Who I am, politically.

Hi.

I'm not going to be talking about myself after this post, but rather the politics.

However, I think it would be useful for people reading this blog to understand where I come from, in a political sense.

In terms of social issues, I'm definitely to the left of centre.
Marriage: I believe people should be able to marry who they want, and I include polygamous and polyandrous marriages in that definition. As long as everyone's above the age of consent, and is aware of what they're getting into, who am I to stop them?
Life and Death:
I'm pro-choice. This is an emotive issue, and I don't want to get bogged down in this one aspect of my beliefs. I'm not saying that everyone has to get an abortion, I'm just saying that anyone who does not want a child should be able to seek a safe abortion. On that note, I am for wider use of mifepristone as an alternative to surgical abortion.
I'm pro-euthanasia. I deserve, as a rational being, the ability to choose the method by which my life comes to an end. Additionally, I believe that doctors should be able to act to end the life of a patient who is suffering, but is not of sound mind in order to request euthanasia of their own account. We should ask people how they want their lives to end, so we know their beliefs when it comes to the end. Again, I believe in choice.
I'm opposed to the death penalty. Death is too simple, and it's very hard to un-kill someone if further evidence comes forward proving their innocence.

Environment: Global warming is happening. It's our fault. We need to do something now. What we also need to do is realise that we're probably too late to delay or stop global warming from happening. We need to start looking at what happens when (not if, when) the climate goes to hell in a handbasket, and start finding contingencies. We need to start preparing for worse bushfires, the loss of tourism when the Great Barrier Reef gets bleached into oblivion, the loss of arable land, leading to food shortages to go with our water shortages, and we need to put in place plans to deal with climate change refugees.

Economics and Finance: Like many people, I find the nuances of finance incredibly boring. I personally have very few opinions on financial policy. One thing I know for sure is that our understanding and application of capitalism has to change in the light of what we now know about the environment. Capitalism was founded in an era when there was no idea that resources were finite. Our understanding of capitalism needs to change in in the light of what we now know about the environment in a similar way to how our understanding of public health has changed since the advent of germ theory.

Political views: The views I've put forward so far are my philosophical takes and opinions on life. Politically, I tend to vote for the Greens, partially because of my social and environmental views. Mostly, however, I vote Greens because I believe it is incredibly important to have a viable third party in politics. I think having a viable third party (and some independents) holding the balance of power increases the probability that compromise will be reached, and that more points of view will be listened to.

Before I close the gate on talking about my own political views, does anyone have any questions they'd like to ask?

- Amy