The latest fortnightly Morgan face-to-face poll has Labor’s two-party lead at 57.5-42.5, up from 56.5-43.5 last time. Labor are up a point to 47 per cent on the primary vote, while the Coalition are down one to 37 per cent.
It’s all happening in New South Wales:
• Bernard Keane of Crikey reports David Clarke is believed likely to survive tonight’s preselection challenge from David Elliott with moderate support. (UPDATE: Clarke wins 50-36) Some interesting background detail from Keane: “The Campbell-Hawke assault on Clarke had its origins in a swift and cleverly executed turnover of delegates in Clarke’s preselection in late 2008 by Hawke, with most of the targets under the belief that Hawke was operating with Clarke’s imprimatur. Instead, Hawke removed or displaced nine preselectors and installed his own nominees, delivering an 18-vote turnaround that transformed Clarke’s preselection from comfortable to very challenging.” Deborah Snow of the Sydney Morning Herald reports former Opposition Leader Peter Collins has come out swinging at Clarke in support of David Elliott, saying Clarke was paying the price for blocking Elliott in federal Mitchell and state Riverstone.
• The quid pro quo for moderates supporting David Clarke is said to include the dropping of a preselection challenge against moderate incumbent Greg Pearce by Richard Quinn, and a smoothing of the way for Robyn Parker in the marginal seat of Maitland in lieu of her failure to retain her upper house position. Whoever gets the nod in Maitland will have things made easier by the announcement this week that Labor member Frank Terenzini will not seek another term.
• Bevan Shields of the Lithgow Mercury reports Orange councillor Sam Romano will challenge Nationals MP John Cobb for preselection in Calare.
• Caryn Metcalfe of the Penrith Press reports Hawkesbury mayor Bart Bassett has been preselected as state Liberal candidate for Londonderry.
• Macarthur preselection victim Pat Farmer reckons the people of Camden are begging for him to represent them in state parliament. According to Matthew Ward of the Macarthur Chronicle, his main rivals for Liberal preselection would be Camden councillor Michael Cottrell and former Camden councillor Rob Elliott, with “possible candidates” including Camden mayor Chris Patterson or, if Patterson, won’t run, Citi Cycle Classic organiser Paul Hillbrick. Reports suggests it is Patterson’s for the taking if he wants it.
• Hamish Coffee in comments advises Brent Thomas has defeated Right faction colleague Greg Holland for Labor preselection in Hughes.
• Not sure how much it was in doubt, but the ABC reports Damian Hale will seek another term in Solomon.
[Well at least we know where he’s going to direct that impulse to kill someone and break a “full house” of the Ten Commandments.]
It also means if Abbott becomes P.M., then Australia would have no way to stop Australians overseas from being subjected to the death penalty.
ps
Bastard
Gaffhook #387 😆 Smirk!
Onya. Loved it! So we’ll be sharing the airwaves Monday (though we’re still AEST)! 😆
its very much a Howard tactic to float something that youre not going to do anything about, to excite the base. the less intelligent voters will see this as a “promise” to bring back the death penalty
Does this mean the bipartisanship, that even Howard stood by, on ending the death penalty both domestically and internationally has been broken?
Their is very little comparison between the positions of Obama and Rudd. The USA is an economic basket case with massive debt. It has a much toxic media where racial vilification, bigotry and so forth are often invoked in the media. There it is full on hatred, spite, malice and inciting people to same.
Obama not only faces an opposition in the Senate but opposition in his own side from blue dog Democrats and others with corporate interests. He has to fight two houses to get any sort of bill through. Rudd at least has a party that follows the line and can concentrate on playing the Senate to achieve results.
Rudd widely states his Christian belief, Obama does not.
Obama speaks very very well and also persuasively and has great presence, Rudd does not.
The similarities between them are that they are both highly intelligent, methodical and cautious and strategic.
They both face an incompetent and weird incoherent opposition that has no policies except to look for the lowest common denominators.
The commonality between them is that have to battle the same right wing media people desperate to undermine them, sell them down in the hope of putting in a conservative govt.
Taliban Tone?
Incidentally, has the Opposition shadow Attorney-General, Senator Brandis been asked to give a view on this change of policy? I’d be highly surprised if he supported it or if it’s been to shadow cabinet for approval.
vp #392
“Hanged, drawn & quartered”, as in Braveheart So much gorier a spectacle than Madam Guillotine or the Block on Traitors’ Hill. The Libs could make a fortune selling tickets!
From Shaun Carney’s column today:
[Abbott is a genuine warrior. His demeanour suggests that he is involved in the struggle on the grounds of belief – that is, the correctness of the views of his side – rather than ego or vanity. This makes him, to some, disarming and, to others, scary.]
I don’t agree with this at all. For a start the self-indulgence, wanting to avenge the Howard legacy and coalition election loss, the constant parades in budgie smugglers and lycra, and the media attention-seeker since being in opposition all point to a massive ego. This reminds me of all those other media people who refer to Tone as a ‘conviction politician’. In my view he’s anything but.
