Democracy is dead in Australia. - General

[QUOTE=Cloak Raider;18027412] If a sizable majority does not like a policy, it will most likely change. This is democratic.[/QUOTE] Democratic in theory, in practice that's not always the case, and for good reason. If there are mass riots over a policy change, of course the government will listen to the people more intently, but ultimately, the government decides what happens, the people decide whether they liked what the government did in four years time at the next election. Especially in the UK, where parliament doesn't actually need to accept the results of a referendum, a decision that is actually directly voted on by the people.

I actually want to move to or at least visit Australia once though, I heard that the people are very friendly and that's it's just swell all around. :3: Also, this thread made me love my country that much more [img]http://www.marketingmagazin.si/images/custom//ifeelsloveniap.jpg[/img]

Furries will get Facepunch blacklisted? Then let's ban them. All of 'em.

[QUOTE=Agoat;18027674]Furries will get Facepunch blacklisted? Then let's ban them. All of 'em.[/QUOTE] Good idea

[QUOTE=Mr_Sun;18027476]at least America still acts like Democracy is still in place "huuur yes we did vote for Obama" /sarcasm[/QUOTE] You're suggesting Obama actually lost the election? lol.

Unless all Australian Facepunchers send me $20 apiece, I'll send Kevin Rudd a link to the sexposes thread and a short explanation on how Garry's Mod is a sex and murder simulator where players rape female characters and run wild with automatic rifles and nuclear weapons. Also, players are encouraged to make maps of real world schools and government buildings so they can practice slaughtering the occupants. You and I both know they'll have Facepunch and Gmod blocked faster than you can say "Lesbian Alyx."

[QUOTE=Waffle Cake;18027487]Democratic in theory, in practice that's not always the case, and for good reason. If there are mass riots over a policy change, of course the government will listen to the people more intently, but ultimately, the government decides what happens, the people decide whether they liked what the government did in four years time at the next election. Especially in the UK, where parliament doesn't actually need to accept the results of a referendum, a decision that is actually directly voted on by the people.[/QUOTE] If over 50% of your country is saying to do this and you vote the other way. You will piss them off and have a revolution eventually. A government's job is not to control citizens, but direct them.

I don't think the gun control or video game ratings are anything to be suspicious of but the internet filter is indeed worrying.

:siren: :siren: :siren: :siren: :siren: :siren: :siren: :siren: :siren: :siren: :siren: :siren: :siren: :siren: :siren: [b]At the very end the dCL4P-TP (First Claptrap you meet) turns into an enemy.[/b] [img]http://a.abcnews.com/images/Health/ht_shock_060727_ssv.jpg[/img] :siren: :siren: :siren: :siren: :siren: :siren: :siren: :siren: :siren: :siren: :siren: [b]Stupid dyke apologizes for tricking you into going into the vault. There was no treasure. She just used you to kill the Destroyer, saving Pandora.[/b] :siren: :siren: :siren: :siren: :siren: :siren: :siren: :siren: :siren: :siren: :siren: :siren: :siren: :siren: :siren: :siren: [b]So Tannis betrays you and gets you to open the vault. they key wont be open for 200 years, Says Tannis, she gets you to sell it she infects the dCL4P-TP, Robot then BAM MOTHERFUCKING CREDITS and Dr.Zed will anally rape you in the sequel[/b] [highlight](User was permabanned for this post ("Spam" - JohnnyMo1))[/highlight]

I didn't know Australia was so bad for freedoms. Having the government go ahead with a law they know the public doesn't want is shit. The government is there to represent the people, not just to keep them in line.

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.

[QUOTE=Reborn9;18026659]Yes but the thing is, how many cases like this do you hear of? It's one in a million. Or at least the odds of things like this happening are very low. Also, consider the Australia's population density. It's not very high, is it?[/QUOTE] You do realise that the only reason it's so low is because there is barely anything in the further inland parts of Australia, right? Almost all of the people here live in cities. [editline]07:41AM[/editline] Also I fucking told you all not to vote for Kevin Rudd. I could see it in his fucking smug grin that he'd do something shitty. John Howard would've given up on this whole internet filter thing by now. Also our democracy is fucked because when it comes to things like what the OP mentioned, both of the main parties have pretty much the same views. The main places where they differ are to do with taxes and industrial/commercial laws.

ITT: Waffle Cake says democracy is the same thing as "representative fascism" or puppet governments.

I agree with you, but most of your reasoning is pretty bad. First off, don't make the "general populace is left unarmed" argument, because the fact is, guns in the hands of civilians does not solve emergency situations, they escalate them. The reason you should be pissed that they are taking your guns is that their logic behind it is terrible and dangerous. Taking guns away won't stop massacres, all they are doing is denying you liberties out of reactionary protectionism. Second, you try to scapegoat pedophiles as the real problem, while missing the point that the REAL problem is that they are censoring perfectly harmless content. I don't really even understand what your point about the pedophiles is, to be honest. Don't negotiate with censors, it solves nothing because it makes them seem justified. Would it be ok to censor "immoral" material if it worked correctly? NO Lastly, the government IS supposed to protect you from yourself, it IS supposed to make tough decisions that people might not like. The problem here isn't them acting without regard for the public, but that they have TOO much regard for the public. Despite the supposed statistics you posted, the truth is that any ultra-conservative political party survives off a frightened, bigoted public that [I]wants[/I] the government to control them. They're just playing to the crowd.

