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Thread: Julian Assange to run for Australian Senate in 2013

  1. #1

    Julian Assange to run for Australian Senate in 2013

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012...seat-australia
    WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has revealed his intention to run for a Senate seat in the 2013 Australian federal election. Assange, 41, said plans to set up a WikiLeaks political party were "significantly advanced" and had received support from a number of "worthy people" in his home country.

    In an interview with Fairfax Media, he said his party would promote openness in government and politics and combat growing intrusions on individual privacy. He said he would be eligible to register as an overseas voter in either New South Wales or Victoria and would shortly take a "strategic decision" about which state he would contest.

    Assange, who was born in Queensland, has been holed up inside Ecuador's embassy in London since June in a bid to avoid extradition to Sweden for questioning over rape and sexual assault allegations. He has stated he would happily go to Stockholm, providing the Swedish government guaranteed he would not be extradited on to the US.

    The WikiLeaks party would require 500 members listed on the electoral roll for it to be registered with Australia's electoral commission. If Assange is elected but unable to return to Australia to take up his position, a nominee would occupy a Senate seat.
    Not sure about this guy. He was on Freedom Watch a while back, so he can't be all bad. He does pander to socialists most of the time and holds some very un-libertarian views, but he has praised libertarians too. It'll certainly be interesting if he wins his Senate race.

    Here are some quotes from him about his view on libertarianism:

    Reporter: Would you call yourself a free market proponent?

    Assange: Absolutely. I have mixed attitudes towards capitalism, but I love markets. Having lived and worked in many countries, I can see the tremendous vibrancy in, say, the Malaysian telecom sector compared to U.S. sector. In the U.S. everything is vertically integrated and sewn up, so you don’t have a free market. In Malaysia, you have a broad spectrum of players, and you can see the benefits for all as a result. It's not correct to put me in any one philosophical or economic camp, because I've learned from many. But one is American libertarianism, market libertarianism. So as far as markets are concerned I'm a libertarian, but I have enough expertise in politics and history to understand that a free market ends up as monopoly unless you force them to be free.
    Who has been your most critical public supporter?
    John Pilger, the Australian journalist, has been the most impressive. And the other is Dan Ellsberg. It's the amount of time I've spent with him, both in front of and behind the scenes. When people are working in front of the scenes, in public, it is often because it is helpful to them. One never really knows what the true allegiance is. But when someone puts it on the line both publicly and privately, that's a sign of true character. Ron Paul did come out and make an impassioned and rational speech. It has not been the soft liberal left, the pseudo left that has defended us. In fact, they have run a mile. It has been strong activists who have a long record of fighting for what they believe in, both on the libertarian right and on the left.
    WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Tuesday vowed to be a "libertarian" and campaign for more openness in government if he is successful in gaining a seat in the Australian Senate.
    Last edited by compromise; 12-19-2012 at 09:57 AM.



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  3. #2
    If it's legal, I would happily donate to his campaign.
    9/11 Thermate experiments

    Winston Churchhill on why the U.S. should have stayed OUT of World War I

    "I am so %^&*^ sick of this cult of Ron Paul. The Paulites. What is with these %^&*^ people? Why are there so many of them?" YouTube rant by "TheAmazingAtheist"

    "We as a country have lost faith and confidence in freedom." -- Ron Paul

    "It can be a challenge to follow the pronouncements of President Trump, as he often seems to change his position on any number of items from week to week, or from day to day, or even from minute to minute." -- Ron Paul
    Quote Originally Posted by Brian4Liberty View Post
    The road to hell is paved with good intentions. No need to make it a superhighway.
    Quote Originally Posted by osan View Post
    The only way I see Trump as likely to affect any real change would be through martial law, and that has zero chances of success without strong buy-in by the JCS at the very minimum.

  4. #3
    Isn't he stuck in some embassy in London and can't leave?

  5. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by FSP-Rebel View Post
    Isn't he stuck in some embassy in London and can't leave?
    I suppose if he won that might qualify him for some kind of diplomatic immunity?
    9/11 Thermate experiments

    Winston Churchhill on why the U.S. should have stayed OUT of World War I

    "I am so %^&*^ sick of this cult of Ron Paul. The Paulites. What is with these %^&*^ people? Why are there so many of them?" YouTube rant by "TheAmazingAtheist"

    "We as a country have lost faith and confidence in freedom." -- Ron Paul

    "It can be a challenge to follow the pronouncements of President Trump, as he often seems to change his position on any number of items from week to week, or from day to day, or even from minute to minute." -- Ron Paul
    Quote Originally Posted by Brian4Liberty View Post
    The road to hell is paved with good intentions. No need to make it a superhighway.
    Quote Originally Posted by osan View Post
    The only way I see Trump as likely to affect any real change would be through martial law, and that has zero chances of success without strong buy-in by the JCS at the very minimum.

  6. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by FSP-Rebel View Post
    Isn't he stuck in some embassy in London and can't leave?
    The article says "If Assange is elected but unable to return to Australia to take up his position, a nominee would occupy a Senate seat." Not sure who would do the nominating though, Assange/the Wikileaks Party or the Prime Minister.



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