Thats not even the best pic of Hajnal Ban, plenty of better ammo floating around than that!
I’m a liberal voter, but I will second Jeremy Clarkson’s comment that socialist women are hotter than tory women. We needed Ban in parliament to even the balance just a little. The hot politician stakes are vitally important!
Although the Nats are (agrarian) socialists anyway, so the theory stands.
Stephen, please name some elected socialst women who are hotter than “tory”(?) women.
“please name some elected socialst women”
None in the Australian Parliament but here’s a good photo of a winsome centralist pollie.
http://www.aph.gov.au/house/members/pics/photos/DZU.jpg
Back OT.
John Gorton. Australia’s answer to Warren Harding (who I believe was quite underrated).”I am not fit for this office and should never have been here.”
Senator Marise Payne
Georgiou, hands down.
Whatever happened to the days when pollies looked like this?
do you still have a Henry Bolte candle, Katz?
Bruce Baird
“John Gorton. Australia’s answer to Warren Harding (who I believe was quite underrated).”I am not fit for this office and should never have been here.””
Or as Norman Gunston somewhat unkindly had it, “the Liberal with the Labor supporter face”.
Katz, is that Billy McMahon?
Random picture from that age of politics:
Billy Big Ears
…but no, wouldn’t have voted liberal for him either.
poo, link didn’t work
try again
Wilful @ 38, I’ve done that in the past, but my current State member is Barbara Perry, who is not only competent (amazing in itself for the NSW ALP) but a very hard worker for the electorate. Her predecessor was “tired and emotional” on the only occasion I saw him… early on a weeknight… in church… and yes, he was there to make a speech…
I have actually given my number 1 to a Liberal (two in fact), albeit in a student election. It was a two horse race and the ALP candidate has gone on to involvement in some of the worst corruption and abuse we’ve witnessed in recent years. The Libs were a joint ticket, can’t remember who one of them was but the other was the son of a wet MP who got rolled shortly afterwards.
I’d go for the usual list - Payne, Gorgeiou, Broadbent etc, depending on who they were up against and whether their seat was likely to determine government.
BTW, while looks are well down my list of priorities, there are time when I’ll admit it can be a factor. All else being equal one can factor in that you’ll spend a lot of time looking at photos of the winner over the next three years. Net human happiness will be higher if that’s Kate Ellis than Fran Bailey (I’ll leave it to others to make the equivalent judgements on the male side).
very kind of you, Krispy - you won’t have to grit your teeth though; they made sure of that.