shoe boy wrote:Psyber wrote:The PM is hamstrung by trying to avoid a confrontation between the LP's conservatives and progressives which could split the Liberal Party and play into the ALP's hands. His only solution is an overwhelming demonstration of public opinion ( whether it be by plebiscite or postal survey) that will put pressure on the conservative element to go along with the pubic view.
The ALP wants to delay any such result to save the issue for use as a focus in the next federal election, and to hope to use any division within the LP to make sure they win office, so they don't support either option that is possible for the LP.
Oh please , the PM lacks leadership and doesn't have a spine!
As for the ALP , same sex marriage would be sorted and people could freely marry if that was their want.
As I said Turnbull is trying to pull his Conservatives into line with public pressure - doing anything else would be political suicide - not "spine".
Tackling the conservatives head on without demonstrating public opinion to them would doom the "Yes" vote given that their are some ALP MPs and cross-benchers leaning toward voting "No" too.
Billy boy has an unstated objective - he is only focussed on the next election and will use anything and anyone to try to win that even if it means delaying gay marriage to use it as an issue at that next election
There is a lot of distortion of reality going on, based on prejudice and political self-interest, and, yes, a plebiscite or survey will give some of the those opposing gay marriage a platform, but an overwhelming "Yes" vote via some form of public forum will take the whole issue off the back-burner and pull some politicians into line when the vote comes in parliament. Without that we could have a free vote in parliament with no definitive outcome and a lot more stalling.
But Billy would then have his next election issue.