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.
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This line of advertising is not only a pathetic admission of failure, it’s also politically disgraceful. It’s not the job of federal MPs to “do things locally.” That’s what local councils are for. The job of federal MPs is to make laws about things which are federal responsibilities. If they’re not prepared to run on the issues they were elected to work on they should quit.
Kev’s tie looks like a Vicks vapour drop.
Agree with comments by The Piping Shrike and others about this being a terrible campaign by the major parties.
It’s not just the gaffes (though that was an industrial strength gaffe by Howard today, wasn’t it?). But politicians are human, the press are opportunistic so-and-sos, and gaffes will happen.
The thing is, what is either party’s strategy? The Libs have sort of been forced into running on the economy which is probably not such a dumb idea for them (or wouldn’t be if only the two head honchos could work out whether they’re supposed to be apologising or not).
But what about Labor? They sort of seemed shiny and new before the campaign, now that it’s on they’re in there being very tactical but you’re left wondering why they’d be any different to the Coalition. Surely they don’t think there are all that many votes in broadband as an issue?
Anyway, 60+ polls can’t be wrong. No doubt Labor will fall across the line, ably assisted by their opponents.
Did anyone else catch the report about Boothby on ABC Radio’s PM earlier tonight? Despite all the media criticism, Nicole Cornes is said to be campaigning well and connecting with locals. So we were too hasty to write her off as some dumb bimbo?
Look at the little Ozzie battler go! Up to 94.95 US cents!
Hahahahhhahah just saw Rudd on Lateline get mobbed by school girls at the Marion shopping centre in S.A.
Rudd on Lateline
Glen’s Official transcript
“Let me be clear cut about this, can i just say that when it comes to traveling round this country of ours, on the question of being an economic conservative my challenge to the Prime Minister is this end the blame game. This is a clear cut commitment that under an ALP government the buck will stop with me (touching glasses and licking lips). When it comes to new leadership and fresh ideas for working families we aren’t like Mr Howard a clever politician who chucked fairness out the back door (with accompanying hand gesture). Mr Howard has lost touch why? Because he is stale stuck in the past with old ideas and negative fear campaigns. We need to climb mount everest to win this election and you know something as an unemployed chinese speaking diplomat i know it will go down to the wire. I’ll come down like a tonne of bricks on anyone showing any hubris because when it comes to hubris this is a clear cut commitment to working families”.
There now you don’t need to watch Kevin Rudd. It’s all here for you to enjoy.
LOL!
Agree centaur_007, started to smile more towards the end.
Ok, about Wentworth. King split the Tory vote, yeah?
So um.. what happened to King’s preferences? Did they go to Labor?
heh
Yes the papers will turn in the final week. They will want to get on the winner. Everyone will try and flee the sinking ship, and deny ever being serious in the past 5 weeks. We were just trying to sell papers me lord
whenever there is anything negative about her in the papers here she gets a lot of support, not sure if it will be enough though
Rudd just won big brownie pts with Keating and Hawke there. Overall, I though it was a pretty good interview really and Rudd handled it well. Tony jumped all over the place and Rudd, to his credit, answered every question.
@ 103 Dyno Says:
“Surely they don’t think there are all that many votes in broadband as an issue?” In the outer suburbs where I’m working on a Labor campaign it’s a very big issue and getting lots of comment in the local media. There are whole new housing estates that can’t get ADSL2 so their kids can do their homework and they can run their businesses efficiently, and they’re very pissed off about it.
Schoolgirls mobbed Keating in 96 too. (Still it’s a better sight than Costello mobbing schoolgirls)
What is a Labor Moderniser?
Do you need to plug it in somewhere ?
Lateline: Rudd enunciated a list of differences and came across very well. There was almost a vision of the future, not quite the light on the hill, but more than a headland!
But who’s gonna ease the squeeze on working familieez?
Hahhahahah Howard blames Labor for Howard’s word game!
I’ve never seen a rodent so desperate.
‘I don’t think it’s in anybody’s interest’.
Spot on, Costello.
The best thing about that post Glen is that you used every single word Rudd has used in the past 10 months and LOOK, its only a paragraph. To think we could have at least 3 years of this bumbling repetitive fool as our PM.
Adam @ 113, dream on. When he talks about broadband Rudd looks a lot more like the class nerd than a future PM.
Somehow seeing Rudd with Keating, Whitlam etc reminds me of that scene at the end of Star Wars with the ghostly Yoda etc hanging around. 🙂
Oh Liberal grubs, you have much much MUCH more of the Ruddster to suffer through yet 🙂
PLAY THEM SIMULTANEOUSLY 🙂
Can’t agree Barbara. She is a brain-dead piece of fluff foisted on us by Kevin Foley. I’m in her electorate and I’m going to have to hold my nose and take some anti-nausea medication while I vote for her. And I know plenty who feel the same way. The minor parties are going to have a field day in Boothby.
To be fair, school kids will mob any politician, whether Liberal or Labor.
Adam: any updates from your Labor contacts?
Dyno, you ignore what the outer suburbs think about this issue AT YOUR PERIL.
