SSM Plebiscite

[Mav]

One of the many great lines from Yes, Prime Minister was something like this from the PM, Jim Hacker, referring to the people of Great Britain:

I'm their leader - I must follow them.

But in this case, the idea isn't that the Coalition wants to follow the people; the idea is to frustrate the will of the clear majority of the electorate which supports a same-sex marriage amendment.  After all, this is a non-binding marketing survey.  Hell, even the plebiscite that was proposed but thwarted was non-binding as well.  No doubt, the Coalition is hoping a bit of arm-twisting can happen.  They'd be hoping they can approach members of all political persuasions who are in marginal seats with a view to convincing them that the survey shows that supporting same-sex marriage may cost them their seats (if they can break the figures down to show that voters in their electorates aren't supportive).  If they can create enough uncertainty, they might stop any parliamentary push for change.