The Future Party was set up by a group of maths and computer science types who are for the betterment of society by greater application of technology. With a starting point like that, there's a fair bit that I agree with them on. High speed rail, greater funding for education and research, a strictly secular government, marriage equality, supporting genetically modified organisms, and supporting the carbon tax.
Some of their tax ideas raise some doubts. Replacing rates, stamp duty, and some other taxes with a single land tax charged when the property is sold may reduce some deadweight loss, but would make it a bit trickier for councils used to a regular rates charge each year to manage their cash flows. And saying that governments are addicted to the revenue from sin taxes and so these should be set independently is an argument that could be applied to any tax.
They are the only Australian group I've seen suggest electronic voting done the right way (electronic voting device produces human readable voting paper, which voter checks before submitting, randomized checks of electronic totals vs paper totals with paper totals being primary). They also want to see more proportional representation in parliament, in the lower house by combining electorates into larger areas that each elect 3 members, and by making the senate a single nationwide electorate (the senate would be the trickier one constitutionally).
Their really big idea is founding a charter city called Turing (no disrespect to Alan Turing, but surely there's a local scientist we could name it after) to be devoted to education and R&D, making it an Australian Silicon Valley. Built from the start to support a high population density the target population is around the 5 million mark in a 10kmx10km square.
The Future Party has two senate candidates in New South Wales, and a single house of representatives candidate in New South Wales and Queensland.
website: http://futureparty.org.au/
twitter: @FuturePartyAus (although @FuturePartyQLD is a bit more active)
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FuturePartyAustralia
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Party Games 26/54 Family First
Family First. Putting families first. But only if your family is mum, dad, 2.3 kids, and god. A tax plan based on the appeal of round numbers, outright denial of climate change, and zero tolerance on drugs round out the conservative checklist.
Their tax plan is 20/20/20. That's like 20 times better than 20/20, which is perfect or something. More seriously, their plan is 20% flat income tax with a 20k tax free threshold and 20% company tax. No indication of what they'll cut to make up for all the lost revenue, and no recognition of why flat taxes are bad. They also want to end transfers between state and federal government, instead expecting each to raise their own funds (currently federal raises a lot of money through income tax, the GST, and company taxes of which a large chunk gets funneled to the states).
Family First has candidates for the senate in all 6 states.
website: http://familyfirst.org.au/
twitter: @familyfirstaust
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FamilyFirstAustralia
Their tax plan is 20/20/20. That's like 20 times better than 20/20, which is perfect or something. More seriously, their plan is 20% flat income tax with a 20k tax free threshold and 20% company tax. No indication of what they'll cut to make up for all the lost revenue, and no recognition of why flat taxes are bad. They also want to end transfers between state and federal government, instead expecting each to raise their own funds (currently federal raises a lot of money through income tax, the GST, and company taxes of which a large chunk gets funneled to the states).
Family First has candidates for the senate in all 6 states.
website: http://familyfirst.org.au/
twitter: @familyfirstaust
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FamilyFirstAustralia
Party Games 25/54 Drug Law Reform Australia
Another quick single issue party. Drug Law Reform Australia wants less strict drug laws for Australia. They want to legalize and tax cannabis, and decriminalize other drugs. They look to Portugal, New Zealand, and Colorado as examples of how this can be done well.
On other issues they have said that any elected members will have a conscience vote, with the exception that they won't block supply.
Drug Law Reform Australia has senate candidates in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and the ACT.
website: http://www.druglawreform.com.au/
twitter: @DrugLawReform
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrugLawReformAustralia
On other issues they have said that any elected members will have a conscience vote, with the exception that they won't block supply.
Drug Law Reform Australia has senate candidates in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and the ACT.
website: http://www.druglawreform.com.au/
twitter: @DrugLawReform
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrugLawReformAustralia
Party Games 24/54 Democratic Labour Party
The Democractic Labour Party are a blast from the past. They split off from Labor in 1955 over concerns that communists were taking over the Labor Party, they held balance of power in the senate for a while before being wiped out electorally in the double dissolution election of 1974. They went on the wane then, dieing out in all but Victoria in 1978. They returned to the Victorian state parliament in 2006 and the federal Senate in 2010. Historically, they are predominantly Catholics, and the inclusion of other denominations of Christians has caused some internal conflicts. (Thank you wikipedia for a history lesson)
One policy of theirs that caught my eye was the creation of an Federal Development Bank. Intended to raise funds for federal and state government projects, they don't exactly explain how it will work. They don't explain where it will get its money, but do rule out a few options by saying it won't be from overseas and that it will be separate from the RBA, and not part of the budget.
