Re: The Yes No vote
 

It appears religion has a very strong pull. I guess if you have devoted your entire life to something and you believe everything that is written by your imaginary friend in the sky and believe it down to the core, gay marriage (sorry PC that up - same sex marriage) is going to be quite disturbing and for many, force them out to vote no.

I wouldn't know. I am not religious. Perhaps someone with those beliefs needs to jump in.

Not sure its being prejudice in a nasty sense as we are all prejudice in some form or another towards certain topics.

Tony Abbott doesn't believe in same sex marriage because his imaginary friend in the sky says so. But he has a gay daughter and loves her dearly.

Re: The Yes No vote
 

Oh I agree, we're all prejudiced in some shape or form, it's human nature. It's very clear cut in this case though, there is nothing rational about objecting to someone elses happiness, if it doesn't impact on your own.

It's like buying buying a new car. You love your new car, you polish it, keep it tidy and are very proud of it. Then someone who lives very slightly differently to you buys the same model, and all of a sudden you feel as if your car isn't that special anymore because them lot can have them too. It's bull crap.

As for Abbott, a step in the right direction would be to embrace reality by recognising that a book that says he is to hate his daughter for her sexuality is blatant bollocks, and bin it entirely. Picking and choosing bits that you agree / disagree with aint an option if you want to be taken seriously in your dedication to your beliefs.

Re: The Yes No vote
 

Abbott's SISTER is gay...not sure about either of his daughters!

Re: The Yes No vote
 

Yeah you're right, just had a look and his daughter is simply voting yes in support of her aunty. Does bring up another issue though, some of my no voting mates think voting yes makes me gay. Dickheads

Re: The Yes No vote
 

He loves her too

Re: The Yes No vote
 

New mates required

Re: The Yes No vote
 

I use it in its loosest possible sense, acquaintance may have been more accurate haha

Re: The Yes No vote
 

What, in the erm South Australian way?

Re: The Yes No vote
 

I am not sure what the bible says about that.

Re: The Yes No vote
 

If it's alright for John Snow it's alright by me haha

Re: The Yes No vote
 

I see that Mr Abbott has thrown his weight behind protests about a pro gay song being performed at the NRL grand final. I happen to agree with him, the game shouldn't be politicised it's a game not a soap box. I can see loads of celebrities giving it to him for slamming free speech. They'd soon be up in arms if a homophobic song was being performed. Leave well alone peeps, let people enjoy a game not a rally.








i

Re: The Yes No vote
 

I would hope anyone, regardless of celebrity, would be up in arms. Homophobia has no place in society and singing about it on a national platform is many shades of wrong. There is nothing wrong with singing about love. You're comparing apples with oranges. Same Love is one of his biggest hits, it would be weird if he didn't include it.

I would also argue that Marriage Equality isn't really political, not in the sense that it's one party or another. There are many on both sides that are for it.

Re: The Yes No vote
 

Of course homophobia is unacceptable, but if you're allowing one side of a debate a forum, then it;s only fair to let the other side have the same opportunity.

It is political, and has no place in a non political forum. What the NRL, and now the AFL are saying is a big **** you to their fans who are no voters, which in itself is discriminatory. I would never vote anything but yes, but it's most certainly not because of any campaigning. I personally think that this will cause an awful lot of people not to vote. I think it'll be a close call and way closer than it would be if people were just left alone to make their own minds up.

Re: The Yes No vote
 

:goodpost:

Re: The Yes No vote
 

Looks like the Attorney General agrees with me.

Re: The Yes No vote
 

Can't believe the opposition to this song being sung. The lyrics don't preach hate. Same sex people aren't vilified. Glad the Attorney General isn't a precious little snow flake.

"Gay" is synonymous with the lesser
It's the same hate that's caused wars from religion
Gender to skin color, the complexion of your pigment
The same fight that led people to walk-outs and sit-ins

Re: The Yes No vote
 

Isn't it wonderful we are having a debate about it, then a vote.

Of course, there are those who will cry foul because the debate causing offence, to both sides.

