2010 Federal Election

[drsmith]

Andrew Wilkie described himself as a blank sheet in a press conference this afternoon, but if he throws his support behind one side, it's hard to imagine it being anything other than Labor.

http://www.andrewwilkie.org/content/index.php/site/issues/P0/

 

[Calliope]

Tony Crook the new Nat from the West has opted not to join the gang of four. He doesn't want to be in the Coalition either. I think he wants to be a loose cannon.

 

[sails]

If we were to have another election so quickly, I wonder who would actually change their votes?

Unless there is more information to change people's ideas, I wonder if the only winners out of another election at this stage might be more green votes.

No-one really knows how JG would go as leader as she hasn't even proved herself in opposition leadership. She is now in care taking PM mode. Most of her short weeks as PM has been in a very vocal election campaign targeted at emotions (IMO) and very little of actually running the country.

There seem to be a lot of unknowns including just how much debt this country is in. Perhaps the independents may extract enough information for the public to get a better grasp of what is really going on should we be required to head back to the polls.

 

[gav]

If we were to have another election so quickly, I wonder who would actually change their votes?

I wonder how many candidates would change who they give their preferences to, given the way things turned out (eg. DLP getting in the Senate in Vic! )

 

[bellenuit]

Tony Crook the new Nat from the West has opted not to join the gang of four. He doesn't want to be in the Coalition either. I think he wants to be a loose cannon.

When the papers say that the Coalition will probably end up with 73, are they including Crook or not in that 73 number?

 

[drsmith]

When the papers say that the Coalition will probably end up with 73, are they including Crook or not in that 73 number?

They are including Crook in the 73. He has already stated he does not support the new resources tax but for now at least, Julia is standing her ground on that one.

Who would have thought (before the election) we would see Wayne Swan bowing down to Bob Katter ?

 

[IFocus]

Now Coalition begins its own civil war

BACKBITING has begun in the NSW Liberal and National parties over the failure to transform the strong anti-Labor swing in the state into captured seats.

I can't understand how NSW didn't smash Labor given the state politics is so bad the state Liberals must be complete drop kicks.

 

[noco]

Now Coalition begins its own civil war



I can't understand how NSW didn't smash Labor given the state politics is so bad the state Liberals must be complete drop kicks.

Do you have a link for that "quote"?

 

[Julia]

If we were to have another election so quickly, I wonder who would actually change their votes?

Unless there is more information to change people's ideas, I wonder if the only winners out of another election at this stage might be more green votes.

I've been wondering the same thing. You'd have to assume most people during the five week campaign gave reasonable thought to their choice.
The result was very close to what the polls indicated, so it's hard to see why anyone would be surprised and therefore want to change their vote.

Re the Green vote, there was a good article in (I think) "The Australian" today suggesting the media is well overdue to apply the same level of scrutiny to the Greens policies as they have to the main parties. This is a really valid point.

I wonder how many of the protest votes that went to the Greens would do so again if they really understood what the Green agenda was all about and its economic ramifications. Even if the latter were just to be expressed in terms of additional cost of living to households if the Greens get all they want, I reckon it would make a lot of those Greens voters have a second thought or two.

Perhaps the independents may extract enough information for the public to get a better grasp of what is really going on should we be required to head back to the polls.

Yes, it's somewhat encouraging that they have asked for e.g. details of how the $42 billion for the NBN was arrived at. Heavens, they may even go so far as to request something as out there as a cost-benefit analysis!!

Who would have thought (before the election) we would see Wayne Swan bowing down to Bob Katter ?

I can't begin to imagine how hard Swan would have had to grit his teeth in this situation. Pretty funny, really.

 

[Julia]

Did anyone see Malcolm Fraser trotted out yet again on the 7.30 Report this evening?
He has already said more than once that he does not believe the Coalition is fit to govern. This evening, he had to refer to his notes to make sure he answered the question as expected.

That the ABC put him up yet again, and very specifically asked him this question yet again, is strong verification of their own political bias, (if we needed any.)

Isn't it time for Malcolm Fraser to get the hell out of the public sphere and leave the air time to people who have some relevance?

 

[noco]

Did anyone see Malcolm Fraser trotted out yet again on the 7.30 Report this evening?
He has already said more than once that he does not believe the Coalition is fit to govern. This evening, he had to refer to his notes to make sure he answered the question as expected.

That the ABC put him up yet again, and very specifically asked him this question yet again, is strong verification of their own political bias, (if we needed any.)

Isn't it time for Malcolm Fraser to get the hell out of the public sphere and leave the air time to people who have some relevance?

I think Malcolm is suffering from senile decay. They should put him out of his misery

 

[basilio]

Another real concern is that even if either party forms an effective government they will have the slimmest of margins. A death, an illness, a scandal a mistake would be all it takes to topple a government.

This would be particularly significant if the opposing party decided to keep maximum pressure on the government ie not allowing pairs in voting.