Given their Catholic membership, they are anti-abortion, anti-same sex marriage, pro-school vouchers.
For the wow factor, they propose the development of fusion reactor technology to provide cheap energy, although I think it's going to be a bit more work to get going than they think it will be.
The Democratic Labour Party are running candidates for the senate in Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, Queensland and New South Wales, as well as candidates for the House of Representatives.
website: http://www.dlp.org.au/
twitter: @DLPAustralia
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Democratic-Labor-Party-DLP-of-Australia
One policy of theirs that caught my eye was the creation of an Federal Development Bank. Intended to raise funds for federal and state government projects, they don't exactly explain how it will work. They don't explain where it will get its money, but do rule out a few options by saying it won't be from overseas and that it will be separate from the RBA, and not part of the budget.
Given their Catholic membership, they are anti-abortion, anti-same sex marriage, pro-school vouchers.
For the wow factor, they propose the development of fusion reactor technology to provide cheap energy, although I think it's going to be a bit more work to get going than they think it will be.
The Democratic Labour Party are running candidates for the senate in Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, Queensland and New South Wales, as well as candidates for the House of Representatives.
website: http://www.dlp.org.au/
twitter: @DLPAustralia
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Democratic-Labor-Party-DLP-of-Australia
Party Games 23/54 Country Liberals
I'm not going to write much for the Country Liberals. They are the NT branch of the Liberal Party but for some reason is registered separately with the AEC. Their own website says to look at the main Liberal Party site for policy information, so there's not much point dealing with them here as a separate entity.
They have candidates running for the senate in NT.
website: http://www.countryliberals.org.au/
They have candidates running for the senate in NT.
website: http://www.countryliberals.org.au/
Party Games 22/54 Country Alliance
The Country Alliance is a rural issues party based in Victoria branching out into federal politics. They seem to me to be similar to the Nationals without the baggage of being part of the Coalition and less of a focus on agriculture and more on day to day life in rural areas. Because of this most of their policies focus on Victoria, but most would generalize to a national level.
They want less restrictions on fishing and hunting, better access to healthcare in rural areas, the elimination of the carbon tax, government departments relocated out of the major cities, doubling the number of boat ramps, greater prosecution of environmental protestors, tax concessions for business and people in rural areas, and a halt to privatization.
The Country Alliance is running for the senate in South Australia, Tasmania, and Victoria.
website: http://www.countryalliance.org/
twitter: @CountryAlliance
They want less restrictions on fishing and hunting, better access to healthcare in rural areas, the elimination of the carbon tax, government departments relocated out of the major cities, doubling the number of boat ramps, greater prosecution of environmental protestors, tax concessions for business and people in rural areas, and a halt to privatization.
The Country Alliance is running for the senate in South Australia, Tasmania, and Victoria.
website: http://www.countryalliance.org/
twitter: @CountryAlliance
Party Games 21/54 Citizen's Electoral Council
There's a man named Lyndon LaRouche. He's a bit of a nutjob who has made a habit of running for President over in america. And he has an Australian fan club, the Citizen's Electoral Council.
The position of the Citizen's Electoral Council is a bit hard to get your head around. At least it is once that start explaining the reasons behind the policy. A lot of it has to do with a conspiracy involved the British Royal family still controlling everything for the benefit of the financial firms in the City of London (the dutch are mixed up in there as well somehow).
So where does this lead them to. They want a reorganization of the entire world finance system, and a return to fixed exchange rates (ask the UK or Argentina how trying to maintain an exchange rate worked for them). They want Australia to become a US style republic, set up a national bank to give out loans at 2% interest rates, prohibit foreclosures on homes and farms, nationalize mining and oil and gas production
On the plus side, they are very keen on building infrastructure such as railways, expanding public health services, are pro nuclear power, and want to start up an Australian space program.
The Citizen's Electoral Council has candidates for the senate in Victoria and the Northern Territory
website: http://www.cecaust.com.au/
The position of the Citizen's Electoral Council is a bit hard to get your head around. At least it is once that start explaining the reasons behind the policy. A lot of it has to do with a conspiracy involved the British Royal family still controlling everything for the benefit of the financial firms in the City of London (the dutch are mixed up in there as well somehow).
So where does this lead them to. They want a reorganization of the entire world finance system, and a return to fixed exchange rates (ask the UK or Argentina how trying to maintain an exchange rate worked for them). They want Australia to become a US style republic, set up a national bank to give out loans at 2% interest rates, prohibit foreclosures on homes and farms, nationalize mining and oil and gas production
On the plus side, they are very keen on building infrastructure such as railways, expanding public health services, are pro nuclear power, and want to start up an Australian space program.