There will some religious nutters that will feel offence just like same sex team will.

Re: The Yes No vote
 

It's not the song itself it's the fact that the yes campaign is getting a platform at the NRL grand final, and the no campaign isn't. I think this could do the yes campaign more harm than good.

It's like these huge companies putting their weight behind Yes. It's one person one vote, by boss doesn't speak on my behalf no matter which way he's voting so he can't stand up and say 'my company of 5000 people is voting yes' and not be full of shit.

We know how stubborn people can be when constantly being told they're ignorant or racist if they vote a certain way, and this is no different. I stand by my assertion that a no vote is born out of prejudice, however you want to dress it up. However, we're all guilty of some sort of prejudice aren't we? This whole thing is a bloody mess, if the idea was to bring the country together, then it's an abject failure. Just the fact that I get a say in the validity of someone elses adult, consentual relationship is ludicrous.

Re: The Yes No vote
 

No, it's not wonderful that we're having a debate about it, then a vote. Governments send their citizens to war without a vote, yet we all get a say on whether same sex couples are 'allowed' to marry? Give me a break.

Re: The Yes No vote
 

And therein lies the rub. People who are all puffed up with importance because they've stupidly been given the right of veto over something that doesn't affect them, allowing themselves to be swayed because some rapper sings one of his hit songs? Wonderful people to be in charge of others' lives.

I totally agree with your last sentence, even if your spelling's shite :angel_smile:

Re: The Yes No vote
 

Spectacularly well put.

Re: The Yes No vote
 

ahem, shit haha

Re: The Yes No vote
 

And on an important issues like war, there is no reason why that can't be put to the people too.

The thing is, same sex marriage is a sensitive issue for yes and a sensitive is for no and even a sensitive issue for the "I don't cares".

Put it too the people. Job done.

Re: The Yes No vote
 

The idea was to keep the coalition from falling apart. Which means the entire farce is because of 20-30 far right loonies.

A baseball bat would have been cheaper and far more practical.

Re: The Yes No vote
 

What annoys me more than anything is that everyone had their minds made up already, no=one needed any campaigning to either side. It should have been an X factor style 'text yes if you're in favour to 12345. would have been far simpler and cheaper

Re: The Yes No vote
 

Doesn't that mean though, that it's the message not the spelling that's important? You're lucky I've voted already, your grammar naziism was enough to trigger me into a no vote;)

I've got a gay mate who voted no, explain him haha.

Re: The Yes No vote
 

Excellent decision by the NRL, all pro / anti same sex marriage flags and such are going to be confiscated. Rightly so in my opinion, it's the way the Yes campaign jumped on this as an opportunity that got my goat.

Re: The Yes No vote
 

Where was my voting slip when you got married?

Re: The Yes No vote
 

They haven't banned any flags more than usual though:

No NRL grand final rainbow flag ban, confirms Sydney's Olympic stadium ahead of Macklemore performance - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Re: The Yes No vote
 

I was reading the paper this morning and they said there was a specific ban in place. Don't tell me they were talking shit in a newspaper, no no no it can't be.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/new...1eef79dd9e35be

Suppose we'll see this afternoon, there'll be a riot or a mass walkout if it turns into a political rally.

Re: The Yes No vote
 

I don't see how it's going to harm the yes campaign. The No voters were always going to vote no regardless of what they say. People who were going to say yes and then apparently changing their minds because of the Yes campaign are simply liars. A US rapper, booked for an event months ago, singing his very popular hit is not going to make one iota of difference to someone who was 'undecided'. It's all complete and utter bullshit. If the No campaign hadn't made such an issue about Macklemore the vast majority of the viewers/attendees wouldn't have even been aware of the lyrics of the song.

Cory Bernardi lying on his robocall should however change people's minds from a no vote to a yes simply because he's a lying piece of homophobic shit. However even that is unlikely to make any difference.

Re: The Yes No vote
 

I tend to agree that everyone who's voting has made their minds up already, in fact I've already said it. What about the people that are neither here nor there on it though, and there are plenty.

