Today’s Fairfax broadsheets carry a Morgan survey of 472 voters conducted in Bennelong on Friday and Saturday, which shows Maxine McKew leading John Howard 53-47 on two-party preferred and 45.5 per cent to 42.5 per cent on the primary vote. Under the circumstances, the Prime Minister would be greatly relieved – the result is no worse than most of the other Bennelong polls published this year, not a single one of which has had him in front. Indeed, it marks an almost significant narrowing from the 55-45 recorded by ACNielsen’s last such poll in February.
The Age has an interesting article on our duumvirate. That is two leaders of equal importance. Gee isn’t that an appropriate name! We could call it dumb and dumber.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/banalysisb-michelle-grattan/2007/09/16/1189881342322.html
I get the feeling this blog is a bit like cocktails before dinner. lots of small talk while everybody waits for the Newspoll.
Gippslander: Thanks, must have missed that one on my quick comparisons 🙂
Don’t most of the Chinese in Bennelong speak Cantonese? Mandarin would be “gobeldy gook”[sic]!
Lindsay voter . don’t take too much notice of what the Urologist says. They’re always taking the piss. Still, better than a proctologist. And of course you’de have to be mad to talk to a Psychiatrist, and i wouldn’t have the hide to to Dermatologist.
Downer just stuffed up while attacking Rudd about timing of the election. He was trying to say that Rudd didn’t know the constitution, and said that the parliament has a life of “3 years and 3 months”. I guess he was taking in to account the time from the last election to the the last date an election can be called. The constitution says the government runs for 3 years from the first sitting.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22431248-29277,00.html
Steveo #80 sounds quite racist and intolerant to me!
#99 Stunkrat I gather there’s quite a sizeable group from mainland China in Bennelong. I think most Cantonese speakers will have a smattering of Mandarin. There’s also a sizeable Korean community, not sure which way they lean.
#100 I’m one of those who like all loose ends tied up. OC knows my identity so I’m trying to solve the mystery!
Rubbish Asanque,
This is Australia and I am sick to death of all this multi cultural crap,
If ppl want to come here they should be speaking English
Why would kevin Rudd need to speak to them in Chinese when he can talk to them in English
To Kevin Rudds credit he hasnt said he was going to do this, but im offending that one of my fellow Australians has suggested he should
Im a Labor supporter but very Right wing in my opinions,
The problem with all you bloggers on this site is that you are all Left wing
I have no problem at all with KRudd talking to the Chinese presidnet in Chinese at all,
but he should be talking to Australian voters in our language Australia English,
We shouldnt be promoting multiculturalism and all this rubbish, it creates segragation and thats not good
We should be promoting asimilation,
People who cant speak in English shouldnt be let into this country in the first place
And So Says Steveo!!!!
#104. The first language of this country is not English.
Asanque, I went of a bit half cocked. I looked at Deakin first, got excited, looked at Gippsland which also as a bit “juicier”, & shot staight off here. On sober reflection “juice “should be replaced by “slow drip”. Still Simon Jackman’s arbitrage should show some interesting results tomorrow. Centrebet seem to be giving longer odds on the $1.06-$1.20 type candidates.
Steveo: For someone who professes their love for the english language, you seem to have a lack in proficiency in simple spelling and grammar.
You better get used to multiculturalism, because despite Howard’s attempts to abolish it, there are more immigrants from other countries coming into Australia each year.
Closing your eyes and pursuing Pauline Hansonesque policies is simple denial.
If you had a second language, you would understand that some points are more easily conveyed in a primary language. Why does paranoia suddenly arise if another language is spoken?
Regardless of your views on people coming into this country only being able to speak english, you will soon find that your views are increasingly in the minority.
Australia is part of the world and people from other countries speak different languages. Get used to it.
‘asimilation’ there is a classy modern idea. Speaking of modern ideas why / how could a foreign language scare you so much? Does french scare you too? How about a bit of Russian, every word that is spoken must be a threat to life as we know it? Oh Italian – dreadful scarry sounds and funny words ….
Oh you are right.
