We have had the psychic octopus for the world cup, now the Aussies have the psychic crocodile..

TGMatt
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Sat Aug 21, 2010 7:20 pm

...Because this is how we roll.....



willem
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Sun Aug 22, 2010 5:05 am

Dirty Harry....ahahaha,,,he was not chicken...


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neverfoundthetime
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Sun Aug 22, 2010 6:11 am

Did you guys get a Prime Minister yet Matt? Looked pretty close 50.7% to 49.3 at last call. Not too sure of Aussie politics and I'm sure it's wasps nest but... not sure I'd want the guy who thinks global warming is "bullshit" to get in... seeing as Australia is, per capita, one of the worlds biggest polluters. That would be a shame as I'm sure most Aussies are probably very conscious and protective of the environment. Don't shoot me mates... just an innocent thought!


willem
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Sun Aug 22, 2010 6:35 am

neverfoundthetime wrote:
Did you guys get a Prime Minister yet Matt? Looked pretty close 50.7% to 49.3 at last call. Not too sure of Aussie politics and I'm sure it's wasps nest but... not sure I'd want the guy who thinks global warming is "bullshit" to get in... seeing as Australia is, per capita, one of the worlds biggest polluters. That would be a shame as I'm sure most Aussies are probably very conscious and protective of the environment. Don't shoot me mates... just an innocent thought!

When the wind is east,do they have to pay us??,,we are polluters to but we are a litlle country.. lets ask ''dirty harry''.


haoli25
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Sun Aug 22, 2010 7:39 am

I think the Aussies are on to something here. Maybe would could borrow "Dirty Harry" for the next U.S. election. I would prefer to dangle the actual candidates and let Harry make his choice. :)



Bill


TGMatt
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Sun Aug 22, 2010 12:33 pm

haoli25 wrote:
I think the Aussies are on to something here. Maybe would could borrow "Dirty Harry" for the next U.S. election. I would prefer to dangle the actual candidates and let Harry make his choice. :)



Bill
Yes Bill my thoughts exactly..I have always been suspicious of anyone who wants to get into politics as a deliberate move..especially one who wants to "run" the country..but this idea of testing there true mettle appeals no end to me


tovo
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Sun Aug 22, 2010 2:45 pm

I thought I might give some information for anyone who cares to know:

The Conservative Party (called the Liberals in Australia which is confusing enough) looks to have won the popular vote. However they may not form Government.

We are headed for a hung Parliament. There are 150 seats in the House of Representatives and to form Government a party needs a majority - 76 seats. Neither major party looks like getting there due in part to the emergence of a 3rd party, the Greens. Rather Obviously they are environmentally focused. Additionally, 4 seats have been won by independents who belong to no major party.

What this means is that the 2 major parties must now negotiate with the 5 members (1 green and 4 independents) to help them form a minority government as neither have won enough seats to govern in their own right. This will take a week or so.

Regarding climate change, the leader of the opposition Tony Abbott, who Chris referred to as the "guy who thinks global warming is bullshit" has run a pretty tight campaign. He has used strong language in the past, unfortunate language I would say as that's what gets reported. His stated position is that he does not dispute that man-made pollution has a negative effect on the environment, but states that science has not yet determined the full extent of that effect. Not what an environmentalist wants to hear and not necessarily what I agree with but just clarifying it a bit.

Australia is a major polluter per capita. The previous Government sought to introduce a tough emissions trading scheme to address environmental concerns. The conservative party leader at the time (he was replaced before the election) supported it. It was actually the Greens who didn't support it as it didn't go far enough for them.

The debate in Australia right now is around the fact that if we introduce tough emissions trading schemes and the rest of the World doesn't, we will only make our industry uncompetitive. Although we are a high polluter per-capita, we are a drop in the Global ocean. Many argue that we will have little impact and send our economy broke. It needs to be a global solution.

Of course, others argue that we should show leadership on the issue and act regardless. The difference between the parties.

Asked to tip what will happen, I think the current government (Labor who are to the left of centre) will eventually form a government. So the "guy who thinks climate change is bullshit" will lose.

(The information provided is based on my interpretation and do not necessarily represent the views of all Australians...not even the ones on TG!)


haoli25
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Sun Aug 22, 2010 5:34 pm

Put "Dirty Harry" and two of his closest friends in a tank. Dangle one conservative, one labour, one green, and one independent by their feet over the tank. Survivor wins all. Hanging chads will not be counted. :laugh:


Bill


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neverfoundthetime
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Sun Aug 22, 2010 6:37 pm

Bill, the "hanging chads will not be counted" comment is just about the funniest comment I've heard concerning politics in umteen years. You kill me!

Tony, I'm a long long way away but it looks the about the same to me according to the news I get (BBC, Swiss, German, CNN, Al-Jazeera). You present a balanced view. Problem is that the trick about sowing the seed of doubt when it comes to climate change is all but innocent error or ill informed view. This tactic has been used systematically on the dangers of tobacco smoke, mobile phone emissions and climate change. Always coming from conservative circles or the related industries, always questioning the research although the research demonstrating the negative effects is usually overwhelming and not greatly in question in scientific cicles. Like the banks here, the mining companies seem to wield too much power over there.


tovo
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Sun Aug 22, 2010 7:21 pm

Hey Chris,

I certainly agree that the mining industry in Australia has tremendous power. That is a result of so much of our country's wealth being tied to natural resources of course.

I love politics and always happy to discuss with anyone who can manage to keep a balanced view.

Now that I have brought myself up to date with current developments I would say that the Labor victory I predicted is a lot less likely, so I guess I will go back to sitting on the fence.

Predicting the result with Octopus, crocodiles or pandas is as good a method as any at this stage.


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