ELECTIONS - Labor or Liberal

[marklar]

The Greens?

Oh dear $deity no. I'm not old enough or young enough to even consider supporting them.

If anyone is curious, did you know that Bob Brown never voted against sending Aussie troops to Iraq? He was holding a press conference on the steps of parly house while the vote was held in the Senate.

m.

 

[Smurf1976]

Your right but you have to admit that the greens strategies are pretty bad... No exporting coal overseas... c'mon... a few years ago they had a plan to ban cars from CBD's and make everyone ride bikes instead... No fooling

I've argued the point about coal with Greens leader Bob Brown in the past.

I'll put it this way. Bob has done a lot of good for conservation and environmental awareness generally. But he and the party have done far more harm than good as far as climate change is concerned.

Had they been fully implemented, the Greens policies in Tasmania alone would have resulted in increased greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the burning of about 1,300,000,000 litres of oil (or 2.1 million tonnes of sub-bituminous coal) each year. That's literally a 100% increase on the total combined coal / oil / gas presently used in Tas.

The Greens have a lot of credibility on rivers, forests, biodiversity etc but they can't possibly claim that climate change is their number one or even number two priority when it has consistently rated well down the list as evidenced by their actions to date both in Tasmania and nationally.

Wrong or right? I'm not going to judge that one right here and now. Just don't anyone tell me the Greens have climate change as their "number one priority" when clearly it isn't.

 

[insider]

I've argued the point about coal with Greens leader Bob Brown in the past.

I'll put it this way. Bob has done a lot of good for conservation and environmental awareness generally. But he and the party have done far more harm than good as far as climate change is concerned.

Had they been fully implemented, the Greens policies in Tasmania alone would have resulted in increased greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the burning of about 1,300,000,000 litres of oil (or 2.1 million tonnes of sub-bituminous coal) each year. That's literally a 100% increase on the total combined coal / oil / gas presently used in Tas.

The Greens have a lot of credibility on rivers, forests, biodiversity etc but they can't possibly claim that climate change is their number one or even number two priority when it has consistently rated well down the list as evidenced by their actions to date both in Tasmania and nationally.

Wrong or right? I'm not going to judge that one right here and now. Just don't anyone tell me the Greens have climate change as their "number one priority" when clearly it isn't.

Peter Garret's no new coal mine's policy is great... Combine this with carbon taxes and soon we have a real shot for improvement...

Peter Garret doesn't support Uranium mining which I think is rubbish... Placing limitations on the coal industry will benefit the upcoming Uranium Industry...

 

[insider]

VOTE FOR PEDRO

 

[Spot]

Who ever can do the best deal for Murdock, will win hands down.

It's all a 2 party dictatorship -- until the re-election period.

Twidlee Dum or Twidlee Dee, they are both religious conservatives -- just depends on which pressure groups obtain the upper hand.

 

[stockmaster]

kevin rudd definitely has the potential to be a pm, but i am not realli sure that he will sustain the current economic growth base on his policy of child care and other non-economical issues i believe. howard is there for a bit too long, but this old man can control the inflation and sustain a decent growth. at the end of the day, i vote for the guy who can lift the economy which will help the sharemarket. i want to see howard for one more term, and give rudd a chance to prove himself that he can make the economy better than howard!

 

[krisbarry]

howard is there for a bit too long, but this old man can control the inflation and sustain a decent growth. at the end of the day,

ummm did I miss something....8 interest rate rises later and the head of the RBA continually warning Howard of Inflation risks due to infrastructure and transportation bottle-necks on our ports, rail, and freight etc.

 

[mime]

Howard has done a freaking good job. Unlike the Labor states who enjoy hindering investment by taxing it (property in NSW) the federal government has made it very easy to invest in stock and look at the result.

It's never been easier to find work in this rampant economy and don't blame the fed government for hospitals the states are ment to look after them.

John Howard stepped up to fix our water problem and pay for it saving our rivers, environment and rural communities when the states are dragging their feet over the issue. While Kevin Rudd more concerned about the hysteria of global warming.

Next time all you spoilt and angry people open your eyes and look around. The country has never been in better shape and it's all thanks to one government.

 

[CanOz]

But you can't argue with big business... The health problems in Chinese cities will soon level off demand for coal there anyway.

Oh, and exactly what else do you think they'll burn instead?

 

[BIG BWACULL]

Oh, and exactly what else do you think they'll burn instead?

Maybe they could start burning politicians, real estate agents and solicitors and we could all live happily ever after.

 

[CanOz]

Dumped workers needs/rights/working conditions/Pay.

The Unions have been pricing Australia out of the manufacturing business for years. Now demand for labour has outstripped supply, making labour even more expensive in Australia (he should've done more for skilled labour though). Without industrial reform there will be no manufacturing left in Australia. At least he's has the guts to see it and do something about it. If Rudd gets in it will be final nail.

Cheers,

 

[chops_a_must]

Oh, and exactly what else do you think they'll burn instead?

Tibetans probably.

 

[chops_a_must]

Next time all you spoilt and angry people open your eyes and look around. The country has never been in better shape and it's all thanks to one government.

