World News Thread

[Inanna]

[Impenitent]

The Pirate Party joined with some other minority parties (Secular Party, Science Party, Climate Justice Party and Vote Planet Party) to form the new FUSION party, which has a surprisingly rational, progressive platform.

My democracy sausage this morning was vegetarian, with fried onions and mustard.

[Inanna]

Yum. Was it good, Imp?

[Impenitent]

As well as postal votes, the Australian Electoral Commission opens a number of booths in each electorate for early or pre-polling, to allow electors who are unable to get to a voting booth on election day to vote in advance. Early voting usually opens two weeks before election day.

The AEC also offers mobile voting in residential aged care centres and remote areas of Australia; telephone voting is available for people with low vision and for those who are Covid-19 positive and in isolation.

EDIT - it was a good sausage! (and I was hungry, having skipped breakfast)

[Impenitent]

As well as postal votes, the Australian Electoral Commission opens a number of booths in each electorate for early or pre-polling, to allow electors who are unable to get to a voting booth on election day to vote in advance. Early voting usually opens two weeks before election day.

The AEC also offers mobile voting in residential aged care centres and remote areas of Australia; telephone voting is available for people with low vision and for those who are Covid-19 positive and in isolation.

EDIT - it was a good sausage! (and I was hungry, having skipped breakfast)

[Túrin Turambar]

This election has been wild. The vote has fractured all over the place and it's turned into something of a battle royale of individual fistfights between Labor, Coalition, Greens, Teal Independents, non-Teal Independents, and assorted other candidates seat-by-seat across the country. It is shaping up as a re-aligning election although we've got no idea what it's re-aligning to. That said, the Government has been defeated and Anthony Albanese will be Australia's 31st prime minister. The question now is whether he'll lead a minority or majority government. Based on early results from the west a majority is looking very possible.

Edit: I'm surprised the sausage was good, every vegan sausage I've tried has been godawful. Maybe they're improving over time.

[Impenitent]

Hunger, fried onions and mustard may have influenced me .

[RoseMorninStar]

Australian elections sound entertaining. I hope whomever wins does right by Australia!

Sorry.. but what is written on the back of those trunks? It's quite distracting. Not that I'm complaining. I doubt that would be allowed at our polling place.

[elengil]

Australian elections sound entertaining. I hope whomever wins does right by Australia!

Sorry.. but what is written on the back of those trunks? It's quite distracting. Not that I'm complaining. I doubt that would be allowed at our polling place.

Yeah... it's the writing that's distracting...

[Frelga]

Yeah... it's the writing that's distracting...

Yes, because the rest is attractive.

Impish, was the sausage offered by a Fair Go Dibbler?

[RoseMorninStar]

OK. So I had to look it up. Turns out dressing in swimwear was a thing? even on a cold day. The trunks on the man (above) in question says 'budgie smuggler' erm.. which .. I wonder if that means something different in Australia...?
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... tates.html

[Sunsilver]

Budgie smuggler refers to the er...lump in the front of the crotch that's visible when men wear this type of swim trunks.

This swimmer has some strategically placed advertising:

[RoseMorninStar]

Well, yes, I knew the traditional meaning of Budgie smuggler but I didn't know if it was.. I dunno.. something else like a tongue-in-cheek (heh) nickname for the pirate party or something. I didn't understand the why/purpose of people voting in swimwear. But it was fun!

[Túrin Turambar]

U.K. news has dropped off the radar a little post-Brexit and following Jeremy Corbyn's departure as Labour leader but Boris Johnson is now facing a no-confidence vote over holding parties during COVID-lockdown. Nothing yet on how many votes the challengers are likely to have, or who would replace him if the motion is carried.

[RoseMorninStar]

How much do elections in the UK affect other countries in the Commonwealth?

[Inanna]

Zero.

[Eldy]

From The Guardian's live updates:

Boris Johnson wins confidence vote by 211 votes to 148

Sir Graham Brady, chair of the Conservative 1922 Committee, says 359 votes were cast. There were no spoilt ballots.

Confidence in Boris Johnson: 211

No confidence in Johnson: 148

That means more than 40% of Tory MPs voted against Johnson.

The BBC's anchors point out that this is a narrower margin of victory than Theresa May got from Tory MPs in December 2018, and she announced her resignation six months later.

[Frelga]

So this is a yes confidence outcome?

[Eldy]

Yeah, Johnson gets to remain Leader of the Conservative Party and therefore also Prime Minister.

[Túrin Turambar]

He has won, although with 41% of the party room voting against him in a challenge with no obvious challenger it's hard to see how he has much of a long-term future. As Eldy pointed out, past PMs who've had these sorts of numbers haven't lasted much longer.