Australian Election-filter: The ends justify the memes
June 16, 2016 7:12 PM   Subscribe

 
Awesome post!
posted by My Dad at 7:25 PM on June 16, 2016


Great post. Pity about the Australian Election. It's like watching a group of slugs wrestle over the salt, with an occasional grasshopper yelling "IT WILL KILL YOU, YOU FOOLS" until the slugs gang up to kill the grasshopper and then go back to wrestling over salt.

Yours,
A Resident of South Australia.
posted by nfalkner at 7:54 PM on June 16, 2016 [45 favorites]


nfalkner that is the most accurate and astute piece of political commentary I've seen in the lead up to the election.
posted by prettypretty at 8:07 PM on June 16, 2016 [4 favorites]


Who else is looking forward to a NXT crossbench holding the balance of power in the Reps and a Green one holding it in the Senate?!

Just me?

Awks.

posted by Panthalassa at 8:27 PM on June 16, 2016 [1 favorite]


I should have added one of the few examples of good Australian political memes. Obvious lizard-person Peter Dutton, Minister for Being a Dick to Refugees, got a bit shirty at reporter Stephanie Peatling for tweeting this picture of him, taken by Fairfax photg Alex Ellinghausen. His staffers demanded the photo be deleted.

Then this happened.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 8:48 PM on June 16, 2016 [11 favorites]


My favourite, because I can't work it out either.
posted by deadwax at 9:07 PM on June 16, 2016 [2 favorites]


Htwrt, it's a shame some (well-intentioned, I'm sure) Redditor slipped an extra vowel into this one
posted by Pinback at 9:12 PM on June 16, 2016 [4 favorites]


My favourite, because I can't work it out either.

All of Cory Bernardi's 'facts' are like that. His ones about the Greens could have been printed by the Greens themselves, except they do better graphic design.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 9:14 PM on June 16, 2016




Mod note: Sooooooo many other American politics threads to talk about Trump, for the love of God stop importing pernicious non-native creatures to Australia!
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 9:46 PM on June 16, 2016 [27 favorites]


STOP IMPORTING START DEPORTING

SHARIA SHORTEN

Why are racists so bad at this?
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 9:58 PM on June 16, 2016


I noticed in the Treasurers' debate this week, Labor are still running the "We will govern alone or not at all" line, and it remains supremely dumb. I realise if the Greens win any seats they will likely be wrested from Labor's grubby paws, and that will make the ALPines sad and grumpy, but come on, guys. Whisper it to each other in the hallways to keep your spirits up, if you must, but don't say it out loud. You look silly.
posted by misfish at 10:01 PM on June 16, 2016 [8 favorites]


Labor are still running the "We will govern alone or not at all" line

Electorate: Hello, ALP. Would you like half a loaf or none?

ALP, IN UNISON: NONE! NONE! NONE! NONE! NONE! NONE! NONE! WHOOOOOOOOOOO!
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 10:06 PM on June 16, 2016 [10 favorites]


I just voted (I'm away for the main rodeo) and voting for the SA part of the Australian Senate now has a ballot paper that is far too long to fit into the booth. You basically need both a long pencil and a strong stomach to wade through all of the in-fighting, single issue, and self-interest parties. I have never wanted to put so many people last.

I seem to remember that one glorious year heralded South Australian senate candidates for two parties that called for the death sentence, which we don't have, for rapists and pedophiles, except one had it in the order 'rapist/pedophile' and the other was 'pedophile/rapist'. This was, apparently, a key political difference.

"... Look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair."
posted by nfalkner at 11:49 PM on June 16, 2016 [2 favorites]


This election is bringing up lots of conflicting feelings for me. Normally, I'm a solid Greens voter and I'm still hope they do well (wonderful if they win another lower house seat).

But this time there's an issue on which the major parties differ that has a direct effect on me: the Medicare Safety Net. The ALP managed to stop the Coalition's proposed changes last December, but the Coalition still wants to bring them in.

If Turnbull gets returned (which I feel very likely), I'm may be facing some huge medical bills. It's making it hard for me to not get emotional when people start saying "They're both the same". I recognise this isn't an appropriate reaction, is quite selfish, and that everyone has issues that personally affect them.

I'm hoping for a hostile Senate. Preferably with lots of Greens.
posted by daybeforetheday at 12:30 AM on June 17, 2016 [7 favorites]


I realise if the Greens win any seats they will likely be wrested from Labor's grubby paws

Not so fast...
[Greens canditate for Higgins] Mr Ball, who came to prominence as an openly gay Aussie Rules footballer, ... is snapping at the heels of [sitting Liberal member] Ms [Kelly] O'Dwyer in the wealthy, inner-city seat once considered very safely Liberal.

Local Greens support has risen in recent elections and new polling found the Liberal primary vote had collapsed to 44.1 per cent with the Greens attracting 24.1 per cent and Labor's Carl Katter on 18.5 per cent.

One senior Liberal told Fairfax Media this week there were real fears Higgins could be "the Indi of 2016", referencing Sophie Mirabella's shock loss of the safe Coalition seat in regional victoria at the 2013 election [to an independent].
posted by Thella at 12:31 AM on June 17, 2016 [6 favorites]


Right Australians, remind me of the superiority of parliamentary democracy again. ;')
posted by happyroach at 1:08 AM on June 17, 2016


Right Australians, remind me of the superiority of parliamentary democracy again. ;')

On the down side, we don't have political superstars like in the American presidential elections, and all the pageantry that flows therefrom. On the plus side, we don't have political superstars like in the American presidential elections, and all the pageantry that flows therefrom.
posted by um at 1:28 AM on June 17, 2016 [4 favorites]


I'm not Australian but I can think of one obvious example.