The Citizen's Electoral Council has candidates for the senate in Victoria and the Northern Territory
website: http://www.cecaust.com.au/
Party Games 20/54 Christian Democratic Party (Fred Nile Group)
Another religious party spouting its ideas that all would be right if we were just good Christians who did what god told us. But what would you expect from a party led by a man who left his church when they "officially decided to part with a literal interpretation of the Judeo-Christian Bible" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Nile).
The policies of such a group aren't going to surprise anyone. Mandatory filtering of the internet, a reduction in taxes on the rich (they want a maximum income tax rate of 30%, although they do also want to raise the tax free threshold), consider freedom of religion to mean freedom to be Christian, no to abortion, no to same-sex marriage, a 10 year ban on Muslim immigrants, no to the carbon tax and deny climate change (well are agnostic about it1), want all businesses to be closed on Sundays, teach creationism as science in school, support chaplains in schools. It's almost like they were writing the list of ways to get me to not vote for them.
I don't support using a religion as a basis for policy, and I don't like the policies they've developed from that basis. The policies are exclusionary, discriminatory, and controlling.
They have 5 candidates for the senate in NSW.
website: http://www.cdp.org.au/
twitter: @FredNile
1) I find it hilarious that they will take a position of being agnostic on climate change but have no doubts about the god thing.
The policies of such a group aren't going to surprise anyone. Mandatory filtering of the internet, a reduction in taxes on the rich (they want a maximum income tax rate of 30%, although they do also want to raise the tax free threshold), consider freedom of religion to mean freedom to be Christian, no to abortion, no to same-sex marriage, a 10 year ban on Muslim immigrants, no to the carbon tax and deny climate change (well are agnostic about it1), want all businesses to be closed on Sundays, teach creationism as science in school, support chaplains in schools. It's almost like they were writing the list of ways to get me to not vote for them.
I don't support using a religion as a basis for policy, and I don't like the policies they've developed from that basis. The policies are exclusionary, discriminatory, and controlling.
They have 5 candidates for the senate in NSW.
website: http://www.cdp.org.au/
twitter: @FredNile
1) I find it hilarious that they will take a position of being agnostic on climate change but have no doubts about the god thing.
Party Games 19/54 Carer's Alliance
Another single issue quick rundown. The Carer's Alliance is about getting more for those with special needs. The disabled, the elderly, the mentally ill. They want more support for these people, as well as giving them more control over how that support is provided (give them the cash, rather than paying a service provider who might not be able to give them exactly what they need). Not surprisingly, they are strongly in favor of the NDIS. The two questions I have are who gets to decide exactly how much support is needed in each case, and where will the extra funds come from?
The Carer's Alliance has 2 candidates for the Senate in NSW.
website: http://www.carers.org.au/
The Carer's Alliance has 2 candidates for the Senate in NSW.
website: http://www.carers.org.au/
Party Games 18/54 Bullet Train Australia
Another single issue party, but this time an issue I can really get behind. The Bullet Train Australia party wants fast trains for Australia. Having enjoyed the shinkasen in Japan and the KTX in Korea, I appreciate what fast trains can achieve. I'd love to have something like that in Australia.
They've also taken a step that I've not seen from other single issue parties. They have said that any of their candidates who get elected will abstain from voting on non fast train issues, although they leave themselves an escape clause for conscience votes. With this in mind, they have absolutely no positions on anything else. I can see the reasoning behind the decision, but don't see it working if the next parliament is as finely balanced as the last one, or in the senate anytime in the last 15-20 years or so.
website: http://bullettrainforaustralia.com.au/
twitter: @BulletTrainAust
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bullettrainforcanberra
They've also taken a step that I've not seen from other single issue parties. They have said that any of their candidates who get elected will abstain from voting on non fast train issues, although they leave themselves an escape clause for conscience votes. With this in mind, they have absolutely no positions on anything else. I can see the reasoning behind the decision, but don't see it working if the next parliament is as finely balanced as the last one, or in the senate anytime in the last 15-20 years or so.
website: http://bullettrainforaustralia.com.au/
twitter: @BulletTrainAust
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bullettrainforcanberra
Party Games 17/54 Buliding Australia Party
A logo with an Australia made out of bricks. They are deeply concerned with housing affordability, public transport, public health, and the environment. An odd combination of policies, but as this is the party of the building industry, we'll see just how these tie together.
