We had elections in 2023 and the Labour party was voted in, sending a long standing conservative government into Coventry. The interesting thing though is that there was a huge rise in the success of independent candidates. Simply, folk are tired of the shenanigans of an age-old two party system that was beginning to fray at the seams.
Since then, the Independents are working well, despite that Labour holds the balance of power. It is the same in my state, except the corrupt Liberals were voted back in, but in minority government and with power in the hands of Independent candidates who vote in the Houses on conscience and not on party lines. The Independents in both federal and state government are 'keeping the bastards honest'.
Voting is compulsory in Australia and whilst some desecrate the ballot form and see it as a joke, most citizens cherish the privilege of having a say in the democratic running of our country.
I wish the UK, France and the USA good sense, and honest and empathic governments. The world deserves nothing less from its governors.
I think it's a really good thing, Prue, that voting is compulsory. We'd been concerned that one day we wouldn't get to exercise our right to vote because of being out of the area on polling day, because in-person voting has to be done at the local polling station according to the address listed for you on the electoral roll, so these days we vote by post. No chance to miss out! Turnout for Thursday's election has been estimated to have been 60%.
That's so sad, Rebecca. 60%! I'm astonished that people don't believe they can make a difference. We can do postals, early voting or voting on the day - the most recent figures of voter turnout were 90%. I do feel that no one should complain about the outcome if they don't vote. What horrified me today was the commentary I read on one Facebook account where she and her friends lauded Reform UK. Golly...
90%? Wow! How do they enforce compulsory voting? For us, this year has been the lowest turnout since 2001, when it was 59.4%. The lowest turnout prior to THAT was in 1918, at 57.2 - but from 1922 to 1997 turnout percentages were in the 70s. It's dropped off since 1997 mostly into the 60s. ☹️
There's a hefty fine if one doesn't vote. Making folk pay is always a good option! And everyone's name is checked off electronically at each booth, so it's easy to track if one has tried to vote elsewhere. This is a short extract from the Australian Electoral Commission:
I'm so impressed with this compulsory approach to voting. I wish that were true elsewhere. And very interesting to hear about the influence of the independents on the process and topics addressed now. Sounds much more healthy than the current versions of the leading two parties in the US and the UK.
It will be a very interesting path forward in the UK now that the government has completely turned over. And I'm waiting to see how the US moves forward as well....
We are watching both countries with interest. After reading about Project 2025 USA today, we are wondering if Australia might be one of the few remaining true democracies in the world after 2024 is over...
Thanks for saying that Martha. Yes, one election—and vote—done from my perspective. Another tomorrow (France) and then the US. Yikes. A lot to play for.
Thank you Rebecca, very kind. It was a strange experience to read the UK election results in real time during the afternoon and early evening here on the West coast of the US. And then, when everything was settled in the UK, we watched the (traditional) evening fireworks!
You did an excellent summary of those years of chaos, turmoil, and hate. I could never have been as diplomatic or concise as you getting the message across.
The whole US election thing and the Supreme Court thing has me to riled up I can't say anything nice or positive so I won't say anything. Except to reiterate what you said: VOTE!! And pray to all the gods that the world gets to a better, more peaceful place by the end of the year.
Thank you. It took a lot of journalistic thinking to remain even-handed. Probably I shouldn't have. We have a new government in the UK now, so that is something I am thankful for. I'm nervous about tomorrow's vote in France, and then well, VERY nervous about all the chaos in the US. I have no idea how that is going to play out. Such a tumultuous time in the world right now.
We had elections in 2023 and the Labour party was voted in, sending a long standing conservative government into Coventry. The interesting thing though is that there was a huge rise in the success of independent candidates. Simply, folk are tired of the shenanigans of an age-old two party system that was beginning to fray at the seams.
Since then, the Independents are working well, despite that Labour holds the balance of power. It is the same in my state, except the corrupt Liberals were voted back in, but in minority government and with power in the hands of Independent candidates who vote in the Houses on conscience and not on party lines. The Independents in both federal and state government are 'keeping the bastards honest'.