Steveo, why on earth are you a Labor supporter? Do you think there are many like you in Labor? Shouldn’t you be National Front or Pauline Hanson Party or National Party?
Gippslander: I also follow Simon Jackman and his arbitrage page, which is why I didn’t see any potentials from the Victorian seats on Centrebet 😛
However, I do agree for a straight up win, Deakin is looking good. I’m more hesitant on Gippsland.
[This is Australia and I am sick to death of all this multi cultural crap,]
Go somewhere else then.
[If ppl want to come here they should be speaking English]
If you want to stay here, you need to learn how to write the word “people”.
[Why would kevin Rudd need to speak to them in Chinese when he can talk to them in English]
You also need to study the correct use of full-stops.
[Im a Labor supporter but very Right wing in my opinions,]
You also need to study the correct use of apostrophes, and capitalisation.
[The problem with all you bloggers on this site is that you are all Left wing]
Capitalisation / full-stop use.
[I have no problem at all with KRudd talking to the Chinese presidnet in Chinese at all]
Correct spelling of the word “president”.
[We shouldnt be promoting multiculturalism and all this rubbish, it creates segragation and thats not good]
Full-stop use.
[People who cant speak in English shouldnt be let into this country in the first place]
What about expelling people who can’t write correctly? If so, that would include you.
There’s nothing wrong with assimilation – then again, I have always thought that accepting multiculturalism was a part of assimilating into Australian society.
Blindoptimist 77
I too have to laugh at your comment that the Liberals offer “substance”. At one stage while working in Canberra I read a briefing paper where it was clear that the writer didn’t understand the economic definition of a “public good”. Yet that paper went to cabinet and was approved! Fools.
Put simply, I think that the Liberals are as ideologically-adrift and focused on image as Labor has been for some years. They are not clever at running the country; they are just a bunch of control freaks who have gotten lucky. Their skill has been at convincing people that the prosperity has been due to them. Sometimes the opposite has been the case. Take the US Free Trade Agreement – by the time they exempted all the primary industries job losse from closing car coponent makers actually exceeded any gains. But they did the deal any way because they wanted to look like deal makers. And the longer they have stayed in, the more arrogant and self-serving they have become. Hence time for a change. Looking at the polls most people who do not automatically vote Labor or Liberal seem to agree. I don’t think Rudd is great, but Howard has to go.
If you are borg ‘asimilation’ is a great concept, if you are human you just have to overcome your fears and dark instincts and live together like decent human beings. It isn’t rocket science.
Steveo,
So how’s Pauline doing. Are you voting for Ms Hanson? After all we need to protect white English speaking Australians from all those foreigners.
You say that John Howard has tries to stop multiculturalism yet he is the one who has let so many forigners in,
I doubt very much that my views are in the minority, in the minority on the site yes because the majority of u on here are all left wingers,
People hate multiculturalism, yet idiots like u want to promote it, It doesnt work
And what can Kevin Rudd say in Chinese that he cant “Convey” as you put it in English,
If you had your way would you let every tom dick and harry in from china (with people who cant speak in English that is)?
I mean for god sake Australians would become a minority
(When I say Australians I am not just talking about white Angelo Saxon Australians before youy call me a racist too)
Proof that Downer is losing it: from the SMH:
“Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has accused Labor leader Kevin Rudd of ignoring the constitution – then got a key constitutional point wrong himself.
Mr Downer added three months to the government’s term in office, saying the life of the parliament was three years and three months.
“Oh, Mr Rudd knows more about the constitution than the authors of the constitution and the High Court of Australia now, I suppose, does he?” Mr Downer told reporters when asked about Mr Rudd’s call that the election was now due.
“The time isn’t up when some stuntsman like Mr Rudd says time is up. The time is up when the constitution says the time is up – before the expiry of the life of the parliament.
“And the life of the parliament is three years and three months from the first day of sitting. That’s what the constitution says. So we’ll have the election in due course.”
But section 28 of the constitution clearly says a parliamentary term is three years.”
gw
Maybe Steveo’s just trying to head off Rudd from speaking in cantonese, since JWH clearly can’t
[ before youy call me a racist too ]
If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck…
By the way Steveo, there’s only one y in you. Hope you speak English better than you write it.
