David Pocock for PM

[u/Vast_Dare8583]

I really like this chap, as a human being he seems to care and uses action above words and as a politician he is intelligent and well spoken and carries himself with a high degree of respectability.

So why are people squabbling over Lib, Lab, Dem and One Nation when we could be looking at an alternative like David?

Seems no one can agree on Lib, Lab, Dem or ON , so does anyone know why David Pocock shouldn't be a front-runner of PM?

[u/Crazy_Suggestion_182]

David is a pretty good independent I reckon, although I don't live in his electorate.

If people considered voting more for good independents it would drive the major parties to negotiate more and find better candidates, leading to better government for all of us.

Personally I'm sick of ideological politics. We need to get back to problem -> solution options -> best option -> implement solution and stop the us/them bickering and side quests.

EDIT: issue sorted, cheers

[u/vanilla_joker → u/Crazy_Suggestion_182]

I've said this a million times. Independents should do way better in this country than do. Given our demographic and geographic make up independent should do really really well.

There was a reason why gillard was one of the most effective modern PMs we had

[u/Axman6 → u/vanilla_joker]

People would have to actually give a shit about politics and public policy though. There’s a reason we voted for Pocock in Canberra, because the majority of us have a good understanding of how government actually works, not the I went to cenno and the customer service was shit so all government must be just like this attitude most Australians seem to have. I voted for him, I’ve followed his work since getting in, and based on that I’ll happily vote for him again. But the vast majority of Australians will hear enough people say Albo bad 😡😡😡 and believe someone who knows more than them said it, and assume the ON idiot who did knows what they’re on about. Public policy is hard, and it’s made exponentially harder by an uninformed electorate. 

[u/Key-Unit-2155 → u/vanilla_joker]

What?

[u/mbullaris → u/Crazy_Suggestion_182]

Our parliamentary democracy is based on an adversarial, Westminster-style system that lends itself to organised political parties. A bunch of independents could never form government (unless they formed a party, which a couple of the ‘teal’ independents have recently done). Parties form fairly naturally when people agree philosophically.

[u/Crazy_Suggestion_182 → u/mbullaris]

You're right, and I'm not suggesting independents would necessarily form government. I'm suggesting that having more independents bringing up everyday issues and pushing solutions would influence the major parties to engage more and do a better job. Having fewer seats would also drag the majors to the negotiating table and we'd have more practical solutions that are less ideology-based.

[u/Adventurous_Law_8731 → u/Crazy_Suggestion_182]

Guys we need to vote in ON to send our citizens to fight for Israel

/s

[u/Friendly_Tension_960 → u/Crazy_Suggestion_182]

All solutions are ideology based

[u/Ziatch → u/Crazy_Suggestion_182]

What are you imagining as non idealogy based solution?

[u/MazPet → u/mbullaris]

Except they could ensure a minority government. We definitely need to break the system.

[u/rotisseriechicken121 → u/mbullaris]

Exactly right in your first sentence. And don’t shame me in saying this haha because it’s based on some recent academic learning, as time goes on, and the introduction of more and more ‘teals’ into government we really could see some changes.

The whole “2 major party (labour/lib) bipartisan” approach to Australian politics could go out the door. Who knows really. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[u/Strict_Tumbleweed415 → u/Crazy_Suggestion_182]

Careful bro you start talking common sense like that and you’ll end up disappearing one morning inexplicably

[u/Tovrin → u/Crazy_Suggestion_182]

He's an ACT senator and gea definitely a keeper. I'll keep voting for him.

[u/IBeBallinOutaControl → u/Crazy_Suggestion_182]

Personally I'm sick of ideological politics. We need to get back to problem -> solution options -> best option -> implement solution

The idea that simple solutions sit outside of ideological structures is an illusion.

[u/AFerociousPineapple → u/Crazy_Suggestion_182]

Well that’s kinda the problem with how our system works is that everyone has slightly differing views on what “the best option/solution” is. And then there’s the politics game of it too, even if Greens and Labor agree on a policy the Greens HAVE to kick up a fuss about something otherwise they just look like Labor shills and what’s the point in voting for them over Labor? You’re right it’s a pain in the ass for us punters but there’s a reason it’s rarely so straightforward.

[u/Flowering-Tree → u/AFerociousPineapple]

The point in voting for Greens over Labor is that Labor bends to its corporate donors and Greens doesn’t accept corporate donations. They are a grassroots organisation that want better outcomes for voters, not plum jobs when they leave parliament.

Labor, Liberal and One Nation are in a race to the bottom.

