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 thoughts on “Idiot box”

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  10. Just watched Rudd on Lateline. He had an absolute shocker. I guess he has the flu……

    Get used to it, he’s going to be P.M. for at least 6 years.

  15. Was that the interview with Downer and the revealing gold silk shirt?

    That’s the one.

    And the previous night she had one that was federation blue.

  16. Yes Greens im an honest guy. If you think he performed well your kidding yourself.

    Showson last time I checked the election was still two weeks away. In other words the fat lady isn’t even at the opera yet.

  18. Glen,

    Fantastic, you are drooling over Alexander Downer.

    Others here are talking about Leigh Sayles.

    Says everything, really.

  21. Evan at 155:

    His lawyer-speak is going to go down real well with >>>Joe & Mary Bogan<<<.

    How very inclusive of you. You’re as ay-leetest as Howard.

  23. Showson last time I checked the election was still two weeks away. In other words the fat lady isn’t even at the opera yet.

    She’s there, but just having a nap.

  24. “194
    Marktwain Says:
    November 8th, 2007 at 11:30 pm
    Gosh, EC, that wasn’t very nice. Did I steal your bucket from the sandpit this morning?”

    Yes, it was rather nasty, Sammy. However, you did take the liberty of casting sartorial aspersions upon my preferred PM.

  25. And for your late night delectation, my latest update from Lib HQ, via my old mate in Oz. (posted on the Newspolls thread earlier)

    1074
    VoterBoy of Over the Water Says:
    November 8th, 2007 at 10:19 pm
    Ok, just got off the phone to my Lib staffer mate. Oddly a slightly more optimistic tone than last week, although he things Howard’s latest gaffe was a disaster.

    Comments… “we are closing the gap”

    “Here’s the story – the vote is around 46-54, or 47-53. There’s 10-15% undecided and they’re breaking 70% our way.

    “But all these f*ck-ups keep occurring.”

    He then launched into an amazing attack on Howard’s sorry-not sorry comments.

    “We had a whole strategy, the Tsunami strategy, to deal with this. He’s says he’s sorry – we get blanket coverage. Now he’s not sorry – so we’re going to get blanket headlines on that! The senior strategy team must be saying ‘we’re f*cked”.

    I asked who the team was – he said Loughnane, Ted Horton (sp?) and Tony Nutt. I asked whether they’d tried to rein him in. “You know what Howard’s like,” he said. “He gets crabby and cranky and stubborn.”

    “I wouldn’t say it’s over – and we’ve come back to where we were last November, which is the best we’ve been since Rudd took over, but we keep being derailed by the blow-ups. Rudd’s plane’s just landed and he’s tearing us to pieces…”

    And then my slightly more reflective follow-up:

    1145
    VoterBoy of Over the Water Says:
    November 8th, 2007 at 11:26 pm
    Lefty E, Grog, et al,
    You know I’ve been thinking more about our conversation since I posted it and I think I might have misrepresented the tone. I think that the 70% and closing gap references were rhetorical. He started out with these “facts”, and then launched into this bitter attack on cranky old Howard f*cking up all the hard work of others. He was laughing throughout this, with incredulity.

    On reflection, I suspect the conversation wasn’t so much about whether they can win (which he seriously doubts), but more about what a hopelessly destructive campaigner Howard has been, and how he had managed to seriously derail the campaign just when thinks were looking (however marginally) less negative.

    (spellings left uncorrected to show you I’m human…)

  27. Thommo,

    I know, I know. You are as honest as the day is long.

    That’s why you blog at night.

    See my 206 for a considered and more accurate assessment .

  28. Thommo, the fat lady is at the opera.

    Undoubtedly, La Scala.

    Not a few months too soon.

    And humming her heart out.

    In finely woven gold cloth teddy bear blouson.

  31. Obviously the Howard Hooters being upset by Rudd’s performance on LL tonight is clear indication our future PM did exceedingly well.

    Get used to it lads, from 15 days hence you have at least 3 years of such enjoyment to look forward to.

  32. Voterboy @275, you do the sums on that case and you get.

    best case

    46/54 lib/lab with the assumption that 10% are undecided and of those 70% fall back to liberal. That means that 46/54 is the split within the decided 90%

    so.. 46% * 0.9 + 70% * 0.1 = 48.4

    which gives a 48.4/51.6 lib/lab final result

    and

    worst case

    47/53 lib/lab with the assumption that 15% are undecided and 70% of those fall to liberal. That means that the 47/53 is the split within the decided 85%.

    And that give us… 50.45/49.55 lib/lab

    Is that the best that they hope for? 🙂

    Frankly I think the 70% split is a bit optimistic. So to is the 15% undecided.

  33. I guess there will be more divorces, and necessarily a lower reproduction rate.

    As mortgage hikes take their toll on young couples and their hopes and dreams.

  34. From Radio Info re Trioli.

    08 Nov 2007
    radioinfo understands that it will soon be announced Virginia Trioli will leave ABC702 to do more work on ABC TV.

    Hmm, no radio, but TV – does this mean the Lateline Gig AND some Yartz type program ?

  35. Crikey, statistically speaking those countries with the best standard of living (in real terms.. you know.. happiness) are the ones with the lowest birth rate, and vice versa.

    So I reckon Howard is right. Depression, homelessness, starvation.. more babies!

  37. VoterBoy – your lib buddy must be tearing out the hair. Howard’s non-core apolgy demonstrates the worst sort of judgement – tonight on the lateline news he looked like a goose, hissing and leering about how the ALP was misrepresenting his words. He it was, of course, who said sorry and then today told us it wasn’t an apology. How could you work on that campaign and think there was ANY hope?

    Speaking of hope, is it a bloodbath yet?

  39. I like Leigh too, but Alexei is funnier.

    As for this fat lady/opera stuff, the shows been over for the Government for months. It closed-up faster than a Max Bialystock production.

    We’re just going through the inevitable, interminable, critical post mortem.

  41. CL de F,

    I’ve said it before, and I will say it again……..

    The Labor TPP vote has fluctuated between 54 and 60% all year. The 48% Primary is rock solid. All the “soft vote” is on the Liberal side. Look at the faces and watch the demeanour of the Libs. They are gone!

    This will be a massacre.

  42. Someone on ABC was saying Trioli will concentrate on TV work (ABC) and speculated that in addition to Yartz and Friday Lateline she might take on Media Witch as Monica Attard is leaving.

  43. she might take on Media Witch as Monica Attard is leaving.

    But will she be commenting on some of the howlers she’s uttered while on radio though ?? 🙂

  45. Mad Cow at 282 – yes, someone on the other thread also showed how these numbers are absolute nonsense – even if they do come good – the Libs are dead in the water.

    M’sieur Footscray at 287 – it is now beyond hair-tearing and into the hysterical laughter phase.

    The Australian voters may be waiting for Howard with nerf bats, as someone said, but the party machine is waiting for him with titanium baseball bats. He is hated, absolutely hated.

  48. GG I rather like the quote from Babylon 5…

    “They’re coming through,” Ivanova’s voice cries out desperately, “repeat, they’re coming through. This is Earth Alliance Station Babylon 5. They’re all over the place! They’re killing us. Can anyone hear me? They’re killing us!”

  50. I know I’m biased but I think Howard is sounding like he’s off his head. After a strong attacking performance yesterday (which of course he was prepared for, charts and all) he blunders with his Unapology, and gives a speech about the blight that will befall this country under Rudd, and I could have sworn he was about to tell us that rampaging unionists would eat our babies. Desperation time. Going for broke.

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