Thursday, November 24, 2011
The Day of the opposites
When it comes to voting for the Speaker of the house, a kind of opposites Universe comes into being. Labor members nominate an LNP member, who has to then defect. Then an LNP member waxes lyrical about a string of Labor members who are then nominated by him to the position - all of whom refuse the nomination.
All this, partly because of Andrew Wilkies insistence on pokie reform. Each person in the parliament has power, but that power cannot be taken for granted and does not guarantee a veto on even a single policy item.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I thought it was a great illustration of a point you made a little while back with reference to Weasel Boy of the Central Coast - that *every* MP pretty much holds the balance of power.
Did anyone try nominating Oakeshott? If not, why not?
Oakeshott wasn't nominated or even mentioned this time around. The reasons, I suspect are the same as when his name was first mentioned after the election. For both Oakesott and Slipper, it is about what is in their personal political interest rather than that of a party, Government or opposition. Oakeshott has calculated that he has a better re-election platform by not being speaker, while Slipper has a significantly better chance as an independent if he nails this new job. Oakeshott would have been the most Government/Opposition neutral figure, grudgingly accepted by both but subject to partisan attacks also.
Post a Comment