Here's your 1%
posted by Chris Prior, 22 Mar 2010
Not long after Gamers4Croydon's founding, Michael Atkinson dismissively stated that we wouldn't get even 1% of the vote. Come election day, Kat Nicholson garnered 3.7% of the vote, contributing to Atkinson losing almost 14% of his primary vote. Less than a day after polls closed Mr Atkinson announced he would not seek to retain his position as Attorney-General.
Seeing the role of Attorney-General filled by someone other than Mr Atkinson was a primary founding goal of Gamers4Croydon. With less than 6 months to prepare, no political experience, and only a few thousand dollars funding, we have achieved that goal. With so very little to work with, we have contributed to two other incumbents losing their seats, and all of our lower house candidates polled higher than the 1% we apparently wouldn't get. In the upper house, we outpolled the majority of groups, including a significant number with more resources, more experience, and much more time.
What this now means for the introduction of the R classification remains to be seen. Unfortunately there are never any guarantees in politics, but we have removed the largest impediment to classification reform. We have raised a significant amount of awareness in the community about the problems with the classification system. We have sent a major warning to every Attorney General in the country that blocking positive reform is not only bad for the community but will hurt them politically. We have led by example, helped improve the level of discourse in the online community, and placed gamers in a better position than ever before to be heard and taken seriously.
The fight for an R18+ classification, genuine representation, and proactive and accountable government is far from over. Gamers4Croydon's campaign is far from over. Together with the gaming community and fellow progressives, we have heralded a new generation of politically savvy voters, and sent a strong warning to all who would use the power entrusted to them by the people, for themselves:
We game, we vote.
My name is Chris Prior, and I'm a Gamer4Croydon.
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