#good preference

[axvoter]

Index to the Blatantly Partisan Party Reviews, 2023 NSW state edition

Saturday 25 March is election day in NSW, and it's going to be a fascinating and most likely close contest. As well as the major parties, there is a veritable constellation of micro-parties, independent groups, and solo independents running in the election.

I’ve written my blog entries to demystify these micro-parties and indies. I'm sorry I did not post these until the final days of the election; life got in the way. I do not review Labor, Liberal/National, Greens, or One Nation, as I assume anyone reading this blog already has views on them. All entries are written from a left-wing perspective sympathetic to democratic socialism and green politics, so calibrate according to your own predilections. I make no pretension to false objectivity—that’s why these are blatantly partisan party reviews.

When you go to vote, you will receive two ballot papers. One will be a very large ballot for the Legislative Council (the upper house). This is elected at large by the entire state: a candidate requires ~4.55% to win a seat. But the Legislative Council is the house of review; government is formed in the Legislative Assembly (the lower house). It contains 93 seats, and the number of candidates—both party-affiliated and independent—varies significantly between electorates.

On the small ballot for the Legislative Assembly, you must vote 1 for your preferred candidate and then distribute as many or as few additional preferences as you want. Your vote will be more powerful if you distribute as many preferences as possible. Do not skip or repeat a number. If your preferred candidate is not elected, your vote transfers at full value to your second preference, and so on. You might receive a how-to-vote card from party campaigners: this is a suggestion only and you can fill out your preferences in any order you like.

On the large ballot for the Legislative Council, you can either vote above the line or below the line. Whichever way you vote, you control your preferences—NSW does not have a dodgy system to harvest voter preferences like in Victoria.

Every grouping that has registered at least 15 candidates receives a square above the line; if the square is unlabelled, it is because the group does not have formal party registration. Groups with 2–14 candidates receive their own column but no square above the line; you can only vote for them below the line. Solo independents appear in the furthest right column and can only be voted for below the line.

For most voters, voting above the line will suffice: after you vote 1 for your preferred group, you can distribute as many or as few preferences as you like. You accept the order of candidates registered within each individual group, but you control the order of the groups. You will be able to express preferences for any party/grouping likely to win a seat; it is well nigh impossible for candidates who can only be voted for below the line to win a seat.

You should vote below the line if the following apply to you: a) you want to reorder candidates within a group and/or mix and match candidates across groups, b) you want to vote for ungrouped independents or a group of independents without enough candidates to receive a square above the line, or c) you are a completist like me who wants to indicate a preference for everyone. You MUST give at least 15 preference. Be warned that if you want to preference all the way, it will take a while—it took me over 20 minutes at the 2019 election.

In both cases, the further you preference, the more powerful your vote will be. Distribute as many preferences as you feel you can distribute in an informed manner.

This entry includes links to my reviews of each micro-party. There are 8 groups of independents or unregistered parties. These are noted below by their group letter on the ballot. The format is "party name (rough ideology / recommended preference)". A good preference is a party with few or no significant flaws for the left-wing voter; a decent preference indicates a generally positive platform or a single-issue party with a good but limited objective; a middling preference is a mix of positive and negative qualities; a weak or no preference is mainly negative and either you should give them a poor preference or let your vote exhaust—as noted above, your vote is most powerful if you preference as far as possible.

Animal Justice Party (animal rights / middling to decent preference)

Australia One / Riccardo Bosi—Group U (conspiracy theorists who are a threat to public safety / lowest possible preference)

Call to Freedom / Milan Maksimovic—Group E (Christian fundamentalism / weak or no preference)

Christians for Community / Milton Caine—Group T (Christian fundamentalism / weak or no preference)

Elizabeth Farrelly Independents (centre-left NIMBY / middling preference)

Family First / Lyle Shelton—Group A (Christian fundamentalism and conspiracism / weak or no preference)

Group P—Danny Lim (anti-racism personality / middling to decent preference)

Indigenous–Aboriginal Party of Australia (Indigenous rights / good preference)