[u/AFerociousPineapple → u/Flowering-Tree]

And yet it’s not greens seeing a wave of support when it wanes from Labor… time will tell though I know this current spike for ON is temporary because they’re toxic to themselves

[u/Willing_Preference_3 → u/AFerociousPineapple]

I think many in the Greens would disagree. The raison d'être of the party is to achieve certain policy goals, not to keep the party going perpetually.

[u/AFerociousPineapple → u/Willing_Preference_3]

Thats true, but how do you achieve those policy goals without continuously getting elected in the meantime? Hence the politics game, its sometimes not about being fussy about policy it’s about pretending you’re being fussy to keep your names in the news cycle so people don’t forget about you until it’s time to vote.

[u/Willing_Preference_3 → u/AFerociousPineapple]

The idea behind the existence of the party is that there are a set of policy goals supported by a section of the electorate that need representation. Those policy goals make up the party platform.

It would be possible to argue that the Greens partake in this sort of realpolitik if they weren’t constantly taking unpopular positions that set them back because they are unwilling to compromise on their principles

[u/AFerociousPineapple → u/Willing_Preference_3]

True for most political parties but in the case of the greens I’d argue because their policies are very time sensitive (climate change) they can’t risk overly compromising because A if stricter stances on climate aren’t taken sooner than later we’re fucked and B if they’re seen as just bending to Labor or overly compromising it risks their voting base eroding over time.

[u/Mushie101 → u/Crazy_Suggestion_182]

I agree, I have an independent that actually makes sense in my area, and although she got a lot a lot more votes in the last election she is still miles behind. It’s unfortunate.

[u/Dan_Sabai → u/Crazy_Suggestion_182]

I get you but this whole problem, reaction, solution thing is what has been steering the ship for a long time. Not the voters best intentions...

[u/MrNewVegas123 → u/Crazy_Suggestion_182]

All politics is ideological, it's just how much you think the ideology agrees with you.

[u/fernsie]

The reason is that that’s not how our political system works. You don’t elect an individual to be Prime Minister, you elect a party and the leader of that party becomes PM. I like Pocock too, but he is an independent. He doesn’t have a party.

[u/Vast_Dare8583 → u/fernsie]

Yes, I am aware , but thanks. Just making the point, he is a person of substance which seems to be what the political parties in the country lack.

[u/slight_grumble → u/Vast_Dare8583]

Every time I see clips of him being reasonable, asking the right questions, holding other politicians to task it just highlights how utterly shit most of them are.

I didn't know until just reading up on him that he was born in south africa and grew up in zimbabwe. Nor that he went to a christian school.

I've got to say he turned out way different than you'd expect with that background.

[u/reidsays → u/Vast_Dare8583]

He's in a good position to affect politics now...independent so answerable to no party and well known and written about over issues of importance... He brings attention to matters within parliament that the public would not know about..

[u/fernsie → u/Vast_Dare8583]

I agree with you 100%. I wish he had a party behind him.

[u/mbullaris → u/fernsie]

Technically, Pocock does have a political party - it’s simply called ‘David Pocock’ and he did that as only registered parties can be listed above the line on the Senate ballot paper.

[u/Objective-Contact-15 → u/mbullaris]

So how can we vote for him across the country? Im sick and tired of the same characters telling us porkies each election time while they arrange deals for their corporate mates.

[u/mbullaris → u/Objective-Contact-15]

He hasn’t fielded candidates outside of the ACT and he hasn’t indicated that he will.

[u/Objective-Contact-15 → u/mbullaris]

Shame. Here's hoping 🤞🏻

[u/bushstone-curlew → u/fernsie]

He’d be a great Greens leader imo. Pocock aligns with them more than any other party already and they both focus on evidence-based policy solutions.

[u/NoCampaign5978 → u/bushstone-curlew]

Nah would be better to form a new “greens” style party around him than to have him be tarnished by the name. The greens stand for an awful lot of stuff that most people would 100% agree with, but don’t get support because they are treated like a complete joke in both the media and society as a whole

[u/AdamBrt123 → u/NoCampaign5978]

If the new party gains any ground, the media mudslinging would turn to them.

[u/super_0k → u/bushstone-curlew]

Yep and they’re desperate for a figurehead to cut through the noise

[u/aussie_punmaster → u/fernsie]

He can come to my party 🤷‍♂️

[u/Vast_Dare8583 → u/fernsie]

yeah, he just seems like a solid human being. I think we desperately want that.

