More on Bruce, the Internet & R. King of Seaford

It was always going to be interesting to see what kind of impact the web would have on the 2004 Australian election; particularly since internet access and internet savvy have both ballooned since the last one. But little did I anticipate that such an interesting web campaign would be waged in my own backyard!

There is an (almost) sophisticated sideshow cum campaign being run via the web to oust my own local Dunkley MP Bruce Billson.

First there was www.brucebillson.com, which first appeared the day the election was called, then a mirror appeared at www.bruce4dunkley.com in case the former was pulled down.

Now Crikey reports that this weekend two more sites have appeared. A community participation oriented www.BillsonReport.com which encourages feedback from Dunkley voters with a Forum and article comment system.

Then there is, what appears to be a revelation of the core of this internet assault. www.BillsonLast.com which has a downloadable flyer, news and links to other Bruce Billson and John Howard sites and also links to other political parties, notably missing the Liberals site...

Both sites are set up like weblogs, with RSS feeds. The name, address and phone number of an R. King also appears on the sites. Ring him up and he'll tell you that he is a 37 year old student and disability pensioner. Student. Figures, really, in fact I should have guessed. He's probably sitting at home all day, looking for an outlet for all his bitterness (after all, if you are 37 and a student living in my electorate, it's a fair bet that you are bitter, and probably overweight) so he slags off at the local pollie. Oh, and he probably pays for his power for the computer via the benefits he recieves from the government....

But, it is an indication of how the election might be fought online at a local level, not only by political parties, but also by small (read narrow-minded) interest groups.

For the record the official Bruce Billson site is the somewhat clumsily named www.billson4dunkley.com

But when it all boils down to it, R. King's sites are a bit boring. What would make things a bit more exciting is an Aussie version of Fuck the Vote, which suggests that you can change peoples vote by, well, err... engaging in vigorous political debate:

SEXY LIBERALS OF THE U.S. UNITE in taking back the government from the sexually repressed, right-wing, zealots in control! Everyone knows liberals are hotter than conservatives - we look hotter, we dress hotter, our ideas are hotter, and we are infinitely hotter in the sack. We must use our sexual appeal to our advantage, as one more weapon in our already diverse arsenal. By stripping conservatives out of their clothes, we can also strip them of their power ...

So, I wonder if anyone will assume "the position" here in Australia....

Comments

[Robert King]

Well, I couldn't go past this blog entry without some reply to the broad assumptions you make.

1. I am a disability pensioner battling a terrible illness.

2. I am also a student and a photographer/visual artist.

3. I am not at home all day nor am I overweight and certainly not bitter.

4. I do volunteer work where and when I can, I support a number of initiatives to assist people facing isolation due to disability.

5. I do wish to see our local member ousted because he has, in the main, been rather ineffective. He appears to be, in my opinion, a ladder climber within the political system who only acts in situations that suit him.

6. I have received emails from people who have faced utter devastation and crisis who have been ignored by Bruce Billson. I have therefore formed the opinion that Mr Billson likes to act on matters that may become positive photo opportunities yet ducks and weaves difficult matters like a professional politician.

Please don't make judgements about me based on the fact that I am a disabled person, a student or even that I am attempting to initiate some grass roots political action. I am simply a person who believes that we need a new representative in our electorate.

Robert King

[supra shoes]

Our destiny offers not the cup of despair, but the chalice of opportunity. So let us seize it, not in fear, but in gladness. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for circumstances they want, and if they cannot find them, make them.so come on everyone.

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Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.