Scratch that, read the story and it’s a complete non-issue.
[Scintillating post as always. Your erudition and logical arguments have swayed us all.]
Diog, i have long since passed that stage on PB. Ever since the Barbarians were exiled to the Gilligans Island. i am still here simply to annoy people that i like, eg: you, Herr Doktor and GP. 😥
Not to mention Amigo Vera which i like very much :kiss:
I guess the Malicious Monk could also give out the media rights to broadcast executions.
[Mr Abbott said at this moment the Coalition is not quite a 50-50 chance of winning the election but the next eight months were crucial. “Things can definitely get worse for Labor.”
He said while Australians had a history of giving governments a second chance, it didn’t for James Scullin or Gough Whitlam]
Um… someone needs to remind him Gough Whitlam was re-elected.
[Um… someone needs to remind him Gough Whitlam was re-elected.]
He means that the Coalition still has a policy of refusing to accept that Whitlam won two elections.
How could Abbott not know this??
ltep
just another LInE from ignorant tone.
🙁
[How could Abbott not know this??]
Willful ignorance
[Abbott is a genuine warrior. His demeanour suggests that he is involved in the struggle on the grounds of belief – that is, the correctness of the views of his side – rather than ego or vanity.]
This is the nonsense we expect from him in an election year.
Abbott is driven by belief? What a lot of trash we see written to support Abbott. This would be the best invention yet, Abbott driven by belief?
Well the opposite of what Hartcher is asserting is the truth and he should know it. Abbott changes his ‘beliefs’ every day to match whatever he thinks is, sometimes in the same interview.
If anything Abbott has a total absence of belief and simply tries to morph into whatever position that allows him to slag someone in Govt. The common factor with Abbott is the desire to make his attacks personal. This is a man of spite.
This malicious character trait of Abbott’s leaves him vulnerable to tripping up and causing wide revulsion against him.
I guess Labor should give him every opportunity to reveal this sinister side of his. It would only take one decent slip up to make the public cringe. aka Latham handshake with slime.
[Abbott is driven by belief?]
This is just a nonsense statement. Everyone is ‘driven by belief’. It’s just some pointless journalistic twaddle.
If Abbott is really a conviction politician, why is he saying he won’t bring back the death penalty despite saying he believes in it?
They should ask Abbott about paedophile priests and the poor way in which the Catholic Church has dealt with the issue.
I would be very interested to know if Abbott comes down on the side of supporting paedophile priests in some way, since they are Catholic. You can bet he will defend as much as he can the Church.
not know before yesterday that Captain Catholic also known as the Mad Monk, Manly Maggot and other fetching titles was a thief and an Adulterer until he claimed yesterday that the only one of the ten commandments he is confident he has not broken is he has not committed murder. I knew he was a Conviction politician Liar, that is common knowledge
o NOW I GET GEE I AM SLOW YOU AE REFERING TO THE TEN COMMANDMENT.
i notice carney does not let comments to his peice.
and it is so annoying one can never find a way of contacting these people
Perhaps they dont want us tooooo
ShowsOn #405
Maybe ask abbott whether he thought mary M supported the death penalty?
Abbott is anything but a conviction politician. He would sleep with the devil if there were votes in it, but the MSM are doing really well at making the conviction tag stick. Unfortunately, the public already know Abbott well.
With all this talk about Rudd being rattled. I see no evidence of it. Rudd easily accounted for the so-called master Howard with a very disciplined, precise campaign. Would Rudd really be giving Abbott such a free run if he thought he was a real threat?? Waiting for him to trip himself up I reckon
http://newmatilda.com/2010/02/18/should-we-start-worrying-about-abbott
some one posted this on the abc site re the conversation
do you all look at the abc site i dont think there is enough commenting over there yet please have a go
Abbott is driven by his convictions…. a man of substance, principals and moral standings.
sorry ALP web site
Isn’t there some legislation before the Parliament to remove the States ability to impose a death penalty?
Could this be the reason Abbott has commented on it?
Abbott’s only conviction is of his own moral superiority.
moral standing who are you kidding. but i decided long ago not to reply o
you but this is the last time and i think every one should do the same.
you would soon get sick of it.
Abbott supports and is favour of the Bali nine being executed in Indonesia.
Have comments been sought from the parents of the nine?
Paul Toohey in the Hun, doing his bit for the cause!
[The PM, God and women – according to Tony Abbott ]
[Abbott does not believe Rudd should be attacked for being an awkward facsimile of a normal bloke.
“I think Rudd’s problems are not his personality. I think he’s broken a lot of promises and he seems more comfortable with process than with performance.
”I mean, he’s a great one for setting up committees and claiming that as an achievement of itself.
“We’ve lost count, but early on in the life of the Rudd Government I think we counted up about 150 separate reviews, committees, inquiries and other processes that had been put in place.
”A lot of these don’t come to anything. That’s why people think he’s all talk and no action.”
