Idiot box

For the purpose of having something to hang a new open thread off, I hereby present unilluminating 15-second ads for the Liberal candidates for Stirling and Cowan, which ran during Perth news bulletins this evening.

Author: William Bowe

William Bowe is a Perth-based election analyst and occasional teacher of political science. His blog, The Poll Bludger, has existed in one form or another since 2004, and is one of the most heavily trafficked websites on Australian politics.

352 comments on “Idiot box”

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  2. Antonio the Federal Government has a broad ranging discretion to appropriate so they could just hand over money to local councils with an agreement to the money being used in a particular way.

    They don’t really need to legislate, they can just make do with cheque-book government, much the same as the Mersey Hospital.

  4. Must add that I was disgusted (again) at Howard’s take on ABC PM.

    Labor will increase divorce rates, reduce reproduction rates, slash jobs etc. The shock, horror of it all.

    At least the Green bloke dropped in, with the leaflets, relieving me from the listening ghastliness.

    He said he could no longer listen to you know who. Yeah, said I, have had health warnings out for about more than a year, now.

  6. Woops. I spoke too soon. The big fella (Baldwin, not Chiff) is back on the box telling us how many roads and health services he has opened which is all utter rubbish cause these were done by the State Govt.

    I got back from a peer review group about 9pm and I reckon I have seen at least 6 Baldwin ads this evening so far.

  7. The candidate in Melbourne Ports also tried running on hoons, until it was pointed that since he was Mayor of Stonnington, if there were hoons it was all his fault for not doing anything about them. Anyway in St Kilda we hardly notice the hoons.

  11. An important note to all those using internal Labor party polling as a reference. The real internal polling from Labor is very good and is generally much better than the public polls. However unless you are at the very top of the Labor party i.e. Mr. Rudd you are not given the correct results from this polling. You instead are given or leaked false polls. This is done for strategic purposes like getting the Liberals to spend time and money in a seat they either will win or cannot win.

  12. In response to comments made in the previous thread.

    Somlyay, well i can’t tell you anything because i don’t think he’s done anything noteworthy at least from down here in Melbourne Ports that’s all I can see, still what will a Union ALP MP do for Fairfax they’ll just be another bench warmer?

    Diogenes i didn’t demonise her, i merely said she was responsible in part for what happened to her (not taking medication, not having correct ID or anything on her to identify her correctly, she had a norwegian passport??) but that this did not excuse the failures of the Immigration Department and the police. I don’t think this is an unreasonable position Diogenes but you think im ‘nuts’ so there you go.

    On another note why should i feel guilt for something i had nothing to do with Diogenes???

    Good news that the Libs have finally brought out election ads in WA. Interesting that no ads our out for Steve Irons and Stuart Henry in Swan and Hasluck respectively, maybe they are to follow. WA will make or break the Tories in a tight election. Though if it is a landslide Keenan has a better chance of holding on than Henry IMHO.

  13. Just looked up the ACN website. They have polled nationally on 29-31/10, 23-25/10, 15-17/10 and 4-6/10. The next one must me due out tomorrow or Sat. Perhaps they’ll wait for 11/11 Remembrance Day.

  15. I’d love to see some more polling from QLD. Does Labor really have a chance of winning seats like Ryan and Forde?
    Thank Christ Phillip Ruddock doesn’t do TV advertising for Berowra.

  16. This is a sure sign of an unpopular government. When I lived in Delaware (a progressive State), I never knew who the Republican candidates were because they never identified themselves as such. It would just be “Mary Redmond believes in this; Tom Carper can’t be trusted,” etc. The same thing is happening here.

  17. And the thing about the broadband, speaking of disingenuous, the Telstra letter to me concludes with:

    ‘Every week, thousands of Australians find they can’t get broadband-or can’t get the broadband speeds they want-simply because the infrastructure needed does not exist in their local are. Often, this is because regulation does not allow Telstra to confidently invest in new infrastructure. Please add your name and address to our Broadband black spot register at
    http://www.nowwearetalking (etc I say not to promote it, myself).

    The data collected will be collated by Telstra and used as part of its Broadband Australia Campaign (BACK Telstra)’.

