This week’s 51-49 Newspoll result has caused a slight moderation in this week’s BludgerTrack poll aggregate, which blew out to 52.2-47.8 last week on the back of strong result for Labor from ReachTEL. The 0.5% shift has had a bigger-than-usual effect on the seat projection, with Labor slipping four seats to barely make it to majority government status. This amounts to one seat each in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia. There are two new data points for leaders’ ratings, from Newspoll and Essential, and they’ve caused the trendlines to continue moving in the directions they were already headed – inexorably downwards for both leaders on net approval, with a gently narrowing trend on preferred prime minister.
GhostWhoVotes @GhostWhoVotes 15m
#Nielsen Poll Primary Votes: L/NP 44 (0) ALP 35 (+2) GRN 12 (0) #auspol
GhostWhoVotes @GhostWhoVotes 14m
#Nielsen Poll Abbott: Approve 45 (0) Disapprove 49 (+2) #auspol
GhostWhoVotes @GhostWhoVotes 13m
#Nielsen Poll Preferred PM: Abbott 48 (-1) Shorten 43 (+4) #auspol
and a US Senator now gives his reasons for saying that the US should stay out of the Ukrainian crisis
http://original.antiwar.com/Sen._Richard_H._Black/2014/03/14/the-west-should-stay-out-of-ukraine-crisis/
Personally, I found some of the signs at the rally to be tacky and apolitically visceral. I told one of those wearing a F%%k Tony Abbott t-shirt — apparently from Socialist Alternative — that this had nothing to do with critique of the system for which Abbott was merely the ugly face. I challenged her to find in Iskra an equivalent. She looked blankly back, presumably because she had no idea what Iskra was.
Other handmade signs bore other murderous or rather scatological sentiments.
The thing to keep in mind though is that while these sentiments are not those that serious folk would wish to be identified with in public, they are real, and a measure of how far political discourse has degenerated under the rule of Murdoch and his playthings. It’s complete hypocrisy for his bovver boys to wail their outrage in what for all practical purposes, their monopoly media organs when they have utterly trashed public discourse for much more than a decade. When you deny and silence the thoughtful and considered and reward RW angry folk with coverage, it’s almost inevitable that those marginalised will respond in kind.
FTR, I saw a great many signs that were witty or passionate without being scatological. One person wrote: I’m so angry I made this sign! Another, channelling Father Ted, wrote, “stop these sorts of things! Another said Love knows no borders but I suppose those won’t make the news.
When 15-17,000 people turn up to a rally, angry that the country has gone to the proverbial dogs, and that the vulnerable are being abused in our name, some are going to be rude, especially if that gets the media coverage. That’s regrettable, but also inevitable.
Zoomster,
Well, in my defence, my first paragraph did deal directly with your point, but the subsequent two did discuss related thoughts, not targeting you. It’s a bit of a flaw in the way I post, sometimes ideas get aren’t perfectly expressed.
Pegasus,
Yes, certainly his presence wasn’t large, Sukkar spent big and spent widely. I stayed in Mitcham for a few months before the election while I was finding a more permanent residence so walked/drove past his office a fair amount in that period (never went in, as I had no reason to). The only time I saw him was at a “Community Cabinet” in Ringwood.
[“Abbott, Putting the N in Cuts”]
That one is quite funny actually.
Good morning Dawn Patrollers.
I will be in Canberra for the next two mornings so, with only an iPad – useless for creating stuff – on hand I will most likely be unable to post my Patrolllers’ Report.
This will be interesting. The devil will be in the detail.
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/tony-abbotts-war-on-red-tape-starts-with-repeal-day-20140316-34ve5.html
Michael Gordon reviews the latest Fairfax poll.
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/tony-abbott-still-unpopular-with-voters-20140316-34vnh.html
Simple. Randall rorted.
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/mp-don-randall-asked-finance-officials-if-he-could-charge-taxpayers-for-trip-20140316-34vn0.html
Religion? Pfffttt!
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/criticising-islam-gays-sets-army-major-up-for-a-fall-20140316-34va7.html
Sour grapes in large quantities at the Liberal Party.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia-state-election-2014/liberals-call-for-changes-to-sas-electoral-laws-in-wake-of-state-election/story-fnl3k6uz-1226856125213
Anne Summers has some advice for Abbott on the subject of feminism.
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/tony-abbott-as-one-feminist-to-another-here-are-a-few-words-of-advice-20140316-34va9.html
Ross Gittins warns against abolishing the mining tax.
http://www.smh.com.au/business/ending-mining-tax-will-damage-jobs-20140316-34vh1.html
Section 2 . . .
Alan Moir peers through Abbott’s intentions on health care.
Just in case you missed David Pope’s ripper on Saturday.
http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/federal-politics/cartoons/david-pope-20120214-1t3j0.html
Matt Golding and Abbott’s Dreamtime.
http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/federal-politics/matt-golding-20090907-fdh2.html
Pat Campbell looks at arts funding.
http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/federal-politics/cartoons/pat-campbell-20120213-1t21q.html
SO CLEVER!! David Rowe at the Grand Prix with Jay Weatherill and the new car specifications.
http://www.afr.com/p/national/cartoon_gallery_david_rowe_1g8WHy9urgOIQrWQ0IrkdO
And from the Land of the Free –
What a sad loss this will be!
http://americablog.com/2014/03/fred-god-hates-fgs-phelps-near-death.html
Bill Maher mocks the Repugs for denying science.
http://crooksandliars.com/2014/03/maher-mocks-gop-denying-science-how-much
More on wage theft.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/03/14/1284775/-McDonald-s-wage-theft-is-a-feature-of-not-a-bug-in-the-cutthroat-low-wage-fast-food-industry