How to improve housing affordability? In a few ways. More land to build on, subsidizing infrastructure costs, and most importantly, reducing regulation of the industry. They have a really impressive idea on how to do this. They want to set up an Independent Building Commission. This Commission would assess all laws and regulations that affect the Building, Construction and Planning industries. Presumably this would include some sort of power over said laws and regulations or else why bother. The way they describe it is that it would have power over federal, state, and local governments, which is problematic. I also have the strong feeling that they know the type of people they would like on the commission, and that the phrase "regulatory capture" would often be mentioned in criticisms if it were set up.
There other policies also become a bit more understandable when looking at the specifics with the party's background in mind. Better public health is to be achieved by constructing new regional health centres. Public transport should be improved by building new rail links and transport hubs. Their plan to protect the Murray Darling system is to replace existing irrigation infrastructure with new lined and covered channels or pipes. Their position on the right of workers to choose how they work is to enshrine the position of the contractor and sub-contractor.
If you're a builder ready to expand your business, they've got a lot for you. If not, they've got a bunch of your tax dollars that they're ready to spend.
website: http://www.buildingaustralia.org.au/
twitter: @BuildAustralia
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BuildingAustraliaParty
How to improve housing affordability? In a few ways. More land to build on, subsidizing infrastructure costs, and most importantly, reducing regulation of the industry. They have a really impressive idea on how to do this. They want to set up an Independent Building Commission. This Commission would assess all laws and regulations that affect the Building, Construction and Planning industries. Presumably this would include some sort of power over said laws and regulations or else why bother. The way they describe it is that it would have power over federal, state, and local governments, which is problematic. I also have the strong feeling that they know the type of people they would like on the commission, and that the phrase "regulatory capture" would often be mentioned in criticisms if it were set up.
There other policies also become a bit more understandable when looking at the specifics with the party's background in mind. Better public health is to be achieved by constructing new regional health centres. Public transport should be improved by building new rail links and transport hubs. Their plan to protect the Murray Darling system is to replace existing irrigation infrastructure with new lined and covered channels or pipes. Their position on the right of workers to choose how they work is to enshrine the position of the contractor and sub-contractor.
If you're a builder ready to expand your business, they've got a lot for you. If not, they've got a bunch of your tax dollars that they're ready to spend.
website: http://www.buildingaustralia.org.au/
twitter: @BuildAustralia
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BuildingAustraliaParty
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Party Games 16/54 Bank Reform Party
The Bank Reform Party just seems to be a rather expensive way of having a whinge about the banks. They bemoan the lack of competition among the big 4, high interest rates (despite interest rates being very low at the moment). They want to promote more competition by encouraging non-bank lenders.
Another fun idea of theirs is to place restrictions on the terms lenders can offer to borrowers to make them less strict on borrowers. Now for a group who are concerned about interest rates, forcing banks to take on greater risks, to which they will respond by raising rates, is of course a good idea.
They don't seem to actually be running any candidates, so you don't have to work out where you need to rank them. For me they'd probably be near the top of the bottom half. Nothing to really vote for, but also nothing bad to make me put them near the bottom of the list.
website: http://brp.org.au/
twitter: @BRPvote1
Another fun idea of theirs is to place restrictions on the terms lenders can offer to borrowers to make them less strict on borrowers. Now for a group who are concerned about interest rates, forcing banks to take on greater risks, to which they will respond by raising rates, is of course a good idea.
They don't seem to actually be running any candidates, so you don't have to work out where you need to rank them. For me they'd probably be near the top of the bottom half. Nothing to really vote for, but also nothing bad to make me put them near the bottom of the list.
website: http://brp.org.au/
twitter: @BRPvote1
Party Games 15/54 Australian Voice
Australian Voice have a novel concept for running a party. Rather than the traditional state based sub branches, they have set up sub-branches based on specialist interests, so there's a doctors sub branch, a farmers sub branch, etc, etc. A rather odd choice for a party that feels special interest groups have too much influence.
Policy wise they are a bit of a mixed bag. On the pro side are greater funding for universities and healthcare, high speed railway, and a full review of all the subsidies and concessions businesses get. On the con side are scrapping the carbon tax, introducing levies on imports and ridiculously strict rules for food imports, limiting protected marine parks to an arbitrary round number of 10% (if you say that you want to do a full scientific review to see what amount of protect areas is appropriate while also saying what you want the result to be, you're not being serious about wanting a full scientific review), and providing subsidized loans to farmers. Overall I think the cons outweigh the pros.
Linking to a conspiracy website called truthology that seems to offer a mix of scientology and get rich quick schemes makes me wonder how serious they are.
