You still think the ballot box is the answer?

After getting rid of a disastrous leftard government, Queenslanders have just voted for more of the same. I can’t do better than quote a commenter over at Tim Blair’s place:
“…Just look at the way Abbott is being flayed for conferring a knighthood that didn’t cost anything, and didn’t destroy anything, and didn’t kill anyone. Unlike Labor’s outrageously costly home insulation scandal that not only wasted billions but destroyed people’s business and livelihoods, and, more importantly, killed four people. Then there were the billions squandered and the 1100 lives lost with Labor’s fatally flawed border policy. The hundreds of millions of dollars lost when our live cattle exports were halted – virtually overnight – not to mention the livelihoods destroyed and our international reputation trashed. Then there was the mining tax debacle, the astonishing NBN cost blow-out and incompetence, the revolving leadership farce, the outrageous Australia Day race riot, the Indonesia spy scandal, the Craig Thompson affair, the union slush fund affair, the Peter Slipper affair, the Nova Peris affair, etc, etc, etc. The list is endless!
Now compare the media’s hysterical coverage of Campbell Newman and Tony Abbott in light of Labor’s utterly appalling record. Seriously, just how dumb are voters?…”

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21 Responses to You still think the ballot box is the answer?

  1. Ronbo says:

    “Democracy is the worst form of government – except for all others tried.” —Churchill

    • Ronbo says:

      Kurt Gaubatz recalls Churchill’s famous dictum: “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” (from a House of Commons speech on Nov. 11, 1947)

      RH:
      The timing of this famous remark is significant. Churchill won the war, but in the election of July 1945, he was defeated. At the time I thought the public showed gross ingratitude, but I am willing to accept the interpretation that Churchill was not the man to organize the peace.

      When the news came out, Churchill was taking a bath (was there ever a statesman who spent more time in the bath?) He remarked “They have a perfect right to kick me out. That is democracy”. When he was offered the Order of the Garter, he asked “Why should I accept the Order of the Garter, when the British people have just given me the Order of the Boot?”.

      He returned to power in 1951. The remark about democracy was made when he had lost power and had every reason to be bitter. Fortunately he kept his sense of humor even in the most trying circumstances.

      • KG says:

        Churchill’s quote about democracy is often used, but I very much doubt he’d say the same thing under today’s circumstances.
        “Democracy” is mere tyranny when those without making any contribution to productive society can vote themselves more benefits.
        More than tyranny, it is enforced slavery on the productive.

  2. tranquil says:

    If Aussie voters *do* kick out Abbott at the next election it would be a *very* foolish move.

    Abbott isn’t perfect but his government *has* stopped the flood of boatpeople in its tracks.
    There hasn’t been a boatload of invaders for over a year now.

    I suspect that after Labor gets back in the voters will very soon scream for Abbott to come back when Labor resumes the tsunami of boatpeople flooding into the country.

    It is articles like this that make me think “well….. ok, John Key and his government *do* piss me off in many ways (the main ones being that they haven’t banned muslim immigration and haven’t been harder on welfare). However – he’s about all we’ve got and very many NZ voters can see that the country is generally going in the right direction.

    It just seems that a huge number of Aussie voters (not you, KG, but others) have *short memories* and a problem in seeing the overall picture. Would that be a fair comment?

    • KG says:

      “..have *short memories* and a problem in seeing the overall picture. Would that be a fair comment?”
      Indeed it would!
      And I’d add that very many are unaware of the complete picture because they rely on television (especially the ABC) and Fairfax newspapers for their “news” and all those outlets are very effective propaganda agencies for the left.
      Add to that a huge, well-funded and relentless campaign by the unions against Newman for his efforts to wind back the Bligh disasters and bloat.
      I’m no fan of Newman, but fiscally at least he was on the right track.

    • Wombat says:

      “…*short memories* and a problem in seeing the overall picture.”

      Clinically speaking, it’s called retardation. Too many chems in the water, I suspect. :|

  3. Brown says:

    As much as I like visiting Oz, especially the inland towns and farming areas away from tourists, I have a feeling that the average Australian I’ve met (whatever that may be) holds a view that the flow of milk and honey will just go on forever.

    I could never work out how the high pay rates and cruisey lifestyle fitted together and now it seems that they don’t. It may be the “Lucky Country” but luck can run out if you stop working at making it.

  4. Ronbo says:

    KG said:

    “Churchill’s quote about democracy is often used, but I very much doubt he’d say the same thing under today’s circumstances.

    “Democracy” is mere tyranny when those without making any contribution to productive society can vote themselves more benefits.
    ——
    More than tyranny, it is enforced slavery on the productive.”

    I think our disagreement has to do with definition – Pure Democracy – like that which existed in ancient Athens where every citizen went down to forum to vote on every single issue clearly doesn’t work.

    When the American Founding Fathers wrote of their disgust with democracy they meant “pure democracy” where a majority of citizens could decide by majority that anything was permitted – like the execution of Socrates without a legal reason – only because he had pissed off royally a majority of Athenian citizens – and in general had made a pest of himself with his endless questions for DECADES.