Voting is compulsory in Australia and whilst some desecrate the ballot form and see it as a joke, most citizens cherish the privilege of having a say in the democratic running of our country.
I wish the UK, France and the USA good sense, and honest and empathic governments. The world deserves nothing less from its governors.
Sadly, I think its a naive and Utopian ideal...
I think it's a really good thing, Prue, that voting is compulsory. We'd been concerned that one day we wouldn't get to exercise our right to vote because of being out of the area on polling day, because in-person voting has to be done at the local polling station according to the address listed for you on the electoral roll, so these days we vote by post. No chance to miss out! Turnout for Thursday's election has been estimated to have been 60%.
That's so sad, Rebecca. 60%! I'm astonished that people don't believe they can make a difference. We can do postals, early voting or voting on the day - the most recent figures of voter turnout were 90%. I do feel that no one should complain about the outcome if they don't vote. What horrified me today was the commentary I read on one Facebook account where she and her friends lauded Reform UK. Golly...
90%? Wow! How do they enforce compulsory voting? For us, this year has been the lowest turnout since 2001, when it was 59.4%. The lowest turnout prior to THAT was in 1918, at 57.2 - but from 1922 to 1997 turnout percentages were in the 70s. It's dropped off since 1997 mostly into the 60s. ☹️
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1050929/voter-turnout-in-the-uk/
There's a hefty fine if one doesn't vote. Making folk pay is always a good option! And everyone's name is checked off electronically at each booth, so it's easy to track if one has tried to vote elsewhere. This is a short extract from the Australian Electoral Commission:
Compulsory voting:
Voting was made compulsory
for federal elections in 1924 in
response to low voter turnout at
previous elections. For example,
the lowest turnout for a federal
election was in 1903 when only
50.3% of enrolled voters voted.
In the 1925 election 91.4% of
voters cast a ballot. It is now
usual for around 94% of enrolled
voters to vote. Australia is one
of the few countries in the world
with compulsory voting.
I'm so impressed with this compulsory approach to voting. I wish that were true elsewhere. And very interesting to hear about the influence of the independents on the process and topics addressed now. Sounds much more healthy than the current versions of the leading two parties in the US and the UK.
It will be a very interesting path forward in the UK now that the government has completely turned over. And I'm waiting to see how the US moves forward as well....
We are watching both countries with interest. After reading about Project 2025 USA today, we are wondering if Australia might be one of the few remaining true democracies in the world after 2024 is over...
Such a good idea!
This is such a wonderfully concise and reflective summary Sabrina - thank you!! And above all, yes, VOTE VOTE VOTE!!
Thanks for saying that Martha. Yes, one election—and vote—done from my perspective. Another tomorrow (France) and then the US. Yikes. A lot to play for.
Sabrina, an awesome post - what an excellent and very well set-out run-down of recent political history. 🇺🇸🇬🇧🇫🇷
Thank you Rebecca, very kind. It was a strange experience to read the UK election results in real time during the afternoon and early evening here on the West coast of the US. And then, when everything was settled in the UK, we watched the (traditional) evening fireworks!
Yay for the fireworks! Much more fun than the political fireworks over here, LOL! 😂
You did an excellent summary of those years of chaos, turmoil, and hate. I could never have been as diplomatic or concise as you getting the message across.
The whole US election thing and the Supreme Court thing has me to riled up I can't say anything nice or positive so I won't say anything. Except to reiterate what you said: VOTE!! And pray to all the gods that the world gets to a better, more peaceful place by the end of the year.
Thank you. It took a lot of journalistic thinking to remain even-handed. Probably I shouldn't have. We have a new government in the UK now, so that is something I am thankful for. I'm nervous about tomorrow's vote in France, and then well, VERY nervous about all the chaos in the US. I have no idea how that is going to play out. Such a tumultuous time in the world right now.
We'll be holding hands virtually through all of this.
Good news from the UK exit polls today!
Thank you, yes! We got to enjoy a nice fireworks celebration after we found out the results. Ha!
What a combination!
Have a happy 4th Sabrina!
Thanks Patti! Currently waiting for the Ojai parade to begin!