OK, I'm on the other side of the world and I can't wait for it to be over! We get daily updates on the election campaign. Yesterday we were getting more frequent updates with, "has Hilary said anything yet about whether she is going to continue to campaign even though she's so unlikely now to win the Democrat nomination?"
We got THAT one with every news bulletin including a live cross to "our US correspondent".
Aussie politics is different. I mean, we get fed up with our politicians long before the election gets called, because they have a pseudo-campaign that begins about 18 months earlier.
For us, we are divided up into electorates. They vary in size with no rational logic to how big or small they are depending on population or area. A lot of the decisions as to electorate boundaries are made by whoever is in power, designed to keep them in power (we call it "gerrymander").
Each electorate has a MP or Member of Parliament (for the state as well as Federal - but the state electorates and Federal electorates have different boundaries and different names) who is elected by the people who live in that electorate. Voting is compulsory for every person over 18.
Depending on the political persuasion of the MP depends which party is in power. More Liberals means a Liberal government. If the MP belongs to no party, he can choose with whom to align depending on who makes him the best offer (in terms of policies he wants to get pushed through).
We also have our Senate (equivalent to the British House of Lords, only our Senate is elected). They are not associated with electorates, the entire country gets to vote (although each state has its own Upper House, as well as its own reps on the Federal Upper House). Our Federal Senate ballot paper is literally the size of a table cloth! And I don't mean a coffee table, either. We don't always have a Senate election (or more strictly, half-Senate, since we only elect half the Senate at a time) but the politicians try to time it so both houses are voted on at the same time.
It's easier to be a independent Senator than an independent MP.
What it boils down to - we have two major political parties and a handful of minor parties, all trying for the top job. Only the two major parties have a chance of being in charge (one of the major parties is actually a coalition between two groups with similar ideas).
WHat happens politically in the US is important to us because Australia relies on being "in good" with the US. We're a large country with a small population, on land which cannot support many more than we already have. Other countries nearby look enviously at our wide open spaces, not understanding just how arid and inhospitable most of this place is. We need the US to keep us safe.
As a result, your election outcome is of extreme importance and interest to us.
Our politicians are different to yours - we don't get all the festival hoop-la at election time, at least not to the same extent. Our MPs have to be more approachable, more within reach. Our own state MP lives in our village and is also currently captain of our bushfire brigade - now that's REALLY rolling up your shirt sleeves and getting stuck in! It means people have faith that he really does understand what it's like to live in fear of your house being destroyed through vandalism, damage to the environment and general thoughtlessness. When we see him he's not always wearing a business suit - a lot of the time he's wearing slickers, or maybe shorts and t-shirt relaxing at a local fair.
In Australia we value honesty, integrity and mateship. It's hard to find that in a politician. Aussie politicians have to be seen to be working with people and for a lot of them, it's difficult.
We currently have a PM (Prime Minister; leader of the country) with a difference. Kevin Rudd is a new broom sweeping clean who swept to power in December '07 with the t-shirt slogan (very US) "Kevin 07". Now he's in power and seemingly not sleeping but constantly working, he's getting called "Kevin 24/7". Frankly, if the worst we can say of our leader is that he's a workaholic, then I think a lot of other countries would be envious.
We in Australia worry when we see rivals in the same party apparently attacking each other in their zeal to win the nomination. if only resources could be pooled to get a PARTY into power, instead of the person! And yet - maybe our system seems wrong to you, with the focus on party politics and not on what man person can do to represent your country on the world stage.
We do not have a say in who our country's leader will be - the party decides. Some countries feel this is insane. Maybe - but it IS different!
It will all be over soon. Whoever you vote for, it won't really matter - you will get a politician. That's for certain.
Marg
