Daffy Old MM & Local Council Election

[MajorMitchell]

Daffy Old MM is considering* nominating as a Candidate for Councillor on Paradise Lost Cove Council* in the November 2022 Local Government elections in Sunny South Australia in the Sunny Antipodes.
A political career partly inspired by the movie "The Death of Stalin" might be part of Daffy Old MM's pilgrimage.

[MajorMitchell]

Greetings future acolytes,
The period for candidates in Local Government elections in South Australia to submit their nominations as candidates has commenced and ends on 6th September 2022 so until the SA Electoral Commission receives my nomination as a candidate application and approves it, then in public statements, I can only state that I am considering nominating as a candidate for Councillor on the local Paradise Lost Cove Council*
Our South Australian Local Councils have four year terms, elections for all SA councils November every four years.
"Paradise Lost Cove Council might be my descriptive term for Alexandrina Council at the mouth of the Murray River, or City of Victor Harbor Council, or Yankalilla Council.
I have been considering getting involved in our imminent local council election since ~2019 when the newly elected first term Mayor, a Lady Psychologist behaved with what I regarded as impertinent impudence towards my good self and lost all goodwill I might have had towards her, so I have bad time to contemplate inflicting political retribution in November 2022.
Do my best to help her political rivals defeat her, make her a one term Mayor.

[MajorMitchell]

Greetings Acolytes and future Acolytes,

Fortuitous local council political dynamics have created a superb opportunity for Daffy Old MM to be a good chance of being elected a Councillor, win one of nine spots as a Councillor.
I won't run as a candidate for Mayor, I would have no chance of winning.
I don"t need to be the candidate in that contest who defeats our incumbent fisrt term Mayor.
A current councillor with several terms on the Council, has a solid church & community groups based supporter base of ratepayers who vote for him loyally and who has been the Deputy Mayor has chosen to run for Mayor, and he is a genuine political threat in that contest, has a good chance of winning.

[MajorMitchell]

Hreetings Acolytes,
A Councillor resigned during this term of our local council and although he won't stand again he is already "in action" in the campaign which has started.
This council has in my opinion had a 5/3 factional alignment, 5 supporting Mayor and Administration, versus 3 wanting debt reduced, spending controlled better, asking for prudential reports to be done etc.
That's changing
The 5 faction will lose two, the chap who will run for Mayor and another one who won't stand for re~election.
The 3 faction lose one who won't be standing for re~election.
Of the two that remain from the 3 faction, both should get re~elected imho,one is a first termet, and extremely capable chap and could be a good leader if he has the numbers.
So that's what several new candidates are aiming to do, try and get elected and have the numbers to force reforms on an, in my opinion, unwilling administration.

[MajorMitchell]

Whilst great reformers like Lenin & Stalin failed to deliver a Communist Utopia they did implement effective regime change and we can all learn from history Comrades.
I have been active in recent months, am on the committee of a local citizens action group, getting around and ablut the district chatting to whippersnappers & folks and spoke at a local public meeting of some candidates yesterday to ~50+ citizens.

[MajorMitchell]

As preparation I have put in yet more borrow requests at our local library for a number of film adaptations of Shakespeare's plays
Plays like Coriolanas that are of a political nature, the struggle for power and also Comedies.
Under the veneer of egalitarianism a subconcious desire to be subjugated by a caring, kind tyrant exists in the lumpen proloterian masses. Their inconsistent zeitgiest ideal tyrant, a ruthless and benevolent duality is a tough ask of any politician.
Amusing quips from Shakespeare in the right dosage, a very modest light sprinkling, are fantastic with punters in the election campaign, over use is perilous as they perceive you as patronising.
What they like is seeing you use a quip against a member of the elite, a rival candidate who has just publicised their own formidable tertiary qualifications, when the far less well educated citizens hear Daffy Old MM cast out a pearl of a line or two from Shakespeare that's as good to them as a Business Management Degree & 3 others, nanotech engineering, biology and accountancy.
Then when I tell them a brief amusing self depreciating true story of playing hockey at my age for Yankalilla Mens Hockey team last Saturday & how we came from behind twice scoring goals for a two all draw they all laugh and are happy.
Duality in perception achieved, Daffy Old MM can handle it with the highly educated elite with his quips they instinctively know are from Shakespeare or a similar literary giant, and in their perception he's "one of the citizen hockey players" mixing with them on a wet hockey field in a fun game with exciting goals. We scored our second ~ 3 minutes before full time.
En avante Mes Amis!

[Jamiet99uk]

Good luck, Comrade Major.

[MajorMitchell]

Thanks Jamiet99UK,
My mission is to build a group of at least four Councillors on the new Council to support the best one of the current Councillors, who has consistently been crushed by the majority faction of the current Council in votes.
This chap is ex Army, ex senior State Emegency Services career & retired & is in his first term. Reslected, capable Councillor, should get re~elected with his colleage from the minority group of 3
There is a colleague candidate from the Citizens Action Group who has an excellent professional skillset, in Forensic Accounting & governance, compliance consultant in private & public sectors.
Another retired Army chap is standing, a new candidate, held the rank of Major when he retired, a high achiever, on board of local hospital.
You can see why I have put in a borrow request at the library for a dvd film adaptation of Coriolanus...

[MajorMitchell]

So these other 3 chaps have the high achiever professional skills needed, If I get in, my role is "numbers chap", get the numbers in votes in council meetings, get our team on to committees, control them.

