Election Down Under

[Centerpiece]

This comes from a friend and musical colleague of mine who lives down under. He just sent this about an hour ago:
"Australia's election was today and the Labor party won in a landslide. Labor is the left-center party. So basically the exact opposite of what happened in the US last November. The election only goes for about 5 or 6 weeks so that is amazing right off the bat. Earlier in the year, just like Canada, it looked doubtful that Labor would win. But lo and behold the party trying to use the USA as their guiding light lost bigly.
I'm going to take a line from my grandmother and not use hateful words to say the candidate that we didn't care for, Peter Dutton, conceded the election and did not spew voter fraud or that he was cheated. It gave me some kind of weird fuzzy feeling, even though I hate the evil bastard, sorry grandma.
They even tried out their own version of MAGA with Make Australia Great Again. The polls immediately started going down. It didn't help that tariffs were dumped on one of the best allies the US had right during the election. Australia has followed the US into every war for the last 100 years. It made no sense to kick them in the teeth with tariffs and saying they have cheated the US. It's insane.
Australia doesn't seem to have the divisive issues like America. Guns are very restricted and nobody is in an uproar about that. In fact I haven't heard one word about it in the whole campaign. They don't seem to really care who you love or marry. They think a woman should have a right to chose her own health needs. They support national healthcare. Australians are the wealthiest retirees in the world because decades ago they set up a scheme to make sure of it.
So as I said pretty much at this moment in history Australia is the opposite of what is happening in the USA. I also wanted it noted that I didn't insult any American leaders directly by name. These are just the facts on the ground folks."

 

[Centerpiece]

BTW, my friend down there is actually an American from North Carolina. He married a gal from Tasmania. Although they live in the Southern Hemisphere, he comes back to N.C. regularly - at least once every year or so - to spend time with his mother and family here. He is well versed in both American and Australian politics and way of life. He knows what he's talking about, coming and going.

 

[NOVAHEEL13]

a tasmanian she-devil!

 

[Mulberry Heel]

This comes from a friend and musical colleague of mine who lives down under. He just sent this about an hour ago:
"Australia's election was today and the Labor party won in a landslide. Labor is the left-center party. So basically the exact opposite of what happened in the US last November. The election only goes for about 5 or 6 weeks so that is amazing right off the bat. Earlier in the year, just like Canada, it looked doubtful that Labor would win. But lo and behold the party trying to use the USA as their guiding light lost bigly.
I'm going to take a line from my grandmother and not use hateful words to say the candidate that we didn't care for, Peter Dutton, conceded the election and did not spew voter fraud or that he was cheated. It gave me some kind of weird fuzzy feeling, even though I hate the evil bastard, sorry grandma.
They even tried out their own version of MAGA with Make Australia Great Again. The polls immediately started going down. It didn't help that tariffs were dumped on one of the best allies the US had right during the election. Australia has followed the US into every war for the last 100 years. It made no sense to kick them in the teeth with tariffs and saying they have cheated the US. It's insane.
Australia doesn't seem to have the divisive issues like America. Guns are very restricted and nobody is in an uproar about that. In fact I haven't heard one word about it in the whole campaign. They don't seem to really care who you love or marry. They think a woman should have a right to chose her own health needs. They support national healthcare. Australians are the wealthiest retirees in the world because decades ago they set up a scheme to make sure of it.
So as I said pretty much at this moment in history Australia is the opposite of what is happening in the USA. I also wanted it noted that I didn't insult any American leaders directly by name. These are just the facts on the ground folks."

Never been to Australia myself - it's actually one of my bucket countries to visit someday - but from what I have read and seen it would seem that two other things separate Australia from America - it's much more urbanized, so the regressive rural vote matters less, and Australia is much more secular than the USA. They do have some religious fundies and conservative religious types - former PM Scott Morrison was one - but overall the Religious Right has far less power and influence in Australia than they do here. I'm sure those who know more and have lived there would know better, but from what I've been able to read and see that seems to be a big difference between the two countries.

 

[Kingpin]

Never been to Australia myself - it's actually one of my bucket countries to visit someday - but from what I have read and seen it would seem that two other things separate Australia from America - it's much more urbanized, so the regressive rural vote matters less, and Australia is much more secular than the USA. They do have some religious fundies and conservative religious types - former PM Scott Morrison was one - but overall the Religious Right has far less power and influence in Australia than they do here. I'm sure those who know more and have lived there would know better, but from what I've been able to read and see that seems to be a big difference between the two countries.

This is pretty much true in most western “Christian” countries. We are closer to Iran than Canada or Australia when it comes to religion and politics

 

[Centerpiece]

Never been to Australia myself - it's actually one of my bucket countries to visit someday - but from what I have read and seen it would seem that two other things separate Australia from America - it's much more urbanized, so the regressive rural vote matters less, and Australia is much more secular than the USA. They do have some religious fundies and conservative religious types - former PM Scott Morrison was one - but overall the Religious Right has far less power and influence in Australia than they do here. I'm sure those who know more and have lived there would know better, but from what I've been able to read and see that seems to be a big difference between the two countries.

I was there for a month, January 1987. Hot as hell. Got my white arse burnt to a crisp on Bondi Beach. Spent time in Sydney and Adelaide.

Yes, obviously right wing wackos have much less pull there. Note the gun laws for one, very obvious item.

That said, what I found was that Australia seemed as if it was a solid 20 years behind the USA in some weird way. 1987 down there “felt” and looked like 1967 in the U.S. (Yes I’m that old, I remember 1967. The Monkees we’re my favorite band and “I’m a Believer” was my favorite song. I had the old 45rpm record. The kind that needed the little plastic insert to play on my record player). But I digress.

The fact is, Canada, the Aussies and folks like Macron in France are speaking out and letting it be known that Democracy is alive and well and that Trump and the maga Republicans can go fuck themselves. Looking at you Silence Doo-right.

 

[mpaer]

I was there for a month, January 1987. Hot as hell. Got my white arse burnt to a crisp on Bondi Beach. Spent time in Sydney and Adelaide.

Yes, obviously right wing wackos have much less pull there. Note the gun laws for one, very obvious item.

That said, what I found was that Australia seemed as if it was a solid 20 years behind the USA in some weird way. 1987 down there “felt” and looked like 1967 in the U.S. (Yes I’m that old, I remember 1967. The Monkees we’re my favorite band and “I’m a Believer” was my favorite song. I had the old 45rpm record. The kind that needed the little plastic insert to play on my record player). But I digress.

The fact is, Canada, the Aussies and folks like Macron in France are speaking out and letting it be known that Democracy is alive and well and that Trump and the maga Republicans can go fuck themselves. Looking at you Silence Doo-right.

I was a guest at an english speaking Surgeons speciality couple day gala yrs ago in DC . These guys (yea mostly guys) were ,generally speaking , country club republicans-all very polite-nice clothes etc
The Australians were a blast . Cowboy hats for some -fun-party time My only real exposure to the Down Under world

 

[aGDevil2k]

BTW, my friend down there is actually an American from North Carolina. He married a gal from Tasmania. Although they live in the Southern Hemisphere, he comes back to N.C. regularly - at least once every year or so - to spend time with his mother and family here. He is well versed in both American and Australian politics and way of life. He knows what he's talking about, coming and going.

He's not from Kinston, is he?