You're right Jennifer.

The solution is to stop voting for them.

However this requires that we ignore the arbitrary rule that we should number all the boxes on the ballot. Yes, that will make it "informal" and it won't be in the official tally. However scrutineers will certainly notice if the informal vote suddently jumps to 5, 10 or 15 percent. That will cause upheaval.

Oh, and don't do this if you're in an electorate where somebody decent has a real chance of being elected. Tony Kevin has spelt out the strategy:
http://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=20090

Stop giving them oxygen.

Stop voting for them.

Talk about pots, kettles, & degrees of blackness.

It takes 4 words to say Tony Abbott no good, not 4 pages.

I'm going to have to stay sitting for a few minutes, with all her spin this birds got me dizzy, & she taught this rubbish!

Great article, Jennifer! And the metaphor is perfect. Rudd is the snake and Abbot lurks in the depths waiting his chance.

The dilemma facing Australian citizens is serious. The truth is that we have no leaders. We have a pair of self-serving, truth-spinning dummies on both sides of the aisle, neither of whom can be trusted and neither of whom are capable of achieving their goals.

This is a serious situation for our country given that we could shortly have a GFC Mark2 and, quite possibly, a nuclear war thanks to Israel.

What we are supposed to do, I don't know.

Our democracy is failing us. Badly!

http://www.dangerouscreation.com

Dear Jennifer, this article is the best/worst example of the problem. No honesty from the author at all.

Yes Krudd's a Dud & Tony's a Phony, but the Best/Worst liars of all, over the last 5 decades have been Loony, Left, Humanities Academics.

Of them, the most evil, have been the "Spin Sista's" from the Radical, Extreme, Loony, Left, Lesbian, Fauxmanista Brigade. Spinning their irrational Misandry over & over & over again.

The definition of Communist, Anarchist, Socialism is the ability to maintain an argument, despite the facts.

The definition of Conservatism is to ignore the facts, until they go away.

What is happening in politics right now is exactly the same as what has been going on in politics for at least the last 5 decades, that i know of.

A retreat in Horror from, both the Loony, Left & the Raving, Right by 90% of the population, back into the Middle. Where they always were anyway.

The liberal, getup/labour, national & red/green parties have always leapt into bed with each other, ruling left/right elites, the Canberra Press Gallery, Academia, Bureaucrookracy, Big Banks, Big Unions, Big Business, whenever, "the peasants have been revolting" to put down, any genuine, new, political party or, "third force" in politics.

Look what they all did to Pauline Hanson, the Australian Democrats, etc, etc, etc.

Don't believe me look up Hansard, Newspaper archives for yourself.

The Red/greens & the Nuclear Disarmament party before them were set up by getup/labour stalwarts as false shop fronts, alleged minor parties to fool disgruntled ex getup/labour voters into thinking they could have a protest vote & then directing preferences back to getup/labour anyway, thereby killing off the Australian Democrats.

After 2010, NEVER AGAIN, there will be Senate Committee on "Un Australian Activities", hopefully loony, left academics will be top of their list.

Geoff Davies, your wrong the best thing you can do is put the red/greens last, getup/labour second last, liberals third last, nationals fourth last & number every real minor party & independent ahead of them.

Politicians nowdays are expected to have an opinion on everything and it should surprise no-one when they make a statement that they later regret. John Howard used to ignore the question and make the point that he wanted to make anyway. Kevin Rudd handles these questions with a sweet little platitude. Perhaps Tony Rudd should stop answering these questions and comment only on esteblished policy.

Hasbeen, spot on mate, of course the local chapter of,

http://www.whirlingdervishes.org/

started with Germain Greer, otherwise known as the, "Spin Sistas in da hood" or Fauxmanistas.

They twirl around until reaching a trance like state, whereupon they fall down giddy, then getup with a burning desire to, "spread the truth" as they see it, otherwise known in psychiatry circles as, "reverse psychology psychosis" whereby the sufferer is compelled to religiously repeat the exact opposite of the truth ad infinitum.

David G, your getting closer to the truth there mate but i have a better link for you.

http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/archivos_pdf/nonedarecallit_conspiracy.pdf

Or.

http://www.cruelhoax.ca/#top

Or.

http://www.lawfulpath.com/ref/greening.shtml

benk, you make an excellent argument, but i still believe that it is possible for an honest, intelligent, politician (i know that's an oxymoron at the moment, but there are, some out there, http://barnabyisright.com/, Bob Katter Jr, Nick Xenophon, Steve Fielding) to find a path through the minefield of differing opinions & stand for something.

Our democracy is failing us. Badly!
David G,
I have looked for four decades to find a democracy here but haven't been successful.
Lots of people talk about & some even get passionate about but I have yet to find someone to show it to me.
Thanks to the minority of DECENT australian folk & hard working migrants & I mean HARD WORKING as in the Snowy scheme & the cane fields, coal mines & building our generation got a good start in life. Problem is that today's academic background politicians backed by an insanely huge Public service have taken away all the goal posts.
Only a minute ago Julia Gillard's gobbledygook on meet the press was all about what could be. She never got anywhere near stating as to what is. And, you know what saddest part was ? None of the journos asked any relevant or intelligent questions.

