And he’ll hold his breath until he turns blue to get one!
Senator Fielding threatens to be a one-man obstructor of Labor legislation by siding with the Coalition on every Bill that a minority Labor government proposes until his term expires on June 30, 2011. Of course he’s not acknowledging that potentially providing multiple Double-Dissolution triggers over the next 9 months is blatantly in his self-interest – he’s just lost his Senate seat in the last election – under the reduced quota in place in DD elections, he stands a good chance of winning it back.
But no – he’s just all so morally outraged by it all that he just has to make a stand.
Steve Fielding feels that the voters have spoken against Labor. He doesn’t seem to acknowledge that the voters have spoken even louder against Steve Fielding.
Fielding was on AM this morning sprinkling this line. Of course the interviewer didn’t mention or question him on the self interest involved.
I was wondering why the ABC was bothering to give him airtime, but I should have realised he’d had an article in The Australian.
He would need to have complete backing from the Coalition. Not likely that they would want to go down with Kamikaze Steve.
Annoying as Fielding may be, it seems to me that there’s no reason why he can’t simply be waited out. All the while, both Fielding and the Coalition can be painted as fanatical obstructionists.
The exception might be if we do get a double-dip recession and another stimulus becomes necessary. The Senate would then have the option of blocking the supplementary appropriation.
Geez, it might have been sprinkling in Canberra, but that was meant to be spruiking!! I’ll blame the auto correct spelling function that I have no idea how to turn off.
And Katter wants to make some new states and stuff, Oakeshott wins gold medals in naivete by proposing a one party state while Wilkie thinks poker machines are a suitable issue for the federal parliament. Maybe some people should revise their enthusiasm for independents and cancel the plans for statues in their honour; often they are gadflies with eccentric hobbyhorses who are out of their depth when they have to be accountable for legislation as opposed to offering criticism from the sidelines.
“I’ll blame the auto correct spelling function that I have no idea how to turn off.”
How come there is no rogue “z” in there? Everything has a z in it in the UZA.
I don’t think Katter’s ideas go quite far enough.
How about New South Wales, Queensland, the NT, and Western Australia secede – let’s call them “New Texas”, while South Australia, Victoria, and Tasmania band together, giving us, I dunno, “New Sweden”?
New Sweden’s currency would depreciate, making its manufacturing (and export education) industries more competitive immediately.
New Texas’s political divisions would be its business, of course, but they would be more than welcome to create a state of Far North Queensland – or, perhaps, “Katterland”.
New Sweden would of course act quickly in foreign policy, coordinating with both its Scandinavian namesake and the United States of Canada.
As a temporary measure, until consensus could be reached on an appropriate republican model, Magrethe II of Denmark could be our monarch.
Heh Robert you think New Texas will want NSW? Not a chance. Too many damn latte sippers and tax eaters. Maybe everything north of Coffs Harbour might be OK.
Poor old Steve. He obviously can’t deal with the irony of being defeated by the DLP.
Steve Fielding may obstruct as much as he likes until July 2011.
After then it’ll be Steve Who? (As it should always have been except for the macchiavellian geniuses in the Victorian Branch of the ALP in 2004.)
Except Byron Bay.
Not factored into this scenario is the strength of party discipline if the Coalition goes into opposition, or otherwise.
The Nats will be under a lot of pressure to show that they’re not irrelevant in the face of the country independents.
We might get a few National floor-crossers.
Then there’s a number of moderate Senators on the Liberal side, like Judith Troeth who’s retiring at the end of this Senate.
There’s also the question of whether a Rabbit government could get much legislation through the House for the Senate to block. Their best position looks like being 76, not a solid foundation for lots of right wing shite to be pushed through the Reps.
Kim, the moderate senators on the Liberal side have been either scared or intimidated into silent marching in lockstep or are too spineless to come forward and take a stand
Where were they on Workchoices, the ETS, Howard’s mandatory detention laws et all. Judith Troeth was the only one who has consistently shown any courage and integrity on the issue and she’s, very sadly, retiring. Sue Boyce did to her great credit step forward on the ETS but she’s essentially the only one and only on one issue
So don’t hold out great hope for the Liberal Party moderates in the Senate. I did for several years and have been bitterly disappointed
No, the boundary should be Murwillumbah. Us rainbow folks put in ALP members from Tweed Heads to Grafton thank you very much. To misquote Palin,I can see the Queensland border from my verandah, so my expertise on New Texas is a given.
The Australian Electoral Commission’s Virtual Tally room results for the official 2010 Federal election results as of 8:31:53 am 27/7/10 details the following:
Australian Labor Party – Votes: 5,268,639 – 50.50% of votes
Liberal/National Coalition – Votes: 5,165,247 - 49.50% of votes
On what basis does Senator Fielding declare “voters are not happy with Labor”? His illusion of self-importance is clouding his view of reality.