Rudd looks realy good and interesting when he gets out beyond the political messages – when asked about which Prime Ministers he admired and when asked about the public service.
Ho-pe he can ge the confidence to relax a bit and show the passion on issues.
[In the outer suburbs where I’m working on a Labor campaign it’s a very big issue and getting lots of comment in the local media.]
It’s an issue at my end of Sturt as well. If you want broadband here you have to get cable internet from Bigpond which is more expensive than the same speed ADSL2+.
It also doesn’t make any sense at all that if you want broadband here you have to get it from one company. The government should’ve legislated to force Telstra to sell wholesale access to their cable network.
Glen, as a speil you’d have to admit that beats:
“I’m sorry – but I’m not apologising mind you! – that we need to go for growth – while minding the global financial tsunamis! – and seek to build aspirational nationalism, while deciding who comes here and the circumstances in which they arrive! – but never ever having a GST while keeping interest rates at record lows – but not actually promising that!, and have symbollic reconcilliation – while avoiding getting caught up in symbolism!”
For most people, who haven’t been following Rudd day to day like us, he probably still has a new shiny optomistic feel.
Howies script is shorter;
“I didn’t say that”
I’m getting new rose-coloured Labor contacts tomorrow.
A mate just sent me an email that compared the record of the last Labor government with the Coalition. It had a number of graphs and figures showing how ‘superior’ the Coalition was on economic management, providing payrises, spending on health, education etc… Anyone reading this crap was left guessing who released this ‘wealth of information’, no idea at all who provided us with this important public service… that is until one looks at the fine print at the very bottom of the 4th page. Who? None other than the esteemed Brian Loughnane, ACT.
I’m fairly sure a number of my politically unaware friends will fall for this hook, line, and sinker… I guess it’s up to me to enlighten them then.
Keating’s still political poison with a lot of people. Rudd would be well advised to give him a wide berth.
Hawke’s the guy to be hanging around with.
104 Hater
Nicole Cornes connects with me allright… what a babe.
Things are going well for Labor. Keep it up. Not much longer. But don’t take your foot off Howard’s throat!
[Can’t agree Barbara. She is a brain-dead piece of fluff foisted on us by Kevin Foley. I’m in her electorate and I’m going to have to hold my nose and take some anti-nausea medication while I vote for her. And I know plenty who feel the same way. The minor parties are going to have a field day in Boothby.]
Well, put Liberal last, but Labor 2nd last. 😛
Rudd – he is da man! Anyone notice Howard in the newsy bit? He is looking like a dissembling old goose in a suit. Which, of course, he is. Sorry, that should be a rat. In a suit, of course.
Adam 113
Entirely agree. Of course, broadband is an issue. We are a laughing stock.
Foreign students politely say we are so far behind.
As is Telstra and the ill fated Howard Government’s handling of its privatisation, without concern for the infrastructure, competition or delivery.
“Ok, about Wentworth. King split the Tory vote, yeah?
So um.. what happened to King’s preferences? Did they go to Labor?
heh”
At least 4.3% voted for King and then preferenced ALP (out of 18%), maybe as much as 6%. It’s conceivable that those punters would repeat the performance with a high profile ALP candidate this time.
so what about this rumour from the other thead about a story in tomorrow’s Fin Review? someone over there reckons its not flattering to K07. I reckon its someone who should keep there hands on top of the desk where we can see them!
Yes, I wouldn’t take any notice of Rudd being mobbed by school girls. Many people go ballistic when they see anyone famous. And some young woman started telling Howard she wasn’t wearing underwear!
And how is Rudd on the PS? Fantastic stuff. really broing of course, but amazingly important.
Well BV we can only fully judge that if Rudd lasts as long as Unca Howie then we’ll compare.
Where did Uncle Buck go he was announced policy yesterday then no follow up?
A dvd library owner told me 6 months ago that broadband was the only issue that concerned the big media bosses. This is their primary concern, getting movies straight to you, media, info and making a buck from it. He thought labor would win just on that, and all the rest was waffle!
Diogenes, I will bet you that on election day Boothby behaves exactly like the other Adelaide seats. If there is a big swing (and at the moment the polls say there is), Cornes will win.
“Anyway while he might be the next Labor Prime Minister of Australia, Costello IMHO will be the next Prime Minister of Australia”
Glen you know as well as anyone with 2 brain cells to rub together that the only way Costello will be PM is if the Coalition win this election: that is, an unelected PM. When [more so than if now we are 16 days away] Labor wins this election, Costello will no doubt walk away and do something else, hopefully overseas.
Thank God and ta ta to Captain Smirk who belongs in the Keating category: suitcases you bring out of the loft when you want to go on holiday from reality for awhile and remember nothing of the experience.
Shows On. You are a mind-reader!
Highly conceivable 🙂
Dyno @ 135
Yeah, but by mentioning him as he did here, he limits the likelihood of a Keating outburst like then one he gave Rudd and Gillard earlier in the year – not that I think Keating would do that this close to an election ut you know what I mean. Besides, no one except political tragics like us watch Lateline.