Two words. Interest Rates. No one voted against the bastards because they were afraid interest rates would go up, despite the government deporting Australian citizens, locking Australian citizens up in a prison in the middle of the desert, locking immigrants and their children up in the same prison for no specific length term, lieing about children being thrown overboard in order to exact their totalitarian immigration policy (the one which deports Australian citizens if they're mentally ill). Also, they refuse to even try to get David Hicks, an Australian citizen, a fair trial (or a trial at all after four years) because they're too busy licking the US Administration's boot.
In fact, the only thing he'll disagree with Bush on is China; Bush at least has concerns about their human rights record. Howard is "more positive" about this. Or should I say, he doesn't care, since China is a great place to export our stuff.
Interest rates went up, anyway.
The major alternative, the Labor party, is no better. They will roll over for the government on basically every issue, and only rarely disagree. And then everyone criticises them for "acting like they're in government", as though they are duty bound to agree with the government on everything. Pathetic.
Oh, and now the government has majority control of the senate, so it can do whatever it likes. Currently it's implementing legislation that is removing unfair dismissal. So basically you can be fired for any reason you like. You're black? Fired. A woman? fired. Don't want to work 16 hour days? Fired. The entire defense of the government on this issue is that "it doesn't apply to companys of over 100 people". Great. I'm sure that helps all the people who work for small or medium sized businesses.
And don't get me started on how Family First (a party that makes the Republicans look sane, where one of the candidates suggested burning lesbians at the stake. No, really.) got a seat and the Greens did not even though the Greens got three times as many votes.
I agree with everyone that freedom is far more important than safety, and I'm a raging left-winger. If terrorists "hate our freedoms" then the best response to their attacks is to make us more free, not to create a police state.