Informed Medical Options Party (uninformed anti-vaxxers / weak or no preference)

Legalise Cannabis Party (single issue / decent preference)

Liberal Democratic Party (far-right libertarian cookers / weak or no preference)

Public Education Party (single issue / decent preference)

Revive Australia Party / Silvana Nile—Group G (Christian fundamentalism / weak or no preference)

Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party (fans of gun violence / weak or no preference)

Socialist Alliance (socialism / good preference)

Socialist Equality Party / Oscar Grenfell—Group K (socialism but for crackpots / weak or no preference)

Sustainable Australia—Stop Overdevelopment/Corruption (anti-immigration NIMBYs / weak or no preference)

United Australia Party / Craig Kelly—Group B (covid conspiracists in a policy-free space of grievance / weak or no preference)

Ungrouped independents (mix of ideologies and recommendations)

Happy voting and enjoy your democracy sausage!

#auspol #NSWvotes #NSWvotes2023 #NSW #Election 2023 #NSW election #politics #political parties #independent politics #political candidates #election candidates #independent candidates #elections are great #shame most candidates aren't great #weak or no preference #middling preference #decent preference #good preference

[dantesmelancholicshitpost]

Imagine how hurtful it must have been for Crowley to see Gabriel, the person who literally took an active part in the process of traumatising the man he loves into the mindset that he cannot be happy and free, get a happy ending. To see the man, who was one of the reasons Aziraphale haven't even acknowledged their relationship for such a long time, because they were on "opposite sides". The man who was one of the reasons they couldn't be together, even as friends, for 6000 years. The man who wanted to execute Aziraphale with a smile on his face and "shut your stupid mouth and die already" as his "goodbye". Seeing this man getting what Crowley has always dreamt of: being able to run away with the person he loves, leave Heaven and Hell behind and just be together with his beloved - in Soho or on Alpha Centauri, literally wherever, because "Heaven is wherever Beelzebub is". Crowley seeing Gabriel get it so... so effortlessly, while he has worked for it so long, nearly died because of it and still haven't been able to get that, to get the happy ending and sever all the connections with Heaven and Hell. It must have hurt like hell (most literally).

#pls someone do the humane thing and put a bullet in my head #i need to be locked away or sedated #preferably both #good omens spoilers #good omens #good omens 2 #ineffable husbands #aziraphale #crowley #crowly x aziraphale #screaming crying rolling on the floor #anthony j crowley #gabriel #beelzebub

[catsharky]

Presenting: King Sidon, his wife Queen Yona and his boyfriend Link.

Yona is very supportive of everything except Sidon forgetting his ceremony cues.

(I had an atrocious week and TotK has been coming in clutch for keeping me sane.)

#totk spoilers #loz totk #sidlink #link x sidon #totk yona #totk link #totk sidon #tears of the kingdom #I love Yona I adore her design oh my god #If I were to create a Zelda-sona it'd basically just be her with different clothes so I'm contractually obligated to love her #But Nintendo trying to give Sidon a case of the not-gays with her is hilarious #The man greets his fiancée like a coworker and then turns around to explode with adoration over Link in the same breath #This is either a Lavender Marriage or a case of 'every royal Zora finds Link irresistible'. I like both but prefer the former #Like. Yona meets Zelda once things are settled and gets all flustered and tongue tied #and neither Sidon or Link have any idea what's going on because they share 1 braincell #which is used exclusively for fighting really good #sharky art #zelda comic

[foldingfittedsheets]

Not to be self congratulatory but a classmate was doing a study for one of his game design classes and asked if I’d be one of his participants. I like him so I said yes and he had me do a questionnaire and then set me up in front of Street Fighter.

He had me with set parameters and told me to just fight it out so I did. I watched his eyebrows go up when I finished but he couldn’t comment until the end.

He asked if I played Street Fighter regularly and I said no. I told him I played stuff like Bloody Roar, Guilty Gear, Mortal Kombat and Smash Bros growing up socially, but it’s never been my genre.

He asked if I would be more interested to play Street Fighter after this test and I said no.

