Free Republic

It took a couple of months and was filled with charges and countercharges of dirty tricks and the suppression of free speech, but the Australian plebiscite on gay marriage is finally finished. The people responded in large numbers and in the end, the tally ran fairly close to what the current polling had indicated. More than sixty percent of respondents voted in favor of legalizing gay marriage and now the Parliament is vowing to bring it to a vote before Christmas. (Associated Press) Australians supported gay marriage in a postal survey that ensures Parliament will consider legalizing same-sex weddings...

Imagine that you were elected to a federal office several years ago and had a safe seat with all the perks attached, including salary, expense account, and influence with corporate CEOs and other titans of industry.  Suppose further that you knew that the future would be prosperous when you left office because the connections you made would make you a fortune as a lobbyist.  Moreover, since unseating an incumbent is a herculean task, you felt that you were set for life.  In fact, as soon as you got elected, you began raising money and preparing for re-election.  Governing and legislating...

Australian opposition MPs have said they will block the prime minister's plan to hold a national vote on legalising same-sex marriage. Malcolm Turnbull has promised to put the issue to a non-binding ballot, or plebiscite, next year. But critics, including many supporters of same-sex marriage, say parliament should make the decision itself. They say the plebiscite will be expensive and runs the risk of unleashing homophobic rhetoric. Parliament will still vote on whether to hold the plebiscite, but without opposition and crossbench support it is unlikely to pass the senate.

Australia’s prime minister introduced legislation to Parliament on Wednesday that would allow a public but non-binding vote on gay marriage early next year. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, a marriage equality advocate who is the only serving prime minister to attend the Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, introduced the bill on the first anniversary of his ascension to the top government job. […] Although such a vote appears to be a move toward changing the law, most gay rights activists are against a plebiscite, saying it should be decided in Parliament without the potential divisive public debate. They fear that...

Australia's prime minister gave a personal assurance on Friday that his government would legalize gay marriage if a majority of Australians choose marriage equality in a popular vote. The center-right government has promised to hold a plebiscite on the gay marriage question if the government is re-elected in a vote due this year. But a number of the government's most conservative lawmakers have recently announced that they might vote down gay marriage against the wishes of a majority of Australians. ...

Obtained from various sources: Greece’s referendum question will apparently read as follows: “Greek people are hereby asked to decide whether they accept a draft agreement document submitted by the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund, at the Eurogroup meeting held on on June 25 and which consists of two documents: ‘‘The first document is called Reforms for the Completion of the Current Program and Beyond and the second document is called Preliminary Debt Sustainability Analysis. ‘‘- Those citizens who reject the institutions’ proposal vote Not Approved / NO ‘‘- Those citizens who accept the institutions’...

Many years have gone by since there has been a definitive resolution on many issues that challenge our society today. Perhaps some may challenge the effectiveness of our representatives in exercising the will of the people. I think a National Referendum on key issues may be beneficial to this great nation. For example, it may take the wind out of the sail of an extremist activist judge or perhaps force an action by the government that will address issues like illegal immigration in this country once and for all; without the need for a political hanging by the way. How...

I was reading the free PDF of Chapter 8 of "Unfit for Command" offered by Human Events Online, only to be shocked to read that John Kerry was a leader in a November, 1971 vote by the Vietnam Veterans Against the War (a group with known communist ties) on whether or not to assassinate pro-war US Senators. Now, at that time in my life, I was just learning how to tie my shoelaces, so forgive me for my historical ignorance of the period. What is so striking though is that this well documented event, and Kerry's participation in it, seems...