John Howard won the 1996 election by campaigning against multi-culturalism Steveo. And I’m sorry but what you are saying is racist.
Steveo: No one is advocating an open door policy. And remember, real Australians are really aborigines. What you are really referring to is the influx of British immigrants being convicts and settlers only a short 200 odd years ago.
If you spoke more then one language, you would realise that not everything translates perfectly, and you would generally be stronger in one language then the other.
Why do you feel so threatened about the speaking of a foreign language?
Many people are bi-lingual and tri-lingual, what’s so scary about that?
I put it to you that what is driving your views is simple fear.
No Paul K,
like I said im a Labor supporter, I support good social, community values,
I will be preferancing the One nation party 2nd though,
And your great hero Paul Keating was the one who let that shake taj helaly stay just so all the mossies would vote Labor,
Thats something that really pisses me off too to put personal political gains ahead of Australian national interest
Yes, Steveo, that’s racism of the first order. Vote for the Libs if you want to or One Nation.
Lindsay voter @ #95
September 17th, 2007 at 12:28 pm
#81, most of the urologists I gather are right-leaning. You can’t possibly be GW or RF. BC?
Might be RF, Windows live search turned up this.
{Rob Oakeshott MP – State Member for Port Macquarie }
[ ike I said im a Labor supporter ]
Sure you are Steveo, just as long as the Labor candidates don’t have slanty eyes or dark skin.
Lindsay voter,
Please excuse my wierd penchant for jokes about professional groups
For example
A prime qualification for anaesthetists used to be FFARCS, but now it’s ZZZZ.
alternatively, and maybe closer to one of the prime topics for the coming election:
A marriage celebrant is doing the rehearsal for the ceremony. At one point she says..”änd now we sign the register” ..the groom says “But I can’t read or write”… “that’s OK, I’ll just point to the spot, & you just put “X””
Comes the day, she points to the spot, & the groom puts “XX”
“What’s the second “X” for”, she asks.. “That’s my Bachelor of Economics degree”
No david I think its good that Kevin can speak in another language and I think its good he can speak it too the chinese president,
but why the hell should he be speaking it to the Australian electorate (like Asanque suggested)
We are an Englsih speaking/Australian values country and I want it to stay that was thankyou very much
#125 no, I was trying to find out who OC is and all those initials belong to urologists not MPs. Mystery is now solved, thanks OC.
I don’t know how well you speak English, Steveo, but you sure spell it badly, and you sure talk a lot of offensive ‘gobeldy gook’, as you put it.
By the way, I wonder what language(s) are spoken by the guy who drives your bus, the doctor who you go to see, the garbage collector who cleans your street, the teacher who educates your children, the shop-owner who supplies your groceries, and the labour crew who built your house?
Do you think it would be in the ‘Australian national interest’ if they all stopped their ‘gobeldy gook’ and went to live somewhere else?
Steveo, you wouldn’t know a community value if it bit you on the posterior. Your pathetic command of the English language shows you to be ignorant as well. As Asanque says, your problem is that you are frightened of that which you cannot understand, and unfortunately for you, that is almost everything. All generalisations are false, including that one.
cheers,
Alan H
Steveo :”We are an Englsih speaking/Australian values country and I want it to stay that was thankyou very much”
No you’re not racist at all *cough*. Australian values? Praytell what would those be exactly?
[No david I think its good that Kevin can speak in another language and I think its good he can speak it too the chinese president,]
David is a name, so it needs to be capitalised. You meant to use the word “it’s”, which is a contraction of “it is”. There needs to be a comma after “and”, because it is a subordinate clause. You meant “to”, not “too”.
[We are an Englsih speaking/Australian values country and I want it to stay that was thankyou very much]
Explain to me what Australian values are without using the words “mate” or “mateship”.
Thanks #127, my husband will appreciate the joke.
#128, I canvassed my fellow ethnic Chinese friends/family and we were all impressed that Rudd can speak Mandarin. If Howard could, I’m sure he would too when he hosted that do for the Chinese Community in Bennelong a few months ago. I suspect Malcolm Turnbull has learnt a few words in Hebrew.