I 100% agree with the yes campaigne's purpose but the execution (the text and jumping on this rappers song as some sort of campaign song stinks) , and the no campaign's credibility is benifitting from it. I voted yes for one simple reason, that I have no right to pass judgement on someone elses relationship, but that doesn't mean I have to like the way they're running their campaign.

Now you can agree with that or not, it's immaterial, but I know an awful lot of people who've been left with a bitter taste in their mouths because of this, and they're not all biggoted, stupid or even straight.

Re: The Yes No vote
 

Rap songs have lyrics?

I thought they had him 'sing' since the NRL couldn't get anyone good. If Bernardi had kept shtum most of the audience would have been having a wizz and recharging the beers.

Re: The Yes No vote
 

I thought it was the No campaign that first jumped on to Same Love - first place I heard it for sure. If they had kept quiet, not sure anyone would have said anything.

As for the texts, I got one and I can't vote but my number will appear on a list somewhere. Certainly less annoying than the pizza texts I get which are about 1 a month, this has been a one off (so far anyway).

It says ' The Marriage Equality Survey forms have arrived! Help make history and vote YES for a fairer Australia.' and a link which I haven't clicked for the Vote Yes campaign.

I personally think the Yes campaign has run a more focussed campaign and tried to ignore some of the hate and misdirection going on from the No side, but I'll admit I'm biased in favour of a yes anyway even if I can't vote. And that's without being subjected to a robocall, but did get stuck listening to Eric Abetz on today's news :(

Re: The Yes No vote
 

I thought it was just a random number generator thing. I didn't get one.

If that's all it said it's most definitely more harmless and less invasive than Cory Bernardi robocall '“As a parent I am deeply concerned about how changing the marriage act will affect families and children. Changing the marriage act will limit the right of parents to object to radical gay sex education and gender ideology programs from being taught in schools. Books like The Gender Fairy, which is aimed at four-year-olds, will become commonplace in our schools.”

In the message, Senator Bernardi goes on to claim that allowing same-sex couples to marry would lead to more programs like “the controversial and misnamed Safe Schools program”, and would result in “removing gender from all areas of society”. (Gay marriage: Cory Bernardi robo call to Australian homes with ‘vote no’ agenda)

The No crew can't complain about the Yes campaign when they're coming out with crap like that. I don't understand how he's allowed to make that statement when a) it's patently untrue and b) completely irrelevant to the actual question being asked in this dumb survey. I guess the only way they (No) think they can win is by completely muddying the waters so the basic question gets lost.

Re: The Yes No vote
 

Eric Abetz was saying similar on the news - a yes vote apparrantly means an end to religious freedom, an end to conscientious objection, etc

Re: The Yes No vote
 

And now the ABS throws another curved ball into the mix. By now anyone entitled to vote should have received their voting papers, and if they haven't they can contact the ABS for a new one.
Friend of mine did just that on Friday. Born and bred Australian, Aussie parents etc, lived here all his life, voted in every election since he was able to sign up. The ABS told him that not only is he not registered to vote, but he has never been registered to vote. His details do not appear on any list of voters available to them, and they calmly informed him that if he has been voting in Aussie elections for the last 30 years then he has been doing so illegally.
Slightly stunned, he has now engaged the assistance of his Federal MP, if only to establish what shonky list the ABS is using.........

Re: The Yes No vote
 

This was a better song anyway. :)

Re: The Yes No vote
 

This is my point though, the yes campaign has no case to make, we know you're not going to change the minds of no voters, and people on the fence are only going to vote no if it's out of spite, so what exactly are they campaigning for? There is literally no need for a yes campaign.

If anyone wants to tell me the reasons I should be voting a certain way they can turn up on my doorstep and risk being told to piss off.

Sooner this is done and dusted the sooner we can all move on, we all knew the no campaign was going to be hateful and full of crap, they essentially would have been campaigning for yes at the same time for the fence sitters that could recognize that.

Re: The Yes No vote
 

I agree with this but there has been plenty of hate, intolerance and bullshit from the yes side too

I reckon that some of the antics from the yes campaign will have turned a lot of people off