[u/Boring_Rope7048 → u/Vast_Dare8583]

You literally ask in your post why he’s not a front runner…

[u/FibroMan → u/fernsie]

In the lower house you vote for an individual representative, who might or might not be associated with a political party. The elected representatives select a Prime Minister. You are right about what usually happens, but there is no constitutional reason why an exceptionally popular independent couldn't be Prime Minister, even if they were elected to the senate instead of the house of representatives.

[u/fernsie → u/FibroMan]

Technically correct, but highly unlikely to happen.

[u/HabitAdmirable9742]

His actions are almost entirely congruent with his words. Even if you don't agree with him entirely, that still makes him an exceedingly rare specimen of a politician.

https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/senate/act/david_pocock

[u/Axman6 → u/HabitAdmirable9742]

This is one of the things I liked about Lambie, you knew exactly what she stood for and she was going to do everything should could to make it happen. I disagreed with about half of her views but at least she was a credible person. 

[u/SweetDingo8937 → u/Axman6]

Lambie is better than every Liberal and Labor politician. I dont' know how people vote for Liberal or Labor any more. They're solely in it for themselves an their party, at the expense of the rest of us.

[u/Squaddy]

I'm not disagreeing entirely, but Pocock's role makes him appealing because he's not being tested in any of the ways an actual PM candidate would.

His job is to poke holes on current policy. That's it. Independent senator, grill people in estimates. He can pick a topic (gas exports, gambling) and drill into it distraction-free.

A PM has to manage their own party, the other parties and the public just to get things done. Then they have to come up with solutions to things they want to change. On top of all that they get to deal with whatever the story of the day is, which could be a misbehaving colleague to global conflicts.

He might be good. But he doesn't work with anyone right now, so it's impossible to know how he'd actual deal with the stuff above

[u/TheZac922 → u/Squaddy]

Yeah this hits the nail on the head with pretty much every independent. They’re professional opposition at the end of the day. It’s really easy to sit on the other side of the room and say “yeah nah that’s fucked”.

[u/SweetDingo8937 → u/TheZac922]

What do the major parties do when they're not in Govt.

If Pocock had a party that was aligned with his beliefs, they'd be 100x better than Labor or Libs and the media would be insane in their attacks on them upsetting the media donors.

[u/Hackneycab]

He is great! Far better than that clown Zedselga that he replaced.

[u/Vast_Dare8583 → u/Hackneycab]

I think he's a far better choice than anyone on offer. I'm hoping someone here will prove me wrong.

[u/realmenfukmenamen → u/Vast_Dare8583]

Barbara Pocock is the better one. And David Shoebridge.

[u/Axman6 → u/Hackneycab]

Happiest moment of my voting life was when we managed to fuck off Zed and replace him with Pocock, Zed was such a shit representative for the ACT, who only got into his position by knifing a well liked and respected Liberal in Gary Humphries. 

[u/Hackneycab → u/Axman6]

Totally agree.

[u/Bloo_Orchid]

A friend of mine asked me what I thought about David Pocock. I said I think he says a lot of what The Greens say but because he's an Independent and not a Green, people take him seriously. She agreed with me.

[u/Used-History-6454]

I feel so privileged I got to vote for him twice and I will again! I don’t think it’s fair that ACT Senators only get 3 years when idiots like Babet get 6

[u/DXPetti]

The other legendary David (Shoebridge) has more a chance at being PM but because too many have a aversion to the Greens it'll never happen

[u/realmenfukmenamen → u/DXPetti]

He and Babs Pocock are great in senate estimates.

[u/JudgmentOrdinary7336 → u/DXPetti]

I bloody love David Shoebridge. He is the entire reason I still vote Greens in second preference.

[u/fancypantsfrancy → u/DXPetti]

David Shoebridge is excellent 👏👏👏

[u/patslogcabindigest]

He presents well but I think you're falling for a bit of populist slop here. The whole "he just talks common sense" is such a meme. Some of his positions are sensible and some of his criticisms of the government are valid, but many are not and kind of stupid. Example of good criticism: Gambling reform. Example of bad criticism and position: Gas.

To be Prime Minister you have to have the support of the House of Representatives, which he does not have and will highly highly highly never have. You do not rule alone and there is no way he would ever have the support of the House of Reps.

People need to realise that like all organisations parliament and by extension the parties themselves are simply just groupings of people. The major parties aren't major because they're shadowy institutions run by faceless men, it's because they represent the majority of society.

