[News] Politics and shit.

[moonvoice]

So this time, yesterday morning, Kevin Rudd was quite happily trucking along (reports on this vary) as the Prime Minister of Australia.

And then, within the Labor party, a few people staged kind of a coup, went to Dep Prime Minister Julia Gillard (who is fucking awesome, but we'll save that for a later time) and said, 'hey Julia, we're not so happy with Kevin Rudd. For bunches of reasons. Would you challenge him at the seat of PM?'

Julia was all like 'no way hozay... but... now that I think about it, okay, I'll be a reluctant challenger.'

And then Julia went to Mr. Rudd, yesterday, and was all like 'things aren't going so great, yo.' And Mr. Rudd, never being one to hide from a challenge says 'we'll put it to a vote within the party tomorrow morning. If you win, you will be the Prime Minister. And Australia's first female Prime Minister. Can you funk that up?'

Julia Gillard said, 'I don't know if I really want to Kevo, but we have to do what's best for the party, so sure, I'll metaphorically stab you in the back about six months before election time and we'll see if everyone likes me more, a la Gossip Girl popularity contest!'

Kevo smiles, because secretly he likes trashy American TV, and though he'd never admit it, this was a rare sign of solidarity between himself and Julia 'I like a bit of Strine' Gillard.

And then Wayne Swan drawled out something like, 'man, you guys make decisions faaaaaaast.'

So far the polls show that Julia Gillard is likely to win out and become the first female Prime Minister in Australia. But we'll all know in a couple of hours twenty minutes anyway. It'll all be over then.

Julia Gillard is Australia's first female Prime Minister. Kevo didn't even put himself up for re-vote.

* Note: Dialogue paraphrased for dramatic effect. ;)

Comments

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

I wish more political writing was like this. Instead of just ranting. Or long-suffering sighs. Or, well, dull.

Also: Go Julia Gillard!

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

I wish more political writing was just vaguely interesting and less jargon filled!

[belenen.livejournal.com]

haha! All history books should be written like this :D

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

Lol, yes!!! And every prime minister should say 'yo' and 'funk it up.'

[darakat-ewr.livejournal.com]

Heh. It totally happened like this!

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

It did! With less street-smarts. *grin*

[shadows-wolf06.livejournal.com]

I wonder what this means for the IWC.

I know Rudd finally got the government to initiate legal action against the Japanese whalers in the southern ocean.

What with the IWC convention meeting in Morocco at the moment, one wonders what this will mean for Australia's decision...

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

Be interesting to see.

In Australia though, the IWC isn't even considered nearly as relevant re: voter's support as the Emissions Trading Scheme, and the Mining Tax (the latter of which is what really fucked the Labor party into the ground).

The other thing is, the change in Prime Minister doesn't reflect a change in party. It's still a Labor government, and Labor overall doens't support whaling. That said, Rudd has been not so great when it comes to taking a formal stand against whaling, so if anything - Gillard will either be the same, or better. She can't be much worse!

[shadows-wolf06.livejournal.com]

In Australia though, the IWC isn't even considered nearly as relevant re: voter's support as the Emissions Trading Scheme, and the Mining Tax (the latter of which is what really fucked the Labor party into the ground).

Hmm, so my friend tells me.

At the moment, the IWC has decided to keep the ban on commercial whaling. Small miracles, considering Japan's blatant use of bribery and shady deals used to side some of the landlocked countries with their own agendas.

I know it took a while for Rudd to finally get the government to take as much of a stand as it finally has, so should be interesting to see what Gillard does in regards to that.

As far as our Resident Idiot (Obama) goes, I know he wanted to legalize it, but then so did Greenpeace.

Go figure.

It's sad when an "environmental conservation" organization votes to kill whales in an effort to somehow save them. Seriously, wtf? That doesn't even make sense...

But then, what do I know?

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

The issue with whaling in Australia is so complex, because a) the amount of profit western countries currently yield from eastern countries (and vice versa), and b) to take it to the point where a nation is prosecuted (as has nearly, and really *should* have happened in Australia, can destroy national relations to a very bad degree. And probably a great deal more of letter points, but those two come to mind right now.

What Australian politicians are asking themselves is - is it worth destroying Australia's relationship with Japan and then therefore other Eastern nations which are affiliated with Japan or need Japan's aid; on which our wealth is so significantly entangled with (we survived the recession very well, because of these relations) over whales? The answer, so far, is 'no.'

Of course, most everyone else's answer; the people, the citizens and so on, they are all 'yes! Of course!'

I like Obama, I don't think he's an idiot. I think all politicians make decisions we do and don't appreciate, no matter who we voted for (unless of course they're total despots, but that's another story).

As for the IWC, it's never straightforward. Both pro and anti-whalers have used underhanded tactics in the past, and there's no point in pointing fingers at things like bribery, when it really does happen on both sides.

The situation sucks, and is complex, and is not as straightforward as 'if we just don't hunt whales, everyone will be happy and politics will keep on going as it always has.' In a world where there is currently a war-that-pretends-it-isn't-a-war happening, and where Eastern relations with Australia are frequently balanced on a fine edge, and entwined with each other...

Well, it's not easy. I know what I'm in favour of, but I also know that it's not that straightforward for governments.

[shadows-wolf06.livejournal.com]

::sighs:: Most people from foreign nations still think Obama is their homeslice. A lot of Americans, however, are beginning to see what I did when I first looked at his policy of supposed Change.

See, when he first began running for President, he touted the fact that we needed Change. He acknowledge the fact that America needed reform. He said that he would be the one to bring it to the people.

Yet no one ever asked what reform he would bring, or what that Change would entail.