Hi Jen,

I am taking out my frustration with a blog.

Tony is such a poor alternative PM what hope have we got.

Still we can have a laugh. Feel free to add a tip off or comment at my blog. I hope you find it entertaining.

www.tonysatool.wordpress.com

The sad part is, the "Two party" belief most people have that results in actually weighing up the lies and misdeeds to find which of the TWO is better, it will ensure that Liberal and Labor members KNOW that as long as their own crimes are even marginally less severe than the others, they will NOT mean anything.

START VOTING FOR SOMEONE ELSE YOU LAZY SODS!

Here, let me help
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_parties_in_Australia#Registered_for_elections_with_the_AEC

Also check out candidates for your electorate and type their names (and electorate) into google- there will likely be a party page.
You will not have to do an ounce of study for another three years, if at all.
Get cracking!

Jennifer,

Your metaphor is impeccable. I, used to few words, would have stopped at the end of paragraph six.

What was the sense of going on writing when you had said all there was to say.

The readers need to pose and reflect that we are in the grip of power-hungry politicians.

The only escape for the ones in your boat was assuaging the snake until safe ground came at hand, and then jump.

We have no option but voting a politician and if such option is against our conscience we should not take it.

Jennifer seems to forget that all are born of corruption. What we find that it is often the media are are slimy, inconsistent, manipulative and often straight out lying. With many journalist displaying these badges it is no wonder that politicians of all persuasions often slip up.

If we were to have some 'fair dinkum' journalist among the National Broadcasters and other stations we would not have slimy people asking slimy questions about politicians children's virginty and demonizing anyone with any decency. Kerry O'Brien is happy to attack Tony Abbot about his faith and yet leaves Mr Rudd alone about his. Hypocrisy rules among journalist.

Probably the greatest defect among pollies is that they cave in to these deviants who often have an agenda. Look at how they demonized anyone questioning their little gw dogma. Instead of apologizing the media at large are still desperately trying to demonize anyone with half a brain who knows what crap it is.

The public at large is happy to tolerate a media full of deviancy and corruption and then somehow expects the pollies to be above that. It won't happen.

How sad Jennifer Wilson,

Your article can be discounted because it's spin overlooking a fundamental aspect of our electrol system.

Political parties during election campaigns issue Manifestos. ie written statements of their promises.

Jennifer lampooned Abbott because he's said, you might not always be able to believe what he says, while she has ignored his comment, we can believe anything he puts in writing. Jennifer doesn't dispute the latter comment.

Jennifer excludes any comments Rudd and the Labor Party have broken nearly every promise they made in verbally and in writing in their election manifesto at the last election. So you cannot believe anything the Labor Party says ... or writes.

So who's the snake ... Rudd his broken promises and reckless policies (Not promised)put us in debt and threatening our economic future.

Who's the croc ... Julia ... she'll eat the snake.

Tony ... the tinnie's skipper will throw the bloody snake out of the boat ... with the help of the crew.

You know Jennifer logically if you take Tony's statement about not always speaking the truth and say you believe him then you also have to believe his statement about his written promises. That's consistant.

Equally if you accept Rudd as a liar, as you suggest, then you must agree his written promises are also likely be lies ... as his past performances indicate. That's logical and consistant.

So given choices do you trust someone who says if it's written it's the truth or do you believe someone who has proven his spoken and written word is lies?

It isn't people in the media who will decide the election it's voters who understand the issue Abbott raised and importance of the substance of election manifestos.

The media in highlighting only part of Abbott's statement overlook oters will know the full context. The media and Labor Paty are only highlighting and causing people to focus on the shortcommings of Rudd and Labor.

How grand a media intent on electing the Liberals.

Formersnag - your proposal would result in a National or a Liberal being elected. To avoid that you have to actually stop the flow of preferences.

Of course your rant may have just been an anti-Greens rant, nothing to do with the article or my comment, it's hard to tell.

TITLE.

//Voters can only let politicians know we’re sick of their lies, the sophistry and the back downs from the great and small moral challenges.//

EXACTLY.. and where do voters go when they are in this condition ?

http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/41118/

see the vid...and before you go off half cocked about 'nutcase'.. see the one great truth about Beck...when he makes an assertion.. usually the very next thing he does is SHOW the evidence or speaker mouthing off.

The Unions demanded HUGE unsustainable pensions..(years ago) Beck went on air saying "These are not sustainable"
Today the Washington Post contained a story "Unions call for 340billion bailout for pensions" :)

Speaking of snakes.. Obama's 'stimulus' package was written by Marxists. The Appollo foundation.. see who is on 'that' little body.

Neither of the leaders are speaking directly to the electorate, both are performing for their deputies. Men posture for the attention of women. Chest thumping displays of obfuscation and wilful obstruction are de rigeur. In the circumstance the expectation the electorate should be a primary consideration is absurd. The men who established Australia's legislatures never intended they would be anything other than men's legislatures to which women are admitted under supervision. Women would have to wait until they gained sufficient experience before they could have legislatures of their own, effective of when the parliament grinds to halt. Sufficient is the present. Lady snake is still in the tree while Candice crocodile is rolling with glee! Leave their mates go free, they're not after thee, and provision the nation with a fair dinkum tinnie.