• Publication date: 08/2015
  • Volume: 34
  • Issue: 3
Foreword

The articles in this edition of Social Alternatives focus on elections – the lead-up to elections, election campaigns and the aftermath of elections as governments take up office and seek to implement their policies. The articles also examine different aspects of elections in different jurisdictions – elections conducted under different electoral systems that decide who can vote, how the votes are tallied and final electoral outcomes. They examine elections in jurisdictions with long-standing stable democracies and in countries where democracy has been overthrown and restored. In one case, the ballot is to decide not who will govern, but whether a new independent country should be formed. Some articles consider what happens after the election, including the impact of electoral change on parliamentary institutions and the importance of leadership style. Scrutiny is applied to the way elected governments go about the implementation of policy, whether they keep their promises and what ideological drivers affect their actions. The difficulties of translating the words uttered in election campaigns such as ‘balanced budgets’ and ‘renegotiation of European Union powers’ are analysed. Many common themes emerge in these articles despite the different jurisdictions considered and the diverse topics examined.

  Title Author(s)
Articles
Monica Carroll, Adrian Flavell, Mocco Wollert, Nathanael O’Reilly, R. D. Wood, Jaclyn Crane, Pippa Marnie, Emma Taylor, Gil Douglas, Michael Buky, Gary Crew, Lester J. Thompson, Jo Coghlan, Bronwyn Stevens, Patrick Weller, Aaron Hedstrom-Wiggins, Sedat Mulayim, Neil McGarvey, Peter Khoury, Jacqueline Dewar, Tracey Arklay, Todd Winther
6 Campbell Newman And The Weaknesses Of The ‘Strong Leader’ Todd Winther
12 The Voter ID Experiment: Reform or the continuation of a Queensland tradition? Tracey Arkla
18 Australian Senate Select Committees: Senate composition, party partisanship and democracy Jacqueline Dewa
25 Neoliberalism, Auditing, Austerity and the Demise of Social Justice Peter Khour
34 The 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum and Its Aftermath Neil McGarvey
41 The 2015 parliamentary elections in Turkey – A Turkish Spring? Sedat Mulayi
46 The 2014 Indonesian Legislative and Presidential Elections: Embracing Democracy Aaron Hedstrom-Wiggin
52 When the Counting Is Over, Can Governments Govern? Patrick Weller and Bronwyn Stevens
60 Neoliberalism by Stealth: Exposing the flaw of neoliberal understandings of ‘freedom’ Lester J. Thompson and Jo Coghlan
Short Stories
67 The One They Sat Alone, A Valediction: Demanding mourning Gary Crew
Book Reviews
68 The Rise and Fall of Gunns Ltd Michael Buky
69 Hieroglyph: Stories & Visions for a Better Future Gil Douglas
Poetry
5 The boy from hope Nathanael O’Reilly
11 Meaning of life Nathanael O’Reill
17 Sacred observations Monica Carrol
33 Harrington tricolour negates: a suite of bankstown poems R. D. Wood
33 The kangaroo hunt or a ute, 2 cartons and 3 dogs Adrian Flavell
40 A poet makes the news Nathanael O’Reill
45 Utopian giants of ranking: a suite of conchord poems R. D. Wood
45 Skulking head of artichoke jazz: a suite of footscray poems R. D. Woo
51 Etheree poem 2 Mocco Woller
59 Kazaly Nathanael O’Reilly
59 On removing a tattoo Adrian Flavell
70 Ancestral forensics Adrian Flavel
70 Amastia Monica Carrol
70 LHC Monica Carrol
Misc.
71 Photography in the World We Live Jaclyn Crane, Pippa Marnie, Emma Taylo