Do you vote for the Leader of the Party or your MP?

[Dutchy]

I know you vote for your local candidate in the end but is this based on the Leader or the Candidate themselves?

Serious question, do you base your vote for Rudd or Howard or do you vote on your local candidate?

Personally I vote on my local candidate no matter what their party is as they will have the most effect on me personally....thoughts?

[Dogwatcher]

Interesting question.
Can't decide.

My vote is clouded as I live in a Conservative electorate. But am far from being so....

However, if I believe the sitting member's doing a good job, I might vote for them.

[Psyber]

I take both into account.

Last Federal election I thought my local sitting candidate [Liberal] was a bit too right wing/authoritarian, but when Mark Latham became Labor leader I was too worried about him to vote against the local guy. In the end I guess my assessment of overall party intentions - overt and covert - shapes my vote more than who the leader is or who the local candidate is.

I'm not entirely comfortable with either major party at present - I may have to check out the independents!
[Yes, despite being currently a Liberal Party member.]

[heater31]

I'm not entirely comfortable with either major party at present - I may have to check out the independents!

I'm not comfortable with Politicians full stop what do I do????????

[Psyber]

I'm not entirely comfortable with either major party at present - I may have to check out the independents!

I'm not comfortable with Politicians full stop what do I do????????

I always liked the graffito that said, "Don't vote - it only encourages them!"

[Psyber]

Interesting question.
Can't decide.

My vote is clouded as I live in a Conservative electorate. But am far from being so....

However, if I believe the sitting member's doing a good job, I might vote for them.

We don't actually have Conservative Party in this country, but I would accept that the Liberal Party is, generally, more conservative than the Labor Party. Interestingly, there are conservative, radical, and centralist, factions in both our major parties here, and they probably overlap each other, with some Liberal "wets" being less conservative then some Labor "dries".

Since "Conservative" derives from the concept of preserving traditional ways and not changing them radically, even "Conservative" communists may be possible.

The term "Liberal" was meant to mean the opposite of authoritarian when Bob Menzies formed the party, but both major parties here have become more authoritarian since the end of the Whitlam/Fraser period where both parties were left of where they are now!

[Hondo]

Mostly base it on which Party I want in to Government as that's where the major decisions which will impact our country will be made, regardless of who is in my local electorate. I do take the local candidate into account but it's never changed my decision on which party to vote for.

[Dirko]

I vote for the best looking one !

[Magpiespower]

The party.

But by default it's gonna be tough to vote for that grub Albanese...

[noone]

i'm a party hack

although i have been tempted to vote for the greens 1 and preference back to labor once due to not liking labor's local offering.

[Psyber]

I'd like to achieve the abolition of parties and instead have "representatives" who represent in Parliament the interests of the people who live in their electorate, rather than the interests of the power brokers in their respective party machines!

[noone]

and how would you pass a budget?

you would make deals with others to support program X if they support program Y, do this enough till you get a majority.

tadaa you have a defacto party. Sure its not quite as rigid in party rules and voting blocs however every second proposal that came up you would have to vote for Z because those that supported Z backed your Y bill. It can kinda work at a council level as the numbers to get something up is usally only a voting coalition of 6 or 7 or so votes. However in order to get the 24 votes required for SA parliament or the 76 for commonwealth you would just reform parties.

would be good to watch though

[Psyber]

and how would you pass a budget?

you would make deals with others to support program X if they support program Y, do this enough till you get a majority.

tadaa you have a defacto party. Sure its not quite as rigid in party rules and voting blocs however every second proposal that came up you would have to vote for Z because those that supported Z backed your Y bill. It can kinda work at a council level as the numbers to get something up is usally only a voting coalition of 6 or 7 or so votes. However in order to get the 24 votes required for SA parliament or the 76 for commonwealth you would just reform parties.

would be good to watch though

I think it would be an improvement on, "My party right or wrong!" [As well as fun to watch.]

Fluid loyalties may be better then solid but blind ones anyway, and self-serving to please your own electorate and keep your seat is at least more honest.

[Wedgie]

Bugger the question being asked, I didn't realise you could set up a poll on this site where you could choose more than 1 option, thanks heaps Dutchy!!!!!

[Dutchy]

Huh?

[TroyGFC]

Vote for leader normally. hence I despise little John so won't be voting Liberals.

[Psyber]

Vote for leader normally. hence I despise little John so won't be voting Liberals.

Yeah, but is there such a thing as a likeable one??? Doug Anthony maybe???

[Sojourner]

Living in Makin we will be choosing between Tony Zappia and Bob Day. Both are high quality candidates and either would do a great job as the representative for our area.

In recent years I have always chosen a minor party candidate for my first preference then selected either Liberal or Labor as second preference based around the way that elections are funded per first preference votes recieved and I favor minor parties in any event.

However having shifted electorate, Makin will be won or lost by a margin of a few hundred votes being that like Kingston or Wakefield it is not a safe seat for either party. So I will have to make my preference my first vote this time around.

At this stage Bob Day is likely to be getting my vote, based on the fact that I grew up as a member of the Salvation Army and as it happens Bob Day is also a member and used to run the Teenage Shelter in the North Eastern Suburbs for homeless teenagers. He has my respect for what he has done with his life in that respect and I feel that he is the best candidate to get my vote. If Bob Day was the candidate for the Labor party then I would be voting Labor instead without a second thought.

When I lived in Kingston I always supported Gordon Bilney (Labor) for the reason that I respected him as someone who did his best to represent the working families of the area. I also found it quite humerous when he did eventually lose when he stated that one of the things he looked forward to in his retirement was no longer having to deal with the incompetant - up themselves - Curdmigeons that were the Noarlunga Council at the time - Never a truer word could really have been said!

[RustyCage]

Living in Makin we will be choosing between Tony Zappia and Bob Day. Both are high quality candidates and either would do a great job as the representative for our area.

In recent years I have always chosen a minor party candidate for my first preference then selected either Liberal or Labor as second preference based around the way that elections are funded per first preference votes recieved and I favor minor parties in any event.

However having shifted electorate, Makin will be won or lost by a margin of a few hundred votes being that like Kingston or Wakefield it is not a safe seat for either party. So I will have to make my preference my first vote this time around.

At this stage Bob Day is likely to be getting my vote, based on the fact that I grew up as a member of the Salvation Army and as it happens Bob Day is also a member and used to run the Teenage Shelter in the North Eastern Suburbs for homeless teenagers. He has my respect for what he has done with his life in that respect and I feel that he is the best candidate to get my vote. If Bob Day was the candidate for the Labor party then I would be voting Labor instead without a second thought.

When I lived in Kingston I always supported Gordon Bilney (Labor) for the reason that I respected him as someone who did his best to represent the working families of the area. I also found it quite humerous when he did eventually lose when he stated that one of the things he looked forward to in his retirement was no longer having to deal with the incompetant - up themselves - Curdmigeons that were the Noarlunga Council at the time - Never a truer word could really have been said!

At least we haven't got Trish "I'll take my fk buddy overseas with me" Draper anymore! Zappia has done a good job of mayor of Salisbury, so he'd do a good job in Fedral politics I think.

[the wonder elephant]

know little about this subject just here to say hello on my last stop to covering the whole board !!!