UPDATE: The Australian reports no change on two-party from last fortnight, and only a moderate shift in preferred prime minister from 70-12 to 66-17. Full press release from Mumble here, and further polling on petrol price issues here.
Peter Brent at Mumble says he hopes to be first to air with tonight’s eagerly awaited Newspoll result. We have also had a poll today from newcomers Essential Research (who a fortnight ago produced encouraging post-budget intelligence for the government), which shows Labor’s two-party lead down from 61-39 to 56-44. If I heard correctly from SBS, it also showed the Prime Minister’s approval rating down from 67 per cent to 60 per cent. Interestingly, 50 per cent of respondents said Peter Costello and Alexander Downer should retire.
Other news: Former Victorian Police Minister Andre Haermeyer has announced he is quitting politics, initiating a by-election in his rock-solid Labor seat of Kororoit.
You have to love the poll they are running on the Dagwood dog-gate. The question is Are Dagwood Dogs “dodgy” enough to make you sick?
47% say Yes – I have been sick from one before, they’re so unhealthy. 53% say No – Kevin Rudd has a weak stomach or got his facts wrong.
So he has now lost the Dagwood Dog Eaters vote, I assume. This clearly shows the Honeymoon is over.
Rudd’s weak stomach is definitely the scandal of the century. The Senate should block supply and foce an election now.
Sounds like Rudd’s stomach has blocked supply!
Whats happen to Dennis Shanahan, missing my morning dose of humor.
He probably ate a dagwood dog too.
LTEP@305
Bolt’s perhaps );
They’re not bloody dagwwod dogs, they’re battered savs on a stick I tells ya, BATTERED SAVS ON A BLODDY STICK.
Rudd would be wise to choose the souvlaki next time.
Just when I think News Ltd can’t descend any deeper into the gutter, they surprise me yet again!
And when did Andrew Bolt become a doctor? The ABC wonders why Rudd won’t appear on INSIDERS when they constantly feature this turd and Ackerman as panellists?
On a different note.
Wonder if we can expect a visit from President Obama in Rudd’s third year, to return the Howard compliment paid to Obama. Now that would be a powerful image should it come to pass.
I have been watching Channel 9 recently and have noticed that they have a pro-Coalition bias in their news coverage. Is this new or has it always been like this?
What next? The media demands a scientific examination of Rudd’s vomit/stools from the last 7 days: don’t laugh, I wouldn’t be shocked if Nelson comes out with something like this today!
This is the level of mediocrity the media in this country has sunk to!
Progressive – since the SIEVX Tampa days most OO journalists had to live in the gutter to converse with Howard.
Kina: very true!
Unfortunately, Progressive, Spewgate occured more than a month ago.
Would have been interesting, though.
An ABC story that Labor might finally overturn the ban on funding of abortion with overseas aid:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/04/2264270.htm
This would be a huge step forward for womens health in thrid world countries, when you consider the alternatives. Frankly, given the problems of overpopulation and lack of medical care for women in many countries receiving aid, this is overdue.
I am glad Labor hasn’t fallen for the fear campaign on this. I am an atheist but don’t presume I have the right to force my views on christians; what makes them think they have the right to force their own beliefs on other societies? Besides, despite the rhetoric from (male) clerics, my understanding of public opinion is that the majority of Australians are in favor of the right to abortion. So I think the political “backlash” will only be from groups that wouldn’t vote for anyone to the left of Fred Niles. Hence no loss for Rudd.
The media will overplay it’s hand on Rudd. If there is one thing in the Australian character I like (and there are many) its that we sense when someone is not given a fair go. With this feeding frenzy (sorry, no joke intended) I think his personal ratings could climb again.
The double standards are amazing! There was never this amount of prying into Howard’s personal life or medical history!
“Forbidden” from Bolt’s blog (again) for this:
On the suject of Dagwood Dogs:
I plan on introducing new fairground fare at the Wagga Wagga Show (where the Chicko Roll was born!)
Piers’ Porky Pork Pies will be void of nutritional value and, like their namesake, will be full of sh#t. The average semi-literate punter will love them!
Bolta’s Fairy Floss will resemble traditional fairy floss but will be brown, putrid, bitter and hard to digest. It will be marketed to people pissed off about the price of petrol and disillusioned conservatives; they’ll eat it by the bucket full.
Fagin: you made my day HA HA!
Nice to read your comments again, we miss you over at the other board(it’s your old buddy Landslide)
Bolt’s blog is censored: no surprises there!
I wish he and his mate Ackerman would both disappear up their collective arses!
Fagin
I fear Shanahan’s day old Irish stew, reconstituted from ingredients imported from America, will do nothing for the reputation of Irish cuisine either 🙁
Rudd’s telling fibs, they don’t sell dagwood dogs at ANZ Stadium.
well then wtf did the terrorgraph get that photo?
Someone’s still covering what’s actually happening in Parliament:
Threat to alcopop tax fizzes out in bills shift
http://www.theage.com.au/national/threat-to-alcopop-tax-fizzes-out-in-bills-shift-20080603-2lch.html
Sort of.
Vera: notice the very subtle “digitally altered image” label down the left-hand side… all class.
Must be Beef WeeK in Canberra
Dagwood Dogs and now this
“The Rudd government is turning the Senate into a “sausage factory”, the opposition says.”
http://news.smh.com.au/national/senate-into-sausage-factory-minchin-20080604-2lib.html
ohh! poor lill’e Libs, Kev’s working them too hard,
Just left a comment on TDT on the dagwood story BS and this was the message after posting:
“Please note that we are not able to publish all the comments that we receive, and that we may edit some comments to ensure their suitability for publishing.
Feedback will be rejected if it does not add to a debate, or is a purely personal attack, or is offensive, repetitious, illegal or meaningless, or contains clear errors of fact.
