Spot on Julia. Both are economic and social conservatives. They agree on most issues with the major exceptions being on IR and Iraq. Mr Rudd is playing it very smart indeed. Mr Latham might well have won the last election if he hadn't scared the horses.Yes, I agree that Kevin Rudd's similarity to John Howard, and his apparent capacity to echo John Howard's philosophies to a large degree, is allowing the electorate to have a change which they believe won't really be a change at all in terms of the good stuff. We'll see.
Wow... Gillard just smashed Hockey on the 7.30 report.
Chops.. I think that 'smashed' is a bit of an extention, but if shes on your team pump her up!
What I want to know from Gillard is; why I cant have the right to negotiate my own wages & conditions just because I earn less than $100k. It smacks of the ALP exlcuding [from work place flexibility] the very people they are supposed to be going in to bat for!
why I cant have the right to negotiate my own wages & conditions just because I earn less than $100k. It smacks of the ALP exlcuding [from work place flexibility] the very people they are supposed to be going in to bat for!
Given the unpopularity of George W., plus the huge inconvenience and over the top security in Sydney for APEC, not to mention the cost thereof, I can't help feeling that - rather than gathering kudos for John Howard in hosting this event - all this fuss will send him even further downward in the Polls.
Just looking at GWB and JWH on television this evening, each praising the other to a quite nauseating degree, e.g. "the man of steel" stuff etc, and GWB's crappy comments to the ADF personnel when he joined them for lunch, I can feel a vote for Labor coming on!
I can't help thinking that this visit by George W. is only going to further highlight in the minds of the Australian electorate all the things they dislike about John Howard, notably the determination to stick with the US in Iraq.
Chops.. I think that 'smashed' is a bit of an extention, but if shes on your team pump her up!
What I want to know from Gillard is; why I cant have the right to negotiate my own wages & conditions just because I earn less than $100k. It smacks of the ALP exlcuding [from work place flexibility] the very people they are supposed to be going in to bat for!
im gonna make some predictions here, as the masses become more informed:
rudd to get 70% vote after preferences.
slx and gbg to skyrocket
arminius to party hard election night.
Whilst I agree with most that a change in Government is sometimes necessary,what concerns me most is that if Labour wins government, we will have coast to coast Labour Governments.
Now if we have agreement from all states,territories,federal government and the senate, what do you believe could happen to the GST? It is within the constitution on GST to allow this to happen.
Will the cash strapped states and territories pressure Kevin Rudd to increase the GST from 10% to ?????.After all they in debt to the tune of $70B.
It is very possible and most likely probable.The states will have the muscle and may very well use it on Kevin Rudd.
It is rather disconcerting when you think about it!
Yes, you're quite right. There is not enough focus given to his aspect.
I'm surprised the Libs have not made more of a meal of it.
The other area which has had me squirming has been the response of some of the senior Libs to the polls, i.e. Alexander Downer rabbiting on about Labor being so cocky about how they are a shoo-in etc and that they would be in for a shock. I've not actually heard any Labor candidate sounding cocky at all (though they would be more than a little entitled to), and all this sort of remark does is make Downer appear to have a limited grasp on the reality of the situation to go with his spiteful mutterings.
The other aspect I've been wondering about is whether the swing to Labor has reached the stage where it gathers momentum of its own accord, and people in some possibly subconscious way don't like to align themselves with "the losing side"? So perhaps previously undecided voters might be jumping onto the side they perceive as winners? I'd be interested to know if anyone else thinks this could be happening.
Hi arminius,
Whilst I think its more than likely that Mr Rudd (a 90% chance) will win the next election I doubt that he'll get 70% of the vote after preferences. If he did so there would be only a couple of conservatives left. Even when Australia's worst governments were thrown out (IMO Scullin, Whitlam and Fraser) no one even got close to the figures that you were talking about.
At this stage I'll tip 55% Labor to 45% Liberal which is still a massive swing to Labor on a two party preferred basis.
Considering that most Australians want our troops out of Iraq (myself included, as long as its done gradually and not in one go) Mr Howard and Mr Bush appearing to be such good buddies isn't going to go down too well with the voters.
Rudd steals limelight with Mandarin
By Doug Conway | September 06, 2007
The Prime Minister's own speech went down well.
But when Mr Rudd started addressing the leader of one quarter of the world's population, fluently in his own tongue, the effect was stunning.
There was an almost audible intake of breath among the scores of Chinese political and business heavyweights in the audience.
Many sat bolt upright in their chairs, beaming at Mr Rudd's virtuosity.
The effect could not have been greater had the family's precocious nine-year-old played a Chopin prelude perfectly for the visiting relatives after Christmas lunch.
But it worked so well because Mr Rudd was not acting like a show-off.
He spoke at length in English first, displaying a commanding grasp of China's history and development into an economic giant, before seeking his audience's indulgence to welcome President Hu personally in Chinese.
And when he did, he must have made Mr Howard squirm in his seat.
He spoke not for a few lines but for a few minutes.
It was, quite simply, a made-to-measure moment for the former diplomat.
Not only is he consistently trouncing Mr Howard in the polls, but here he was looking like a genuine statesman at an APEC forum at which Mr Howard, as host, is no doubt expecting will enhance his own international reputation.
In the audience were former Labor prime ministers Gough Whitlam, who recognised China in the 1970s when it was not politically popular to do so, and Bob Hawke, who got the APEC ball rolling in 1989.
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He also managed to trump Mr Howard on the issue of China's "panda diplomacy".
"It was once ping pong; now pandas are making a contribution to our relationship," Mr Howard said to warm applause after President Hu announced two pandas would be sent to Adelaide Zoo.
"That has nothing to do with the fact that my foreign minister comes from South Australia," he said.
Mr Howard might have been better omitting any mention of Alexander Downer, who had earlier made a humorous quip about panda mating habits which might not translate particularly well in Beijing.
After a news conference where an expert mentioned that pandas mated only three or four times a year, Mr Downer replied: "I'm glad I wasn't born a panda. Suck on that."
I'm continually amazed at Downer's gaffs, and the ignorance of Australians towards these. How can you have a foreign minister that actively insults other countries at every opportunity? Busted **** person... heh heh heh.Here's our 'EXPERIENCED' foreign minister downer at it again...!
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