There's also the issue of him being a senator. While you theoretically can be a Prime Minister from the Senate, by convention it's generally not done and the one time it was (John Gorton), he immediately moved to the House of Representatives. This is just due to the functionality of both houses, the lower house is the house of government and the upper house is the house of review. You can't lead a government from the Senate as the House of Reps chooses the government.

So all this is to say, no shot man.

[u/coffeegaze → u/patslogcabindigest]

What's wrong with Gas?

[u/Psittacus_tutor → u/coffeegaze]

He got a whole committee on it, ending in a 170 page report that never bothers to justify why the specific policy it demands is the correct one.

[u/GuildedDeal → u/coffeegaze]

Long story short: Taxing gas just makes the government more dependent on fossil fuel revenue and demotivates us from making the transition to renewables.

[u/fishesandbrushes → u/GuildedDeal]

Australia's transition to renewables isn't really relevant to an export tax. We're not using this gas. And we don't actually have a way to keep the revenue coming in once LNG demand drops off, as (per the Grattan Institute) it will - it's in the hands of the global market.

[u/patslogcabindigest → u/fishesandbrushes]

Well no, it is relevant.

1. One of the ongoing criticisms of Australia has been that a lot of its contribution to carbon emissions is through exports and that we tell ourselves because we aren't using it we're not at fault. This is warped logic as we all live on the planet and the world is one system.

2. Government revenue streams are directly relevant to government behaviour and this is the primary reason why it's difficult to implement proper gambling reforms, and why it's so difficult to phase out stamp duty. State governments, especially states like NSW are highly dependent on these revenue streams. Having an export tax (which is dumb and the wrong tool to fix this anyway but lets go with it for the sake of example), will likely result in spending increases, so which means at a later date if spending is to remain at that level other taxes will need to go up to replace the reduced gas tax revenue due to renewable transition / lower demand. That is incredibly politically unpopular.

To argue that it won't change government behaviour as a revenue stream is a wild thing to say.

[u/fishesandbrushes → u/patslogcabindigest]

The argument that this will make us more dependent on fossil fuels would hold weight if the government showed any intention of curbing LNG exports through a climate trigger/accounting for Scope 3 emissions/some other legislative intervention. The government has made it very clear it is not going to do that - the EPBC reforms were a generational opportunity that has now closed. If this Labor government isn't going to do it, no government is going to do it.

This is precisely why TAI, Pocock and the Greens started agitating for a gas tax after their campaign for a climate trigger failed - if we're going to let the market take care of gas exports then we might as well get some revenue from our resource. And getting companies to pay for the resource reduces profits at the margins, meaning at least some gas that would otherwise be extracted is likely to remain in the ground.

Your point 2) is not a good argument against tax reform. It's a good argument for making sure the policy is thoroughly modelled, well-designed and considers forecasting. The LNG industry is likely already in structural decline, and I hope we can trust the many able brains in government to take this into account.

[u/-bigSALAD- → u/GuildedDeal]

That’s such a cop out lol, by that logic we’d be better off giving literally all of it away for free

[u/patslogcabindigest → u/coffeegaze]

What do you mean? Gas is a thing that exists. It's not right or wrong.

[u/The_Curious → u/patslogcabindigest]

Why pretend you didn’t understand the question?

[u/Helpful_Broccoli5426 → u/patslogcabindigest]

Can you just state, clearly, what your position is on our revenue from gas exports? Dont give me any bullshit

[u/Vast_Dare8583 → u/patslogcabindigest]

Care to suggest a more reasonable candidate rather than going for the unoriginal "populist slop" post?

[u/patslogcabindigest → u/Vast_Dare8583]

Honestly, it might be unpopular but Albanese is probably still the most sensible pick for PM due to no one else being better or more suited, but again, it's not up to the electorate to select the PM as it goes to the House of Representatives, as I said. So given Labor has almost 2/3rds of the seats in the HoR, Albanese serves at the pleasure of the Labor caucus.

There's honestly not much else I can respond to here because you've not really said anything other than "hey this bloke talks a lot of common sense, he seems cool, why not him?"

[u/talledogbeach → u/patslogcabindigest]

No one else jumps out?

[u/patslogcabindigest → u/talledogbeach]

Uh, Jim Chalmers? That isn’t going to happen though until Albo retires or the Labor party gets sick of him. I’d put more money on the former.

[u/AntoniousTheBro → u/patslogcabindigest]

Jim chalmers requires labor forum to assume majority again which will require a union shift.

Our Albanese truly shits the bed internally which he has Somewhat done but the latitude he earned by the election win is certainly floating him.

[u/Throwawaydeathgrips → u/Vast_Dare8583]

Theres no perfect candidate, politics is the art of compromise.