He started quietly laughing when I finished all the questions and I said, “What? Did I do poorly?”

“No. You finished the fastest out of anyone I’ve tested. You’re also the oldest and have the least interest in this genre of game, it’s just really funny.”

I told him my best friend growing up had consoles but I didn’t. He got to play and practice regularly so he tended to be better than me as a baseline. But. If I won he’d get so furious that he’d turn the console off and we could do what I wanted instead, so I developed an aggressive button mashing technique that has served me well.

#ramblies #funny #story #funny story #fighting games #always preferred a good puzzle or story based game

[inkskinned]

he says i hate everyone except you and that is addictive and that is kind of romantic and beautiful because you're young and you're kind of a sarcastic asshole too and you don't like bad boys, per say, but you don't really like good ones either. and you like that you were the exception, it felt like winning.

except life is not a romance book, and he was kind of being honest. he doesn't learn to be nice to your friends. he only tolerates your family. you have to beg him to come with you to birthday parties, he complains the whole time. you want to go on a date but - people are often there, wherever you're going. he's just so angry. about everything, is the thing. in the romance book, doesn't he eventually soften? can't you teach him, through your own sense of whimsy and comfort?

at first - you know introverts often need smaller friend groups, and honestly, you're fine staying at home too. you like the small, tidy life you occupy. you're not going to punish him for his personality type.

except: he really does hate everyone but you. which means he doesn't get along with his therapist. which means he has no one to talk to except for you. which means you take care of him constantly, since he otherwise has no one. which means you sometimes have to apologize for him. which means he keeps you home from seeing your friends because he hates them. you're the single exception.

about a decade from this experience, you'll type into google: how to know if a relationship is codependent.

he wraps an arm around you. i hate everyone except you. these days, you're learning what he's actually confessing is i have very little practice being kind.

#i used to think it was romantic too and then i was like. now i see it as a HUGE red flag #writeblr #it is also almost EXCLUSIVELY said by immature ppl who think this is normal #fyi even if u think it's funny and ur like 'im an introvert it's just TRUE' like. you need therapy (ily tho) #healed introversion is just ''i would prefer to be by myself'' not ''i hate every person'' ... hate is not normal. that is not healthy #im sorry. i know it feels accurate. but if you're walking around with that kind of rage.... #1. you're making a LOT of assumptions about every single person u have ever met. which is often unfair and unkind #and also usually involves judging people based on their worst moments or little mistakes #2. you are being unfair to the person who is ur ''exception'' #3. there is a VAST difference between ''ur my favorite person'' and ''the ONLY person i like.'' #idk i think this is just a personal bias thing tbh #im sure there are people who have this experience normally #but i have YET to find a man who thinks like this and ISNT absolute DOGSHIT. although tbh.... like. im sure he exists #when u hit like 30 some of the things that were once kind of hot now just sound fucking exhausting. like ''im in a band'' #edit in the tags: i used to kind of be like this too. but the thing is that like. my life became so much more peaceful #once i started believing that people are generally good. like yes i am mad at the world at large #but it's just.... a very hard way to live. you're not a bad person or wrong for the ways other people hurt you and taught you to be angry. #but that anger will continue to hurt YOU. it will punish YOU. it will prevent YOU from making new deep connections. it will protect you yes #but it will also cause MASSIVE blowback. bc if you lose the One Person... your life will fall apart. i know this personally. #i really recommend just trying to be... cautiously optimistic instead. like. yes #people can be horrible and cruel and there are some communities (incels for example) that aren't worth that optimism #but i think like... most people will hold a door for you . most people want to help you find your wallet . #i hope one day you are able to find peace. i hope that rage eventually smooths over. i know how hard it is PERSONALLY #and i know what must have happened to you. and im deeply deeply sorry we share the same wound. #but i promise - sometimes we all need someone else to help us carry the weight. eventually the rage has to die so that we can let help in #i had to spend years biting at outstretched hands. i still often do. im still very wary . and my heart breaks that you flinch too. #here's the thing: i don't blame you. but we were both acting out of fear and pain. .... not out of healthy behavior. and ... change #was needed. i needed change too. rage was useful for a while. then it just left me isolated and bitter. i had to (with effort) #choose to let that rage go. and let people in . VERY SLOWLY THO LOL

[yanderespamton78]

Edit since a lot of people seem confused - your "real" name is the name that you want to be referred to in real life. It doesn't have to be your legal name. So if you're trans and you have a different name to whats on your birth certificate, even if not many people call you by the name, it still counts as your real name.

