Bravo Shane. It's hard enough getting all the votes against Andrew Bolt and his masses but he pulled through with a great question and even followed it home with some sass.

We should be very proud of that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrendanMaclean

…Andrew Bolt …

How was he brought into the discussion? Is he relevant to this discussion?

@mark_ We are ALL relevant to this discussion!

Well, at least PM Julia Gillard is being forthright with us about what she thinks and what she'd like to see happen regarding marriage equality.
She's honest.

@PhilMc86 Yes I know we are relevant but I didn't know we were including Andrew Bolt amongst us.

You have to be kidding me? Since when were the politicians who are VOTED IN by polls and are supposed to LISTEN to the 'general public' not supposed to take in OPINION POLLS? Julia just remember as it was stated YOU WILL BE ON THE WRONG SIDE OF HISTORY!

I can not believe that Jane and Mary or John and Bob can not marry after years of living together can not get married as it's not accepted, yet on 30 days of meeting/getting a marriage certificate application, I am able to marry someone of the opposite sex and have it accepted by society.... this needs to change and change now! allow everyone to marry as long as you don't marry/harm children or animals or inanimate objects what is the big deal?

Can anyone honestly say that having a same sex marriage really going to affect theirs? I too choose not to marry yet who am I to say that others don't as it's against my opinion?

She thinks discrimination and inequality are the "right" choice? Disgusting.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark_

How was he brought into the discussion? Is he relevant to this discussion?

Bolt asked his followers to vote for the carbon tax questions, and then chucked a hissy fit when an atheist blogger asked his followers to vote for the chaplaincy question.

Julia, decision making for policy and law makers, as you have pointed out time and again, should be done in the national interest. Medical professionals point out the advantages of Marriage Equality, so isn't it in the national interest to allow this to occur to health with the increasing costs associated with Mental Health on the public purse??? Please do not insult my intelligence with you codswallop excuses... you have a personal issue with Marriage Equality, and you can dribble all you like.... but that is the truth!

Gillard is weak and will suffer for her stupidity.

Ha! Loved the end remark by Shane! You tell her!

She's not weak... She's ignorant...

You don't climb to the top by being weak... But you fall by being ignorant...

That final response was perfect; it wasn't even an aggressive statement, just honest truth.

While I would say that Gillard is misguided, she's at least honest and consistent in her views; these would be good traits, if it weren't for the fact that she IS misguided.
If she believes that following opinion isn't something that she should do, then she's become disconnected. The rules and regulations of a country should be a reflection of what the interests of the members of the country are; not guidelines to restrict unnecessarily.

I hope that she will come around soon enough, but I won't expect her to.

What happens if she's on the right side of history? She said there are different ways to recognising and valuing relationships in society. I say in the future, the marriage act will eventually be abolished and new relationship laws will be written which reflect and legally legitmise the full spectrum of relationships humans have.

I did like Shane's comment. Almost as much as I disliked the Prime Minister's answer. I would be surprised if she is still in power after this year also suprised if she did not know this. Labour seems to full of useless good old boys must be very difficult for her but again with answer's like this I find it hard to respect or admire her. Voting greens the 2 major parties just seem to be big business and maintaining the status quo. Fuck them both at least we have a choice in Australia.

* It'll come up through a Private Member Bill - that Bill is in the Parliament now, and Labor people will be able to vote any which way that they want to. And I suspect many will vote for change, some won't vote for change. It would be good if we could just see everybody do that across the Parliament, going in and exercising their own personal choice about what they think should change in the Marriage Act.*

Julia first says that opinion polls are not relevant for this issue yet she goes on to make the statement above about how Labor and possibly LNP members will have a conscience vote and going in and exercising their own personal choice. Why not just do a referendum and let all of Australia vote. Whats the difference. The conscience vote is no different than opinion poll just on a smaller and more biased scale.
comment...

The way I see this, is even with the conscience vote, Gillard will be voting no.
I just want to know WHY, really. She isn't hiding behind religious conviction, so why does she oppose it?

Quote:

Originally Posted by bextah

The way I see this, is even with the conscience vote, Gillard will be voting no.
I just want to know WHY, really. She isn't hiding behind religious conviction, so why does she oppose it?

Simple : she doesn't have ANY opinions or views.

Everything about this woman is one of 'falseness' and deflections.

Carbon Tax - let's blame the Greens for that.

Boat People - let's blame the Liberals for that.

The Mining Tax - let's blame the big bad miners for that one !!


She is a puppet ! What does she really stand for ?? well nothing. Listen to her when asked a question... any question..... anyone with half a brain would wait.... pause... take in the question..... and answer with a thoughtful, articulated response..... she.... jumps straight in - without thinking - with nothing of substance - just deflection or blame. Rehearshed.

