[Pil-pc-oceania] Climate Change in Election 2007

[Colin Endean]

Dear All Electioneering Permies,
Here's my take with benefit of hindsight, the morning after so to speak.

Firstly, in SA we've elected Independent Nick Xenophon and it looks  
like we're electing Greens Sarah Hanson-Young to the Senate as well  
as the 2x2 Lab/Lib.
I'm pleased and delighted to have the CCC preferences in SA help to  
elect Sarah. Supported not detracted.

So, have a look at the facts and forget the "split the green vote  
line" and see that we've added to the green vote and collectively  
elected the Greens to the Senate in SA for the first time!
The opportunity is now to build on the loose but aligned 'progressive  
green alliance' that ensures there is strong ethical preferencing  
support amongst the 'like minded' side of politics.
I'll be putting these thoughts and words strongly to the CCC in the  
other states, especially WA and Qld.

Secondly, focussing on Climate Change as the overarching threat is  
useful to broaden support and action for where we need to head. It's  
the path of Energy Descent, learning to live with using less -  what  
we all know as the 'Permaculture pathways'. Climate Change has the  
benefit of wider publicity and awareness, of being an entry point for  
people to become aware of the wider societal and environmental  
threats and thus explore the paths that permaculture informs so well:  
Energy Descent, Transition Towns, Relocalisation. Permaculture has  
the wealth of experience in action and the principles to facilitate  
this necessary and inevitable Transition. The choices we  
(collectively, as a society) have are about how much design, how much  
influence, how much choice we have on this energy descent pathway.  
There are inevitabilities, such as Peak Oil and Limits to Growth and  
our choices will be the consequences of how soon and how widely  
awareness is raised and actions are enabled.
It is my view that Climate Change is more likely to be that entry  
point, that doorway into awareness that leads to understanding and  
action. Helpful but not exclusively. Adding another useful voice.  
"Design from patterns to details". Probably this is where PPP fails  
to gain enough traction as a name - it doesn't reach the everyday  
parlance of the electorate.

Thirdly, the Greens have a heritage and a history, just as the  
Australian Democrats have. Politically they have been very close to  
each other on policy and platforms, but there has been way to much  
squabbling or lack of effective support and generosity or real  
'alliance'. There are those who don't want to vote Green or Democrat  
but are concerned about the Climate Change issue and the lack of Lib/ 
Lab action or attention. CCC can be attractive and gain some broader  
electoral support and interest. To add 'diversity and resilience' in  
the parlance of ecology. "To Use and Value Diversity" as a Pc Principle.
What's important is to achieve what has happened in SA in the Senate  
this election, with over 20% of the vote away from from the centre  
and towards the 'progressive alliance'. Could we raise awareness  
sufficiently to go for 20% plus or 1 in 5 voters concerned and  
supportive across the nation?

Lastly a few grumbles from my experiences in these last 4 campaigning  
weeks:
I would wish in future to talk 99% more about Climate Change policy,  
issues and Energy Descent Action than to talk about preferences and  
divisiveness.
I'm astounded how the media entourage is embedded and 'on the bus'  
and shapes the conversations and discussions about challenges,  
political dialogue and the way issues are reported or more  
particularly not.

Thanks for all those supporters and to the CCC for the opportunity to  
experience the melee of political aspiration!
Nice to be back home amongst the early summer harvest and other  
fruitful endeavours.

Cheers
Colin

>
> In SA, Climate Change Coalition (1,2) has preferenced the Greens  
> (3,4,5),
> then Australian Democrats (6,7,8), WhatWomenWant (9,10), Socialist  
> Alliance
> (11,12), Xenophon (13) then Labor Party (14,15,16)....which seems  
> like a
> reasonable placement of preferences...
>
> You can check the Stae by State voting tickets (senate preference  
> flows on
> the Aust Election Commission website (www .aec.gov.au)
>
> Dont get conned by placing the LDP or Liberty and Democracy Party  
> anywhere
> that matters....they are so right wing theyre off the scale, and also
> preferencing the Libs above other serious contenders....they have Ivan
> Milats sister in law Lisa as their ACt Senate candidate....seem to  
> be an ACT
> based mob which claim 2,000 members.....WTF????
>
> Fingers crossed,
>
> Deb
>
>
>>
>> In South Australia, independent candidate Nick Xenophon has split his
>> ticket (meaning that if you vote for him above the line, your vote  
>> has a
>> 50-50 chance of ending up in either pile) in the following way among
>> parties that currently have Parliamentary representation:
>>
>> 50% of preferences will go to Family First, then the Greens, then the
>> Nationals, then the Liberals, then Labor
>>
>> 50% of preferences will go to the Greens, then Family First, then the
>> Nationals, then Labor, then the Liberals
>>
>>
>>
> still, they split the green vote!
>
>>