The first opinion poll of the Tony Abbott era has turned up a surprise: Labor’s two-party lead is a modest 53-47, and the Coalition is in front on the primary vote 43 per cent to 41 per cent. However, there are all sorts of reasons to treat this with caution. The poll is a Roy Morgan mid-week phone poll, which have a rather erratic record, and the sample was a very modest 597 respondents. The normal weekly face-to-face poll, conducted last weekend while Malcolm Turnbull was leader but considered unlikely to remain so for long, had Labor’s two-party lead steady at 58.5-41.5. Labor was down a point on the primary vote to 47 per cent, the Coalition was down half a point to 35 per cent and the Greens were up half to 9.5 per cent.
The phone poll has also produced questions on preferred Labor and Liberal leaders, which find Kevin Rudd coming down off previous highs and Tony Abbott enjoying a new-found legitimacy that hasn’t been quite enough for him to overhaul Joe Hockey. Rudd also has a leads as better prime minister of 60-25 over Abbott, 55-31 over Hockey and 64-25 over Turnbull. Contrary to conventional wisdom, Abbott did not perform notably worse among women than men.
Couple of other things:
• The Wentworth Courier reports Steven Lewis, Slater & Gordon lawyer, anti-high rise activist and members of the Jewish Board of Deputies, will contest Labor preselection in Wentworth. Former Australian Medical Association president Kerryn Phelps has been mentioned as a contender in the past, but declined to comment when approached by the Courier. The Australian reports barrister Mark Speakman, University of NSW deputy chancellor Gabrielle Upton and “most of the losers from the Bradfield preselection” would be in the running to succeed Malcolm Turnbull as Liberal member. The Courier throws Arthur Sinodinos into the mix. Speakman, Upton and Sinodinos have all been mentioned as possible successors to outgoing former state leader Peter Debnam in the corresponding state seat of Vaucluse.
• It was reported on Wednesday that NSW Treasurer Eric Roozendaal might seek to assume the premiership by entering the lower house as member for Wollongong, whose sitting member Noreen Hay would then take his place in the upper house. This plan has presumably been overtaken by events, at least in the short term.
• The Liberals are pressuring Labor to drop Wanneroo mayor Jon Kelly as the candidate-presumptive for the marginal Perth seat of Cowan after a Corruption and Crime Commission report spoke of “dealings” between Kelly and Brian Burke, without making adverse findings against him. Kelly has long been associated with the Burke-linked “old Right” faction, and ran as an independent against Margaret Quirk in the state seat of Girrawheen following the split that created the latter’s “new Right” faction.
Mumble reckons the Galaxy poll doing the rounds was on a sample of ready 400 😀
http://tinyurl.com/y9lzcy4
Vera – Glad she is pro abortion. Maybe she’ll come around on the other. Her first interview on ABC was good last night.
[Plus as a bonus you get to find out interesting things such as the HD TV signals {Thanks Michael Wilbur-Ham}]
I am working presently for a firm that makes HDTV gear for studio use. There are no less than 26 digital broadcast standards worldwide that we have to cater for in all our stuff.
There three digital formats, or families:
* SDI (“Standard Definition”: 720 x 480 or 720 x 576 pixels) interlaced.
* HD (720 x 1280, or 1080 x 1920 pixels), interlaced or progressive
* 3G (1080 x 1920 pixels only) progressive (“3G” relates to the 3gHz-plus bandwidth required to encode all the information serially).
“Interlaced” (i) means that in any one frame the odd lines are displayed first (1,3,5,7 etc.), then the even lines (2,4,6,8 etc.).
“Progressive” (p) means that all lines are displayed one after the other in numerical order (1,2,3,4,5,6 etc.). Progressive requires double the band with of interlaced for any frame rate. Blu-Ray players can output up to 3G quality, but because the data on disk is compressed and due to problems with original film quality this is no guarantee of perfect final picture quality.
Then there are the frame rates, 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 50, 59.94 and 60 frames per second. The “odd” looking frames rates are a legacy from the days when the NTSC (American) TV system was first introduced and its designers found that a color signal interfered with black and white TV reception, so the basic 30 frames per second (fps) rate had to be slightly altered to 29.97fps (plus equivalent derivatives for 24 fps and 60 fps signals). To avoid having to tell consumers they needed new black and white sets in the 1950s, the 29.97 family of rates stuck, even after all the black and white TVs of the fifties were sent to the junk yard.