Australian Voice are running senate Candidates in NSW, WA, Queensland and Victoria, and a few house of representative seats in NSW and Queensland.
Website: http://av.org.au/
twitter: @Voice4Australia
Policy wise they are a bit of a mixed bag. On the pro side are greater funding for universities and healthcare, high speed railway, and a full review of all the subsidies and concessions businesses get. On the con side are scrapping the carbon tax, introducing levies on imports and ridiculously strict rules for food imports, limiting protected marine parks to an arbitrary round number of 10% (if you say that you want to do a full scientific review to see what amount of protect areas is appropriate while also saying what you want the result to be, you're not being serious about wanting a full scientific review), and providing subsidized loans to farmers. Overall I think the cons outweigh the pros.
Linking to a conspiracy website called truthology that seems to offer a mix of scientology and get rich quick schemes makes me wonder how serious they are.
Australian Voice are running senate Candidates in NSW, WA, Queensland and Victoria, and a few house of representative seats in NSW and Queensland.
Website: http://av.org.au/
twitter: @Voice4Australia
Party Games 14/54 Australian Stable Population Party
The Australian Stable Population Party has identified the root of all our problems. It's too many people. Housing too expensive, too many people. Traffic jams, too many people. Overcrowded schools, too many people. And they have a solution, no more people. From the current population of 23 million, they want us to aim for 26 million at 2050. By my rough calculation, this would require us to stop all immigration and reduce the birth rate to about 75% of it's current level1.
They have a few ideas on how to achieve this. First is zero net immigration, where immigrants are only allowed in when someone emigrates. This means effectively no immigration2. They'll also end the unrestricted immigration of New Zealanders, so any Kiwis who want to come over Second is a getting rid of financial support for children beyond the second, so no birth payments or parental leave for the third kid and beyond. Doing it this way seems a bit harsh, although to be honest I'd rather see the birth payment gotten rid of entirely, but then again quite like the this idea from Finland.
They also feel that what's good for the goose is good for the gander and wants to tie foreign aid with recipients making efforts to reduce their population growth.
Given Australia's rather low population density, I disagree with their rather low numbers for what can be sustained. People have been predicting Malthusian catastrophe's since Malthus in 1798 and it's not happened yet. I think better infrastructure using better technology, more support for high density housing, better mass transit, and so forth would allow us to support many more people in our cities.
They have avoided taking a stand on other policy matters, thinking that population is the be all, end all of concerns. They are running candidates for the senate in every state and territory, plus a handful of house of representative candidates.
Website: http://www.populationparty.org.au/
twitter: @PopulationParty
1) given a current population of 23 million and a target of 26 million for 2050, assuming a constant rate of growth for the population, the rate of growth r = (26/23)^(1/35) = 1.0035 (I used 35 years instead of 37 as it's a rounder number). For this year that would mean a population gain of 80,000. In 2011 (the most recent year I could find ABS stats for) there were 297,903 births and 146,932 deaths, net growth 150,971 or twice the desired level. Reducing the births to 75% of what it was gets a net population growth of around 75,000, about the level suggested.
2) Emigration of citizens is pretty much balanced out by returning citizens, not leaving much for immigrants under a zero net immigration policy. ABS Migration stats
They have a few ideas on how to achieve this. First is zero net immigration, where immigrants are only allowed in when someone emigrates. This means effectively no immigration2. They'll also end the unrestricted immigration of New Zealanders, so any Kiwis who want to come over Second is a getting rid of financial support for children beyond the second, so no birth payments or parental leave for the third kid and beyond. Doing it this way seems a bit harsh, although to be honest I'd rather see the birth payment gotten rid of entirely, but then again quite like the this idea from Finland.
They also feel that what's good for the goose is good for the gander and wants to tie foreign aid with recipients making efforts to reduce their population growth.
Given Australia's rather low population density, I disagree with their rather low numbers for what can be sustained. People have been predicting Malthusian catastrophe's since Malthus in 1798 and it's not happened yet. I think better infrastructure using better technology, more support for high density housing, better mass transit, and so forth would allow us to support many more people in our cities.
They have avoided taking a stand on other policy matters, thinking that population is the be all, end all of concerns. They are running candidates for the senate in every state and territory, plus a handful of house of representative candidates.
Website: http://www.populationparty.org.au/
twitter: @PopulationParty
1) given a current population of 23 million and a target of 26 million for 2050, assuming a constant rate of growth for the population, the rate of growth r = (26/23)^(1/35) = 1.0035 (I used 35 years instead of 37 as it's a rounder number). For this year that would mean a population gain of 80,000. In 2011 (the most recent year I could find ABS stats for) there were 297,903 births and 146,932 deaths, net growth 150,971 or twice the desired level. Reducing the births to 75% of what it was gets a net population growth of around 75,000, about the level suggested.