 

[drsmith]

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/bus...-political-blend/story-e6frg8zx-1225910121978

Interesting.

 

[drsmith]

According to Adam Bandt (Lateline), 3 of the 4 at Wednesday's National Press Club conference stated they wanted an immediate price on carbon.

This is what all 4 said (Annabel Crabb - ABC)

Oakeshott: Scientists have done good work. The vast majority of them say there's an issue. Garnaut gave us a report. Let's use it.

Windsor: We have to change the way we live. We have a unique situation in this parliament to start and drive this thing forward.

Katter: Manufacturing and farming is dead in this country. All we have left is mining. Carbon price will kill mining.

Bandt calls for the road map laid out by Ross Garnaut to be followed.

Bandt went further to explicitly call for an immediate carbon tax, but Oakeshott and Windsor didn't. What though have they agreed privately ?
It would be well worth the media asking Oakeshott and Windsor specifically where they stand on a carbon tax and whether they agree with Adam Band's Lateline comment above.

It's looking increasingly like Oakeshott and Windsor are leaning towards Labor.

 

[drsmith]

What Garnaut says,

Transition period:
The two or more years between scheme commencement (2010) and the end
of the Kyoto period (end 2012) should be treated as a transition period to an
unconstrained, fully market-based emissions trading scheme.

Price controls:
Price controls are not supported except during the transition period to
end 2012. During this transition period, permit price should be fixed, starting at $20 per tonne and increasing by 4 per cent per annum plus the rate of inflation.

http://www.garnautreview.org.au/pdf/Garnaut_Chapter14.pdf

In short, it calls for an interim (transition) price on carbon.

If that's what Windsor and Oakeshott want, they should come out and say it explicitly and not hide behind Garnaut or the Greens's Adam Bandt.

 

[wayneL]

Did anyone see Malcolm Fraser trotted out yet again on the 7.30 Report this evening?
He has already said more than once that he does not believe the Coalition is fit to govern. This evening, he had to refer to his notes to make sure he answered the question as expected.

That the ABC put him up yet again, and very specifically asked him this question yet again, is strong verification of their own political bias, (if we needed any.)

Isn't it time for Malcolm Fraser to get the hell out of the public sphere and leave the air time to people who have some relevance?

Malcolm proved himself to be a socialist when he was PM, and even more so afterwards.

He was always in the wrong party.

 

[son of baglimit]

Malcolm proved himself to be a socialist when he was PM, and even more so afterwards.

He was always in the wrong party.

look at the era he was in politics - the ALP was considered very left, and still recovering from the communist links (real or perceived) from the 50's & 60's. the libs occupied the middle ground for many years and hence held govt.

malcolm was able to run a social agenda similiar in many respects to todays ALP, but miles away from howards.

 

[Calliope]

What Garnaut says,


http://www.garnautreview.org.au/pdf/Garnaut_Chapter14.pdf

In short, it calls for an interim (transition) price on carbon.

If that's what Windsor and Oakeshott want, they should come out and say it explicitly and not hide behind Garnaut or the Greens's Adam Bandt.

There is no doubt these guys are left-progressives. They could never work with the Coalition. Abbott would be a fool to try to win them over by bowing to their demands to gain the benches.

Gillard is welcome to these posturing clowns. She should be given enough rope to hang herself. The three Stooges would help this process.

 

[noco]

There is no doubt these guys are left-progressives. They could never work with the Coalition. Abbott would be a fool to try to win them over by bowing to their demands to gain the benches.

Gillard is welcome to these posturing clowns. She should be given enough rope to hang herself. The three Stooges would help this process.

Calliope, the three stooges as they are called, are in a catch 22 situation and I believe Abbott is reading it pretty well. Yesterday's poll in the three independants show 55 % want them to support the Coalition.

If they don't support the Coalition and go with Labor, they can kiss good bye to being re-elected next time.

 

[Mofra]

Did anyone see Malcolm Fraser trotted out yet again on the 7.30 Report this evening?
He has already said more than once that he does not believe the Coalition is fit to govern. This evening, he had to refer to his notes to make sure he answered the question as expected.

That the ABC put him up yet again, and very specifically asked him this question yet again, is strong verification of their own political bias, (if we needed any.)

Just to set the cat amongst the pigeons

Media favours Coalition, study finds

Newspapers are left wing, television is right wing, and
the media as a whole tends to favour the Coalition.
And surprisingly, according to researchers from the Australian
National University, the ABC Television news is the most pro-
Coalition of them all.

Former Liberal prime minister John Howard railed against the
alleged left-wing bias of the ABC, but the researchers found
Aunty was more likely to favour his side.
Researchers pored over news stories from 1996 to 2007 to
establish if the media was biased.

(pdf only - people.anu.edu.au/andrew.leigh/pdf/MediaSlant_media.pdf)