The most common digital TV standards used today are:
1. SD 720x487i59.94
2. SD 720x576i50
3. HD 1920x1080i60
4. HD 1920x1080i59.94
5. HD 1920x1080i50
6. HD 1920x1080psf30
7. HD 1920x1080psf29.97
8. HD 1920x1080psf25
9. HD 1920x1080psf24
10. HD 1920x1080psf23.98
11. HD 1920x1080p30
12. HD 1920x1080p29.97
13. HD 1920x1080p25
14. HD 1920x1080p24
15. HD 1920x1080p23.98
16. HD 1280x720p60
17. HD 1280x720p59.94
18. HD 1280x720p50
19. HD 1280x720p30
20. HD 1280x720p29.97
21. HD 1280x720p25
22. HD 1280x720p24
23. HD 1280x720p23.98
24. 3G 1920x1080p60
25. 3G 1920x1080p59.94
26. 3G 1920x1080p50
Add in audio standards (anything from 2 to 16 channels needing to be accommodated) and you have… chaos!
Cinema films are often shot in an even higher standard, “4K”, which is slightly more than four times the 3G standard, at 4096 x 2048 pixels. There is also a cinema 3G-type standard, at 1080 x 2048 pixels (called “2K”). 2K is also used a lot for digital projection in commercial cinemas (up to 3G 1080 x 1920 projection being used in home cinemas). However, neither 2K nor 4K are used for TV purposes (thank God!).
LOL! Digital television was invented to get rid of the old PAL (European), SECAM (France) and NTSC conflicts and confusions, but now there are more
Somewhere in the world every one of them is being used by someone, usually because the investment in upgrading equipment – monitors, recorders, cameras, optics, editing gear and transmitters – to the full high definition (3G) standard is prohibitively expensive.
Gear available today to convert one standard to another (and hence permit lowering the number of standards to just a few) has been only recently available at affordable prices, so the weird legacy standards had a few years to become araldited into various TV regimes around the world, and now they’re here to stay, unfortunately for everyone (except the firms that make the converters of course!).
One thing is for certain: I can assure youse all that Tony Abbott looks just as ugly in whichever format or frame rate he is viewed in.
Well I hope Oakes wakes up and doesn’t finish his career as just another murdoch hack, who when they pick up a pen sludge spews forth. His standing will disappear pretty quickly if he follows that path.
LimitedNews now has every variety of tepid hack.
[Mumble reckons the Galaxy poll doing the rounds was on a sample of ready 400]
I know Galaxy is above board but it’s these type of polls at these times that make you wonder the motive behind them.
This article says that Rudd is highly unimpressed with Keneally and refused to endorse her. She looks a lot like an airhead puppet to me.
[
NEW Premier Kristina Keneally yesterday declared she would keep Labor warlords Joe Tripodi and Eddie Obeid as her mentors, describing them as “popular”.
In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, she denied she was a “puppet” and defended the men who helped her into power, claiming they had “served the community well”.
Ms Keneally praised the pair that ousted premier Nathan Rees labelled as “disloyal and treacherous” and said she did not believe his description of them was true. But an angry Prime Minister Kevin Rudd yesterday refused to endorse Ms Keneally.
“The people of NSW are now expecting better government,” he said.
“I would suggest that the new Premier of NSW get on with the job as of today.”
Senior sources said Mr Rudd was furious that, after having backed Mr Rees as premier, the NSW Labor Party “stuck their fingers up at him” and sacked him.]
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/indepth/kristina-keneally-defends-labors-ruthless-kingpins-joe-tripodi-and-eddie-obeid/story-fn4lqo4t-1225807144563
Filth Hack, Concern Hack, Gravitas Hack, BS Hack, Bitchy Hack, Waffling Hack, Toad Hack, Denial Hack, Washed up Hack, Polls Hack, Jealousy Hack … with so many hacks they could cut down a tree.
I’m amazed that Oakes used that language; “sludge spews forth” is very ordinary.
[In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, she denied she was a “puppet” and defended the men who helped her into power, claiming they had “served the community well”.]
