The big story in polling this week was no story at all, with Newspoll still yet to resume after its summer break. This has inevitably excited the attention of conspiracy theorists, but if Newspoll takes the field this weekend it will be acting just as it did after the 2010 election, when its first post-New Year poll was conducted in the first weekend in February. In an off week for the fortnightly Morgan series, that just leaves an Essential Research to add to the mix for BludgerTrack, which accordingly records next to no change on last week. Labor does at least reach a new high of 39.5% on the primary vote, putting it within a hair’s breadth of the Coalition. The seat projection is entirely unchanged, with nothing significant happening on the state breakdowns for voting intention. It should be noted that there is still no data from any of the big live-interview phone pollsters this year, all observations this year coming from Essential, Morgan and ReachTEL.
Zoomster
[The ‘windfarm syndrome’ stories remind me of those about fluoride, where people have reported ‘being able to taste the fluoride in the water’ before the authorities have actually started adding it.]
People are highly suggestible. If you yawn others will often follow. Ask someone if they feel itchy and they almost certainly will.
The wind turbine syndrome nonsense is part scam and part suggestibility. Tellingly, the syndrome is not attested amongst those with commercial wind turbines on their land. Strangely, having wind turbine income tends to make the land more valuable.
I’d like to see how much the opponents of wind turbines think their land should be devalued as a result of their proximity to them.
@Zoomster/2694
Stephen Spencer @sspencer_63 45m
Toyota “announcement” is actually regular annual address to workers. No exit planned. http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2014/02/10/toyota-seeks-play-exit-rumours/ …
Stephen Spencer @sspencer_63 2m
And then there’s this. Both of them can’t be right. @theheraldsun Says Toyota about to quit Australian carmaking http://nwspl.us/trWys
?
zoid
It’s up to them to decide how they spend their money. They obviously think they it’s a good investment.
Toyota to close down by 2017.
Regional airlines to close down.
$100 million a year subsidy to sugar farmers a waste.
DJs and Myers doomed.
I hope Schapelle does get $3 million.
I really hope she gets the $3 million if she was innocent.
They should have taken a DNA sample of the cannabis. The footage at Sydney airport should not have disappeared.
Under those circumstances she should have not been imprisoned!
And I don’t have a problem with Corby being paid a motza either. Nine years of her life were taken. She’s still technically a prisoner. And over what? Smuggling a comparatively innocuous herb.
Now Reuters is circling Morriscum.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/10/us-australia-indonesia-asylum-idUSBREA1903F20140210
[ Toyota to close down by 2017.
Regional airlines to close down.
$100 million a year subsidy to sugar farmers a waste.
DJs and Myers doomed. ]
Looks like Abbott’s legacy will be to have been the prawn who instigated the largest implosion in the Australian economy since the Great Depression.
And all the fool can think of to do is have a Royal Commission into those nasty union officials who use credit cards to hire hookers.
What an utter, utter moron we have for PM!
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/10/us-australia-indonesia-asylum-idUSBREA1903F20140210
Asylum seekers accuse Australia navy of abuse as boat towed to Indonesia
By Aubrey Belford
KUPANG, Indonesia Sun Feb 9, 2014 11:41pm EST
(Reuters) – On New Year’s day, 45 asylum seekers in a ramshackle wooden boat slid ashore on a small island off the Australian city of Darwin. Four others had been swept overboard that morning in rough seas and were believed dead.
The survivors, from Africa and the Middle East, stumbled onto the beach, thankful to find refuge on Australian soil. Or so they thought.
Within an hour, an Australian warship and other vessels arrived. Military personnel forced the asylum seekers back onto their wooden boat and towed it out to sea. Their destination: Indonesia.
[The survivors, from Africa and the Middle East, stumbled onto the beach, thankful to find refuge on Australian soil. Or so they thought.
Within an hour, an Australian warship and other vessels arrived. Military personnel forced the asylum seekers back onto their wooden boat and towed it out to sea. Their destination: Indonesia.]
I wonder what international laws may have been broken here.
I’m all over it, ausdavo! Mrs U sends me here to rant, but the rest of you should have a look at: http://www.prosper.org.au
Mex:
[Sure some places are seeing increased property prices but overall i am yet to be convinced we are seeing any property boom.]
So what do you call a boom?
– How big a disconnect between yields and asset prices is required,
– How many multiples of median wages do median house prices have to reach,
– What proportion of bank lending going into housing, at the expense of investment in productive capital or infrastructure is needed,
…before you call it a boom?