He's wasted the taxpayers money on personal trips around the country, he's posed for photo ops at places such as Louisiana before simply leaving without really helping solve shit, he's made promises on more than one occasion that he then turns around and breaks not five minutes later...

I understand that the job of a country's overseer is unimaginably hard and complex/complicated. I know that I could never do such. But I do think that there were others out there who would have had more of the people's best interests at heart.

I understand the fact that sometimes the Right Thing To Do is shadowy, vague, and enormously entwined in red tape and complex issues.

I also know that there are other times where the bureaucracy of governments trying not to call anyone wrong and step on the other one's toes causes more harm then good. Because there are times when people need to step up and call an ace an ace and a spade a spade rather than looking at a pair of sevens and saying it might beat two pocket aces after all.

The fact of the matter is, whale hunting was banned back in '86. Because of a loophole in the law, Japan found a way to capitalize on slaughtering hundreds of whales each year.

It's the same as if someone broke into your home and stole some of your stuff, yet because it's no longer in your possession and you don't have proof of ownership, you can't get it back from them, possession being nine-tenths of the law and all over here.

Fair? Definitely not. Screwed up? You betcha. Would it pass in a court of law? Possibly, depending on the evidence or lack thereof.

Fact is, it doesn't mean the law is right in that case.

I will be one of the first to admit that Paul Watson has turned around and instigated certain circumstances to get his agenda out in the open- but the fact of the matter is, so will he. And nine times out of ten, if he instigates something with Japan's whaling fleet, the whalers have the option of taking the higher route, but they never do.

Despite this fact, I admire Captain Watson greatly as he is fairly straightforward with what he's done in the past. If he's doing something to manipulate a situation, he has the gonads to admit that fact, openly and with the reason for why he's doing so.

If Japan wanted to turn around and admit that they're whaling for the meat under the guise of doing research, that'd be a whole other kettle of fish. It wouldn't make it any less wrong in my eyes, but at least I'd respect them for having a big enough set to admit it.

Hmm, I know that not everything is black and white- but I also know that globally, we've become a scared and timid people too afraid of stepping on another country's toes and risking retaliation for daring to have a difference of opinions.

We've become a world of cowards.

And it's people like the Sea Shepard organization who are standing up for what they believe is right that makes me believe that humanity might not be so lost after all.

It's a small glimmer of hope, but it's better than nothing.

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

Most people from foreign nations still think Obama is their homeslice.

They probably do; but that's not what I said. I specifically said that "I think all politicians make decisions we do and don't appreciate, no matter who we voted for (unless of course they're total despots, but that's another story)."

[shadows-wolf06.livejournal.com]

Hmm, I caught that, but you also stated that you like him. My comment was due in part to the fact that it seems many of my buddies from out of country seem to appreciate and respect him more often than not.

Thus the, "...Obama is their homeslice," comment.

As far as politicians being put on the spot to make decisions, despite how popular or unpopular they will be... well, the majority of us give them the power to do so as that's how they get into office in the first place.

I know there will never be a time where one politician is able to make the entire mass of citizens happy as there's so many opposing views throughout just one country's political system. I don't expect that there will ever be a Utopian society, but I do think that a politician should keep the promises they make before being elected (call me naive or innocent, I know, lol).

[tigerweave.livejournal.com]

I saw Peter Garret on lateline last night. He is over in Morocco and sounded like he had a damned good handle on it all. And not letting Tony Jones rattling him into making rash political statements, and kept putting the focus of the interview back onto the IWC meeting, rather than party politics.
He has come a loooooooooooong way since he first got in.

I am not too worried about how this will affect his performance there.

[anrui-ichido.livejournal.com]

LAWL.

This was fantastically written, also WOOT FEMALE PRIME MINISTER.

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

YES FEMALE PRIME MINISTER WITH RED HAIR FTW!

[liondaughter.livejournal.com]

See, if newspapers were written like this, I would actually read them and have more of a clue as to what was going on in the world. :)

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

Haha, I totally don't follow newspaper politics. I do go to ABC.net.au sometimes, because they're very good. But otherwise... I prefer my own radically inappropriate interpretation of events. *g*

[silverjackal.livejournal.com]

Heh. Hopefully this means good things for Australia in the future.

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

I hope so. Though election is due in lik a month / three months, so it might be a very short lived 'good things for Australia in the future.'

iiicons!

[sabr.livejournal.com]

I made stuffs. It's colorful. I want you to have it :)

Re: iiicons!

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

Oh so pretty!!!!

[gemfyre.livejournal.com]

Ah, if all politics was presented like this I may take an interest. :)

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

Lol, aw thank you. I was mostly entertaining myself. When I read it to Glen he just said a very droll, 'very funny. Ha. Ha.'

[crsg.livejournal.com]

Ooh yes, I read about this when I got up this morning. I'm afraid I don't know anything about Julia Gillard, so I'm not sure what the ramifications will be for Australia.

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure either, and I live here! Be interesting to see what happens; anyway.

[jet-ski.livejournal.com]

haha you're funny ;)

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

Funny looking!

[sistahraven.livejournal.com]

WOOOOT!

[tigerweave.livejournal.com]

I reckon it happened exactly as you wrote it here. I think they just came out and told the press a few fibs in the language-use dept.

I am sooo glad Rudd didn't oppose it. I think it looks a lot more um... solidarity than to have had a huge party-room brawl this close to an election.

*phew*

How fucking AWESOME!!!!

*big grin*

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

I'm both excited, nervous and stunned. I never thought I would see the day when Australia would have a minority PM.

She was also very awesome on the 7.30 Report. She handled Kerry O'Brien and also made him laugh out loud. Twice. She's got my vote.

[donnalotus.livejournal.com]

hahaha I love it, very well commentated ;) hehehe