Edit 2 : Holy shit guys please stop reblogging this post my poor inbox im getting like 20 notifs an hour asjfhkajshdkh /lh /srs

#FUN FACT : charlie isnt my real name :] #i decided to go with the name charlie because i didnt wanna use my real name and i like the name charlie #my parents were gonna call me charlie when i was born but didnt in the end #i dont really know why i dont just tell you lot my real name because its a super common name #another thing that using a diff name online has caused is me seeing “charlie” almost as a different person #theres “[wearegonnapretendiputmyrealnamehere]” and then theres “Charlie” and they are two different people in my mind #idk aksjffhkajsshdka #anyways this is the second poll ive made today what is my deal with polls #i should make a seperate poll tag for all my fucking polls that i make #I MAKE A LOT #ill tag all my polls when i think of a good name lol #anyways woah i got a bit rambly there #did i make a whole ass poll just because i thought you might find it interesting that my real name wasnt charlie? #yes. yes i did. #(DO NOT take this as me not wanting you lot to call me charlie i would prefer you use that name over anything else lol) #polls #tumblr polls #random polls

[7upslut]

when I read good omens I fully interpreted ineffable husbands as an asexual couple because like.... they're supernatural beings that don't really jibe with human sex

but in the show they have so much sexual tension and I think that's because Michael Sheen always looks like he's ready to jump David Tennent's bones at any given moment and he's so real for that

#good omens #ineffable husbands #asexual aziraphale #asexual crowley #honestly i prefer asexual aziracrow #aziracrow

[just-an-enby-lemon]

Batman: Crime is abnormaly quiet today, one more round and we should go home, chum.

Robin (Jason): A-Okay. I may even have time to read a bit before going to bed.

Batman: I'll think about it.

Robin: We could go to Bat Burguer! Di-Nightwing said they have an amazing chocolate milkshake.

Batman: I don't know, Robin...

Robin: I'm sure they have banana milkshake as well or something fruity.

Batman: Hm

Robin: I knew it!

Batman: Hm??

Robin: You are a fruit bat.

Batman: what?

Robin: I was reading a book about animals and they say that of the 1200 known species of bats only three are vampire bats. You are too normal to be a vampire bat. Also vampire bats are smaller and you are very big and vampire bats move solo and while you like to prented to be moody and lonley you have me, Agent A, Batgirl and Nightwing and that just in Gotham. So you are a fruit bat. And you love fruity things.

Batman: *smilling* I suppose.

Robin: And that means we are going to drink the milkshakes because you can't refuse fruit things!

Batman: Because I'm a fruit bat.

Robin: Yeah!!

----- [somewhere in the future] ----

Robin (Damain): I'm the son of Batman, I'll drink your blood, Hood.

Red Hood: Nah, B's totally a fruit bat and as the "blood son" that just means you like banana milkshake, sorry demon brat.

Batman: *in the background, accidentaly listens* *happy hm*

#jason todd #red hood #robin #can you tell I prefer jason as robin and feel sad dc stoled it from me? #i wanna know who he would be without the trauma and the pit #bruce wayne #batman #damian wayne #batfam #bruce wayne is a good dad #at least in my head he is in cannon is complicated #fluffy #incorrect batfamily quotes #batfamily #also yes baby jay implied bruce was to mid to be a rare type of bat #it was first a reference to him not having powers but i coudn't resist a light you're too normie

[thatonequeeraunt]