Bye, bye, Kristina. I suppose she was speaking to all voters who have just woken up from a 20 year coma. They’re the only demographic she has a chance of winning over. Clearly, what she meant to say was that Eddie and Joe had “served their families well”. That’s a part of ‘the community’, I guess. 🙂
Diog
I’m surprsed you didn’t highlight this in your Daily Terror link ;P
[SIGN OUR PETITION FOR AN EARLY ELECTION IN NSW]
vera
The petition says;
[We the people call on Her Excellency Professor Marie Roslyn Bashir AC CVO, the 37th Governor of NSW, to dissolve Parliament and bring on an early election.]
I didn’t even know that the Governor could do that even if she wanted.
Here’s Oakes on November 7! It’s typical of what he has been sprouting for quite a while now!
Impartial? Hardly!
[A COUPLE of days ago, I found myself shouting at the radio. “For God’s sake, answer the bloody question!” I suspect there were many such cries of frustration in households around the nation.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was being interviewed – one of the 14 or so radio and TV appearances in his much-publicised media blitz on the asylum-seeker issue.
He had nothing to tell us. No answers. Just platitudes, slogans and spin.
The Prime Minister’s minders would have done better to keep him locked up in The Lodge and away from the phone. What is the point of a media blitz when you have nothing to say?
All Mr Rudd achieved was to deepen the suspicion in the minds of voters he hasn’t got a clue about how to deal with the problem.
He resembled a headless chook running around in circles. ]
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,26314525-5018713,00.html
Diogenes
If Rudd is that pissed off, maybe Della Bosca should withdraw his condition of support for the new Premier of her taking up with the PM Belinda’s case for re-selection in Robertson.
🙂
[That Abbott is a very old friend of mine certainly will not mean he escapes (irony alert) the relentless scrutiny, searing examination and blow-torch criticism for which this column is justly famous. Let the contest begin.]
Sheridan today, via Mumble. He gave some poor host on ABC Radio a blast for thinking Mungo Macullum was worth listening to. We’ll see whether Sheridan keep his word about the scrutiny of Abbott.
jv
A bit late for della to pull out. He’s been rewarded already. The Puppet Masters are back.
[THE Premier, Kristina Keneally, will reward the dumped ministers John Della Bosca and Ian Macdonald by reinstating them to senior positions in a cabinet reshuffle this weekend.
Rewarding the plotters against the former premier Nathan Rees will fuel criticism that Ms Keneally is a ”puppet” of powerbrokers Eddie Obeid, Joe Tripodi, Mr Della Bosca and Mr Macdonald, who all backed her into the leadership against the wishes of Labor’s head office.]
http://www.smh.com.au/national/keneally-pays-back-puppet-masters-20091204-kaxg.html
Of course Keneally is a puppet. Only the ignorant or extremist Labor hackery could argue otherwise.
vera
Don’t worry, it’s a beat up 🙂
The Governor could never sack a government in the current circumstances in NSW. A Governor arguably cannot even do it in a time of crisis of government – ie the Parliament is unworkable.
In the case of Jack Lang in NSW the issue of whether what Lang did was ‘illegal’ or not in refusing to pay back overseas loans should have been determined by the High Court (and probably then by the Privy Council at that time, which would have been interesting because the loans were from Britain, I think), not by Game, a retired armed forces officer, sacking Lang.
In the case of Whitlam, it was a most contentious decision, because the parliament was not unworkable at the time of the dismissal. Events were still emerging, the government had control of the house of Reps and the votes in the Senate were not exhausted, and Opposition Senators were about to cross the floor to allow passage of the money bills.
If the sacking if a government is borderline in genuine crisis situations then how could a Governor exercise ‘reserve’ powers when the parliament is functioning perfectly well, as it is in NSW?
The Tele’s ‘petition’ is nothing more than a campaign to sell newspapers.
GB, the purpose of the poll is “give Abbott a go”. Thats why no voting intention, although it was clearly asked.
Its a shame both Oakes and Grattan have of late just become pale imitations of the rest of the MSM Lib cheersquad
[If the sacking if a government is borderline in genuine crisis situations then how could a Governor exercise ‘reserve’ powers when the parliament is functioning perfectly well, as it is in NSW?]
The difference is that unlike Whitlam Labor, NSW Labor is able to cobble a majority in the upper house. Incompetence alone cannot bring a government to be sacked. That decision is left up to the electors.
The acid test will the ban on party donations from developers, which is the chief source of corruption in NSW government. If Keneally abandons that commitment, I will not support her, Labor hack or not.