Although we try to run feedback just as it is received, we reserve the right to edit or delete any and all material.”
OH DEAR!
LaborVoter
“or is a purely personal attack”
They had better delete themselves if that’s the case!
321 Stephen old son, Rudd didn’t say it was a Dagwood Dog one of his minders did. I suspect he was trying to say that Rudd was suffering from food poisoning and picked a food synonomous with such. Don’t get too excited.
326
And after all of those exclusions the point of posting would be what exactly?
“We’d like to offer you this nice shiny new television, but we’ll control the channels thanks…”
Ah, no thanks.
SOCRATES.
I’m going to take your hint and give those newspapers a go, i’ve never had much time for the Advertiser nor for most journos, it may be cynical but ive learnt over the years that most will never spoil a good story with the truth {actually one said that to me once} so i take everything i read with a huge pinch of salt, the OO journos such as Shanahan and co making up their own facts as they write doesnt surprise me one bit–i expect it of them, as for the cane toad, well a much loved journo, now deceased, who took me under his wing worked with him in the Advertiser and had nothing but contempt for him even back then, a close journo friend left the Advertiser because he couldnt take the crap they printed anymore, i guess those standards are what comes of being a one newspaper town.
Just look at The West Australian…
Well the response i posted on TDT on the dagwood story was this:
Word has it Rudd wasn’t actually eating a dagwood dog at the time, but was in fact reading an edition of The Daily Telegraph newspaper when he got a sudden case of the runs.
——————
Im thinking their not going to publish it
323 andos
As I predicted yesterday at 226, the attacks on any sign of intelligence are starting:
The manager of Opposition business in the House, Joe Hockey, lashed out at the Government’s legislative haste. “The Prime Minister is trying to make it look busy when in fact it is mayhem,” he said. Mr Hockey pointed to “all the paper in front of” Mr Rudd at question time.
“A muddied desk leads to a muddied head,” he said.
I just don’t even know where to begin on that sort of comment.
It’s evident the Hockey way is the only way, for starters.
Isn’t Hockey the Shadow Minister for Health?
Doesn’t look like a very Healthy specimen to me…
Judy
While you’re here today, when you posted your experience yesterday evening I just didn’t know what to say, and I still don’t. I hope it’s enough explanation to say that my thoughts are with you.
hey Rx – same problem – playing the man instead of the ball (although I totally agree)
It’s an absolutely bizarre tactic 9playing the man) from the LP thus far given that the PM, Deputy PM and manager of government business are probably 3 Australians who I’d rate as the most immune to that form of attack.
I guess it just shows what they think of their own policy development skills in comparison to the government.
If you spent 12 years stuck in the sales department I’d imagine it would be hard to go back on the tools.
Judy
I too saw your post last night and felt quite moved. You have my sympathy, and respect for not giving up. Truth is something we have to fight for at times.
Can anyone tell me why Rudd would lie about his bout of food poisoning being linked to a Dagwood Dog rather than a pie? This is crazy stuff. Is the world going mad?
Hmm – seem like the petrol message is getting through in the US:
http://news.theage.com.au/world/gasoline-guzzlers-near-extinction-in-us-20080604-2lkc.html
I reckon a 5c discount ought to solve the problem – what about you guys?
I wonder what the stats are looking like here? I’ll bet the reaction is less pronounced.
Gary: I wonder if one of the Liberals will be stupid enough to ask a question about Rudd’s diet in QT today?
336
onimod Says:
If you spent 12 years stuck in the sales department I’d imagine it would be hard to go back on the tools.
He he.
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And my deepest sympathy to you and your family, Judy, a horrible experience all round.
The Liberals made some crazy portfolio decisions. Hockey, in his obvious unhealthy state, the Shadow Ministry for, wait … Health. Mal Brough, in his heartlessness, the Minister for Human Services! Doctor Brendan Nelson, never given the Health portfolio but instead responsibilities peripheral to his expertise, Education and Defence.
Anyone see this bizare letter from Gary Morgan to Shaun Carney on the Morgan site? Seems that Morgan was a strong supporter of WorkChoices and the LNP.
http://www.roymorgan.com/resources/pdf/papers/20080601.pdf
kina
WOW it makes sense now the way morgans questions are framed
he realliy is a stupid biased git
342 Rx
there’s a nice little thread on commodification over at Lavartus:
http://larvatusprodeo.net/2008/06/03/the-commodification-of-just-about-everything-especially-language/
Mal Brough’s treatment of just about anything fits right in there.
Hockey definitely hasn’t caught up on the information on obesity recently. I imagine it must really irk him to see his former Kokoda trail mate on top of the world, despite a duff heart, while he’s reduced to shouting expletives that only get picked up in the millisecond after someone else walks away from the microphone.
I’m not sure what Nelson’s skill really is. He left being a doctor, left being a doctor’s unionist, muffed up every portfolio he’s been in (though not as badly as some of his mates) and now he seems perspectiveless, unable to work hard, and not in the mood to improve himself either in a fatalistic that’s-the-hand-I’ve-been-dealt kind of way.
I’m really at a loss to know what his colleagues saw or expected from him.
That is bizarre, Kina!
Count the exclamation points he uses.
343 Kina
That is one of the most bizarre things I’ve ever seen.
Stumped.
Anyone here ever had a personal contact with him?
I’ve saved it just in case he feels embarassed and takes it off.
Seems like he read Carney and got all worked up like we do over the neocon press, and fired off a letter.
Weird letter, hard to follow.
I really don’t understand his attack on airport valet drivers. That’s just impenetrable.
Am I the only one who finds it very weird that the various Murdoch rags are in sympathy with the “overworked” public servants?