    What Churchill meant was “representative democracy” where the citizens vote for representatives to take care of the government. This system worked very in Britain and America for over 200 years. The British system was based on the “unwritten constitution” which originally had divided the power of government with the Executive “The King” – The Commoners “The House of Commons” – The Aristocrats “The House of Lords” and to oversee everything an independent judiciary.

    In this system political power was checked and balanced. The King could not rule as a tyrant, for one thing he needed the House of Commons to authority his money. The House of Lords could checkmate The Commons if they went too far. So on and so forth.

    The original American system of government established in 1791 with the final touches put on the U.S. Constitution borrowed many ideas from the British parliament and ancient Roman Republicans. In the American system “The King” is the president elected every four years by the Electoral College, which in theory could vote against the majority vote of the People. The American version of The House of Commons is the House of Representatives. Of course, America cannot have aristocrats, but does have plenty of men of wealth and power and is called “The Senate.” In the original U.S. Constitution before it amended on this issue, Senators were selected by the various state legislatures; however, this was changed and now they are selected by popular vote every six years. The president cannot rule like a dictator (until Obama) because for one thing his money is authorized by the U.S. House of Representatives. This is the all important power of the purse strings that since 2009 has been ceded to the presidency for all practical purposes.

    This tyranny-in-progress where the president is the absolute could still be checked by the U.S. Supreme Court – I think their decision in 2012 not to oppose Obamacare signaled that the Supremes had surrendered to the Imperial Presidency.

    In conclusion, at the time in 1945 Churchill made his remark about the greatness of representative democracy – on both sides on the Pond – the traditional political system was firmly in place, so I don’t think the blame for the last twenty year slow but sure slide to serfdom for the commoners of the Anglosphere, the breakdown of democracy happened because ONE SINGLE GROUP of like minded radical socialists got control of all the important institutions in all our Anglosphere countries and decided that the old constitutions that safe guarded the rights of individual citizens were rubbish because “The People” were stupid sheep who needed the new “philosopher kings” to institute a totalitarian political system some say is communist and others say is fascist, but all agree is tyranny – straight up.

    This is the reason freedom loving people of all over the former British Empire find so much in common to talk about on Crusader Rabbit – We all are all facing the Iron Heel of a tyranny world wide in scope – the very thing our ancestors fought and bled for in two terrible world wars and numerous police actions to stop.

    We have been overthrown by the traitor within the gates :!: :evil:

    • The Gantt Guy says:

      “…I don’t think the blame for the last twenty year slow but sure slide to serfdom for the commoners of the Anglosphere, the breakdown of democracy happened because ONE SINGLE GROUP of like minded radical socialists got control of all the important institutions in all our Anglosphere countries and decided that the old constitutions that safe guarded the rights of individual citizens were rubbish because “The People” were stupid sheep who needed the new “philosopher kings” to institute a totalitarian political system…”

      Ahh, yeah Ronbo, that’s exactly what happened. The 1960’s radicals now have all the power. They own all of the institutions. Led by the poster-child for Red Diaper Babies, they’re unpicking 200 years of civilisation before our eyes.

      In response to “…decided that the old constitutions that safe guarded the rights of individual citizens were rubbish because “The People” were stupid sheep who needed the new “philosopher kings” to institute a totalitarian political system…” I have but two words: Jonathan Gruber.

  5. Cadwallader says:

    I think the Queensland result is simply the Aussies depicting themselves for the socialists they are. I suppose that the volatility of the polling from one election to the next may show that they are thinkers but I question that. The result records a love of tax/spend leftie governments.

  6. Mathew says:

    From those examples the problem is that the average voter doesn’t really bear the cost of labor, take the boats, NBN blow out and the home insulation, even though the debt went through the roof, ultimately our taxes didn’t exactly go up. Sure a few people got bashed, raped and robbed by a few illegals; a few were burned down and we have to have this NBN thing forced upon us; but really it’s only a few people that got screwed over.

    In the mind of the modern voter, it’s alright for a few to get burned and screwed over, but until you’re the one out of work and the dumpster is looking alright and the centrelink payments dry up and what little work there is goes to the immigrants, what’s the pain in just voting for the dickhead promising handouts and asking what fiscal problem!

    End of the day just like everyone else in the world, we’ll only learn the hard way, we voted for Abbott to clean up the mess without inconveniencing us, the fact that it’s not possible without a bit of pain is irrelevant, who cares, brain is starting to hurt, just vote for jacqui the idiot promising free everything.

    Sadly Abbott and the real conservatives will have to go, we’ll need to suffer long and hard before we start to look for someone else to take on the thankless job of cleaning up the poo, and make no mistake, whoever that is will be hated and cursed till the end of his/her days for saving us.

  7. dondiego says:

    The old “Hate me now – Love me later” parenting approach, and many voters I’ve met appear to be just petulant children.