Friday, August 20, 2010

Do you swing?



I don't understand people who swing vote, I just don't. I'd like to understand their psychology more, so maybe someone can explain it to me.
I guess I'm a small swinger. I have swung in the past between ALP, Democrats and Greens, and tomorrow I am voting Greens. It's a vote of principal I guess, plus I'm in a safe Labor seat, so I figure it's as good as voting Labor. I don't want Labor to lose but I do want them to move a little bit more left. But I did hear the left is well and truly dead in the ALP and anyone who thinks otherwise is kidding themselves. I am a leftie at heart.
Last election I voted Rudd which was more a case of "we can't let that cunt get back in" rather than "Rudd's so ace, he the man."
When I was young, I remember the day Gough got his arse kicked. My parents were shocked and quite devastated, more because (I think) they couldn't believe that it had happened, and though my dad was a member of the ALP and I helped hand out the stuff (IT'S TIME) at the polling booths (I think, I remember a march as well) my memory is that it was more the principal that they were annoyed by.
I have always been a Labor girl. I had friends who when they were 18 voted for Hawkie more as a rebellion against their staunch Liberal parents (I went to a posh girls' school, lots of parents were Liberalish.)
About tomorrow's poll. I am not rigid with fear though I think it will be close. I tend to see the whole thing as a big stupid game and maybe I am lucky in that MY day-to-day life is not really affected by a Liberal government being in power (other than that my mental health suffers and I find myself being angry all the time. During most of Howard's "era" I had to stop listening to radio and reading the newspaper. It all made me too angry and I felt so impotent.)

In other news, going to see "Westside Story" tomorrow with Princess and my Ma. Looking forward to it. Yay us, 4 rows from the front, awesome.
Have a good weekend and happy voting.


5 comments:

Melba said...

Well this is terrif. Not one vote. So apathetic this country.

And you can even do it anonymously.

Sheesh.

magical_m said...

Sorry I'm late... but no. And yes. I mean, I usually vote Greens and have done for years. But last election I did vote Labor because like you, it was a case of "if that cunt gets back in I'm going to have to emigrate".

I voted Greens today though. And I voted below the line and put that twat Fielding last... I was outraged to discover he was in my electorate. Thank god he's gone.

But sadly it looks as though I might have to start investigating the emigration option again. For the next 3 years at least.

x

PS Apologies for my somewhat "colourful" language.

magical_m said...

Oh and what did you think of West Side Story? I was a little underwhelmed by the Jets... they were a bit meh. And Tony completely under-sang Something's Coming. But that Anita was a cracker.

Melba said...

Hey m_m. I've just woken up and come to the computer first before I watch the Insiders at 9. Haven't seen any papers yet, so don't tell me Labor has conceded or something has happened overnight?

On West Side Story myy thoughts are the following:

- couldn't agree with you more re Tony. The song you menntion must have been his first one? We were five rows from the front, he really did undersing it. He wasn't a great Tony, there was something tentative about him physically (clearly not a dancer)and his voice was too opera'ish

- Anita was fantastic. Just fantastic.

- we had an understudy for Maria: again too opera'ish

- I thought the Jets were ok, but both gangs were a bit meh.

- Music was great (it's a great musical) dancing was awesome, but Tony and Maria, both not great which let it down.

suze2000 said...

Yes, I swing. Though mostly between Labor, Green and Democrat when they still existed, I have (in the past) voted Liberal (mostly as a protest in my safe Labor seat though). I remember being devastated when Howard won a thrid term though (was in England and found out via a public phone booth call back to Oz).

I always number below the line in the senate though. I've mucked up several white slips over the years. :)