A harbinger of things to come
Posted by: Krista
Here’s a little Men at Work to set the tone for this one:
“Do you come from the land down under
Where women glow and men plunder?
Can’t you hear, can’t you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover.”
We hear good news from Australia, where Progressives have stopped an 11-year onslaught on progressive values. Not only did Australians drive the anti-progressive majority out of Parliament, but with a double whammy they pushed the outgoing anti-progressive Prime Minister (John Howard, for all you trivia buffs) out of his Parliament seat as well.
Congratulations to the Labor party and new Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd!
Australian Government
Australians do not elect their Prime Minister directly. They elect a representative to Parliament, and then Parliament selects the Prime Minister from the elected members of Parliament. In our terms, that’s like the President of the United States being selected from Congress.
None of this two-party system for Australia
Australia has several major political parties, ranging from ultra-conservative to progressive. The majors are:
- National - Comparable to rural American republicans.
- Liberal - Comparable to mainstream republicans (referred to as anti-progressives in this blog entry, so as not to confuse anyone).
- Labor - Mainstream Democrats.
- Democrats - Liberal Democrats.
- Green - Environmentalists.
The times are a changin’
I believe the Australian election is a harbinger of things to come here in America. I believe people across the country are getting tired of the anti-progressive propaganda and want to see a change in foreign and environmental policy, economic progress, and “it’s all about me” values. Just look at what the new Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, has to say about his goals for leading Australia:
“We have put before the Australian people a plan, it’s our agenda for work. And you know something - everything I have said through this election campaign and in the year leading up to it is our agenda for work,” he said.
“To start building a world-class education system. To embrace the long-term funding needs of our public hospital system.
“To act and act with urgency on the great challenges of climate change and water.
“To build a 21st century infrastructure for a 21st century economy and to get the balance right between fairness and flexibility in the workplaces of the nation.”
Mr Rudd said he would be a prime minister for all Australians - for indigenous Australians, Australians born here and those who came from overseas, for cities and towns and rural Australia “which is right now experiencing the worst drought our country has known”.
“I will be prime minister for all Australians,” he said.
“And I make this solemn pledge to the nation: I will always govern in the national interest.
“And my door will always be open to men and women of good will who want to participate in making our country even greater in the future.”
Mr Rudd continued: “Friends, tomorrow the work begins.”
If the 2006 Democratic victory was a sign of Americans turning away from conservative tricks and distractions, the Progressive victory in Australia is a sign of further change in the left direction.
People of the United States, take hope.
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