2) Emigration of citizens is pretty much balanced out by returning citizens, not leaving much for immigrants under a zero net immigration policy. ABS Migration stats
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Party Games 13/54 Australian Sports Party
The Australian Sports Party has a pretty clear focus. Sports. They want us to play more sports. Apparently this is the cornerstone of Australian society and we need to be doing more of it. This is the key to building strong communities and healthy Australians.
Given that I'm not much of an athlete, this is a tough sell to me. The physical exercise I do tends to be of a solitary nature, and trying to cajole me into a team sport isn't going to work. I do broadly support their aims, but question why they need to be a political party to achieve them And it's not like sport doesn't get plenty of government support anyway. From Abbot promising the Broncos a few million before the debate there to the ongoing funding of the AIS, sport gets a pretty easy ride.
Maybe if they were to encourage the sports I like I might be more receptive. Promising support for non-mainstrream sports such as chess boxing, Johan Sebastian Joust, and esports like competitive Starcraft might catch my attention, but they've not done that. They are a blokes party for those who enjoy blokey sports.
Website: http://www.australiansportsparty.com/
Given that I'm not much of an athlete, this is a tough sell to me. The physical exercise I do tends to be of a solitary nature, and trying to cajole me into a team sport isn't going to work. I do broadly support their aims, but question why they need to be a political party to achieve them And it's not like sport doesn't get plenty of government support anyway. From Abbot promising the Broncos a few million before the debate there to the ongoing funding of the AIS, sport gets a pretty easy ride.
Maybe if they were to encourage the sports I like I might be more receptive. Promising support for non-mainstrream sports such as chess boxing, Johan Sebastian Joust, and esports like competitive Starcraft might catch my attention, but they've not done that. They are a blokes party for those who enjoy blokey sports.
Website: http://www.australiansportsparty.com/
Party Games 12/54 The Voluntary Euthanasia Party
To sleep, perchance to dream, or maybe not given the rather unlikely existence of an afterlife. The Voluntary Euthanasia Party is all about people having the right to end their life when all that looms before them is pain. Given that one of the founders is Dr Philip Nitschke, who is also a senate candidate in the ACT (good luck with that (they also have a second senate candidate for the ACT which is either a sign of too much cash or too much optimism)), their position on the matter should be pretty clear.
Thinking about this party has raised an inconsistency in my thinking. I'm generally against suicide on the basis that no matter how bleak and miserable life may be, being alive is better than being dead. However, I've also been generally supportive of the right to choose when you leave this world. Why am I ok with it as an escape from pain and old age, but not from depression and misery. Maybe it is a false contrast of suicide being an escape or cop out, while euthanasia is an acknowledgement that life must end and that it may be better to do so on ones own terms than on the cruel ones nature offers. Both descriptions could be used for each other. Maybe I'm just more willing to accept someone old wanting to end it all while thinking someone younger has more potential. If you only have one or two more years it seems less of a waste than if you have 30-50 more years of life you're throwing away. I think I will need to do some more thinking on the topic before reaching a conclusion.
That said, if you support euthanasia, there are other parties that do so which also have policies on other matters as well. If you care about more than just this issue you may want to look into them and pick one as the Voluntary Euthanasia Party haven't told us what they think of other issues or committed to not voting on other matters, so unless you feel like taking a roll of the dice on their position on the NBN, Carbon Tax, parental leave or other issue of choice, you can probably find another party that supports both that may be a better first choice. If you really want to make a statement about your support of the issue and not so much about other stuff, then they may be your guys.
Website: http://vep.org.au/
Thinking about this party has raised an inconsistency in my thinking. I'm generally against suicide on the basis that no matter how bleak and miserable life may be, being alive is better than being dead. However, I've also been generally supportive of the right to choose when you leave this world. Why am I ok with it as an escape from pain and old age, but not from depression and misery. Maybe it is a false contrast of suicide being an escape or cop out, while euthanasia is an acknowledgement that life must end and that it may be better to do so on ones own terms than on the cruel ones nature offers. Both descriptions could be used for each other. Maybe I'm just more willing to accept someone old wanting to end it all while thinking someone younger has more potential. If you only have one or two more years it seems less of a waste than if you have 30-50 more years of life you're throwing away. I think I will need to do some more thinking on the topic before reaching a conclusion.