[MajorMitchell]

Today I lodged my candidate nomination form etc with the South Australian Electoral Commission in person at their office on Light Square, nominations close at noon tomorrow.
I nominated as a candidate for Councillor, vying for one of nine spots, we do not have Wards at the Paradise Lost Cove Council, although towards the end of the next Council's four year term it will have the opportunity to change and have Wards for the 2026 election it's a once every 8 year option, was recommended four/five years ago but not implemented.
There is a seperate election for Mayor.

Waiting now outside Rhino Room for tonight's Laugh Lab, they might let me do a five minute standup comedy spot as Dusty Balzac Bush Philosopher. (no I do not impersonate Octavious our Oracle to get laughs, perhaps I should?)

I might launch my election campaign, reveal my revolutionary political manifesto tonight at Laugh Lab for a hoot.
The Electoral Commission will publish the official list of candidates

[MajorMitchell]

I bombed at Laugh Lab, am an officially recognised as one of 19 Candidates in the election for 9 Councillors on the Local Council in early Nobember.

Campaigning for the first time as a candidate is FUN!
I have been invited as are all candidates are to certain public events and lunches, a media soiree with local journalists & the visiting CEO from the Publisher for one of the two local papers.
The public forum for candidates at the Country Club on 5th October is an extremely important event.
It's the public event that makes or breaks candidates, so I am rehearsing my brief speech to the masses & media.
It includes a fiendish verbal political attack on a 2 or 3 term Councillor eho I have decided has to be retired to help make way for my victory, plus this Councillor is a ling term ally of our first term Mayor, a political.opponent up for re~election in a 3 way contest for Mayor.
So I will give the Lady psychologist Mayor a verbal serve as well in my brief speech.

The most fun is initiating conversations anywhere, carparks at the supermarket etc to ask for votes.

[MajorMitchell]

I drew 15th spot out of 19 on the voting form, so in racing parlance, it's a 2400 metre race, i start from a wide gate & rate myself easily 8/1~ 5/1

[taylor4]

Question: Could you lose your deposit if you fail to garner sufficient votes?
Good Luck!

[MajorMitchell]

The South Australian Electoral Commission do not charge any fees to nominate as a candidate in local government elections and there is no deposit required. There are plenty of rules about political donations, political advertising.
In our State and Federal elections voting is compulsory, which I support. In local govetnment, voting is voluntary, ratepayers are sent postal voting forms, return envelopes that do not require the voter to purchase stamps to send when posting.

[MajorMitchell]

Lookup the short film Formosus, the Mystic and the Witch on Youtube.
There's a filthy chap in a few scences ~ Dusty Balzac ~ a notorious scallywag.
He does a dark foul deed in a prison cell to Pope Steven 6th.
Based on the Cadaver Synod (google)

[Octavious]

Alas, compulsory voting is a red line issue for me. I am unable to lend my vote to anyone in favour of it. I fear you have to deduct my vote from your tally. (I forget how the Australian system works, but I have a notion that British votes count for 10... or at least some number with a zero in it)

[MajorMitchell]

In your circumstances Octavious, you only get a vote if you pay Council Rates to the City of Victor Harbor and are a registered voter.
Several friendly locals have enlisted livestock, the piggery booths might get me elected, pigs are extremely intelligent and would be most discerning voters, albeit susceptible to pork barreling with cases of apples.
I am preparing for tonight's important 3 minute speech, public meeting starts in about 2 hours.
I don't have time to explain the virtues of compulsory voting Antipodean style, the fundamental point is, we don't like shirkers when it comes to participation in our Democracy that Australians have created, shaped and defended. If you want to.live hete and enjoy it's benefits you participate
Even by writing F*** all.politicians on your voting paper, it counts as an invalid vote.

[MajorMitchell]

Local government elections are voluntary voting, so we have both and you are just envious Octavious

[Octavious]

I don't have time to explain the virtues of compulsory voting Antipodean style, the fundamental point is, we don't like shirkers when it comes to participation in our Democracy that Australians have created, shaped and defended. If you want to.live hete and enjoy it's benefits you participate

I fully support you in your stance that foreigners who don't like it should sod off back where they came from. Sensible policy for a happier Australia. But compulsory voting is just plain wrong. If there was an election in the UK in which the only candidate who opposed compulsory voting was standing for the British Communist Party I would vote for them and hang a red flag in the window.

Fortunately there is no great movement to try and establish it in the UK, and less than half of people, when questioned, support the idea. Bizarrely enough the greatest source of support for such a policy comes from the elderly, who are the group that would lose the most if it came into force

[flash2015]

Why would you be against compulsory voting? What is so bad about it?

It isn't like there are massive fines and five years gaol if you don't vote. If I remember correctly, the fine is less than a parking ticket. And it is relatively easy to get out of it.

All it really forces you to do is collect the ballot. You don't have to make a valid vote. You could write on the ballot paper "They all SUCK!"

I know that low turnout for elections is bad for democracy. The poster child for this is the USA. Due to the low turnout, elections in the US aren't about convincing people to change their mind to vote for you. Elections are all about getting your supporters to turn out and discouraging your opponents from voting.

You get your supporters to turn out by telling them "if the other side wins, it will literally be ARMAGEDDON!!". You discourage people that don't like you from voting by constantly trying to publicize real or imagined scandals about your opponent. While election cycles are very long, the actual debate about policy is very shallow.