Not sure about this waiting business. Surely he’ll be there for one more round of the budget papers next May. I guess there is a chance the coalition will guarantee supply, but their rhetoric does seem to suggest otherwise.
and I’m not sure that the 98% of the NT that re-elected a Labor member would be all that chuffed with New Texas. Although apparently Katter’s going to give them Broome or something.
@Malcolm, at least Judith Troeth is there for as long as Fielding is there. She’s crossed the floor before, surely she would again to pass the Budget next year in the face of sheer bloody-mindedness from Fielding?
Instead of New Texas, why not Twiggytania?
smell that fear of complete and utter irrelevance
@14 – Sure, Malcolm, but new game, new rules to some extent at least.
Can anyone confirm if the Appropriation Bills for 2010-2011 have been passed? Spent a fruitless half hour on APH & couldn’t find the answer I real really wanted to find. Have a horrible feeling they have not been passed.
Austin, if you look through Parilament’s bills database, these days supply bills aren’t typically passed by the Senate until late June anyway.
Given that the new Senate can sit on July 1, we’re only talking about a delay of a few days (under the circumstances, the GG could give the royal assent almost immediately after the Senate passes the bills).
I would think the Governor-General has ample discretion in that situation to simply wait for the new Senate, particularly if the Greens had stated an intention to pass the Supply bills.
Furthermore, even if an election were to be called under those circumstances, it’s not at all clear that it would be favourable to the Coalition (or, for that matter, Fielding himself, were it a DD).
Bernice, the appropriation bills passed back in June.
Thanks Robert – just wanted to be reassured. You know, 1975 and all….
NSW would be ‘New Albania’ wouldn’t it?
OK – so Supply for this year has been passed. One of the key conditions of independent support as far as the GG is concerned. Fielding can block what he likes, but it will merely encourage a couple of Liberal senators to cross the floor, or strangely miss a division. And as pointed out, come next year’s bill, Fielding will be irrelevant.
29 sitting days for Reps scheduled til the end of the year – Senate less taking out Estimtes & Budget committee. No scheduling up for 2011 yet, but I suspect Fielding can be waited out til July. It’ll take that long, well in fact longer, to draft carbon tax legislation…
That’s a thought, Bernice. The Greens have said they won’t do it in the Senate, but crossbenchers blocking supply in the lower house would be a perverse twist.
The worste aspect of all this is that a Senator elected two elections ago is threatening to hold the country to ransom. As Julia Gillard said on lection night, the people have spoken, it is now up to the politicians to work out what they said. This reminds me of 1972 & 1974, where the coalition refused to accept the decision of the people and did everything they could to block the legislative program of the Labor Government. The Labor party has a bit more experience around Government these days than they did back then and I am sure they will manage themselves a lot better, but the Coalition are a bunch of shockers and while it will be difficult for Labor to govern until June 30 2011, if the Conservatives go down this track it will be impossible for them to govern after that date. The thing with Parliamnetary Governments that no one is talking about at this moment is that you don’t need an election to change Government. It is who commands the floor of the house that determines Government and that is why Government was able to change in 1941 the last time there was a hung Parliament, and why John Kerr was wrong to do what he did in 1975.
Whatever happens, Fielding is as a virtual irrelevence, so why is the ABC giving him airtime on their supposedly prime radio current affairs program?
Yes I know, to create an air of instability and crisis.
So The Earthworm has turned.
Bring it on! If Fielding and the Coalition turn into sheer obstructionists, Labor could go to a DD and would win in a landslide (except for the extra Green seats.)
Can;t say the Coalition’s handling of the negotiations with the Independents has showed the mark of genius either.
Did anyone hear the interview with the DLP candidate for Vic on Newsradio? Urgh…
Fielding – Phoney’s gimp – should be called on his bluff. Is he realy going to hold a majority (50.5%) of the Australian people hostage?
What if the Greens decided to do the same to Abbott? Hmm? What would the paprs say?
In any case – 9 months is the pefect period of time for Gillard and the indies to thrash out a legislative agenda, cosnsult widely, send to committees, amend etc – all in preparation for passing the job lot en masse next July.
Fielding is merely trying to deal himself in to an appearance of relevance. It won’t work because he isn’t.
Just up on ABC – spokesperson for Abbott has indicated:
“that if there is a Labor administration, the Coalition would be responsible and not combine with Senator Fielding to block supply.”
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/08/27/2994988.htm
Tony’s first honourable act, although it is of course the word of a politician known for windvanery. Still, write it down folks – in stone.
But Bernice – was he reading from a properly written speech?
and what about every other bill?