As always, First Dog on the Moon has insightful commentary on the elections.
posted by fraula at 1:33 AM on June 17, 2016 [2 favorites]


Right Australians, remind me of the superiority of parliamentary democracy again. ;')

Well, for one, neither one of the leaders of our major political parties is a literally insane, crypto fascist, open white supremacist.

But, really, I fail to see how the crappiness of Australian political memes has anything to do with the structure of our government.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 2:42 AM on June 17, 2016 [3 favorites]


these are amazing, thank you Australia for you good work in the field of dank memeology
posted by vibratory manner of working at 3:01 AM on June 17, 2016


For the first time I can remember, I'm feeling more optimistic about politics in Australia than in the UK. It looks like Australia stands a good chance of kicking the Tories out and that Bill Shorten may not actually be the Man Without Qualities who stands for nothing beyond last week's focus-group report, and at worst, the most right-wing dinosaurs in the LNP are likely to be dethroned by a GetUp! campaign in their seats and the Greens are likely to gain seats and cement their place as the other major party, if not the real opposition. Meanwhile, in my other country, where I currently reside, a Labour MP with a history of trying to make the world a better place has just been murdered by a neo-Nazi and the country looks poised to vote to leave the EU, undoubtedly becoming a darker place in many ways. It's almost enough to make one want to move back.
posted by acb at 3:19 AM on June 17, 2016 [4 favorites]


We'll welcome you with open arms, acb. Goodness knows we need all the informed, worldly citizens on the ground we can get.
posted by Lesser Spotted Potoroo at 5:36 AM on June 17, 2016 [2 favorites]


This is, however, the most miserable fucking pointless waste of an election we've had since... The others we have had since we booted Howard out. Anyone else remember how it felt that night?

No?

Actually, nor do I.
posted by prismatic7 at 7:08 AM on June 17, 2016 [1 favorite]


I may have to move to Australia from the UK. If I am going to have to live in a country with a terrible racist mainstream dialogue on immigration, an awful inhuman immigration policy and shabby political rhetoric, then it may as well be the ground breaker on those fronts rather than a pathetic fanboy.

Maybe I should start a poncy brewery making lemon myrtle and peppercorn IPA and cane toad porter, or something. Hm, with no expertise, no business acumen and no money, what can possibly go wrong!
posted by asok at 7:20 AM on June 17, 2016


My Australian cousin keeps encouraging me to pick up my family and move there. But he was a Howard supporter and I'm not sure his judgment is to be trusted.
posted by 1adam12 at 7:51 AM on June 17, 2016 [1 favorite]


Who needs satire when we have Barnaby and Katter?
posted by adept256 at 7:54 AM on June 17, 2016


As bad as Howard was... and yeah he was bad, he made it really hard to buy a gun. Depending on where you live, and I mean the USA, it's easier to buy a gun than a plane ticket to Sydney.
posted by adept256 at 8:02 AM on June 17, 2016 [3 favorites]


It's weird that they seem to be celebrating the dankness of their memes, I always thought it was a pejorative term implying that the meme was lazy and poorly thought out.
posted by whir at 4:14 PM on June 17, 2016


Agreed, adept256, it was the definitively good act of a long political career that wasn't very nice then turned very nasty 'round about Tampa and set the tone for ... well ... Tone.
posted by nfalkner at 8:08 PM on June 17, 2016


Who needs satire when we have Barnaby and Katter?

Katter released a campaign ad this week which he shoots ALP and Coalition characters to death. He did this the day after the Orlando massacre.

When someone called him on it, he claimed that he was unaware or Orlando because he doesn't read the newspaper or watch the news.

You couldn't make this stuff up.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 9:12 PM on June 17, 2016


Mod note: A couple of comments deleted. Sorry, but molestation / rape jokes not okay here.
posted by taz (staff) at 1:19 AM on June 18, 2016


Now I kinda wish my house had a vomitorium.
posted by Joe in Australia at 4:23 AM on June 18, 2016


When someone called him on it, he claimed that he was unaware or Orlando because he doesn't read the newspaper or watch the news.

On parts of the Right, ignorance is part of a badge of identity. (Witness, for example, the contemptuous way the word “expert” is uttered to dismiss opinions.)
posted by acb at 5:06 AM on June 18, 2016


Now I kinda wish my house had a vomitorium

I'm not sure where the Romans did their vomiting, but it wasn't in a vomitorium.

posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 7:02 AM on June 18, 2016




If you guys aren't watch Sammy J's Playground Politics, you are missing out. First episode here on ABC iView. He's releasing new episodes every day.

It's Playschool meets The Nameless Dread That Accompanies Elections, and it's utterly grand. Each episode is only about 4 minutes long.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 4:51 PM on June 21, 2016 [2 favorites]




A splendid piece from Dan Ilic, who has been hitch-hiking across the country and intervieing the people who give him rides: Scared, F**ked off, and “Not racist but”: What I learned from listening to the people of Notamajorcity.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 6:19 PM on June 26, 2016 [1 favorite]


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