Electoral matters update 6 August

I had thought that by the time I published this post I would  have completed my first session handing out how to vote cards for Mike Kelly.  However there are a few other things worthy of mention and the post was getting too long.  So there will be another outburst this afternoon at the foot of this!

At the national level it was really good to see John Howard joining the fray.  People really need to be reminded what a bad lot the Liberals really are, and until now no-one has reflected back on that fact. This should get history into play.

I swung by Mike Kelly's office on Tuesday to sort out some details about my duties and picked up a bumper sticker (not yet attached to our car).  It is not bad: I don't think it has the humour of "No No Gary, this is Kelly Country' which was used in 2007, but does have a lot of nuance.

The Liberal dude Mr Gazard (I have to keep refraining from replacing the first 'a' with an 'i') sent us a large letter with the Liberals Contract with Australia (or something like that: what else are shredders for?).  I thought a contract was something discussed and agreed, not imposed by one party.  What else does one expect from the Liberals except authoritarian bulldust.

There appear to be 8 candidates for the House of Representatives. Fortunately Mike is 2nd on the ballot while Gazard is 3rd.  Poor Cath Moore for the Greens is number 8.  (But as we have heard NOTHING from them so far I suspect the Greens have given up any support for her!)  She is participating in a 'Meet the Candidates session put on by Queanbeyan Council so that will be good.

Centrebet are fielding:

• Kelly at $1.36;
• Gazard at $2.90; and 
• Cath Moore at $29.00

With respect to the Senate the situation is appalling.  Fortunately the Australian Electoral Commission have a downloadable list of candidates.  There are 84 candidates of which 79 are grouped into 32 groups with 5 'ungrouped' optimists making up the numbers.  It is tempting to go for 'above the line' voting in which one ticks a party and preferences follow their declared ticket.  However there is always a lot of fun in making group (or person) x the last and working up to the ones you really like.  The trouble is that it takes a lot of time to put in 84 numbers and if you get any of them wrong your vote doesn't count!

I shall hope to spend some time with EXCEL and create a list before the Big Day.  It still looks like the Fred Nile Group are last with Family First immediately above them.  In fact I tried to compile the Excel list and found that I made mistakes sitting comfortably at home: trying to do it better standing in an election booth is a no-win situation. So I think above the line is the shot: it was difficult to get details of the ALP allocation of preferences, but I found it eventually.  Apart from the fact that I know nothing about a huge proportion of the candidates I noted:

1. the last (37th) party listed is One Nation (close to where I would put them);
2. the Communist Party is at 33rd - immediately  after the Liberal/Nationals party.  As usual socialists (if one can attach that label to the ALP these days) fight other socialists rather than the real enemy!;
3. the Family First group are at 29th - I'd have put them lower than that, but probably above the Climate Sceptics who the ALP list at 25th;
4. The Fred Nile group (also known as Bigots of Australia) are inexplicably at position 7 while the Sex Party are only 12th.  Strange priorities!

While not perfect, see points 3 and 4 above, I think I can live with this.

It was rather quiet at Morrisset House this afternoon.  I think about 20 voters appeared - some 5 of them for electorates other than Eden Monaro!  Most took material from myself and the Liberal folk, but some 3 only partook of the Liberal material.  It was really nice that Shelly Kelly visited the booth to offer support: a very charming lady.  On her second trip she carried a very spiffy tee shirt for me!