Can we not go into this debate. It’s really ugly and it’s obvious noone’s going to change their opinion on it. If I wanted to see these arguments I’d visit ‘A Western Heart’.
116
Steveo Says:
A couple of hundred years ago, most people thought slavery was ok. Not 80 years ago, most people thought women were less intelligent, and therefore less capable than men, in things as comprehensive as voting. Not 50 years ago, most people considered our indigenous people less than human.
Your views show nothing more than your ignorance and fear. And they’re going to be consigned to history in the same way.
John Withheld (24)
I understand that the numbers this time around are what matters. Obviously if Howard polls 42% on the day in his own seat (and let’s face it he’s not going to get much preference flow), he will lose. That much is obvious.
My point though is that Howard has a harder core of Liberal support in his seat than the existing margin would suggest. It’s a much tougher seat for the ALP to win than the margin suggests. IMO the “Not Happy John” campaign means that a good portion of the potential swing to the ALP in a seat like Bennelong, has already occurred.
To win Bennelong, I believe the ALP would also need to be winning a number of seats on ostensibly significantly higher margins. A landslide, in other words…
I spose you can take this to mean that my reading of that electorate is that Howard will do better than ~42% on the day…
Lindsay voter @ # 129,
You stirred up my curiosity button. I have had a bit of fun at times identifying rabid Right Wingers who thought that they were incognito on the web.
A number of times they run small to medium IT operations and are easily tracked down.
Sorry if I interfered or caused offence but was damm curious.
Oh great, thanks alot Oakshot and Lindsay voter. Like you I’m one of those “tie up loose ends” ppl too.
No I gotta go and somehow search for a GW, who was a Urologist 12ys ago in someplace I dont even know just so I can sleep tonight. 😉
Sorry John but this is your medicine, prescribed by the doctor, Dr Democracy.
That’s great, Kina.
I for one am becoming rather tired of “Steveo’s†racist ranting and raving. I figure that “Steveo” is a wind-up troll: stop feeding it and it should die.
Today’s entries have been useful and fun (the whole oakeshott country/Lindsay voter mind-game shtick has been a highlight!)
Can we please ignore “Steveo”?
Steveo,
what do you propose as an alternative to multiculturalism?
The white-Australia policy?
Closing the borders? Perhaps a large cookie-cutter style fence that will ring the continent?
Why is it that people who have a problem with multiculturalism never have an alternative? If i had a dollar for every time Hanson has started a sentence with the phrase (imagine Kath Day-Knight’s voice) “I am sick and tired of…..” I’d be a bloody rich man by now. What’s your problem anyway? Did multiculturalism kill your father and rape your mother? Did a group of drowning refugees push up your mortgage rates? Does the site of a brown face in the audience of deal or no deal put you off your kangaroo flavoured meat pie? How does the idea of Kevin Rudd speaking to a particular group of voters in a language they understand threaten your beloved Australian values? For that matter, what exactly are Australian values? Would you also think that an American president speaking in spanish so offensive?
I realise that this is a long list, so if you just want to answer one of them, let it be this – what are Australian values and how are they threatened by multiculturalism?
We live on the driest continent.Global warming is impacting on us now and will on future generations .For that reason Howard should have been ahead of the action with now and future policies.His reluctance to acknowledge the problem and lack of any effort to deal with it in any meaningful way, has shattered peoples confidence in his leadership.When you add in his repulsive Workchoices laws, it explains why so many of his erstwhile supporters have turned away from him.
Costello blunts his leadership claims today by playing the race card, saying that labour supporters are hostile to the Jewish community.Nice one Captain Smirk!
Just like a cocktail party.. Do telstra run the “My dad sed to play for CollïngwooD” Ad in NSW… The small talk, curiosity and misunderstandings are just the same
105
Lindsay voter Says:
September 17th, 2007 at 12:46 pm
#104. The first language of this country is not English.
Amen to that :):) … what a nice, diplomatic way of putting the unsavory characters into their place ;-). I was always taught to respect my elders and their claim is older than any of us. This is another area in which Howards policies needs to be turfed.