#ofmd #our flag means death #wwdits #what we do in the shadows #the sandman #good omens season 2 #good omens #good omens s2 #good omens 2 #go2 #gos2 #preferred type of media tbh

[endominator]

He watched too many Barbie movies

#godzilla #godzilla kotm #kotm #godzilla vs kong #godzilla x kong: the new empire #monsterverse #ゴジラ #he pink now #ngl i do like the extra spikess #and the pink color looks pretty good on him #Not a big fan of his slimmer look #prefer chonk #but ey a godzilla is still a godzilla

[hellenhighwater]

look guys I'm gonna be honest--i love dogs but the tactile experience of petting a cat is better 99% of the time. Cat fur is so much softer and less greasy and just generally better than most dog fur. IDK if there's some ideal chinchilla dog out there that I have yet to lay hands on but man, dog fur textures are whack. Cats, at least when they're healthy, are so reliably smooth and silky.

#i do love dogs but the sensory experience is far from my preference #i mean a clean well kept dog can be fine but they get so greasy so fast #i love them your honor but i have to wash my hands #dont get me wrong here i will pet every dog and i will have a good time #but its not cause they feel good its cause i love em #cats tho? want to stick my fface in the belly fluff #for texture reasons. and i do do that

[axvoter]

Blatantly Partisan Party Reviews (Victoria 2022): My Cheat Sheet to the Parties

There are plenty of parties contesting this year’s Victorian state election—indeed, the number of candidates is a state record. Interestingly, this has been achieved despite the fact that about a third of the parties who contested the 2018 election are no longer registered. Ballots will feature a bumper crop of cookers and other assorted micro-parties.

Here is my cheat sheet to summarise the recommendations in my reviews. I write from a left-wing perspective sympathetic to democratic socialism and green politics, and readers of this blog will have noticed that at the end of each entry I give a loose recommendation of what sort of preference I would give to that party. Here are almost all* of this election's parties categorised according to how good a preference I think they deserve. If you have even halfway similar political perspectives to me, I hope this might be useful.

*I do not review Labor, Liberal/National, Greens, or One Nation, on the principle that most people reading this blog have already formed views on those parties.

Before I begin, please remember to vote below the line for the Legislative Council (the larger ballot). If you vote above the line, your vote will be sent on a strange and discomfiting journey through the list of preferences registered by the party for which you vote 1. These preferences are typically determined by backroom deals and never reflect how voters would vote if they had control over preferences.

If you put any numbers other than 1 above the line, they will be ignored. THIS IS OPPOSITE TO THE SENATE SYSTEM: at the federal election in May, you could give preferences above the line and they were respected, but for state elections Victoria uses anti-democratic Group Ticket Voting (the only state to still use this loathsome system) and any preferences you mark beyond 1 will be ignored. The only way to ensure your preferences go exactly where you want them to go is to vote below the line. To cast a valid vote below the line, you must distribute at least 5 preferences, numbering 1–5. You can number as far as you want—and the more you number, the stronger your vote will be.

So, here is how I would categorise the parties. The links below lead to my reviews of each party.

Good preference: a party with a positive overall platform that has few or no significant flaws for the left-wing voter.

Fiona Patten’s Reason Party (left-wing civil libertarian)

Fusion: Science, Pirate, Secular, Climate Emergency (centre-left pragmatist; unregistered party endorsing three independents)

Indigenous–Aboriginal Party of Australia (Indigenous rights; unregistered party endorsing three independents)

Socialist Alliance (socialism; unregistered party endorsing four independents)

Victorian Socialists (socialism)

Decent preference: a single-issue party with a good objective but by definition too limited in their scope to encompass the fullness of parliamentary business.

Legalise Cannabis Victoria (single issue: blaze it)

Middling to decent: a party with a generally positive overall platform but some significant reservations

Animal Justice Party (animal rights)

Transport Matters Party (centre-left taxi industry front)

Weak to middling preference: problematic, but not as bad as what is below

Derryn Hinch’s Justice Party (tough-on-crime centrism)

New Democrats (centre-right)

Weak or no preference: a party with more negatives than positives. In the Legislative Assembly, you must number all squares, and these parties should receive as bad a preference as possible. In the Legislative Council, you should vote below the line and either give this party a poor preference or let your vote exhaust before reaching it. I recommend preferencing fully to maximise the power of your vote, but you may wish to stop rather than express preferences between varying gradations of undesirability.

