warning for profanity. I wrote it all down as I was thinking it, and now I don't have the oomph to edit for clarity/less profanity.
On comments: I'm happy to read comments where you genuinely think I've misread the policies of one or more groups. I'm not happy to read comments that tell me my politics are in any way wrong, and I'll probably censor those. Tonight, Eldest,
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artisanat , and I have sat around and investigated some of the groups fielding WA senate candidates for Saturday's federal election. Because we have had a double dissolution, there are 12 seats up for grabs, and 79 candidates making grabby hands. Topics that I'm specifically interested in: marriage equality; getting rid of mandatory off-shore detention; some kind of 'recognise and intend to try and ameliorate climate change'; not being in support of nuclear power or increased reliance on fossil fuel; nothing identifiable as hate speech or targeting specific groups ('upholding Western Values' appears to be a new code word for 'allow us to be racist nasties').
In no particular order, a somewhat rambling summary:
At this point, the Australia First Party, the Australian Liberty Alliance, and the Rise Up Australia party are labelled as weirdo racists who want to be allowed to be racists publically; the Christian Democrat, the Christians have been defined as people we don't want in parliament as the separation between church and state is important; the Cyclists have a lot of interesting things to say but i'm not keen on single issue parties (but at least they don't have a lot of things I disagree with); the Democratic Labour Party are for offshore detention and not for marriage equality, so they can go fuck themselves; the Citizens Electoral Council were written off as whackjobs before we even bothered to look at them; the Animal Justice party have many good policies and deserve revisiting, because we aren't sure about them, ditto the Mature Australia part and the Health Australia Party - the only real problem with that last group is the focus on alternative medicines, and I'm not even convinced that I shouldn't count with them, given that I do believe that there is a role for homeopathy (even if I believe that that role is to kick the placebo effect when nothing else has worked); VoteFlux stand for fuckwits, because i don't believe that their alternative system of government will lead to anything other than a race to the bottom; the Renewable Energy Party have some useful thing to say, but there are some nasty bits hidden in their constitution, which is the only place that there non-renewable-energy related policies are - something that hints at constraining access to safe and legal abortions fucking sucks; the Shooters, Fishers, and Farmers appear to be about 'let us shoot more things for sport', which, no - I'm okay with shooting for food, but that didn't sound like what they were asking for, and they are also against anything that might limit big business, like carbon taxes and the like.
Who have I missed? There are several I haven't looked up yet.
So. I'm in favour of the Greens. The Animal Justice Party are worth paying attention to, as are the Mature Australians (even if I'm worried that it is going to be Boomers fucking everything up for the rest of us. Again). I'm going to vote for the Socialist Alliance, because they might be left-wing nutjobs, but they are our left-wing nutjobs (and at least one of them I actively like as a person, and have hopes that they might be a useful member of parliament). I might give votes to the Health Australia Party of the assumption that they will vote the way I want on the kind of things that they will have access to, and the things that I don't agree with are the kind of things that aren't going to make it through anyway. And I'll be (partially) voting for Labour, with two of them going relatively high on the list (Our Louise, I will probably put first, because I'm still a bit cranky about a new person being parachuted in above her when the seat became available, even if I approve of the person themselves being in the senate. Conflicted is what I am).
Oh, and the Arts Party - in favour of marriage equality, down on banks, down on negative gearing, up on arts funding, and several other good things.
Have not looked up - Palmer United Party (who i remember having lots of useful things to say, but suffering from being led by Clive Palmer), Hinch's Justice Party (eldest read out some of this, I'd probably need a second opinion on what reforms he wants to the justice system and whether they are realistic and benefit the poor more than the rich), the Lib Dems (who I remember liking, for a value of 'voted them above the Liberals, but below all the people I actually like'), the Xenophon candidates (which one of Vote Compass or Hate Compass suggested should be my third choice, after Greens and Labour). Am probably going to ignore the 'Group V' candidates, unless someone does something spectacular to bring them to my attention. Will eventually think about the ungrouped candidates - I see that there are four independents, one Kattar's Australia Party (which above mentioned compass suggested I would rank fourth), and one 'AAP' which I haven't yet investigated, and may not bother with.
As for the Libs - I'm conflicted. I'm not voting for Michaelia Cash. At all. I'm just not sure that I'm going to give any of them votes. Because on the one hand, I'd rather them than some of the loonies. But on the other, if the votes get spread across the loonies, then the Libs have less power.
