2007 Federal Election - Coalition or Labor/Howard or Rudd? (6 Viewers)

[Muz4PM]

First off, the worm is not a fan of the Coalition it seems recently; it certainly did not favour them in ’98, ’01 and ’04, so I am not too fazed by what it dictates.

A comment on the recent polls, I believe the last poll was a rouge and bloated disproportionably at 58/42 to the ALP. I believe that the latest news poll of 54/46 is more becoming of the electorate’s mood as they warm increasingly to the distinguished incumbents. I believe that the Coalition requires another 3% in order to hold onto government and in three weeks that is not impossible, and funny things happen in politics, this is still anyone’s election.

Yes, distinguished incumbents, I said that. This government currently presides over 32 year, record low unemployment. On top of this, they believe that this can lower it still. This of course goes against what the ALP believed, their pessimistic view on unemployment dictated that they thought 5% was the best it would get to. Now, through investment in greater skills training and by the recent IR changes, the Coalition seek to try and shrink unemployment to a number with a three in front of it.

The recent IR changes, we have heard from the union movement, from the scare campaign instituted by the ACTU basically the sky will fall in. If I remember rightly the unions warned us that upon the passing of the recent IR laws, three things would be expected to happen within weeks of their passing. We were instructed to brace for mass sackings, lower wages and an increase in industrial disputation.

So, what happened to those promises? Please, someone tell me. I am failing to see where the merit in their argument was. We currently have the lowest industrial disputation rate since records were first kept, back in 1913. As stated above, we have the lowest unemployment figures in 32 years, and the Coalition are aiming to lower unemployment still. I also believe that there has been increases to Australia’s minimum wage, at least, there has not been the slashing and burning of wages as promised by the union movement.

Those questions still stand to anyone who can answer them, what ever did happen to those union promises? I am interested.

Finally, on the debate, I did not see it, but from your comments sounds like I missed something interesting, surprised I have not heard Costello admonished him, although, he probably is trying to go for the Mr nice Guy image rather than the bullyboy.

 

[Triangulum]

they were in an equally as good a position in 2001

Wrong. Maybe at the beginning of the year, but not within weeks of the election.

 

[katie_tully]

Dude thats what he just said... Stello won it convincingly..

 

[umop 3pisdn]

While on the topic of Costello, Labor leaked some polling about him to the Courier-Mail:

Our best potential leader can't become PM because it bothers voters that he's so much smarter than them

 

[atreus]

are there going to be any more debates? i would like to see gillard vs hockey. whenever i see hockey he is always whingeing about being misquoted or his words taken out of context, and it would be interesting to see what the worm thinks of julia.

 

[Generator]

are there going to be any more debates? i would like to see gillard vs hockey. whenever i see hockey he is always whingeing about being misquoted or his words taken out of context, and it would be interesting to see what the worm thinks of julia.

National Press Club of Australia - Federal Election 2007 Speaker’s Program

The Hon Tony Abbott MP & Nicola Roxon MP

Wednesday 31, October 2007
Health Debate - Election 2007

---

The Hon Joe Hockey MP & Julia Gillard MP

Wednesday 07, November 2007
Industrial Relations Debate - Election 2007

 

[katie_tully]

Oh swish, that should be a good one.

 

[Triangulum]

Economist Intelligence Unit:

Mr Howard is a highly seasoned campaigner with a strong sense of the issues that resonate with the electorate. He has made up similar ground in past election campaigns. But never has he had so little time to turn matters around. Perhaps in a sign of the coalition's increasing desperation, Mr Howard on October 11th announced plans to change the constitution to give recognition to the country's aboriginal people. This is a striking departure from his previous stance on the issue, and its last-minute timing will be interpreted by the prime minister's critics as electioneering. Mr Howard has also released a pre-election manifesto entitled "Australia: Strong, Prosperous and Secure". Predictably, it bashes Labor over the economy and describes the party as "untested" and "union-dominated".

Whether such jibes prove effective is another matter. One of Mr Howard's biggest problems is perhaps simply that the Australian electorate seems ready for a change of leadership. Even Mr Howard's own colleagues seem to recognise this, but this has not been enough to persuade him to step aside in favour of the Treasurer, Peter Costello. Instead, Mr Howard has promised that if the coalition wins a fifth term in office, he will step down as leader during that term. The coalition will therefore now face an electorate that knows that Mr Howard has, at best, only lukewarm support from his cabinet and that he will resign as leader before the term is out. This message is likely to prove difficult to sell, particularly given the government's weak standing in the opinion polls.

...