[QUOTE=The Epidemic;18026573]And Garry's Mod looks so innocent that they wouldn't even bother.[/QUOTE] One word: Sexpose.

I don't see how you can compare the restriction of weapons (good) to the restriction of information (bad). But yes this filter thing is bullshit.

[QUOTE=ryandaniels;18030104]I agree with you, but most of your reasoning is pretty bad. First off, don't make the "general populace is left unarmed" argument, because the fact is guns in the hands of civilians does not solve emergency situations, they escalate them. The reason you should be pissed that they are taking your guns is that their logic behind it is terrible and dangerous. Taking guns away won't stop massacres, all they are doing is denying you liberties out of reactionary protectionism. Second, you try to scapegoat pedophiles as the real problem, while missing the point that the REAL problem is that they are censoring perfectly harmless content. I don't really even understand what your point about the pedophiles is, to be honest. Don't negotiate with censors, it solves nothing because it makes them seem justified. Would it be ok to censor "immoral" material if it worked correctly? NO Lastly, the government IS supposed to protect you from yourself, it IS supposed to make tough decisions that people might not like. The problem here isn't them acting without regard for the public, but that they have TOO much regard for the public. Despite the supposed statistics you posted, the truth is, that any ultra-conservative political party survives off a frightened, bigoted public that [I]wants[/I] the government to control them. They're just playing to the crowd.[/QUOTE] Taking guns away from a populace is never a good thing. You can never get the guns away from criminals, and you only make innocent people more afraid and susceptible to crime. Supposed "Massacres" occur and it has nothing to do with guns, guns are just an easy scapegoat. A determined, and fucked up individual is going to find a way to kill people either way. Explosives are easy to make, and can be made with over the counter, and cupboard worthy materials. Don't scapegoat guns. People are fucked up. That's the real problem. I really have to disagree with that last point for so many reasons.

[QUOTE=HumanAbyss;18030243]Taking guns away from a populace is never a good thing. You can never get the guns away from criminals, and you only make innocent people more afraid and susceptible to crime. Supposed "Massacres" occur and it has nothing to do with guns, guns are just an easy scapegoat. A determined, and fucked up individual is going to find a way to kill people either way. Explosives are easy to make, and can be made with over the counter, and cupboard worthy materials. Don't scapegoat guns. People are fucked up. That's the real problem. I really have to disagree with that last point for so many reasons.[/QUOTE] Huh? I'm arguing [B]for[/B] guns.

[QUOTE=ryandaniels;18030324]Huh? I'm arguing [B]for[/B] guns.[/QUOTE] I was confused about what you said then.

I said that, in all actuality, guns are only going to escalate crisis situations, so the whole idea that people having guns stops crime is bullshit. However, despite that, guns still aren't very dangerous if you look at the statistics, so people should be allowed to own them because it's their right to own things as long as they don't pose gigantic risks to other people.

[QUOTE=HumanAbyss;18029973]ITT: Waffle Cake says democracy is the same thing as "representative fascism" or puppet governments.[/QUOTE] ITT: HumanAbyss doesn't know what fascism or a puppet government is.

[QUOTE=Waffle Cake;18030441]ITT: HumanAbyss doesn't know what fascism or a puppet government is.[/QUOTE] Yeah, I do. [editline]02:19PM[/editline] [QUOTE=ryandaniels;18030395]I said that, in all actuality, guns are only going to escalate crisis situations, so the whole idea that people having guns stops crime is bullshit. However, despite that, guns still aren't very dangerous if you look at the statistics, so people should be allowed to own them because it's their right to own things as long as they don't pose gigantic risks to other people.[/QUOTE] Ok, that's what you meant. In that case, I agree with you. Sorry for the confusion.

[QUOTE=HumanAbyss;18030451]Yeah, I do.[/QUOTE] Then what do they have to do with what I say modern representative democracy is?

There is no conspiracy theory, anywhere, anytime. It is only excited nerds and dead beat scientists who lost it all when they supported Y2K.

So just vote for the other guy next election?

[QUOTE=YoMother;18026716]Point is that normal people won't run the risk of getting shot by accident. Criminals are gonna have guns no matter how much you restrict it.[/QUOTE] This.

[QUOTE=Waffle Cake;18026518]Op needs to learn the difference between direct and representative democracy.[/QUOTE] It isn't representative when your laws and legislations do not represent the views of the people. Representative democracy is the idea that we elect MP's for example to represent our interests and to exercise some of their own knowledge to get shit done the way we want it done. If the Aussie voters don't want an internet filter, a representative democracy would not enforce a filter. You need to learn what a representative democracy is. [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Representative_democracy[/url] Here is a good start.