Posted on 08/11/2015 2:00:27 PM PDT by naturalman1975
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has confirmed coalition MPs will not have a free vote on same-sex marriage, destroying any chance of the law being passed under this Parliament.
He said roughly 60 MPs supported the existing position, while 30 called for a conscience vote after a marathon six-hour party room meeting.
'There was strong support for the existing position... that marriage is between a man and a woman,' Mr Abbott told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday night.
Following the party room meeting, Mr Abbott conducted a press conference and said that of the 30 who said there should be a free vote, more than half a dozen claimed they would still support the existing position.
'There was the strong view in the party room that if we were to drop the policy to the extent of having a free vote a lot of the people who voted for us were going to feel dudded,' Mr Abbott said.
'I've got to say that just at this moment in particular the last thing you should do is dud the people that voted for you.'
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
For those unfamiliar with Australian politics, Tony Abbott is the Prime Minister of Australia, and the leader of Liberal Party of Australia, which is Australia's major conservative party (the name 'Liberal' is drawn from the classical definition of the term liberal which used to hold sway, before the left decided to try and appropriate it). Historically, the Liberal Party is nearly always in coalition with the National Party, which is the second largest conservative party in Australia, as it is now, hence references to 'coalition MPs' in the article - the Liberals and Nationals largely function as one party, and in some parts of Australia have actually merged (meaning there is also a Liberal National Party and a Country Liberal Party (the Nationals used to be called the Country Party) in the coalition). It sounds more chaotic than it is - 99% of the time, they can all be considered as a single party where the Liberal leader is Prime Minister, and the National leader (Warren Truss) is Deputy Prime Minister.
What has happened here last night is that a joint meeting of the coalition MPs took a vote that the official position of the coaltion is to remain opposed to same-sex marriage - what those who support it in the party wanted was for the coalition to agree to a 'free vote' where the coalition would have no binding view, and MPs would be entirely free to vote as they wanted - under those circumstances, it is likely same-sex marriage would have been passed in short order, as the opposition Labor Party is largely in favour, and with support from coalition MPs voting freely, would probably give same sex marriage support a majority in the house. By holding the line on this issue, and succeeding in defending coalition policy, Mr Abbott has made that unlikely. Under longstanding policies of the Liberal Party (it's less clear with the Nationals), Members of Parliament are always free to vote their conscience, so some may still decide to vote with Labor, but the lack of a free vote means that any Minister who votes against coalition policy has to resign from the Ministry, and is unlikely to hold high office again - they can continue as an ordinary Member of Parliament, but they'd lose their position in the Ministry or the Cabinet. It is unlikely that enough will be willing to sacrifice their career over this issue.
This doesn't end the discussion. Tony Abbott's leadership is somewhat tenuous (although more secure than it was earlier in the year) and this could reignite challenges to him within his own party. He is risking the Prime Ministership to hold this line. And while this issue is important to him, there are a lot of other issues that matter too, and at some point, he may feel he has to make a choice as to which particular issue to give in on, and I'm not sure what choice he would make. As politicians go, he's a good and decent one, who fights to hold a conservative line that he believes in - but he's still a politician in the end.
Wow! A rare politician who believes integrity and morals matter more than winning elections and accumulating power.
I am still upset at myself for volunteering to help Mike Pence run for Governor of Indiana.
The PA supreme ct ruled in 2014 that is was unconstitutional to open school board meetings with prayer
I'm not sure of the reasoning, but imo, activist black robes just decided on their own, skirting Congress and the Constitution (CONGRESS shall make no law .... says nothing about SC's ! )
Wow. Now that’s a leader.
Dropping Putin for Abbott. Now he just needs to ride a horse without a shirt on, do Taikwando and wrestle crocs.
Mark my words. He’ll be overruled by the liberal populace outrage.
Wow. A head of government who’s not a marxist, mohammedan sodomite ... nor “married” to a wookie.
Maybe we can have one, too ...
TED CRUZ FOR PRESIDENT!!!
Wow a leader of a Country who still has a spine.....
He could box a ‘roo ...
Obola will go over and preach the joys of sodomy like he did when he went home to Kenya just recently.
Tony Abbot stood up for his ideal vision of marriage
and
Barack Obama stood up for his.
Why didn’t this guy just go full on gay and not screw with everyone including his family.
He doesn't quite go to the extent of Putin, but he is an athlete, who has nothing to be ashamed of in the chest and muscles department:
Note - what he is wearing in the picture is the traditional competition clothing of a surf lifesaver - yes, it's revealing (and the Australian press loves using this image in caricatures of him) but it's about practicality in swimming as fast as possible to rescue drowning people, and over the years it's also evolved into a widespread series of sporting activities.
He's also - still, even as Prime Minister - an active volunteer firefighter who still turns out to protect his community from bushfires when he can fit it around his official duties.
He generally tries to avoid being photographed while firefighting, but there are a few good ones around.
He really is a good man.
Woah! you mean there really are men and women? Whoda thunk it!
That's certainly possible, unfortunately. We'll need to see how it plays out.
But the left already hates him - to an extent, it's hard to see how they could hate him anymore, or be any more negative.
The liberals are just louder, not more numerous.
"Rule One, No Pooftahs!"
ROFL!!!!!
Perfect.
I’m shocked it took 16 posts.
I’m annoyed with myself, that I didn’t think of it first.
Two queers being queer... is... right! you got it....... QUEER..
You MUST be a moron to not get that..
Marriage is about children not inter-groinal dysfunction..
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