If, as the Economist Intelligence Unit expects, Labor wins the election, Mr Rudd will become prime minister. He has promised Wayne Swan the job of Treasurer, Lindsay Tanner the job of finance minister and Julia Gillard the role of industrial relations minister. By announcing these planned appointments in advance and stating that he, rather than Labor MPs and senators, will appoint his other ministers, Mr Rudd has dispensed with 100 years of party tradition. It appears to be a clear statement that a Rudd government would not be beholden to the party's factions and state figures, but strongly led by an authoritative prime minister.

...

Mr Rudd might be better placed than Mr Howard to foster trade ties with China, having spent a number of years as a diplomat in the Chinese capital, Beijing, and being fluent in Mandarin. Despite this, he would be unlikely to embrace wholeheartedly that country's growing influence in Asia.

 

[Triangulum]

Did anyone see the piece on the 7.30 Report about Bennelong? Those people they opened and closed it with were truly bizarre, and it's sort of depressing that they form part of the core liberal constituency.

 

[Collin]

P.S - this site is shit

Then leave. Pretty simple, isn't it?

 

[Nebuchanezzar]

National Press Club of Australia - Federal Election 2007 Speaker’s Program

Lol. That one will be fun. Gillard will try her hardest to put together a good debate, and all Hockey will do is spew out his union bosses lines. Hockey is a penis, and I hope he's lopped off and fed to a pack of hungry union bosses.

 

[Iron]

Yeah, it will be a defining battle on the unfair workchoices v union domination front. Garrett v Turnbull should also be great, but for different reasons.

Im so glad ch9 is taking this election seriously. There are so many preconditions for a change of government present in this campaign that were never seriously entertained in '04.

 

[Nebuchanezzar]

Garret v Turnbull would be pretty amazing for me. I side with Garrett, obviously, but the man is a raging hypocrite and is publicly trodden over by Turnbull, who I cannot help but like.

 

[Iron]

I hate how Garrett gets trashed like that. He's someone passionate about conservation, but he's also a realist who understands that compromise and patience are essential factors in public policy. I think it takes real intestinal fortitude to water down your own radicalism in deference to a greater, democratic good. He's gritting his teeth a lot, but he knows that he's in one of two parties capable of forming government and more sympathetic to the environment than the other. As far as he's employing his talents to assist in the broad goal of Labor victory in return for his issues remaining high on a government agenda, I applaud him as a common-sense practical guy more interested in results than the odd media appearance decrying the status quo.

(but I do note that he did look somewhat pathetic behind Rudd today - /head hung, meekly nodding, getting a humiliating dressing down by the headmaster via the media)

 

[katie_tully]

I made a good composite picture of Garrett as a tree

Edit: I don't like Garrett.

 

[Iron]

Haha Abbott didnt rock up. Roxon's actually not as bad and irrelevant as the government makes out.
I think she's HOT/coff

 

[Triangulum]

Haha Abbott didnt rock up. Roxon's actually not as bad and irrelevant as the government makes out.
I think she's HOT/coff

Wow, Tony isn't having a good couple of days, what with Bantongate yesterday and now not pitching for the debate. (Apparently he's still en route from Melbourne.)

 

[katie_tully]

Good. Abbott should go anyway. Away.

 

[Triangulum]

Poll Vault:

So there were lots of kids, a couple of pharmacists and some polite older folk. Then came our friend the illiterate protester. From nowhere appeared a fella brandishing an overturned pizza box, used as a placard. "R.A Laws Sux" it read, written in texta. A good point, we all agreed. They do suck. They're grossly unfair. Just what in the hell are they?

So we asked him. "The laws about the overtime and penalty rates and stuff. They suck," he explained. "Oh, you mean the I.R Laws?" we suggested. "Sh*t," he said "sorry." He folded up his pizza box and disappeared, red faced, through the carpark. I'm still not sure why he apologised.

Ha, awesome.

 

[Nebuchanezzar]

I hate how Garrett gets trashed like that. He's someone passionate about conservation, but he's also a realist who understands that compromise and patience are essential factors in public policy. I think it takes real intestinal fortitude to water down your own radicalism in deference to a greater, democratic good. He's gritting his teeth a lot, but he knows that he's in one of two parties capable of forming government and more sympathetic to the environment than the other. As far as he's employing his talents to assist in the broad goal of Labor victory in return for his issues remaining high on a government agenda, I applaud him as a common-sense practical guy more interested in results than the odd media appearance decrying the status quo.

(but I do note that he did look somewhat pathetic behind Rudd today - /head hung, meekly nodding, getting a humiliating dressing down by the headmaster via the media)

Hmmm, yes, quite true I suppose. I still think that he's not as watered down as you say he is, but that he's just supressing what he really thinks for the sake of the ALP, which I'm not a great fan of. But yeah, I was wrong I suppose.