    Yet, as I said earlier, Telstra itself has no plan to upgrade exchange infrastructure.

  26. Glen, I don’t think you are nuts at all. Actually, I think you are probably quite intelligent and well-adjusted. But I have been wrong before.
    Everyone tries to reduce cognitive dissonance. By the term “demonise”, I was referring to the “blame the victim” tone of your posts. People who are psychotic do not act ratioanlly enough to take their meds etc.
    On guilt, everyone who is passionate about something like politics internalises the beliefs of those they follow. They feel a transferred guilt on behalf of their hero, despite not being responsible directly.

  28. Glen, it must be agony for you having to watch the next Prime Minister of Australia. Those of us who’ve had to put up with Howard for the last 11 years don’t sympathise with you.

  31. If i can live through Keating and Hawke i can live through Rudd.

    Anyway while he might be the next Labor Prime Minister of Australia, Costello IMHO will be the next Prime Minister of Australia.

  32. It’s like Hockey going “union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses union bosses,” only for him it doesn’t work.

  34. 31- inside info

    Thanks for your line in things. Given the newspoll cumulative shows 6% swing to ALP in WA and that is dragged up by the last poll not the earlier one, 8% could be about right.

    I still think the Libs would not spend that kind of cash in Cowan and leave Hasluck in the cold, after all, Hasluck is the seat the ALP is running the sort of candidate the Libs want us to be worried about.

    I believe Cowan should be notionally Lib after Edwards retired anyway- say about 4%

    63- ACN

    I am prety sure we are due for a Morgan F2F tomorrow.

    Willliam, any chance you can answer my email re Morgan F2F and NESB voters, I dont wanna get us all too far off thread?

  35. [How many slogan’s can Rudd fit in a 10min interview?]

    Yeah, Unca Howie never bangs on about union bosses or 17% interest rates does he Glen old son 😀

  36. There will be still a number of big rocks placed in Rudd’s way before the 24th. I don’t imagine Howard and supporters will let the time pass without some sort of controversy and smear.

  41. He’s said all he needed to centaur. No need to be fantastic when your opponent has started writing his 2 1/2 week suicide note to the Australian public.

  43. Diogenes 47. same crap SA. Southcott tried to take credit for new roads until the RAA came out and said he wasn’t involved and who was he anyway?

    Good question, Diogenes. Tends to lay claim for nothing he has done at all. As reported in Advertiser, according to someone who takes it.

    AM 68 ‘Grumpy Old negative Grandpa’. Insert ‘indolent’. Equals GOING!

    .

  45. @ 41 Ben Raue Says:

    That’s Pat Farmer’s approach too. If anyone asks him anything about anything in the federal sphere (or even anything vaguely related to politics and not about raising money or running) he sticks his fingers in his ears and yells “I’m not listening!”

    In a somewhat ironic twist of fate I had to do some work in Farmer’s office a coupla years ago.

    He is clearly out of his tree and his staff knows it. They spend a lot of their time throwing cold water over his mad ideas. Incidentally his office staff are largely made up of fundamentalist Christians who come from the posher parts of Sydney (the M7 was a real time saver for them). They turnover fairly rapidly – there were three office managers in the four months I was around – but this may be a feature of politician’s offices. Frank Mossfield’s office which I also had a bit to do with around 2000 seemed pretty stable but.

  46. [Anyway while he might be the next Labor Prime Minister of Australia, Costello IMHO will be the next Prime Minister of Australia.]

    GLEN, IS HOWARD GOING TO QUIT TOMORROW???

  49. You’ve gotta wonder why the Libs would be pointing out problems in the electorates, most of them have 11 odd years to address some of these things but have done SFA. Pointing out the probs really only highlights what they haven’t done.
    A lecturer of mine used to argue that all politicians should only serve two terms. If they haven’t achieved what they set ot to do in that time, they shouldn’t be reelected and if they have achieved it, what else do they have to do that warrants reelection. There is a nice simplicity to this argument.

  50. Diogenes I think the Kid got the lollies.

    I think you may be right there, there is a story going around that Rupert will be anointing Rudd soon. Not for self interest of course but for the good of the country lol.

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