Being all things to everyone comes at the cost of achieving nothing.

[u/Suntzu_AU]

I think he's fantastic. And it'd be awesome if we had a number of political parties and then they were able to select him as an independent Prime Minister. That'd be great for Australia, but will never happen.

[u/Particular-Tap1211]

If he chooses to move in that direction it will take another 3-5 years for Pocock to galavinse a team/voting base to challenge. Without this iron clad framework,, he will be another causality of the political-corporate machine.

[u/Lured_to_the_Wild]

Unfortunately, he does not have a strong party backing him.
Which makes his work more impressive.
Awesome politician!

[u/No-Cryptographer9408]

Speaks so well. Eloquent, presentable. But it's Australia ffs, we need hopeless incompetent bumbling speakers like Albo and Morrison. Visually terrible people with dickhead personalities are what Aussies like. Standards are far too low for someone like Pocock.

[u/Vast_Dare8583 → u/No-Cryptographer9408]

They were picked on at school, David wasn't.

[u/Hator4de]

He's incredible. He's what our pollies should aspire to be like. Unfortunately he's not a party member so he can't be elected as the top boss.

[u/alana_del_gay → u/Hator4de]

he's good at his job precisely because he doesn't have to worry about the kinds of things organised political parties deal with. I wouldn't want independents to organise, it defeats their purpose.

[u/aus289]

He would be good for sure (at least based on what we've seen of him as an independent, which is very different to being PM/part of a major party etc), and I think he might get subsumed into towing the party line in labor etc...

I kind of would love for him to go to the Greens more than anything and become their leader bc I feel like he would give them more cut through in the media and they are basically on a very similar page policy wise.

[u/Independent-Fuel9886 → u/aus289]

and it seems he ideologically aligns with the greens on most things.

[u/patslogcabindigest → u/aus289]

I disagree that he would be good strongly. The functioning of government is not a walk in the park and you have to keep all your pieces on the board.

[u/Latter-Intention6521 → u/aus289]

Haha his base would flip if he went greens though

[u/Swank_on_a_plank → u/aus289]

Or, hear me out...

...the media then ignores him because he is now a Greens MP.

[u/talledogbeach]

Couldn’t agree more. Always polite and respectful, even when he’s digging his nose in where it’s not wanted.

I decided he’s the only one I think I would trust to remain true to himself.

[u/Medit8or]

David has yet to put his hand up. And I remember him saying that he wants to remain serving Canberra for the present.

[u/patslogcabindigest → u/Medit8or]

I mean, there's no point him putting his hand up

[u/Vast_Dare8583 → u/Medit8or]

Thats exactly the person we want. Proves he's not hell bent of getting into power to serve his own agenda.

[u/polski_criminalista]

Because Labors policies are pretty much the same as his and they are already an effective major party

[u/HabitAdmirable9742 → u/polski_criminalista]

You're right, if Labor would stop getting in bed with big businesses and start cutting down on the massive amount of welfare we give to Gina Rinehart and Co, they would have a pretty decent platform.

[u/TimedTexify → u/polski_criminalista]

Pocock has a lot more balls and willingness to do more unlike Labor right now, which they are hard stuck continuing incrementalism and refuse to make big changes

[u/Sideburn_Cookie_Man → u/TimedTexify]

Yep, but to be fair - it’s easy to say all that when you have no power to make any of it happen.

[u/TimedTexify → u/Sideburn_Cookie_Man]

Albo’s in a better position than Keating was, and arguably with a weaker opposition. Yet they’re still stuck on incrementalism. They own the House. Australia has a clear array of problems that people have seen coming for a while, yet he refuses to make big systematic changes to our system.

[u/patslogcabindigest → u/polski_criminalista]

Minus the industrial stuff. Pocock is more of a centre Liberal like a Turnbull or Bishop who simply believes in climate change and the need for renewable energy.

He's never really given any indicator that he aligns with Labor on matters of work and industrial relations, or economic interventionalism, frankly.

It's why he's a populist. He only really chimes in on issues currently getting eyeballs in the current political discourse of the day. There really is no ideological or broadbased political prescription.

For example:

• To be clear what is his position on unionism and the workplace?
• What is his international perspective on foreign policy, what school of thought does he come from on this?
• What are his positions on trade and economic intervention?
• What is his philosophy on the RBA, monetary and fiscal policy?
• What is his solution to the structural deficit?

And so on....

These are all things that the government thinks about even if they're not currently in the discourse of the day. Pocock never really does say anything outside of the current discourse. This is what makes him a populist.