That said, if you support euthanasia, there are other parties that do so which also have policies on other matters as well. If you care about more than just this issue you may want to look into them and pick one as the Voluntary Euthanasia Party haven't told us what they think of other issues or committed to not voting on other matters, so unless you feel like taking a roll of the dice on their position on the NBN, Carbon Tax, parental leave or other issue of choice, you can probably find another party that supports both that may be a better first choice. If you really want to make a statement about your support of the issue and not so much about other stuff, then they may be your guys.
Website: http://vep.org.au/
Party Games 11/54 Coke In The Bubblers Party
Ah for the days when we were all voting on class captains. A rather meaningless role with no actual consequence except for getting a shiny badge. Or maybe that was just my school. Although at my school no one ever promised coke in the bubblers. I don't think they ever promised anything. It was just a popularity contest. At any rate, it had about as much depth as the Coke in the Bubblers Party.
Their website is rather sparse on details. They do have a page where they say modern politician's are forced by the system to promise big and then not deliver. They then have many pages where the content simply says "Coming Soon". I'm not sure if this is very clever satire or people not realising just how much work they've gotten themselves into setting up a party.
They don't appear to have any policies per se, instead saying that there are a number of issues that they want to encourage discussion on. These include education, the economy and aged care, so it's not like their raising issues being ignored by everyone else.
They also seem to need a better web admin. They have tons of icons suggesting various social media with links that don't work. Hell, my old school style of doing html in vi (I'm sorry emacs, it was on my mac and it was easier than trying to get emacs to work) would result in less links that don't work. They don't even have a twitter account for crying out loud.
Overall, just like the school kid promising Coke in the Bubblers, the Coke in the Bubblers Party have made a promise that sounds good, but they've overlooked all the practical stuff that goes into actually doing what they've promised.
Website: http://www.cokeinthebubblers.com/
Their website is rather sparse on details. They do have a page where they say modern politician's are forced by the system to promise big and then not deliver. They then have many pages where the content simply says "Coming Soon". I'm not sure if this is very clever satire or people not realising just how much work they've gotten themselves into setting up a party.
They don't appear to have any policies per se, instead saying that there are a number of issues that they want to encourage discussion on. These include education, the economy and aged care, so it's not like their raising issues being ignored by everyone else.
They also seem to need a better web admin. They have tons of icons suggesting various social media with links that don't work. Hell, my old school style of doing html in vi (I'm sorry emacs, it was on my mac and it was easier than trying to get emacs to work) would result in less links that don't work. They don't even have a twitter account for crying out loud.
Overall, just like the school kid promising Coke in the Bubblers, the Coke in the Bubblers Party have made a promise that sounds good, but they've overlooked all the practical stuff that goes into actually doing what they've promised.
Website: http://www.cokeinthebubblers.com/
Party Games 10/54 Smoker's Rights Party
First up on the single party roadshow is the Smoker's Rights Party. They feel smokers have been hard done by. High taxes on cigarettes, not being able to smoke in public venues, winnie blues no longer coming in a blue packet, it's a hard life. Apparently, slowly killing yourself is too expensive, and not being able to see the logo of your brand and instead getting a picture of what you're doing to yourself is unfair to the manufacturers and promotes black market activities since it's easier to counterfeit a plain packet (because everyone buying on the black market expects to be getting a legit product, or or they think supermarkets, local stores, and servos are going to buy cigarettes of guys off the back of a truck).
That said, I must concede they have a point. Given that I generally put drugs into the "I won't recommend it but I won't stop you from doing it" category, tobacco is just as much a drug as marijuana or alcohol. I guess I disagree with them on the level of taxation. They want taxes on tobacco at a level that covers the costs to the health system, while I'm happy to add on an extra "If you're stupid enough to want to die early, you deserve to be charged more" tax on top of that.
I also think banning smoking in public venues is a good thing. While living abroad I've been to places where there are no restrictions on smoking, and been to bars where the amount of smoke is so much it has stung my eyes. Not having to deal with this in Australian is a good thing.
I am a bit concerned at their claim that 20% of Australians smoke (the Cancer Council would disagree with them though). I had hoped that number would be lower, although I'm confident that they won't get the entire smoker vote.
Website: http://smokersrights.org.au/
That said, I must concede they have a point. Given that I generally put drugs into the "I won't recommend it but I won't stop you from doing it" category, tobacco is just as much a drug as marijuana or alcohol. I guess I disagree with them on the level of taxation. They want taxes on tobacco at a level that covers the costs to the health system, while I'm happy to add on an extra "If you're stupid enough to want to die early, you deserve to be charged more" tax on top of that.