Various goverment policies (-ve gearing, CGT discount) have led to capital being massive mis-allocated in this country for a few decades, and those chickens are going to come home to roost sooner or later.
A period of high unemployment about to hit with an all-out war on unions by Conservative corporate funded Govts designed to lower wages and increase corporate profits.
Howard implemented the popular gun reform controls after winning the ’96 election.
Nearly every first term elected PM gets another term. Howard really did no wrong in his first term and would have won easier in ’98 than he did had he not proposed a GST.
Howard almost lost the ’98 election with his policy for the GST.
Too many read too much into polls. Refer to 2004, Howard was never going to lose there either!
Seems Abbott’s Star chamber has the powers to investigate anyone for almost anything if they have a bank account.
[The Royal Commissioner will inquire into and report on:]
[ 8 The participation of any persons, associations or organisations other than registered employee associations or their officers in conduct of the type described in paragraphs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7.]
[ I wonder what international laws may have been broken here. ]
I don’t think you need to go international. Wouldn’t kidnapping be a local matter?
RD
Which will ensure we will no longer need the likes of Myer and David jones
It looks like the ideologues in the Liberal Party who wanted to destroy the Australian car industry have succeeded beyond their wildest expectations.
That is between 35 and 45,000 jobs gone in the auto manufacturing industry.
In case someone somewhere in Abbott or Joyce’s office is counting these poor bastards, this is the equivalent to one-in-five Australian farmers losing their livelihoods.
Rex
We are going to hear lots of arguments about lower pay so more people can get a job.
Diogenes@2700
Apparently she/ family have already received two payments prior to this.
$280,000 paid to her/them in Indonesia which the Indonesian government were not interested in blocking.
Another $100,000 which got blocked – presumably in Australia.
Long time ABC reporter Tim Palmer said this on 24.
No doubt they have something worked out for this latest payment as well.
[2700
Diogenes
Posted Monday, February 10, 2014 at 4:48 pm | PERMALINK
Presumably Ch 7 can just pay the money to Corbys sister to avoid legal problems with profiting from crime etc.]
Proceeds of crime legislation normally picks up these kind of arrangements
Fran #2706
Yet again another example of the Greens Party mentality of ignoring consequences of actions.
This country is being flushed down the toilet by lunatics.
Here’s a sad little commentary that might serve as some restraint on the self-righteousness of the Left.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-07/steketee-the-alleged-communist-ian-macdonald-betrayed/5244580
My paper sales continue to decline.
Woolworths and Coles take massive sales of magazines away from Newsagents just when overall sales are dropping due to internet subscriptions.
The shopping centres continue to put up the rent every 12 months and even more on the 5 year revue.
Already promoting on-line Lotto, now the Lotto organisations are planning to put Lotto into Petrol stations and corner stores.
Close down by the end of 2016 (lease renewal and shopfit) now appears very likely. For me the loss of half a million super! Staff lose their jobs!
And…. customers still believe a Newsagency is a license to print money. I get less per hour than my staff now (with nothing left for my super) but naturally I pay my staff super. My hourly rate is continuing to decline.
But…. I’m not the only business model facing such a future. Shopping centres may well exist but there will be few traders who can afford to operate in them.
So we do still have a manufacturing industry after all. It’s run out of Canberra and produces employment crises.
[ It looks like the ideologues in the Liberal Party who wanted to destroy the Australian car industry have succeeded beyond their wildest expectations.
That is between 35 and 45,000 jobs gone in the auto manufacturing industry.
In case someone somewhere in Abbott or Joyce’s office is counting these poor bastards, this is the equivalent to one-in-five Australian farmers losing their livelihoods. ]
The ALP wanted a car industry. All Abbott wanted was a BMW.
ausdavo
What can one say. 🙁
[We are going to hear lots of arguments about lower pay so more people can get a job.]
I’d take a 10% pay cut if someone could orchestrate (or castrate?) an immediate 30% reduction in house prices.
And if the financial world melts down again, I might just get that outcome, or better.