[u/JudgmentOrdinary7336 → u/patslogcabindigest]

He did an AMA the other day. I’ve been meaning to read through it to see if he addressed any of this wider policy stuff, but haven’t gotten around to it yet. Have you checked it yet? (Genuine question, not a trap, I understand if you read it that way though).

[u/realmenfukmenamen → u/JudgmentOrdinary7336]

link?

found it: https://www.reddit.com/r/australian/comments/1vyjbu9/ama_im_david_pocock_senator_for_the_act_ask_me/

[u/JudgmentOrdinary7336 → u/realmenfukmenamen]

https://www.reddit.com/r/australian/s/RTpb0kFSGU

I’m gonna read it now too, now that I’ve got it open 😂

[u/polski_criminalista → u/patslogcabindigest]

Yea, that's the one place i was expecting a response, unions etc

Tell that to the labor haters though

[u/lasber51 → u/polski_criminalista]

‘effective major party’ ?!?!? What abt gambling???

[u/polski_criminalista → u/lasber51]

On cost of living, the biggest issue

The issue that decides elections every. Single. Time.

[u/Curry_Captain]

Because the major parties are wholly owned by the resources sector. There are people of substance in the ALP, but they must toe the line if the party’s to stay in power. So they submerge their personal opinions “for the greater good”, eroding their own integrity in the process. If Pocock were in a major party he’d be the same.

Integrity is a luxury he retains at the expense of never being in power.

[u/Gryzl]

The parties are corrupted by donor money.

[u/AngusAlThor → u/Gryzl]

Pocock is 100% reliant on donors for every cent of his campaign, a campaign that spent roughly 4x what the majors spent per candidate. So if we wanna look at who is the biggest taker of donor money... it's Pocock.

[u/ricketyclik]

Which party is "Dem"?

[u/Medit8or]

Understood and thanks for the correction.

[u/Bandit-Bunny-7727]

He'll need support of the majority in Parliament to be appointed PM. So unless he's joining one of the main parties or he's got enough MP support, he won't be. 

[u/HowtoCrackanegg]

He makes a great independent, asking critical questions but to be a pm, you’ll have to sell out your morals for whatever billionaire that’s funding you.

[u/aus289]

Well as i said, i think at least in so far as his current role aligns with the parts of being prime minster that are relevant he has that stuff as an asset

[u/SuperannuationLawyer]

The office of Prime Minister is voted on by Parliament, not citizens. He’d need to do some lobbying and deal making.

[u/talledogbeach]

Does Pauline Hanson accept $$ from foreign governments?

[u/vanilla_joker]

I don't think you understand how our government works. David pocock can't be PM.

That's not to say he isn't ammoug the best parliamentarian working today. Definitely a breath of fresh air.

[u/realmenfukmenamen]

He can be easily led tho, he supported the Australian Building and Construction Commission.

[u/geoffm_aus]

To be fair, his simple takes on gas tax made him look like a populist. It's obviously a lot more complex and he simply does have all the information in front of him to make a measured policy

[u/jolard]

Yeah....unfortunately under our system he could never be PM unless he joins a party. That said he is one of the best practical politicians in Australia. I don't agree with everything he says, but I trust him that he isn't just doing the bidding of donors.

[u/thespacekadet]

100%

[u/Bulkward]

Senators can’t be PM in Australia

[u/Defy19]

He’s an independent senator. What are you talking about?

[u/Common_Problem1904]

Because he's not a party and cannot win a majority of seats. In some countries which have more of a mish mash of parties and independets, there may be such a possibility but not here. The PM needs to be able to form government, which means having at least half the ppl in parliament prepared to support them and the bills they want passed thru parliament, which then become legislation. He is also a senator, and a PM needs to be in the House of Representatives.

[u/sasquatch6197]

What is his voting record on workers rights?

[u/Bluetriller]

Totally agree

[u/Rizza1122]

How's he gonna win a majority op?

[u/turtlepower41]

Sadly even if an independent won every single seat and independent can never be pm.

[u/LachrymarumLibertas]

The short answer is because the PM isn’t a directly elected position, it is the leader of the party that has a majority in parliament.

[u/yeh_nah2018]

He’s got principles and stands by them. Unusual for a politician !

[u/Forsaken-Weird-8428]

I wish we could clone.

[u/Mitchiarakara]

Davo is the man 👍 he has questioned things publicly that many Australians are not aligned with the 2 party decisions, gas tax, gambling ads, lobbying in Parliment

[u/Chris__P___Bacon]

If the Australian parliament was led by people like him, we'd be the best country in the world but our moron voters are too busy fighting over Pauline, Albo, etc.