I know quite a few people who filled in all boxes under the line to ensure Mr Fielding was selection #60
The timing for the second presentation of other bills can be juggled to wait until Fielding’s term expires. They can’t do that with Supply.
The Libs make The Earthworm irrelevant. Next dummy spit will be against the Coalition I suppose.
btw, I’m mightily annoyed at Bob Katter. He left out a new state of New England on his map.
From The Poll Bludger:
I hope that this is not the case, even though he shouldn’t end up having much influence.
Tigtog at #40 – Senate usually gets to play with Appropriation Bills last week of June after its done a couple of weeks of ‘debate’ in Reps. Even if Fielding could hold it up, hold the bill back a week and hey presto! no Steve! Bewdiful (thanks again to Robert Merkel for providing link to APH page which showed passage of 2010-2011 – you just can’t be too careful)
Adrian, a link please?
Along with Wankerphon, Ken Lovell @6.
tigtog @37, and has it been witnessed by a magistrate or a high court judge?
If there was a dd, Fielding might be in for a nasty surprise. According to the OO, Labour’s vote has had a resurgence in Victoria and the LibXXXX vote has gone backwards.
[ableist slur redacted ~moderator]
They can hold off the approp bills until the new Senate sits in July. The whole Federal Budget used to be presented in August (ie after the fin year in question had started). It only changed to May sometime during the Howard years.
Fielding should be treated like the irrelevance he is about to become.
I should have added Greens vote has remained static.
This is sort of good news, as it nicely illustrates that, whatever else we might decide to retain of our stupid electoral system, there is no justification for the Constituional provision that the Senate remains unchanged until the first of July following an election, and by extension no justification for half-Senate elections and twice-as-long-as-the-House terms.
Our Senate electoral rules are like the US Electoral College: their only function is to frustrate and subvert the expression of the democratic will (however much of a reification that might be). That this wacko Christer thinks he’s now entitled to block legislation for nine months after losing his seat clearly demonstrates that.
Assuming that there is going to be a Labor Minority government in a week’s time, whatever centrist, leftist or green legislation that passes the lower house will almost certainly be blocked by a senate held hostage by Fielding and the Libs. This can be an opportunity to talk through important issues like climate change – not a citizens assembly as Gillard has proposed, but rather a scientific assembly or convention running several months, like the constitutional convention we had under Howard. The aim of this convention will be to inform politicians, especially AGW-skeptics like Bob Katter, so that any legislation we get on climate change will be scientifically informed. This convention should be held early next year. The legislation on carbon price can be put before the current Senate, say, in April, May or June. It won’t matter if the legislation is rejected. The legislation can be reintroduced to the Senate after July 2011. If the legislation is any good, it will be passed.
Austin asked
I did, but what really trouibled me was that the reporter asked not one substantive question. Not one question even when he claimed to be a “labour” party and there was some suggestion that they hadn’t had the media coverage they deserved.
Having noted that and their long absence from the stage she decided to leave it there. Apparently, the DLP chap thinks there are good people on both sides. Gosh …
I can’t see how this woman contributed her fraction of 8 cents per day worth of ABC content.
There you go tigtog: link
Sorry: link
First point.
[The budget] only changed to May sometime during the Howard years.
It was the Keating years.
Just a quick note, guys – don’t get hung up on the 50.5% two party preferred (TPP) figure – it’s wrong.
The proof is simple – the AEC have processed to TPP stage 11,079,615 votes so far, but the “50.5%” number is based on 5,374,840 ALP TPP votes and 5,290,758 Lib TPP votes – a shortfall of 414,017 votes.
The reason for this is simple. A full TPP distribution has not been done while the AEC are sorting out the situation in the seats that are not ALP / Coalition TPP. It will be done once the important stuff is done – like sorting out who won the seat.
I would expect the gap will change a bit, and maybe even disappear, once this proper distribution is done due to the voting pattern in the seats with a “non-standard” current TPP.
Steve Fielding has his legal right to vote whatever way he wants while he is still a Senator – even if his votes topples a minority government.
Why the uproar by the ALP now? When the ALP directed preferences to the greens to topple Fielding, it is ALP’s right. Fielding did not complain.
“Do unto others what you want others to do unto you”.
And the loser Gillard NOW say “we can work with Steve Fielding”. It’s too late Gillard.
Australia’s “Gorton Brown” must give up power now!!!
How long will Tony Windsor last. He was thinking of retiring. He will side with whoever he thinks will win and get a bigger pension. No doubt will only be in a very short time. Noticed Wilkie too frightened to take on the Racing Industry. We need checks where the Greens get their money from.
RT get off the grog mate, do unto others blah blah blah
He hasnt done a decent thing in that place at all, oh hang on he won the Chasers MAL Award, I got a laught outta that, thats was decent enough