The Unshackled Waves Ep. 109 Bennelong By-Election, Sam Dastyari Resigns, Victoria Update and Alabama Senate Race
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On this week’s review show we welcome back again Senior Editor of The Unshackled Damien Ferri.
Despite all the hype that the Bennelong by-election would be a close result Liberal John Alexander was comfortably elected with 54.75% of the two-party preferred vote. Many have said that the swing to Labor of 4.97% would result in the Coalition losing government in a general election however in by-elections there is always a swing against the government. Turnbull looks safe for now and is able to finish the year on a high. Labor’s Chinaphobia accusation against the Turnbull Government did not work. This was also the first test for Australian Conservatives who only obtained 4.3% of the primary vote and most of that was at the expense of the Christian Democratic Party. It is clear it is still difficult for minor parties to be heard and Australian Conservatives still has a lot of work to do.
Sam Dastyari finally succumbed to the immense public pressure and resigned from the Senate last Tuesday, however it won’t take effect until next year. The death blow was dealt on the Monday with two Labor frontbenches stating he should consider position. Dastyari was a powerful figure in Labor so his downfall is a major scalp for the Turnbull Government. He certainly won’t be missed, mocking Pauline Hanson and nationalists was one of his favourite activities however it looks they have had the last laugh. He has already been exploring a future career in media, so he may not disappear from our TV screens.
Things are still not looking good in the state of Victoria. The Victorian Crime Statistics revealed a 6.2% drop in crime however the categories of violent crime were on the rise. The spin from the Andrews Government that Victoria was becoming safer was shattered in no less than 24 hours with two violent brawls in Melbourne in the past few days. Daniel Andrews also announced that he was slugging motorists with increases in tolls to pay for a cost blowout on the West Gate Tunnel project. He is also refusing to break up an illegal CFEMU picket at Victoria’s container terminal which is blocking millions of dollars’ worth of stock.
In the United States all eyes were on the Alabama Senate Race. Democrat Doug Jones won against Republican Judge Roy Moore who was accused of sexual misconduct against underage girls. Commentators claimed it was a loss for Trump however this was fake news he backed Luther Strange in the Republican primary, it was more a loss for Republican establishment. Trump was humble after the loss and made the decision to back Moore in the campaign only because he believes you should always back your people. The Republican Senate majority is now only 51-49 which means that Trump’s legislative agenda will be more difficult to implement.
Theme Music Super Power Cool Dude by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
News Discussed
Is Labor Playing the Race Card Working in Bennelong?
Labor’s Race Baiting Fails in Bennelong
Sam Dastyari Resigns from the Senate. Will He Leave Public Life?
Aussie Patriots React to Sam Dastyari’s Resignation
Victoria’s Bittersweet Crime Statistics
Victorian Crime Update
West Gate tunnel extension to cost $6.7bn under Transurban partnership – The Australian
Court orders unions to stop blockading Melbourne port as 1,000 containers remain stranded – ABC News
Roy Moore’s Loss in Alabama: Not a Win for Democrats, a Loss for Republicans.