LU
I am with you on that
A US writer looks at the “petty minded attacks ” by some loud-mouthed neo-con schemers in the USA on Russia…do they want a war with Russia he asks???(who actually haven’t started any recent wars unlike the USA)
http://www.lewrockwell.com/2014/02/eric-margolis/loudmouth-neocon-schemers/
Centre
A good analysis of the concept that the GST nearly lost Howard the election in 1998 —
http://www.crikey.com.au/2010/02/09/great-myths-in-australian-politics-gst-almost-cost-howard-98-election/
Note:
Polling before the GST announcement:
Newspoll June 26-28, 1998 LNP 34 ALP 45
Newspoll July10-12, 1998 LNP 37 ALP 40
Newspoll July 24-26, 1998 LNP 35 ALP 41
Newspoll August 7-9, 1998 LNP 39 ALP 39]
Post GST:
[The first poll after the GST package (August 14-16) had the coalition ahead 44-39! It was the first time the coalition had been ahead since May.]
Shellbell – And I guess Channel 7 don’t care if the payment does get confiscated as long as the get the interview.
Rex Douglas
[Yet again another example of the Greens Party mentality of ignoring consequences of actions.]
If that’s an argument, PB must be holding a drag party. That’s the lamest outfit I’ve ever seen.
Ausdavo
What can I say except I am sorry Many years ago my mum and dad’s grocery store had to close when shopping centres etc opened
CTar1
Channel 7 is comfortably the least ethical of the FTA networks
Fran,
Until their laws are changed, their are consequences. Fact.
Zoomster
The GST announcement may have woken people up as to their voting intentions.
Beazley won the popular vote in ’98. No GST and Howard would’ve won easier.
I remember the ALP firming in the betting after the announcement of the GST package.
I know which indicator carries more weight – and it isn’t phoning people and asking them questions.
Pay rates are already able to be adjusted and this is already occurring.
Builders are no longer poor hard up workers but that doesn’t justify a $100 million being spent when there is already the ACC with its RC standing powers.
The Unions shouldn’t fear it as i suspect they don’t but for a government that controls the tendering process maybe they need to have a closer look at how the tendering process is conducted.
Under the photo of Macca at Psephos’s link:
[Ian Macdonald left all traces of left-wing ideology behind him to throw in his lot with Eddie Obeid]
Very accurate, for a change.
If we accept that the measures used by PM Rudd and DPM Gillard saved Australia from the worst of the GFC what can we make of Abbott as PM?
Perhaps Europe and the US had the meltdown deliberately caused by big finance to reduce wages?
Maybe Abbott is now carrying out that mission some 5 years later to bring us into line with the rest of the developed world.
The MSM has a lot to answer for and they’ll probably “stew” just like the rest of us.
Be very careful everyone!
With all car manufacturers now closing will Abbott allow the importation of second hand cars?
Bet he won’t, he need the donations from his used car dealer mates and won’t lower the prices.
Just on Corby:
I have just been abused by someone (hysterically) because I don’t believe the argument, put forward by Corby’s camp, that the Pot was placed in her Boogie Board Bag by some unknown, but corrupt baggage handlers, in a complicated and failed plot to ship the Pot from Brisbane to Sydney.
For mine, Occums Razor applies, that is that the simplest explanation is that Corby, or someone connected to her, placed the pot in that bag in a clumsy attempt to smuggle it through Bali Customs.
It’s unbelievable how people throw out rational thought for no other apparent reason other than Corby has a “pretty face” and a “girl next door” appearance.
First 1350 postal votes in Griffth went 58.22% TPP to Glasson.
If this trend continues the margin might drop to about 1% or a 2% swing to LNP overall.
Rex
[Fran, Until their laws are changed, there are consequences. Fact.]
Until their laws are changed, people will suffer needlessly. Fact.
Centre
As far as I’m aware, the betting market gets it wrong more often than the pollsters do.
(Which makes sense, because the people running the betting market make money; they can only do this if people bet wrongly).
No doubt the finance sector played a massive part in the GFC but it had noting to do with wanting to reduce wages, it was about making more money.
I will repeat what i have said before finance types spent their time thinking about themselves rather than screwing the so called workers.
I know some want to believe the great myth that people in suits are always thinking about how to screw the workers when in truth they are only thinking about themselves.
Under the reign of Abbott the first we are seeing the destruction of the car making industry and NOW…..horror…
[Fiat 500s take on Bathurst 12 hour]
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/motoring/news/article.cfm?c_id=9&objectid=11199447
Fran Barlow@2706
It is not “a comparatively innocuous herb” you dill! 😡
Shellbell – I note the ‘FTA’ qualification in your last.
😀
Poor old Tone. The Toyota closure story is trumping the RC (at least on the ABC).
I reckon this RC will be an example of careful what you wish for. It takes two to tango. I imagine there will be many big companies not looking forward to what may come out.