The Gillard Government

[Julia]

Mofra, thank you also for reasoned and sensible response.

I think I said a few posts ago that I have no answers. Of course I have sympathy for people who are genuinely fleeing from persecution of whatever source. But I think this government in particular is managing the situation extremely badly.

At the same time, I'm unimpressed by Mr Abbott's mantra of "we'll stop the boats", though agree with him that it's nonsensical to be spending more money on some yet to be agreed regional processing centre when Nauru is sitting there unused, rendered unacceptable to the current government on a purely political basis.

Probably we've both said all we can reasonable express for now, and I thank you for being prepared to engage in a genuine discussion without needing to be aggressive or abusive.

 

[todster]

lol Mofra - sounds like the sort of spin coming from Swan or Gillard. It doesn't go down well and these sort of statements are becoming more difficult to believe as the apparent spin and pollywaffle get worse.

How can continued and rising debt be brushed off so glibly?

Why is it that history generally shows labor spends like there is no tomorrow and then the libs eventually get us back on track? The libs are not perfect, but their fiscal policies are a lot less risky for this country, IMO of course...

Oh, and on the subject of blatant vote buying - the PM is ducking scrutiny again on the very thing that got her into power courtesy of the independents. Gillard snubs Senate order on NBN

It's amazing how political parties discover the importance of transparency in opposition.

 

[Mofra]

Probably we've both said all we can reasonable express for now, and I thank you for being prepared to engage in a genuine discussion without needing to be aggressive or abusive.

Ditto - rational discussion with someone willing to respecfully listen also helps to confirm and question one's own position on a subject and offers a different perspective.

 

[IFocus]

Nice summery by Barrie Cassidy

"The political year is winding down in Canberra, and as usual, it's full of contradictions".

The standout has to be the demise of Kevin Rudd as interpreted by the Opposition. John Howard, Joe Hockey, Julie Bishop and even Tony Abbott himself have given the Opposition Leader full credit for bringing down the former prime minister. It was essentially all Abbott's own work, a prize scalp that elevated him to hero status.

Yet Abbott told Federal Parliament on Wednesday that he (Rudd) "was perhaps the most unjustly treated senior politician in recent Australian history". Then warming to the theme, "the most unfairly treated man in Australian political history".

Why then, did he tear him down?

But that is to exaggerate their status. The Coalition went close to winning the 2010 election because of circumstances. Their opponents imploded mid-campaign. Since then, they have very effectively prosecuted the case against a Government yet to find its feet - again because of circumstances. The Government is in unfamiliar territory, trying to manage a hung parliament. It has a brute of an agenda largely fashioned and locked in before the Parliament became unstable. That is at the core of the Opposition's supposed successes.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/11/26/3076924.htm?site=thedrum

 

[sails]

And while the government winds down, the illegal boats keep rolling in.
More than another 100 asylum seekers and Labor doesn't seem to care that their policies are simply not working:

Three more asylum seeker boats arrive

...Mr Morrison blamed failed Labor policies.

"Riots, brawling, gruesome protests and self-harm have all returned to our detention network, after three years of Labor's failed policies," he said.

 

[noco]

And while the government winds down, the illegal boats keep rolling in.
More than another 100 asylum seekers and Labor doesn't seem to care that their policies are simply not working:

Three more asylum seeker boats arrive

\

Why has the media gone sooooo quiet and soft on this lack lustre Gillard Government?
They have absolutely no solution to the problem they are hoping will go away.
These major problems should have received priority in Parliament instead of deabting GAY MARRIAGE. What a easte of time.

 

[sails]

\

Why has the media gone sooooo quiet and soft on this lack lustre Gillard Government?
They have absolutely no solution to the problem they are hoping will go away.
These major problems should have received priority in Parliament instead of deabting GAY MARRIAGE. What a easte of time.

The media are incredibly quiet about the boat arrivals and is the reason I post the info here. When boat arrivals reached a peak during the Howard years, it was constantly headline news.

Boat arrivals have now exceeded the peak when Howard was PM and yet the media are so quiet on it. Gillard seems to have no solution to the problem and won't (for stubborn political reasons) use the obvious one that worked for Howard. I think Aussies have a right to know what is going on and agree that the media are way too soft on the current PM.

