The thing is, same sex marriage was a platform at the last election, however, I don't believe it is a big enough issue to base a federal election on by itself. what if you are for same sex marriage but against another issue (I don't care enough about politics to know who is for what). ok, lets say you are for same sex marriage but you are against funding cuts for heath. Your local PM is running on a platform of pro-same sex marriage and pro-funding cuts. You really want same sex marriage to be allowed, but you don't want funding to be cut, so what do you do? Now you have to choose, that sucks.
That's politics. I doubt anyone but billboards agree with every single policy that a party puts forward.
So, at an election, you weigh everything up and go with who suits you best overall, based on your priorities and how they are reflected in the parties/candidates.
Also, you're wrong about the last election. It was not an issue. I doubt there's anyone who could accurately name how each MP would vote.
It is an issue now, however, and so everyone should be upfront about it at the next election so it can be taken into consideration when people are voting. Then, have your conscience vote.
I have also heard that (and I might be wrong, but I saw this on tv, so take it as hearsay) that Abbot leaned on his PM's last vote and said if they don't vote along party policy, their standing in the party would be in jeopardy, not in those exact words, but that was the gist of it.
Incorrect. However, there is a policy that if frontbenchers cross the floor they are expelled.
This is my problem with conscience votes, each PM is supposed to vote based on what they themselves believe, but it doesn't work out that way, cause their party leans on them to two the line. It's be great if they actually did vote the way they felt, but I doubt its happens as purely as it is supposed to.
I really doubt anything in life, let alone politics, happens as it is supposed to.
A conscience vote has a better chance of passing if Tony Abbott was to lose the next election, that's for sure, cause anybody who denies that he is influencing his parties views is kidding themselves. He's made the liberal party a lot more conservative than it has been in years.
He's not influencing his party's views. He is holding the longstanding Liberal platform on same-sex marriage and frontbenchers not crossing the floor.
If he is seeking to have any influence it is simply not letting any private members' bills on the issue get traction. Sure, you might say this is for ideological reasons but one thing is true is that it is obviously for political reasons, as well. They don't want it to dominate the news cycle as it doesn't play to their strengths. That may not be the nicest thing in the world but it is totally different from Abbott forcing people into a binding No vote because of his personal views on the subject.
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There WILL be a conscience vote on the subject. This is a foregone conclusion. My point is simply that it should wait until after the next election, when candidates can state their conscience and be judged by the Australian people accordingly, thus giving us our best chance to express our will outside of a plebiscite (which is a significantly more expensive way to do it).
