WA By-election

[samFFC]

State election isn't until 2017. Federal election is the top priority.

Right. From a WA Labor perspective, they would probably prefer Federal distaste for Abbott-led government. Hence probably better for them to lose Canning in the long-term.

 

[Ratts of Tobruk]

One thing I realised today is that the LNP have changed the default direction of who they blame when a media storm erupts.

It used to be that the 'ivory tower elite' where to blame, but now it's Twitter. It was highlighted on Insiders by the clip which showed Andrew Hastie saying "I'll take that one" when someone directly questioned the PM about his future. Hastie's answer didn't come close to answering the question. He said "“I am very busy on the ground, I don’t have time to take counsel from the east-coast Twitterati.”

So unfortunately it looks like Hastie isn't the sort of great, independent thinker we want in Politics, but I thought the change in default blame was indicative. The 'elite' and Twitter aren't even close to being the same thing, but the former can be imagined as a minority, whereas the latter comes with the implication of widespread influence. Is it just a change they needed to make to account for how large the anti-Abbott sentiment is?

And I guess more on-topic do you think Hastie's odd intervention was more arrogance or naivety? I'm guessing the latter, but in that case the confidence with which he placed himself above the PM would have to suggest he has great disdain for the press.

 

[Maggie5]

One thing I realised today is that the LNP have changed the default direction of who they blame when a media storm erupts.

It used to be that the 'ivory tower elite' where to blame, but now it's Twitter. It was highlighted on Insiders by the clip which showed Andrew Hastie saying "I'll take that one" when someone directly questioned the PM about his future. Hastie's answer didn't come close to answering the question. He said "“I am very busy on the ground, I don’t have time to take counsel from the east-coast Twitterati.”

So unfortunately it looks like Hastie isn't the sort of great, independent thinker we want in Politics, but I thought the change in default blame was indicative. The 'elite' and Twitter aren't even close to being the same thing, but the former can be imagined as a minority, whereas the latter comes with the implication of widespread influence. Is it just a change they needed to make to account for how large the anti-Abbott sentiment is?

And I guess more on-topic do you think Hastie's odd intervention was more arrogance or naivety? I'm guessing the latter, but in that case the confidence with which he placed himself above the PM would have to suggest he has great disdain for the press.

I am still trying to work out how much safer we would be if he didn't serve his country which he keeps reminding us.

Judging from the look on Abbott's face not sure he appreciated the intervention by Hastie not answering the question.

Isn't the LNP all about the blame game?

 

[Ratts of Tobruk]

Paul Bongiorno backs the suggestion Hastie is arrogant rather than naive.

the brash young candidate Andrew Hastie jumped in on the PM as Abbott was about to answer a question about the latest round of leadership speculation. With all the bravado of someone convinced of their own self-importance, he scolded reporters: “I don’t have time to take counsel from the east coast Twitterati. There’s a significant disconnect between what people are saying over in the east and what is happening here in Canning.” Things must have changed dramatically in the past 7 months if that is the case. Back then, when he was organising the spill against Tony Abbott, the now deceased Don Randall said, “I can’t go to a shop without them saying to me, ‘You guys have got to do something about your leader.’ ” One letter writer to The West Australian thinks Randall may achieve in death what he didn’t in life: the removal of Abbott.

 

[Belnakor]

And I guess more on-topic do you think Hastie's odd intervention was more arrogance or naivety? I'm guessing the latter, but in that case the confidence with which he placed himself above the PM would have to suggest he has great disdain for the press.

he is already had a couple of cracks at the press. Don't think he is enjoying that too much.

to be fair if this was a normal selection he would not even be mentioned/interviewed unless he said something truly outrageous

 

[Ratts of Tobruk]

he is already had a couple of cracks at the press. Don't think he is enjoying that too much.

to be fair if this was a normal selection he would not even be mentioned/interviewed unless he said something truly outrageous

Your probably right, although the chopping off hands story would've come out even in a normal campaign. People dig around for stuff on every politician and that is a biggie. I'm surprised it died down so quickly. I imagine there are probably similar stories around the SAS and it's not in anyone's interests to publicise it since most people highly respect the work they do.

 

[Admiral Byng]

I have decided who to put dead last on the ballot paper:

http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/c...shout-after-court-noshow-20150908-gjhlcl.html

 

[pazza]

I have decided who to put dead last on the ballot paper:

http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/c...shout-after-court-noshow-20150908-gjhlcl.html

Classic!

 

[Ratts of Tobruk]

I have decided who to put dead last on the ballot paper:

http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/c...shout-after-court-noshow-20150908-gjhlcl.html

"I'm going to fight publicly for the next 30 years for all the political and government men to be jailed, including the magistrate Young."

