Comments on: The Australian Democrats, RIP

By: Tony Zegenhagen

Tony Zegenhagen — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 12:34:21 +0000

Perhaps we’ll see the return of the orignal minor party the DLP.
Popularity is growing in Victoria and other areas around Australia and with the recent upheaval over the abortion bill in Victoria there’s certainly a renewed interest.

Tony Zegenhagen
Queensland Secretary
Democratic Labor Party of Australia - DLP

By: Daniel Taylor

Daniel Taylor — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:18:15 +0000

The Greens are way better than the Australian Democrats in many ways. The Democrats did dirty deals and that was there demise I think.

By: xvhs vwykt

xvhs vwykt — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 02:25:25 +0000

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By: Club Troppo » Missing Link Daily

Club Troppo » Missing Link Daily — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:13:37 +0000

[...] Norton bids farewell to the Australian Democrats, expressing sentiments not unlike my (KP) own: Politics is less a choice between good and bad than [...]

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 02:36:15 +0000

“And now Labor is in power, they are keeping the same weakened unfair dismissal laws that Howard tried so often to achieve throughout his first three terms.”

Hooray! A victory for the unemployed!

By: Sinclair Davidson

Sinclair Davidson — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 08:22:03 +0000

Actually the Senator becomes unemployed on Monday night. After that is it correct to refer to him as a pensioner, or retired? (Obviously former-senator applies.)

By: Andrew Norton

Andrew Norton — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 07:10:42 +0000

“The Democrats from then on, apart from Andrew Murray, were useless.”

A rare case in which in which legimitate comment on politics also technically breaches my policy against abuse directed at other commenters (given the until very recently occupation of the author of comments 17 & 18 in this thread).

By: Spiros

Spiros — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 06:52:44 +0000

“the Democrats are better than the Greens, Family First, or that no pokies guy from South Australia.”

This was true up to the 1990 election.

The Democrats from then on, apart from Andrew Murray, were useless.

By: Andrew Bartlett

Andrew Bartlett — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:39:10 +0000

And I rather agree with the concluding comment in your post, Andrew. Maybe that makes me a liberal after all.

By: Andrew Bartlett

Andrew Bartlett — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:37:57 +0000

Rajat said

“Who knows, if Howard had to negotiate with (at least the former) Democrats to get Workchoices through, he may have ditched AWAs to keep the repeal of unfair dismissals, which may have helped the Coalition in the election.”

Howard had 8 years from 1996-2004 negotiating a range of IR proposals with the Democrats - he never got a weakening of unfair dismissal protections through the Senate in all that time. Indeed, it was an (unpulled) double dissolution trigger more than once. Workchoices is what happened once Howard no longer had to negotiate with the Senate. And now Labor is in power, they are keeping the same weakened unfair dismissal laws that Howard tried so often to achieve throughout his first three terms.