Newspoll has been sprung on us a day early, showing Labor’s two-party lead widening to 56-44 from 55-45 a fortnight ago. Labor’s primary vote is up from 47 per cent to 48 per cent, and the Coalition’s is down from 41 per cent to 39 per cent. Kevin Rudd has taken a slight hit on his satisfaction rating, down from 65 per cent to 62 per cent.
The opportunity to “stop the carnage” passed them by a month ago, when they failed to switch to Costello.
Instead they spent a week highlighting their problem and then stuck with the old bloke, damaging Costello badly in the process.
Glen at 182 – you can hardly refer to Combet and Shorten as mere union hacks when a government barracker (Bolt) on Insiders yesterday was saying they were a sign of the impressive talent that the ALP was bringing in to Parliament at this election.
You can work for a union and not be a hack, irrespective of your politics.
Are all union members union hacks Glen? What distinguishes a union member from a union hack? Sounds like a useful term to use but what does it mean?
Wonderful idea. These asylum seekers should be used as cheap labour, for the tobacco factories and asbestos plants. They should, however, continue to be placed under detention while they are not at work.
Meanwhile, all the benefits of incumbency and the intangibles point to an inevitable narrowing of the polls and the Government being returned.
I just can’t see the links between the union movement and the Labor Party being an earth-shatteringly new scare campaign.
An effective scare needs to be fresh, not one that the conservatives have failed to pull-off in 106 years.
Pyne is in denial too.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/01/2047785.htm?section=justin
cheers,
Alan H
I am more pissed off about Chris Judd not playing for Melbourne in 2008 than i am about the current Newspoll.
Glen, how do you know he is not playing for Melboune. Please tell me he is playing for Collingwood. Hell, what else do we oppose each other on? LOL
Oh dear, Glen and I barrack for the same team – I shall have to shoot myself.
Adam – I would too if I barracked for Melbourne. Sorry, couldn’t resist.
Alan H
That’s funny. Ta. He says he is “determined to keep working”. One wonders about his next job. Maybe the entertainment industry might be fruitful.
For god sake call the election Howard
http://melbournefc.com.au/Season2007/News/NewsArticle/tabid/7415/Default.aspx?newsId=51990
Club CEO Steve Harris said: “Chris’ management advised us this morning that Chris had been somewhat surprised by the quality of our club presentation and strategies, and it was a difficult decision. However the club’s training facilities at Junction Oval and the need to train at a variety of grounds over summer was an issue.
“It’s well known that new state of the art facilities are due for completion at Olympic Park within 2 years, but we do have this comparative disadvantage.
I hope he plays for Carlton i could not stand for him to play for ‘the filth’. The only reason he doesnt pick us is because our facilities havent been built yet what a princess. All being well he’ll do a knee in round one and retire. This is almost as bad as losing the election but not that close…
The Dream is Over….but stuff it!
I wish Judd well where ever he ends up – I will miss him. But he sounds like an establishment boy, so melbourne sounds right.
Adam’s support of Melbourne shows that even in a left wing firebrand there is some good in them.
Suddenly my opinion of Glen has improved.
I work for a large union and it seems that our membership numbers are increasing significantly. Our union has several divisions and they cover both the private and public sectors.
The union bashing that is going on today seems rather ironic, given that today is Labour Day in two states and the ACT.
I heard that JWH was up the other night walking Melanie’s baby when it wouldn’t sleep. Is it okay for his extended family to live at the Lodge? Isn’t that just a bit much?
“Left-wing firebrand” ho ho. I am as right-wing as it is possible to be and stay in the Labor Party. Read my comments on Hicks a few days ago. I even supported the Iraq War until you guys stuffed it up so badly.
@ 213 Glen Says:
Good to see the conservative values of decency and fair play are undiminished.
Think of how people in south-west Sydney feel:
http://www.leaguehq.com.au/news/news/granddads-tickled-pink-with-anguss-jersey/2007/09/30/1191090946921.html
‘The radio announcer John Stanley, who addressed the lunch at St George Leagues Club in Kogarah, said it was great to see the PM rushing around “like a 12-year-old getting autographs”.’
Then i stand corrected Adam and i retract my firebrand tag after all i think STROP takes that award lol. I like the mesh of the Melbourne Demons we have working class (Labor supporters) and the upper echelons (Tories) its the perfect world…unlike the ‘filth’…
Now let us divide the Football teams and who their supporters vote for…
Melbourne 70-30 split in favour of the Liberals
Hawthorn 60-40 split in favour of Labor
St. Kilda 70-30 in favour of Labor
Bulldogs 80-20 in favour of Labor
Collingwood 90 in favour of Labor
Richmond 70-30 in favour of Labor
Carlton 60-40 in favour of Labor
Port – 100 Labor
Adelaide 60-40 Labor
WC 70-30 Coalition
Freo 60-40 Labor
Brisbane 60-40 Coalition
Sydney dunno
Geelong 70-30 Labor
N. Melbourne 70-30 Labor
Essendon 70-30 Labor
Damn the AFL has been taken over by Labor but oh well…
That’s funny, a liberal supporer calling collingwood ‘the filth’. It has never been a policy of the CFC to imprison young children to the point of mental collapse in order to discourage other refugees.
Indeed, the vibe is that Judd will come to Collingwood. The greatest player at the gretest club in the land.
With all the love in the air between Adam and Glen, now is the right time to philosophise about how ‘the things we have in common are more important than our differences”.