[Grattan have of late just become pale imitations of the rest of the MSM Lib cheersquad]
Grattan a Lib?
Now i’ve heard everything!!!
It is a matter of pigs ransacking their departments what they can get their hands on before being voted out aka Thailand politics .
[Diog – I’m surprsed you didn’t highlight this in your Daily Terror link]
Vera, Diog is terrified himself for you-know-what. 🙂
Is the PM going to be in Copenhagen for the whole 2 weeks. If he is I think he needs Julia and some others out spruiking against the Abbott and Joyce who will have clear air to spread their misinformation.
Extremist views can end up louder than any other so the Govt. needs to get on top of that fairly quickly but in a calmer way than Joyce. It has to be counteracted tho and they should encourage business to become louder against Joyce as well.
[We the people call on Her Excellency Professor Marie Roslyn Bashir AC CVO, the 37th Governor of NSW, to dissolve Parliament and bring on an early election.]
So the Telegraph wants the Governor to stage an illegal royalist coup d’etat against the NSW Parliament. They should be charged with sedition.
Further to the posts above re Laurie Oakes, I’ve just read in that paragon of newspaper credibility – the Brisbane Courier Mail – that, and I quote, “Abbott is immensely likeable.” Huh? I though he came near the bottom of every poll taken since Adam was a pup. Perhaps his parents like him, but I sure don’t. I think it is time Laurie was put out to pasture. Rupert must pay big bucks to sell your soul like that.Mmmm, maybe I could get a job there. I’m sure I can come up with a few ranting articles to please Uncle Rupert; I did used to top my class in primary school for essay writing. LOL.
[I’m sure I can come up with a few ranting articles to please Uncle Rupert; I did used to top my class in primary school for essay writing. LOL.]
A more appropriate qualification would be if you had been the teacher’s pet.
Psephos
[The acid test will the ban on party donations from developers, which is the chief source of corruption in NSW government. If Keneally abandons that commitment, I will not support her, Labor hack or not.]
Rees was banning them wasn’t he, or had he banned them already?
In fairness to Keneally, isn’t Bligh the only Premier who has banned them? Rann hasn’t changed a thing in SA. Admittedly, we don’t have (or aren’t aware of) the same development corruption issues as NSW.
[Admittedly, we don’t have (or aren’t aware of) the same development corruption issues as NSW.]
We also don’t have much development 😉
[So the Telegraph wants the Governor to stage an illegal royalist coup d’etat against the NSW Parliament. They should be charged with sedition.]
Would it be illegal? What’s the law on a Governor dissolving Parliament?
Rees said he was going to ban them. I don’t think a bill has been introduced. So the onus is on Keneally to maintain that commitment or not.
It’s an issue everywhere, but it’s a much worse issue in NSW and Qld, because they are where the developers have the most to gain.
Historically, state government have always been the focus of corruption in Australian politics, and corruption in Australia has nearly always had to do with liquor, gambling or land management (zoning, planning etc).
LOL It’s Time. I’m afraid I used to eat any apples I took to school with me!
[What’s the law on a Governor dissolving Parliament?]
The Crown has the prerogative to grant or withhold a dissolution at the request of a PM or Premier. But the Crown does not have the power to dissolve Parliament of its own volition. (You will recall that Kerr dissolved Parliament in 1975 only at the request of the new PM, Fraser.) On top of that, NSW has a constitution which provides for fixed four-year terms.
[Rees was banning them wasn’t he, or had he banned them already?]
[Rees said he was going to ban them. I don’t think a bill has been introduced. So the onus is on Keneally to maintain that commitment or not.]
The law Rees was proposing was full of holes that wouldn’t of stopped personal donations from people who were developers.
Third time lucky? – The NSW thread.
I found this on how NSW could have an early election from George Williams (Anthony Mason Professor at the University of New South Wales and a visiting fellow at the ANU College of Law).
Sounds very unlikely.
[There are very few exceptions that would allow an early election. One is that
Governor Marie Bashir can call an early election if the Legislative Assembly, the
lower house of the NSW Parliament, passes a noconfidence motion in the Rees
Government or rejects a government budget Bill.
This would require Labor members to vote against their own premier and party.
Self-interest, if nothing else, dictates that this will not occur. The only other path
to an early poll is a cryptic provision in the NSW constitution that says the
Governor can dissolve Parliament ”in accordance with established constitutional
conventions”. There are very few conventions that allow this.