Angry Victorians Party (covid conspiracists)

Australia One (unregistered covid conspiracists endorsing six independents)

Companions and Pets Party (animal breeding and racing industry front)

Democratic Labour Party (Catholic conservatism)

Family First Victoria (Protestant extreme right)

Freedom Party of Victoria (covid conspiracists)

Health Australia Party (anti-vaxxers who were anti-vax before covid made it the trendy thing for conspiracists)

Independent candidates for the Legislative Council

Liberal Democratic Party (far-right libertarians)

Restore Democracy Sack Dan Andrews (personal grudge and/or preference-harvesting front)

Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party (anti-environmentalist gun nuts)

Sustainable Australia—Stop Overdevelopment/Corruption (anti-immigration NIMBYs)

United Australia Party (covid grievance-mongers floating in a policy-free zone)

Not categorised: general entry for a spectrum of candidates

Independent candidates in the Legislative Assembly

#auspol #springst #vicvotes #vicvotes22 #vicvotes2022 #Victorian election #Melbourne #Victoria #Election 2022 #Victorian politics #Australian politics #political parties #minor parties #micro parties #independent politics #independent candidates #politics #political candidates #good preference #decent preference #middling preference #weak or no preference

[temeyes]

he is legally blind, your honor

#BRESSY THIS IS UR FAULT!!!! HE LOOKS SO GOOD WITH EYEGLASSES #no guys.. i totally didn't apply my own experience to baby simon haha.......... (my dad was so cheap.....) #AND NO I WAS NOT DEEPLY THINKING ABOUT TSUKISHIMA KEI WHILE DRAWING BABY SIMON- WDYM HE LOOKS LIKE TSUKISHIMA KEI- #soap's the only one who knows he wears eyeglasses cuz ghost still wears his contacts around gaz and price #i like to imagine that the shades he wears on missions are also graded so he doesn't have to wear contacts. esp if he's on long deployments #me thinks he also prefers wearing eyeglasses over contacts cuz he has a hard time putting them on and hates when his eyes dry out #my art #2024 #call of duty #call of duty: modern warfare #call of duty: modern warfare ii #call of duty: modern warfare iii #cod #codmw #codmwii #codmwiii #modern warfare #mw2 #mw3 #simon riley #simon ghost riley #ghost #ghost cod #art #fanart #digital art #digital drawing #sketch #doodle #video games

[little-pondhead]

[sorry for the tiny text!!]

---

Danny: Wait, how did you learn to do that???

Fright Knight: *violent flashbacks to Clockwork's Sailor Moon era*

#doodles from a pond #danny phantom #fright knight #okay so I’m trying to figure out my preferences when it comes to comic making #and here’s the results I have so far #how do I even tag this #anime man fright knight au?? #this was supposed to be a Halloween special and then I didn’t finish it on time #I’m gonna go question myself in a corner have a good day

[galway-bae]

ran a fool’s errand at work today

#screaming and then silence #occupational hazard :( #for ppl w good music taste specifically #edit: I know there's black gesso I know. but a lot of oil paints are semi-translucent so if you gesso the canvas black #you have to make your paint super thick from the get-go #well. you don't HAVE to but the way I prefer to work w oil does best on a light base

[rassebers]

What the!

#Does anyone else notice the change in how saikis friends imagine him as the show goes on or is that just me Ha ha ha! #my rart #saiki kusuo #saiki k #tdlosk #like tjat scene of teruhashi at thr mixer and shes like omg so fun!! if only saiki were here with that blank look on his face tho☺️ #Saikis personality being mainly disinterested & preferring solitude & his friends growing to know this abt him #and not only do they accept it but its an aspect of him that they enjoy bc its their good buddy saiki #KILL ME!!!