Also, Glen’s list seems to point to a Labor landslide.
Maybe the polls are right!
Interestingly, this “what-class-is-that-footy-club” game doesn’t work so well here in Sydney, home of the rugby league. League has always been a working man’s sport, and all clubs would have a heavy bias towards Labor (this is perhaps especially true in Newcastle, exemplified by the Johns brothers going and standing on a picket line with their Dad the day after the Knights won their first Grand Final).
The whole class in footy thing is much more straightforward in Sydney (and indeed, in most of NSW and Qld), as the toffs all support rugby union.
I think “Brisbane 60-40 Coalition” is overstating the National Party Vote, maybe its an outlier. 😉
In fact I manage to outrage the real lefties here on issues like Hicks and MGBs far more effectively than Glen does because (a) I know what I am talking about and (b) I don’t bang on about the unions like a broken record. I support unions, particularly sensible ones like the AWU and the SDA. As I’ve said here before, Labor Right views are the only ones that get no respect from the intelligentsia, even though we represent the views of most of the population.
Hugo, I reckon the Swans might have a Libs bias as well.
I have it on good authority judd is going to collingwood. Tarent and fevola to West coast.
I think Hawthorn is much more Liberal than that – they do have that unspeakable loudmouth whose name I cannot bring myself to type as President.
Adams !! Sanjay has many alarums now on head. Must not be havins shooting with glens With no angriness and manifetations of strif – to be using morphics resonences is wel nown to be good and has benifactuals in pratices. Learnings 1 is to be stare at wall an summonings of loner glenish bains cells,, reelly do hard thinkings sayins *porcine bains cells do eveolutions ..-. *
Glen, why are you pretending to be sanjay, etc?
Derek Corbett Said:
“ABC World Today. Chris Ullman (spelling?) says the government has given up believing the polls will turn. All hope now is on campaign, a long one.”
Wonder if the MSM will ever examine the downside of rodent drawing out the election even more than he already has ?
People are already livid about hundreds of millions of dollars of their tax being spent on political advertising – money that should be going into tangible community services – take your choice health, school – whatever.
Billy McMahon got into huge trouble with a late & drawn out election and rodent appears to be heading the same way. Late/ early its hard to see what real difference its going to make. They are gone and they know it.
@ 228 centaur_007 Says:
Did your authority explain why Fevola would be leaving Carlton just to help Collingwood get Judd?
Sanjay is pretending to be Glen. That is why no one can understand any of Glen’s posts.
pleased that Shanahan had a straightforward “Labor retains lead” headline. Of course it is an INCREASE in lead from 10 to 12 but within the margin of error. So if the next newspoll goes back to 55/45 he had better not paint it as a “comeback”. Also, I wonder what the headline would have been if the 2% swing was in the other direction- the government’s way???
No two different authorities. Adam I am hawthorn and don’t mind geff sitting there.
Did anyone else see this article?
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22510411-2,00.html
the headline says the election is unlikely to be before November 17 however in the body of the article shannahan says a poll on November 17 is a “near certainty.” ???
Pat (227) – reckon you might be right about the Swans – their home patch is really only the eastern suburbs (over-priced beach suburbs near Bondi, for those camping out).
What’s a Judd, what’s the seat, state and what’s he on? Is he lab or lib. Never heard of this candidate.
The fact is that if all the lefties here were true lefties they would be barracking for collingwood. An A.L.P supporter who dislikes Collingwood is a bundle of volatile contradictions. In Victoria, Collingwood has an historic relationship with the A.L.P far stronger than any other club.
“What’s a Judd, what’s the seat, state and what’s he on? Is he lab or lib. Never heard of this candidate.”
I think he is Ashley’s brother, I will have to check my copy of New Idea 😉
Dunno, Derek (239), but he’s clearly one of those candidates who checks out all the parties, a la Turnbull and Nelson.
Anyone not a bundle of volatile contradictions is probably too dull to bother with.
Thats nice – and the rest of Australia wakes briefly, scratches, rolls over and goes back to sleep – assured the sheer number of opinion polls with the same result actually do mean something.
Good question.
2353, you want < and > for blockquotes, not [ and ]
NO can do. I am a solid Labor voter, Kangaroos supporter and wouldn’t touch Collingwood for anything. Eddie and Jeff both make me sick to my stomach ………….
If North weren’t in the competition, would probably support Richmond.
It’s a little odd that Howard should support the St George Dragons. Most suburbs in the St George area, such as Hurstville, Kogarah, Bexley, Mortdale etc. are as close to ALP heartland suburbs as you can get.
Even though I spent the first 30 years of my life in the St George area, I couldn’t stand the Dragons; they single-handedly invented cheating in Rugby League – forward passes, biting, spitting, the knock-on that isn’t a knock-on, head-high tackles etc. – anything for victory.
I guess I have just explained why Howard is so enamoured with the Dragons.
December election looks on the cards after all Menzies hung on in 1961 with a December 9 poll…this could be a good omen.
Sorry i meant Didack to west coast not tarrant
Interesting to see Turnbull making a comment about the polls this arvo. Maybe the leadership question will re-surface this week after today’s Newspoll. Perhaps the backbenchers have finally woken up to the fact that Howard cannot get them over the line. He stared them down in the party room last time by telling them that anything they say in the meeting would get into the media. Surely, there must be some backbenchers who have the guts to call Howard on. If there was a spill, Turnbull would be a candidate for sure.