 

[sails]

In an extraordinarily brave testimony to House of Representatives’ Economics Committee last Friday, Australia’s most respected and independent economist, the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), Glenn Stevens, has cast enormous doubt over the Gillard Government’s economic credentials. He also showed why he is rapidly emerging as one of the world’s top central bankers.

Full article: Under pressure: RBA casts doubt over federal finance

An interesting excerpt on interest rates:

MR STEVENS: [Interest rates] would have been lower had the stimulus measures not occurred. We would have had to lower the cash rate further. I think that has to be true... I think your analysis is correct. The interesting question is whether a world of no fiscal easing and more monetary easing would actually have been the ideal mix. It is an interesting question.

And Mr Stevens also validates comments from Joe Hockey:

The final subject of interest was banking. Here Governor Stevens validated much of what Joe Hockey has argued in recent times on the policy challenges associated with ‘implicit guarantees’, ‘moral hazard’ and ‘too big to fail’

The whole article is an interesting read from someone who has the credentials to know the true fiscal state of this country.

 

[IFocus]

Full article: Under pressure: RBA casts doubt over federal finance

An interesting excerpt on interest rates:


And Mr Stevens also validates comments from Joe Hockey:


The whole article is an interesting read from someone who has the credentials to know the true fiscal state of this country.

Thought this was interesting thankfully the Coalition have some MP's who can think pass 3 worded slogans

Under the pressure of exceptionally targeted questioning from the next generation of Liberal Party leaders, Kelly O’Dwyer and Steve Ciobo, Governor Stevens revealed that:

 

[Julia]

Every now and again, I have a vague sort of daydream that if we could put together the genuine talent on both sides of the house, we might actually come up with a team of people who cared more for the future of this country and its inhabitants than their own short term political futures.

Sigh.

 

[noco]

Thought this was interesting thankfully the Coalition have some MP's who can think pass 3 worded slogans

Galahs and Cockatoos always repeat what they are brainwashed with like Cocky wants a cracker and Gillards muppets do the same thing.
One gets tired of hearing the repetitive slogan "Abbott is a Wrecker" all because he knows full well that most of the Labor Governments hairbrained schemes finish up on the rocks.
If Abbott was to agree with everything bit of legislation Gillard puts forward and it fails like it normally does, then Gillard would turn around and say well, Abbott agreed to it, don't blame me.

 

[sails]

Seems like the angry PM took her frustrations of the Vic losses out on her Mr Rabbit calling him all sorts of wild things. IMO, it raises questions if she is really up to the job. Getting so angry isn't going to put labor back into power in Victoria so it is rather pointless.

With Labor conceding defeat in Victoria, the Prime Minister was in bruising form, criticising the Opposition Leader Tony Abbott for being everything from "weak" to "negative", from "bitter" to a "wrecker".

and

Ms Gillard said Mr Abbott was a "weak man", a "weathervane" and "empty of conviction and ideas".

An angry Julia Gillard waged an angry attack in Federal parliament yesterday as State Labor suffered a crushing defeat in Victoria.
Picture: Gary Ramage

http://www.news.com.au/national/cri...al-on-candidates/story-e6frfkw9-1225963043133

 

[todster]

Galahs and Cockatoos always repeat what they are brainwashed with like Cocky wants a cracker and Gillards muppets do the same thing.
One gets tired of hearing the repetitive slogan "Abbott is a Wrecker" all because he knows full well that most of the Labor Governments hairbrained schemes finish up on the rocks.
If Abbott was to agree with everything bit of legislation Gillard puts forward and it fails like it normally does, then Gillard would turn around and say well, Abbott agreed to it, don't blame me.

Coming from the one who repeats everything Andrew Bolt says.
What does that make you?

 

[noco]

Coming from the one who repeats everything Andrew Bolt says.
What does that make you?

todster, I don't see the relevance in your statement. I don't repeat brainwashed sayings. I refer to true statements of facts made by Andrew Bolt.
You are way off course in trying to make a comparison.