One is where a premier loses a vote of no confidence in the Legislative Assembly,
a possibility already catered for. Another is where a government breaches a
fundamental constitutional principle. Dismissal on this ground has happened only
once in Australian history, when NSW Governor Sir Philip Game dismissed Labor
Premier Jack Lang in 1932. It occurred in the midst of the Great Depression when
Lang, contrary to federal law, stopped making interest payments on state debts. ]
http://www.gtcentre.unsw.edu.au/news/docs/NSW_election.pdf
So, looking at 286, Psephos is right and the DT’s is fomenting a petition which encourages an illegal action to depose an elected Government, which is the definition of sedition.
bob I didnt say Grattan was a Lib. I think in the past few years she’s become a pale imitation of Shanahan, Milne and Co, and she wasnt like that before Rudd came in
Isnt it funny how the usual suspects like the DT have complained about government’s manipulating the electoral cycle, then when fixed terms are introduced, complain when they dont like the current government
Dio – they’ve been trying to do that since Labor cheated them and won the election they were supposed to lose in 2007. The DT has never forgiven them that win.
It becomes very boring so most of the sales are for the sports pages in the back of it. Very big on rugby league and cricket which are well loved in NSW.
[bob I didnt say Grattan was a Lib. I think in the past few years she’s become a pale imitation of Shanahan, Milne and Co, and she wasnt like that before Rudd came in]
I think you’ve yet to come to terms with what entails going from opposition to government. It is the duty of the media to apply the blowtorch to the government. The opposition doesn’t set and see through the legislative agenda, the government does. That’s the reason why some percieve anti-Labor bias in various commentators and media outlets since the change of government. Get used to it.
The Age is reporting that this moring Fiona Patten ASP) was pulled over become someone had complained about stickers saying vote one Australia Sex Party.
Has this sort of thing ever happened before
[Is the PM going to be in Copenhagen for the whole 2 weeks.]
BH
I don’t think so, kev has his meeting on the Health system with the Premiers on Monday which is the start of Copenhagen.
Good news that Obama will now be there at the end instead of just making an appearance at the start
[US President Barack Obama delivered a boost to UN climate talks in Copenhagen, agreeing to delay his visit until the end of the meeting, when the drive for a global warming pact will climax.
Obama had been due to fly into the talks on Wednesday, and then head on to Oslo to receive his Nobel peace prize, but progress before the summit and talks with fellow world leaders seem to have convinced him to change his plans.]
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/obama-boosts-climate-talks-with-changed-plans-20091205-kbqs.html
[SarahAMurdoch Am totally pumped about Tony Abbott…. now it gets exciting.Someone with great ideas and great solutions.. Just read Battlelines.
about 1 hour ago from web ]
It’s all over ,sarah ohare has come out in support of people skills.Thats the female billionaire vote sorted
😉
[was pulled over become someone had complained about stickers saying vote one Australia Sex Party.]
It would be completley hypocritical if the AEC rejected their campaign materials on the grounds they were offensive, while allowing the party name.
[It would be completley hypocritical if the AEC rejected their campaign materials on the grounds they were offensive, while allowing the party name.]
Indeed.
I wonder when William plans to start threads for the Higgins and Bradfield by-elections. I shall be following Higgins with interest. I think there’ll be a swing, but Malcolm Mackerras predicts a Green win…
With Malcolm gone and Tony in does that mean “Game on”?
BH
Found this so suspect most world leaders would be there only over the last couple of days
PS Picci of Kev and Obi for ya 🙂
[The High-level segment of the Copenhagen conference opens on December 16 and continues through the next day with national statements. Finally, on December 18, the agreed outcome of all deliberations will be adopted by heads of state and government and other heads of delegation.]
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/dec2009/2009-12-04-01.asp
OK back to federal politics:
My scenario for 2010: After a brief honeymoon over the summer, Abbott makes a total ass of himself once Parliament resumes. He crashes in the polls, and as the July-August DD season looms, Turnbull deposes him in a party room coup. Rudd does not take the DD option, but calls a regular election in September. Labor gains ten seats in the Reps and two seats in the Senate, creating a Labor-Greens majority. The new parliament passes the CPRS after a deal with the Greens: the compensation provisions are untouched but the minumum target is raised to 20%. Turnbull is deposed by Hockey after the election.