I also think banning smoking in public venues is a good thing. While living abroad I've been to places where there are no restrictions on smoking, and been to bars where the amount of smoke is so much it has stung my eyes. Not having to deal with this in Australian is a good thing.
I am a bit concerned at their claim that 20% of Australians smoke (the Cancer Council would disagree with them though). I had hoped that number would be lower, although I'm confident that they won't get the entire smoker vote.
Website: http://smokersrights.org.au/
Party Games a/54 - Single Issue Party Roundup
I've fallen a bit behind with where I intended to be with this project by this point in time. In order to catch up a bit, I'm going to shuffle around the order a bit and tonight I'm going to focus on some one issue and no-issue parties, as these won't involve as much reading to make sure I'm not misrepresenting them. So let's begin
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Party Games 9/54 Australian Sovreignty Party
The Australian Sovereignty Party brings us once again into the realm of the economic fringe. They have two main economic policies that just make one want to weep and then whack them alongside the head with Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations (which fortunately for this purpose is a pretty hefty tome. That diversion into the history of grain prices may not make for thrilling reading but does help you pack a punch).
First up is their plan to once again have the government create money, and to use this to fund government expenditures. One of the consequences of this will be bringing inflation down to zero. I'll repeat, the government creating money to pay its expenses will have the effect of reducing inflation to zero.
The second is their plan to revamp the tax system. They are going to replace all existing taxes with a debit tax. Every time money leaves one of your bank accounts you get charged a tax of 1% of the amount. This tax will apply to every transaction, so this means each time you transfer money between your accounts, or send money to a family member, or give to charity, you get charged the tax. It also means that there will be ripe opportunities for those who want to work on a cash basis to avoid the system. They estimate that this will bring result in a surplus of $235 billion mainly because it will bring in about twice the revenue the government currently gets. which when they also say that we will all be paying less tax because 1% is less than the current 10% GST does make it sound like someones getting charged somewhere that we're not being told about. Businesses doing lots of bank transactions are going to raise their prices to cover the costs of the extra 1% on every transaction, and I'm sure people aren't going to be happy if the go into overdraft because of the tax being taken out of their bank accounts.
They do better on some other matters. On internet privacy they oppose internet filters, and quite rightly put the onus on parents wanting to protect their children to do so themselves rather than restricting what everyone can access. They support the medicinal use of marijuana, and while not outright supporting decriminalization, encourage a full review of drug laws with that in mind. Their defense plan emphasizes good relationships with neighboring nations, but then diverts into a bit of anti UN spiel.
The ASP is also another proponent of Citizen Initiated Referendums, which again is set up as a way of binding parliament without going to the trouble of changing the constitution. I'm still not sure why so many small right wing parties think these are a good idea.
Website: http://sovereigntyparty.org.au/
twitter: @Aus_Sovereignty
First up is their plan to once again have the government create money, and to use this to fund government expenditures. One of the consequences of this will be bringing inflation down to zero. I'll repeat, the government creating money to pay its expenses will have the effect of reducing inflation to zero.
The second is their plan to revamp the tax system. They are going to replace all existing taxes with a debit tax. Every time money leaves one of your bank accounts you get charged a tax of 1% of the amount. This tax will apply to every transaction, so this means each time you transfer money between your accounts, or send money to a family member, or give to charity, you get charged the tax. It also means that there will be ripe opportunities for those who want to work on a cash basis to avoid the system. They estimate that this will bring result in a surplus of $235 billion mainly because it will bring in about twice the revenue the government currently gets. which when they also say that we will all be paying less tax because 1% is less than the current 10% GST does make it sound like someones getting charged somewhere that we're not being told about. Businesses doing lots of bank transactions are going to raise their prices to cover the costs of the extra 1% on every transaction, and I'm sure people aren't going to be happy if the go into overdraft because of the tax being taken out of their bank accounts.
They do better on some other matters. On internet privacy they oppose internet filters, and quite rightly put the onus on parents wanting to protect their children to do so themselves rather than restricting what everyone can access. They support the medicinal use of marijuana, and while not outright supporting decriminalization, encourage a full review of drug laws with that in mind. Their defense plan emphasizes good relationships with neighboring nations, but then diverts into a bit of anti UN spiel.
The ASP is also another proponent of Citizen Initiated Referendums, which again is set up as a way of binding parliament without going to the trouble of changing the constitution. I'm still not sure why so many small right wing parties think these are a good idea.
Website: http://sovereigntyparty.org.au/
twitter: @Aus_Sovereignty
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