Sorry if I hit a nerve relating to your beloved Prime Minister.

 

[IFocus]

Victorian election will be sending an interesting message to the federal Coalition.

People who voted for Ted Baillieu didn't vote for Abbott, Ted is a small L Liberal not a right wing wrecker like Abbott.

Malcolm will be starting to twitch.......

 

[noco]

Victorian election will be sending an interesting message to the federal Coalition.

People who voted for Ted Baillieu didn't vote for Abbott, Ted is a small L Liberal not a right wing wrecker like Abbott.

Malcolm will be starting to twitch.......

There you go again IFocus, parroting Gillard's slogan "Abbott the wrecker'. Can't you think for yourself for once?
You should really change your icon from that GALAH to something less conspicuous!!!!!!

 

[Julia]

Victorian election will be sending an interesting message to the federal Coalition.

People who voted for Ted Baillieu didn't vote for Abbott, Ted is a small L Liberal not a right wing wrecker like Abbott.

That's a very definitive statement. What can you offer to back it up?

If you have statistics which measure voter behaviour regarding both Baillieu and Abbott, then let's see them. Otherwise, aren't you making an unsubstantiated allegation?

And quite apart from that, I'd say more important is the disillusion by voters of the Labor Brand, along with a growing awareness of the dangerous nature of the Greens, so that - as is almost always the case - voters will vote out what they don't like, rather than voting in what they believe will be better.

Perhaps you could consider placing less emphasis on repeating the slogans of Ms Gillard about Mr Abbott being a 'wrecker' and more on understanding what seems to actually be going on in the minds of voters.

It is the job of the Opposition to oppose, for god's sake. Do you really expect Abbott and Co to smile sweetly and endorse every hair brained decision the current government is making? To do so would be to badly let down their own voter base, and also to defy common sense, given the nonsense purported by the current government.

 

[sails]

Victorian election will be sending an interesting message to the federal Coalition.

People who voted for Ted Baillieu didn't vote for Abbott, Ted is a small L Liberal not a right wing wrecker like Abbott.

Malcolm will be starting to twitch.......

IFocus, I must admit I do prefer your more reasoned posts rather than mimicking Ms Gillard's rather tiring lines as you have done here...

There is one big difference between the federal election and the recent one in Victoria. The greens were preferenced last by the libs in the recent state election and the libs preferenced them above labor federally. I would imagine that won't happen again.

Oh, and what's good for the goose is good for the gander. You are suggesting (once again) that Turnbull take over... how about someone else has a go at being the new labor leader too. Swan? Shorten? Howes? Are they getting twitchy too? Ms Gillard does seem quite out of her depth at times.

....It is the job of the Opposition to oppose, for god's sake. Do you really expect Abbott and Co to smile sweetly and endorse every hair brained decision the current government is making? To do so would be to badly let down their own voter base, and also to defy common sense, given the nonsense purported by the current government.

Well said, Julia...

 

[Calliope]

People who voted for Ted Baillieu didn't vote for Abbott, Ted is a small L Liberal not a right wing wrecker like Abbott.

(My bolds).

You are adopting Gillard's Stalinist language.

Although many projects were successfully completed and moved the Soviet empire into modern times, goals often exceeded the available resources. Those who dared point this out were called "wreckers", accused of treason, and punished. By accusing "wreckers" of thwarting the plans of the State, Stalin was able to divert attention from the real reasons for the failure of his schemes. (credit: National Archives, USA)

 

[Mofra]

There is one big difference between the federal election and the recent one in Victoria. The greens were preferenced last by the libs in the recent state election and the libs preferenced them above labor federally. I would imagine that won't happen again.

There are more differences IMO - Vic Liberals have a leader who isn't the furthest to the right of Australia's major right wing party for a start.
Ballieu appears to be more of a moderate which means people dissappointed by Labor's performance can vision him as an alternative leader.

Ballieu also has policies that consist of more than merely "oppose Labor" - he outlined policies that differed to the Brumby "everything is fine" mantra and won. There was some rejection of the overtly negative campaigning of both Vic Labor and the Federal Coalition which also seemed to resonate with voters.