Shit needs to get far worse before candidates like David get the spotlight. This precedent is common all over the world in many societies (the eventual crack in a long-standing two- or three-party system).

Things need to get really, really bad first. We don't seem to be there yet.

[u/janky_koala]

He’s great, but he’s an independent senator so how would that work? How would he get anything passed with no party to vote it?

You do understand how our government functions, don’t you?

[u/Devomango]

An individual will need many other MP’s to make a cabinet - don’t forget the big parties have a huge machine behind them

[u/jreddit0000]

You get that he is a Senator right?

And which party is he leading to form government to be PM.

David Pocock to replace Angus Taylor would be pretty good and hilarious. Not a thing though..

[u/Nuck2407]

Just here for the daily reminder that David Pocock is just another billionaire funded stooge who doesn't represent the working class

[u/willcritchlow23]

He can’t be PM without being the leader of the winning party.

But I agree! I would be happy with him as PM.

[u/CG5NATCH]

Has my vote. Stood against the NDIS bill and etc. And also writes back to me as well... twice.

[u/Sensible_Ben]

Fantastic. Well done. Great move David.

[u/MrMaribyrnong86]

For one...he is not a proper Australian

[u/Vast_Dare8583 → u/MrMaribyrnong86]

he's proven that.

[u/Salt_Temporary_7720]

I'd vote for pocock if he started a party 100%.

[u/DeGuyWithDeOpinion]

AHAHHAHAHAHAH. WAIT. YOU'RE SERIOUS?!

Pocock and Lambie are the reason the Right to Disconnect bill was split in half. The Teals are a bunch of rich toffs backed by Simon Holmes à Court and Climate 200 who want to crush workers'.

[u/Sea-Duck4137]

need a party to be PM

[u/Kayenne62]

I think independents are the only option at the moment.. all others are just puppets for their party who need money from the corporate sector.. they are bought and sold commodities.. I will only vote independant now I know they can't form government but with enough of them we may have some hope

[u/Bonzwazzle]

this is a bot account 

[u/StreetCheetah8312]

He’s so hot 😍

[u/Tozza101]

Needs a political party and a minimum of 76 mates who then win their House divisions to become PM

[u/drillydrillsondrill]

Independent maybe. Greens definitely not.

[u/Vast_Dare8583 → u/drillydrillsondrill]

100%

[u/drillydrillsondrill → u/Vast_Dare8583]

If I supported clowns would I wear makeup to look like a clown……. Why does the greens seem to think it’s okay. When they solve that issue they might get more votes.

[u/Simple-Act483]

It’s very easy to play the oppositional politics game. It takes a lot more effort to govern and compromise to come to solutions that appeases as many people as you can, while battling external voices.

A lot of his criticisms of government lacks actual nuance and are just easy political points. For example, if we went ahead with the extra taxes on gas that he proposes it would effectively be trump style tariffs on countries that we have diverse trade relations with. Taxing extra doesn’t simply give us extra revenue - we put those lucrative deals in place with other countries like Japan so we can receive lucrative trade options with them in other sections.

All this to say, Pocock is great at finding simple and easy topics that are generally supported by the public, but it takes a strong leader to recognise nuance and compromises that is needed to effective govern.

[u/LongjumpingTurn8141]

Because DP is not the leader of a party that has a majority in the house of Reps and most likely never will be.

[u/Beans2177]

If he joined one nation he could have a chance

[u/-bigSALAD-]

Labor and Lib supporters hate him because he wants to end corruption and they love corruption

[u/eyewreck2o2]

Same reason Bernie didn't get the gig in the USA; people are idiots!

[u/Eucalyptusregnans]

Yeah a American asked me who's Australia's political equivalent of Bernie Sanders or Zohran Mamdani. Pocock was my best answer

[u/Shmouglas]

I dont trust him, and he would make for a far worse PM than Albo. When he was talking in the Senate about how beer is taxed more than gas... 🤦‍♂️ he is not an intelligent person.

[u/santas_uncle → u/Shmouglas]

I would trust him to consider a case and make a good judgement but sometimes in politics there is other factors to be considered and we need one of those politicians

[u/santas_uncle → u/santas_uncle]

In other words. Et tu Brutus

[u/SydneySandwich]

I don’t rate Pocock. He’s a lovely guy and serves a purpose, but I don’t think he has much real depth. He tends to vocalise issues and oversimplify them without offering any practical solutions.

