times like these, I seriously love my country

[tielan]

Aussie politics: toting, voting, and democracy sausaging ourselves through a federal election, practically before the Americans (having sat through a year of political circus and with another seven months to go) have even worked out who their final candidates will be...

ETA: Our PM has called for an early federal election this year, possibly through what's known as a "Double Dissolution".

A DD is where the Governor General - the representative of the Queen - basically tells the House of Reps and the Senate that they're a bunch of useless wankers, fires their asses, and requires the country to vote some (hopefully) not-so-useless wankers into the empty houses of parliament.

It generally happens when the Prime Minister (from the House of Reps) can't get anything done due to obstruction in the Senate and basically throws the baby out with the bathwater to start it all over again. (It does require him having to throw himself out with the bathwater, too, however, which is why it doesn't happen very often.)

Looks like it's time to start checking out Senator profiles...

Comments

[heliopausa]

My auspollie pin-up is Senator Penny Wong; I've got a lot of time for Senator Xenophon, too, but don't like that he's backing the current changes to the Senate. "Danger... danger, Nick Xenophon!" (to be said in a robot voice, of course)

[tielan]

I think I keep getting Xenophon mixed up with the crazy Family First guy.

[heliopausa]

:D Which proves definitively you're not South australian! (Nick has made a very big impact here; he's a canny politician when it comes to making his mark.)

[beatrice_otter]

HOLY COW I WISH WE HAD SOMETHING LIKE THE DD.

[tielan]

Well, there are mixed feelings about it in Australian media right now...

[everbright]

Damn, that is fascinating. I remember hearing about DD before, but I never expected to see it. *digs into AUS political coverage*