I dispute that. Most of the reforms that Keating and Hawke implemented (that they copped flak for) surely have something to do with our international competitiveness. In fact, Howard thanked Keating and Beazley for the strength of the economy when he took office in 96. So if Howard is giving credit to someone else, why can't you?

 

[chops_a_must]

howard is there for a bit too long, but this old man can control the inflation and sustain a decent growth.

Lol! Really? What about when Howard was treasurer? Inflation out of control, interest rates at 21.39% Hardly sound economic management.

 

[mime]

Keating put Australia into recession.

Oh and under Kim labor plans to sack the retirement fund to pay for his education package. Hopefully Kevin Rudd if he wins will leave it in tact.

 

[anon]

The Unions have been pricing Australia out of the manufacturing business for years. Now demand for labour has outstripped supply, making labour even more expensive in Australia (he should've done more for skilled labour though). Without industrial reform there will be no manufacturing left in Australia. At least he's has the guts to see it and do something about it. If Rudd gets in it will be final nail.

Cheers,

I think unions are extremely important in any developed industrial society to provide protection for the workers against exploitation. At the same time they need to be more adaptible to the ever changing prevailing conditions which affect Australian workers, such as the competition from the cheap overseas labour. It's about time unions got together with the employers and worked together for the benefit of both parties and for the nation.

In my opinion John Howard's greatest achievement for the nation was destruction of the Waterside Workers' Union's power.

Here is an extract from an article in The Australian which sheds a bit of light on Kevin Rudd's ability to see and plan for the future -

Greg Hunt: Rudd recipe no good in a crisis

* The Labor leader's social democracy ethos would cripple Australia
* January 03, 2007 The Australian

IN December 1989 the first act of Kevin Rudd, the new chief of staff to Queensland's incoming Labor premier, was to cancel plans for the Wolfdene dam. This was despite expert advice that such a dam would be needed for southeast Queensland in the early 21st century.

The experts were dead right. With approximately 70 per cent population growth in southeast Queensland in the intervening period, Brisbane is paying the price for one of the worst infrastructure decisions in modern Australian history. Wolfdene dam would not have changed rainfall patterns but it would have allowed for perhaps 15 years of accumulated water storage, which in turn would have dramatically altered Queensland's capacity to deal with the inevitable ebb and flow of rainfall.

We are desperately in need of water right now, not in twenty years' time. Joh Bjelke Petersen could foresee this. Is Kevin Rudd a lesser visionary than Joh was?

anon

 

[Broadside]

John Howard is 100% gone, he has no chance of winning the next election, simply he hung on too long and his war of words with Senator Obama shows he is losing his political judgment. I expect a very big spending May budget, no point leaving too many cookies in the jar for the new government. If Costello is still Treasurer, that is, he should make his move right now or he will never be PM.

 

[Kauri]

John Howard is 100% gone, he has no chance of winning the next election, simply he hung on too long and his war of words with Senator Obama shows he is losing his political judgment. I expect a very big spending May budget, no point leaving too many cookies in the jar for the new government. If Costello is still Treasurer, that is, he should make his move right now or he will never be PM.

He's still in with a chance, I hear they have spotted another leaking refugee boat off the north west coast..

 

[Smurf1976]

howard is there for a bit too long, but this old man can control the inflation and sustain a decent growth.

Control inflation? Oh please!

We've had rampant inflation for quite some time now. Just look at house prices to see that one. Same house but it costs two or three times as much - that's inflation at work big time. You need more $ to buy the same goods - the classic symptom of inflation. Choosing not to report this inflation via the CPI is not controlling it but merely hiding it.

The inflation of recent times has sown the seeds for an inevitable wages boom. That's not going to help Australia's competitiveness at all but it's only wages playing catch up to price increases.

As for the general economy, playing the inflation game is pretty much guaranteed to work in the initial stages and indeed it has. The trouble is when the inevitable rising interest rates and wages explosion can no longer be contained. It would be nice timing for Howard to leave that one to blow up in the face of whoever follows him be it Costello or Rudd.

Personally, I'd like to see someone do something truly visionary for this country but I'm not holding my breath. Over a decade of economic success and we haven't exactly invested much of it in anything of permanent value to the country. Previous generations invested and we've benefited from that. We've just spent, spent and spent some more. Popular perhaps but it's not leadership.

Odds are Rudd won't do much better overall so it's a bit of a non-choice as far as I'm concerned. That said, alternating between Labor and Liberal every few years should at least maintain a better balance than having either all the time.

 

[nioka]

Control inflation? Oh please!

We've had rampant inflation for quite some time now. Just look at house prices to see that one. Same house but it costs two or three times as much - that's inflation at work big time. You need more $ to buy the same goods - the classic symptom of inflation. Choosing not to report this inflation via the CPI is not controlling it but merely hiding it

How much did the GST add to the housing price. Remember the GST tax that Howard said was dead and not on the agenda any more. The first of his many deceptions. Then there are the contributions developers have to make to local government and their cost passed on. The fact that young people expect to start off with a large home in a prime position and have everything now that our generation worked hard for many years to obtain adds to the problems for them.
The best way to get change is to forget party politics put the sitting member last and hope some new faces may change things. Of course change may not end up any better but could it be any worse?