No joy for Malcolm Turnbull from the latest Roy Morgan face-to-face survey of 1221 respondents, which has Labor’s two-party lead up to 57.5-42.5 from 55.5-44.5 in Brendan Nelson’s last poll (which was an unusually good result for him). There has been a straightforward 1.5 per cent primary vote shift to Labor from the Coalition, who are respectively on 46.5 per cent to 36.5 per cent. However, the number of respondents who think Labor will win is down from 57.5 per cent to 54 per cent, while the Coalition is up from 26.5 per cent to 29 per cent.
But Turnbull failed. The banks didn’t pass on all of the rate cut.
[But Turnbull failed. The banks didn’t pass on all of the rate cut.]
Shhhh… don’t tell anyone!
GP I am not a member or employee of the Labor Party (or any other party). I don’t consider myself a Labor party hack, though I would be flattered to be placed in the same category as some of the more knowledgeable liberal-elite posters here. I would plead guilty to seeing through Howard and his cronies after my time spent working in Canberra. If recognising BS as such makes me a hack in your eyes, then so be it. As you know from my criticisms of some Labor figures, especially in NSW, I call both sides as I see them. The world is not just black and white; I can dislike Howard and still see flaws in the other side too.
As for Howard not funding public transport because it was a State responsibility, that is misleading and immaterial; the Federal governments role is to provide funds – it never takes responsibility for delivering the projects. Schools and hospitals are State responsibilities too – yet Canberra still funds them (at least Howard funded the private ones). It isn’t just my opinion either. Independant bodies such as Engineers Australia have been calling for infrastructure spending since before the 2004 election, but they were largely ignored. Every commuter in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne is now paying for that. Howard’s record on infrastructure was poor, and I defy anyone to run a poll on that question with voters in our cities and come up with any other answer.
This new Greens MP in Qld, Ronan Lee, seems to be smoking something fairly strong.
[Queensland’s new Greens MP has credited himself with bringing about one of the greenest days in state parliament and a new underground rail system for Brisbane’s CBD.
Indooroopilly MP Ronan Lee quit Labor for the Greens on Sunday, saying he had long been dissatisfied with the state government’s environmental policies, and hoped to bring new priority to green issues.
On Tuesday he credited himself with bringing about the “greenest question time in the history of the Queensland parliament”.
He said the questions, about climate change, public transport and the proposed Traveston Crossing dam, were proof he was making a difference.]
http://news.theage.com.au/national/greens-mp-says-hes-forcing-govt-change-20081007-4vrm.html
But I think Lawrence Springborg said it best when setting the record straight about who was leading the debate.
[Mr Lee denied suggestions the questions had been asked by the Liberal National Party (LNP) because it was keen to embarrass the government’s over his defection.
Questions by Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg centred on whether Labor was still committed to building the dam, considering it could cost them Greens preferences at next year’s election.]
[While Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg took aim at Labor, saying the LNP had shown itself to be more environmentally conscious, he saved his harshest criticism for Mr Lee, whom he labelled lazy, disloyal and disingenuous.]
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24457906-5013945,00.html
He’s certainly disloyal, although I guess disloyalty out of principle is more forgivable than disloyalty out of self-interest. Is he lazy? I don’t know. “Disingenuous” is usually a nice word for dishonest. How is he dishonest? Again I don’t know, but the Qld Nats are not really in a position to be too sanctimonious.
When it comes to election day the public will have the sense of a calm well controlled government going about its business in difficult times. It will have a sense of the opposition party sniping and being populist at each opportunity and having no sense of stability or control about it. The government is creating its election time persona right now, in tough (worrying) times, so too is the opposition categorising itself.
Obama stayed calm and controlled all through his campaigns when people were telling him to get more emotional which, is now paying off – people have a sense of him being calm and in control (safe) during these difficult (scary) times and of McCain being erratic and odd.
The point is, a continuity in approach over a long term accumulates and creates a strong impression – not single events as in Nelson’s attempts. It is right to say you can’t fatten the pig on market day which is the way the LNP is headed.
No 395
[Hard to fund Public Transport when your funding gets cut…]
So let’s have comprehensive tax reform, not a federal government intent on using slush funds to bail out incompetent state governments.
No 397
[So GP, you balk at being called “Geriatric” yet freely dish out “Labor hacks” to everyone. Hypocrite.]
No hypocrisy at all.
A geriatric is an aged, senile person. I’m neither aged nor senile. Furthermore, hacks is an appropriate nomenclature for most participants herewith given their evident propensity to back the ALP (or ALP-extreme, the Greens) at every turn.
[people have a sense of him being calm and in control (safe) during these difficult (scary) times and of McCain being erratic and odd.]
You equate “safe” with a man who thinks the USA has 57 states with a VP nominee who believes paying more tax is patriotic! Goodness me TP, what rubbish!
So, GP, given your “evident propensity to back the ‘Liberal Party’ at every turn”, you will of course have no qualms at all if you are labeled a “Liberal hack”!
Personally, I find much of the critisism directed at posters who have differing views to you offensive. I wish you would gain a little maturity and desist.
I notice that Liberal supporters on web sites where they predominate, have the same unfortunate approach whereby they attack posters with differing views, on a very personal and insulting manner and clearly display their undoubted intellectual shortcomings.
Unless I am wrong and haven’t understood your motives well, I think you are better than that.
GP, I omitted to link to a typical site which demonstrates my point.
Have a quick read of these comments and you should quickly realise just how juvenile and stupid most of them are and yet the Labor supporters in general are reasonable in behaviour and informed in their comments.
http://www.livenews.com.au/Articles/2008/10/07/RBA_slashes_official_cash_rate_by_1_per_cent
No 412
I rarely go on livenews because it is a pathetic excuse for journalism.
Or indeed we could stop labelling people “Labor hacks” or “Liberal stooges” etc. From what I can tell, only a really small minority of people here card carrying, die hard members of political parties who will defend them at every turn. Whilst I’m not denying a slight left bias, it’s immature to call those people “Labor hacks” when they clearly have criticised decisions made by politicians from Liberal, Labor, Greens, FF…
Surely everyone can have their view, whatever it is, without being shoved into a Labor or Liberal box.
[So, GP, given your “evident propensity to back the ‘Liberal Party’ at every turn”, you will of course have no qualms at all if you are labeled a “Liberal hack”!]
None at all. 🙂 But I’m outnumbered by a considerable margin.
[But Turnbull failed. The banks didn’t pass on all of the rate cut.]
Wayne Swan was arguing for cuts to be passed on in full just 30 days ago.
As Wayne Swan, every economist that has been interviewed in the press lately and various media commentators have stated, quite a lot has changed in the last 30 days. We had this slight hitch called the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression?
[As Wayne Swan, every economist that has been interviewed in the press lately and various media commentators have stated, quite a lot has changed in the last 30 days. We had this slight hitch called the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression?]
It then makes a mockery of the whole “our banks are well-capitalised and well-regulated” mantra then. Either way, Swan is looking like the fool in this mess.
New thread.