He credits Rudd as a “highly intelligent bloke” but says the public can’t get a handle on him: “I think the public want to know who the real Kevin Rudd is.”
Abbott does seem to know himself. His team does not need to closely media- manage Abbott’s mouth – just his time.
“Yeah, look, I don’t regard myself as God’s gift to politics, and I don’t regard myself as anything other than a flawed and fallible human being. I think, despite all that, I’m reasonably comfortable in my own skin,” he says.]
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/the-pm-god-and-women-according-to-tony-abbott/story-e6frf7jo-1225832347689
i must say that i am really scared of him, but if you go back to the hansen
days william may be able to tell us what was the percentage of her popularity.And i think australian society MAY have become a little more knowing a grown up since she started way back in the mid 90’s
my learned son told me not to worry about abbot he said now if that is so they would
of elected howard again and they did nt and howard is mild compared to abbott.
I think the issue of dealing with paedophiles within the Catholic Church and paedophile priests generally should be put to Abbott. I wonder if his rabid position would lead him to try and stand up for them.
[Professor Briggs, who is emeritus professor of child development at the University of South Australia, said: “I understand why people want him to resign, particularly the victims and their families.”
Asked if it would be in the best interests of abuse victims for Dr Hollingworth to resign, Professor Briggs said: “Yes.”
She also questioned whether Dr Hollingworth’s apologies to victims were genuine.
Dr Hollingworth’s spokesman said yesterday Dr Hollingworth was “deeply offended” by any such suggestion.
Professor Briggs’s comments were prompted by a claim by Workplace Relations Minister Tony Abbott that her report found Dr Hollingworth had acted “in good faith” and that he should not be forced to resign because of a “simple error of judgement”.
The report by Professor Briggs and Melbourne barrister Peter O’Callaghan was critical of Dr Hollingworth for allowing a known pedophile, John Elliot, to remain a priest, and for his unsympathetic treatment of a woman who was sexually abused by another priest, Donald Shearman.
Professor Briggs described as “rubbish” Mr Abbott’s claim that the report found Dr Hollingworth had acted in good faith.
“We looked at four cases of child sex abuse directly involving Dr Hollingworth as head of the diocese, although he says he was only a titular head, and we found negligence in two of those four cases,” Professor Briggs said. ]
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/05/07/1052280322989.html
[If Abbott is really a conviction politician, why is he saying he won’t bring back the death penalty despite saying he believes in it?]
How can he be a pro-lifer AND in favour of the death penalty?
[Abbott is driven by his convictions…. a man of substance, principals and moral standings.]
This from a man who voted for Rudd last election because of, wait for it, Workchices and what will Abbott bring back?
[Abbott is driven by his convictions…. a man of substance, principals and moral standings.]
Which explains why he has supported / opposed / supported in modified form / opposed the CPRS.
And it also explains why he has opposed / supported to a limited extent / supported completely / opposed paid maternity care.
425
my say
http://www.nationaltimes.com.au/contacts/
Click on the Editorial/Site feedback to email them
or the phone number is there if you want to ring them.
so are the stories printed only seen on line.
RE FOR EXAMPLE MIKE CARLTOn
go over and comment on toohey bit. they dont have any replies up as yet.
[Isn’t there some legislation before the Parliament to remove the States ability to impose a death penalty?
Could this be the reason Abbott has commented on it?]
Yes there is. But I suspect the real reason Abbott commented on it is to force Rudd to be questioned on whether he supports the death penalty being used on terrorists. An attempt to create a media beat-up in other words.
As the old saying goes, “follow the money”! Just a few of the headlines on Ltd Noos sites relating to the TV licence fee issue!
[Meetings raise new questions ]
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/meetings-raise-new-questions/story-e6frf7jo-1225832355184
* TV licences and siphoning a minefield The Australian, 12 hours ago
* Conroy goes into battle on TV sport The Australian, 12 hours ago
* Minister defends golf round with Packer Herald Sun, 1 day ago
* Rudd struggles to explain TV fee cuts Perth Now, 1 day ago
* Protection money Courier Mail, 2 days ago
This one is worth a read between the lines!
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/tv-licences-and-siphoning-make-for-a-political-minefield/story-e6frg8zx-1225832359789
I think the issue of dealing with paedophiles within the Catholic Church should be dealt with by the police.
Strangly enough, virtually nothing on Abbott’s meeting with Murdoch and certainly nothing of “any” substance on what Abbott’s meeting discussed or what deal might have transpired between the two!
try ringing the abc and ask them why they are not reporting re abbott and bring back the death penalty.
if you go to 139994
Krugman looks at US deflation
[I find this a scary picture. For one thing, it suggests that deflation may not be too far in the future. But beyond that, there’s a growing belief among sensible economists that we need higher, not lower inflation. What we’re doing now is moving in the wrong direction..]
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/
I saw that US core inflation rate the other day for January was 0.1% the lowest since 1982. I have very limited understanding of these things but I wouldn’t have expected that if there were really some recovery going on in the US.
Abbott only went to see rupe for shoe cleaning practice.