No matter - her time is closing quickly.


"I know my view is different to yours" : pull that apart and you have nothing - no view at all. Deflection.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bextah

The way I see this, is even with the conscience vote, Gillard will be voting no.
I just want to know WHY, really. She isn't hiding behind religious conviction, so why does she oppose it?

Sometimes it's not hard to read between the lines of what a politician is saying. The current lobbying is to remove the words 'man and woman' from the law. But where does that leave the definition of marriage... "to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life". Julia and her partner Tim might be sceptical about such an unrealistic and outdated definition. I am.
Maybe if the lobbyists we're fighting to modernise the law to equitably reflect how relationships are conducted we might have a Prime Minister whose opinion was closer to ours.

As Mike Carlton wrote in today's Fairfax press Gillard is an impressive negotiator, but she has made some appalling choices - such as her stand on marriage equality - and is now so focused on polls (somewhat ironic considering her almost record unpopularity as a leader) that this Government has completely lost its narrative.

Labor seems to think that they only have a choice between hitting oblivion on the SS JGillard or sinking on the SS KRudd. But there has to be some middle ground that can save us all from the spectre of Tony Abbott as PM.

^ yes, it's Malcolm Turnbull.

^ There's already a 'Malcolm Turnbull fan club' within the ALP who realise Gillard is losing

http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/conte...2/s3550352.htm
http://www.google.com.au/search?clie...OqmTiQe7ray1DQ

Well according to this latest article in SMH, Rudd claims Gillard was supportive of marriage equality whilst in his cabinet.

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politi...721-22gxy.html

So as an elected parliamentary member our PM believes she has the gid given right to make laws for what feels right and not to make laws that represent the thoughts and wills of the people she was elected to represent - Hmmmm I see how a democratic society works now...........

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrAsh

Well according to this latest article in SMH, Rudd claims Gillard was supportive of marriage equality whilst in his cabinet.

I think one of the reasons that Gillard's opposition to marriage equality is so offensive is that it simply doesn't have any ring of truth about it given both her religious views and personal marital circumstances.

Consequently this report - even allowing for Rudd's glee in having another opportunity to put the boot in - doesn't really surprise me at all.

It has always seemed to me from the time that Gillard first assumed the prime-ministership & she was being consistently criticized in the conservative press for being an "unmarried childless atheist" that she saw this as an opportunity to align with what she perceived was a popular & conservative mainstream position.

But Gillard was wrong. On this issue as she has been on a raft of issues since. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that marriage equality is an idea whose time has come & that Gillard will turn out to be on the wrong side of history on this issue.

In the meantime the perception that Gillard has created for herself, and the one that has now taken hold as the narrative of this government (if there is one at all) is that of being completely directionless and willing to sacrifice any principle to hold onto power.

While Gillard herself is now nearly extinguished, Federal Labor is itself such a diminished force that it cannot possibly win the next Federal election barring Tony Abbott imploding.

Consequently I hold her very much responsible for the current situation which will not only delay legislation for marriage equality , but which potentially of much greater concern, will almost certainly see Tony Abbott as the next PM of Australia.

“For me, politics isn’t about making decisions based on opinion polls, it’s about making decisions you feel are right.”

So what about the rest of us?? Do we get a say??



Your a fucking idiot Julia....

Quote:

Originally Posted by Correz

In the meantime the perception that Gillard has created for herself, and the one that has now taken hold as the narrative of this government (if there is one at all) is that of being completely directionless and willing to sacrifice any principle to hold onto power

It was well known prior to the 2007 election that the ALP had become a party of getting in and remaining in power at any cost.

The same sex equality reforms which occurred in the first part of Rudds reign were just a shallow token gesture in my opinion if they were truly serious about equality they would have changed the marriage act at that time.

Thanks for all your kind words everyone! Obviously I'm disappointed with the PM's response . I don't understand how anyone (let alone the Prime Minister) can say a group of people should continue to be excluded from the "cultural status" of marriage based solely on their sexual orientation and then claim not to see the discrimination and say they're equally valued. It's my belief that allowing gay and lesbian couples access to marriage will only strengthen the institution of marriage, and increase its value and importance. However, I'm glad to have had the opportunity to discuss marriage equality with the Prime Minister herself - and to remind her that she will be on the wrong side of history when marriage equality finally becomes a reality.

Thankfully the result of the election will listen to opinion polls. Bye Julia

Quote:

Originally Posted by b-ry

Thankfully the result of the election will listen to opinion polls. Bye Julia

Unfortunately I think the result of the next election (= the Mad Monk Abbott; why on earth would the LNP install Malcolm now when they are already guaranteed a landslide under Tony) will be listening more closely to the Vatican than to us.