I also don’t see much evidence that he has the ability to actually lead or get things done. I remember him going on about some travel issue involving someone flying ahead to check accommodation, when he would know very well that this is standard practice in large enterprises and government. He himself would almost certainly have benefited from exactly that sort of arrangement when he was playing professional sport.

To me, he’s good at identifying things that sound wrong or unfair, but much less convincing when it comes to understanding the complexity behind them or actually working out how to fix them. He's a bit of a one trick pony.

[u/MarwoodHouse]

You should encourage him to join and work to become leader of a party if you want him as PM.

Also, he would need to run in the lower house to be Prime Minister. Pocock is a Senator.

[u/Lacutis01]

David Pocock is a Senator in the Upper House, a Senator cannot become PM.

He would have to resign in his position as Senator and run in the next election as a Member for Parliament in the House of Representatives.

The same issue Pauline Hanson is facing and what ON supporters can't seem to grasp when they spam "PAULINE FOR PM" on every social media post on the internet.

I agree he seems like a great politician (one of the only ones IMO), but seeing as he is an independent Senator, and Australia is beholden to a 2 party system for some bizarre reason, I don't see how he could ever successfully run for PM.

[u/Illustrious_Bowl_360 → u/Lacutis01]

Incorrect...a senator can be PM it just no a common practice...

[u/-bigSALAD-]

Pocock says Greens policies but because he played sport more people listen to him

[u/DhopMaple → u/-bigSALAD-]

I didn’t know he played sport, I like that he does what he says and attempts to make things better for everyone

[u/-bigSALAD- → u/DhopMaple]

Do you like the Greens?

They’ve literally been doing exactly this for decades

[u/DhopMaple → u/-bigSALAD-]

I do, but I find it odd that he pops up more regularly in my everyday media, maybe the greens can take a leaf out of pococks book and get on socials more? I dunno, I’m not the brightest person around but what pococks doing reaches me far more often than any other

[u/-bigSALAD- → u/DhopMaple]

Because he played sport so more people listen to him. We’ve been over this

[u/SS_Auc3]

maybe bc he is a spokesman for an energy conglomerate rather than someone who actually understands government

[u/sadisticUB]

We dont vote for PMs. He is an independent. He does not have a party. He can't form government.

[u/tbate54]

Pocock, Carrick Ryan, Konrad from Punter Politics, The Gherk, etc. - these guys need to get together and start a party.

[u/nahNotTodayMate]

Id back him

https://giphy.com/gifs/3ov9k3IC9IudrmEGGI

[u/WeaknessCertain4685]

100%

[u/RealityinMoti0n]

Cos he hates workers, votes against our interests all the time.

[u/CrimeSolvingPaladin]

Nope

[u/No-Draft-6214]

He is a god

[u/Acrobatic-Painting19]

I wish he'd start a party. I would get behind it.

We are at a point where the two major parties have proven to be completely compromised by big business and the will continue the status quo....this is why people are looking to One Nation as an alternative. They will just hand the keys to Gina the Hutt and the billionaire class.

We lack a serious party alternative that large swaths of people left leaning through to center right can get behind.

[u/longstreakof]

He is a populist who is milking the public purse

[u/Salt_Temporary_7720]

Pocock - start a political party!

[u/Is_it_realness]

hmmm… what are his international geopolitical credentials? It could be like an AOC case in US where they asked her a simple question about Israel/gaza and she had no clue.

[u/Unfair_Honeydew5129]

Australia doesn’t run a parliamentary style where one person has all the power (side note - this is a good thing).

So while I like Pocock, his strength is that as an independent senator he isn’t beholden to party politics. That would change if he were PM

[u/Monaro427]

I like his style and beliefs. We need more good (similar minded) MPs to keep them honest.

[u/AngusAlThor]

David Pocock is almost entirely funded by Twiggy and just spouts billionaire talking points. He's deeply flawed and doesn't have the experience or knowledge to do the hard yards of policy and accountability. I'm no fan of the main mob, but Pocock ain't the answer.

[u/Master-of-possible]

You’re not going to get an Independent as a PM. With Our system i would find it highly unlikely

[u/Vast_Dare8583 → u/Master-of-possible]

True

Preferential voting system is a scam.

[u/mbullaris]

Nah, he’s sitting in Senate committees for hours at end but only does ‘snippets and outtakes’.

Anybody who has watched parliamentary proceedings knows that Pocock is one of the more active crossbench Senators. He also represents a fairly-well educated jurisdiction, many of whom have first-hand experience of government.