Ms van Lieshout refused to reveal her whereabouts, or even if she was still in Western Australia. "I could be in China," she said. "I don't care, I want them all jailed - all the magistrates, all the judges."

Tough-on-crime, small govt libertarian then?

Ahh, here it is:

The Palmer United Party endorsed her candidacy for the seat of Fremantle in the 2013 federal election but dumped her 12 days later for not toeing the party line.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

he is already had a couple of cracks at the press. Don't think he is enjoying that too much.

If he's cracking it at local journalists he'll be eaten alive in Canberra. Army career has probably given him zero tolerance for being questioned or challenged by those 'below' him. Only going to take one opposition/crossbench MP calling him "hands" or "mutilator" for him to blow up. If he wins expect he'll do stuff all interviews for 6 months while he's coached through media training to ease his prick tendencies.

 

[WA ROO]

Only going to take one opposition/crossbench MP calling him "hands" or "mutilator" for him to blow up.

If one does I hope Hastie asks that person to repeat it outside parliament

 

[The Punter]

I wonder how the reaction would be if the ex-SAS MP asked another MP to "step outside"....

 

[Ratts of Tobruk]

I wonder how the reaction would be if the ex-SAS MP asked another MP to "step outside"....

?

That's what happens when people want to negotiate, so the reaction would be welcomed in the current parliament. It isn't a pub. The dude sleeping is Clive Palmer, an elected MP.

 

[The Punter]

I have brown hair.

 

[Ratts of Tobruk]

I had hoped the fact Hastie was ex-SAS would've been enough appeal for the Liberals, but it seems he unfortunately is also conforming to the stereotype of the Liberal right conservative. He advised on Operation Sovereign Borders and doesn't believe in Marriage Equality, according to the Australian Christians party. From the Guardian:

The Liberal candidate for the Canning byelection, Andrew Hastie, has refused to be drawn on whether he shares his father’s views on creationism, saying his religious views are irrelevant to voters, and that “people are sick of this crap”...“Like many Australians, I have a Christian faith, which presupposes the existence of a God,”...“I believe there was a God, I believe he was the first mover,” adding that there was “plenty of disagreement within Christianity itself about the specifics of creation, of theistic evolution”, before directing journalists to look up John Dickson, the founding director of the Centre for Public Christianity if they wanted a theological debate.

Dickson is not a 6-day creationist believer at all, and is pro-science, so I guess Hastie's hesitancy to be clear-cut would be in respect of his father, but I don't think there's a great need for another Liberal who is keen to placate religious zealots so it would've been good if Hastie was a bit stronger on this.

The media conference was called because Hastie wants harsher mandatory minimum sentences for ice dealers and manufacturers. That's a State issue, so he said he would lobby the Barnett government, but that also made him quickly hand-ball the issue on:

Hastie referred questions about how his proposal would affect prison overcrowding to the state corrections minister, Joe Francis... (Labor candidate) Keogh invoked his experience as a federal prosecutor with the office of the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, and said: “I understand what works... Seven years of the Barnett government so far, with their approach to crime, has lead to WA becoming the ice capital of Australia,” he said.

 

[Gough]

If they treated addiction as a health problem, not a criminal one it would go along way to sorting this. But it would mean spending money, although locking people isn't cheap, and a photo op with a pale, lank haired addict isn't of much appeal to the average MP

 

[Admiral Byng]

Got a pamphlet in the mail from Hastie the other day on the Armadale road widening scheme that both the Cockburn and Armadale city councils are lobbying for. He is promising to pressure Tony Abbott about it if elected. Not really much of a promise.

 

[Dry Rot]

I have decided who to put dead last on the ballot paper:

http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/c...shout-after-court-noshow-20150908-gjhlcl.html

You could vote for her rack

 

[Dry Rot]

And also this

 

[WA ROO]

I wonder how the reaction would be if the ex-SAS MP asked another MP to "step outside"....

Not what I was getting at
Outside parliament removes parliamentary privilege

 

[Goldenblue]

And also this

My vote for her in this by-election is going to be last, the woman is a danger to society.

 

[Power Raid]

looks like we could of had our own jacqui lambie

 

[Maggie5]

looks like we could of had our own jacqui lambie

Perhaps candidates should sit an IQ test and also put down a hefty deposit which is only returned if you receive over a certain number of votes.

 

[Power Raid]

Perhaps candidates should sit an IQ test and also put down a hefty deposit which is only returned if you receive over a certain number of votes.

I'm not sure of the solution but we clearly have a problem attracting good candidates.

My thoughts would be putting an experience requirement of 15-20 years work in the real world. This would prevent professional politicians fearing losing their seat as they already have wealth and a place to return to.

I feel that is why our current crop put their own careers ahead of the nations interests.

 

[Gough]

If Parliament wants to better represent us, then it should better reflect us, and we're not a nation of middle-aged, white men.