James J relates that the fortnightly Newspoll in tomorrow’s Australian is bad news for the government, showing Labor leading 54-46 on two-party preferred (up from an already above-trend 53-47 last time) from primary votes of 38% Coalition (steady), 36% Labor (up two) and 13% Greens (down one). Tony Abbott is down one on both approval and disapproval, to 37% and 52%, while Bill Shorten is up two to 37% and down one to 45%. Preferred prime minister is at 39-38 in favour of Abbott, unchanged on last time. The poll was conducted from Friday to Sunday from a sample of 1175.
UPDATE: Essential Research bucks the trend a little to record the Coalition up a point to 40% and Labor down one by 38%, with Labor’s two-party lead narrowing from 53-47 to 52-48. The Greens are up a point to 10%, with Palmer United steady at 4%. Further questions found strong opposition to deregulation of university fees (53% disapprove, 22% approve), support for the NDIS being funded by a higher Medicare levy (44% approve, 34% disapprove), and a willingness to pay a higher GST if used to fund health (56%) or pensions (44%). There was also a very strong view that climate change will lead to a higher incidence of bushfires and severe weather events in the coming years.
Also today, Fairfax offered a further tranche of its Ipsos poll finding Julie Bishop level with Tony Abbott on 20% as preferred Liberal leader, but with Malcolm Turnbull still well ahead of both on 35%. For Labor leader, Bill Shorten on 30% had competition from Anthony Albanese and Tanya Plibersek on 18% apiece.
confessions
My mum too!
A survey of more than 500 company directors by the Australian Institute of Company Directors has found nearly half of the directors surveyed believe the Abbott government’s performance in its first year in office has been poor or very poor….
The survey also found that a majority of directors believe their business has not been affected by the abolition of the carbon tax.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/abbott-government-losing-favour-with-business-community-20141105-11hf9r.html#ixzz3IBWCU7Nd
Wendy harmer on today’s memorial
[In the case of Gough Whitlam’s State Memorial Service at the Sydney Town Hall I think it’s quite appropriate given the “old man’s” abiding love of the arts.
And so, yes, it was a gorgeous event with a soaring, dramatic arc. Moving, funny, profound, uplifting and featuring a cast of consummate performers. The music was sublime.]
http://thehoopla.com.au/wendy-gough-memorial/
Has anyone called up Peta yet?
I don’t know who dressed the imbecile today, but they forgot his blue tie. Someone from Team Australia will be in trouble that is for sure
[BUSINESS leaders’ confidence in the Abbott government has slumped to the lowest level since the coalition won power, with almost two-thirds seeing no benefit in scrapping the carbon tax.
THE Director Sentiment Index fell 7.1 points during the second half of 2014 to minus 29, the same level as when Julia Gillard was an unpopular Labor prime minister in early 2013.
Three-quarters of business leaders polled believe the current government’s performance is hurting consumer confidence and nearly half say it’s affecting their business decisions.
Almost half rated the government’s first year in office as poor or very poor, with most saying they don’t believe the government understands business.
]
http://www.news.com.au/finance/business/abbott-business-standing-at-gillard-level/story-e6frfkur-1227113359155
jeffemu:
Is that right that ABbott didn’t wear a blue tie? If so I make that the first time in years he has appeared in public wearing a tie other than coloured blue.
[A survey of more than 500 company directors by the Australian Institute of Company Directors has found nearly half of the directors surveyed believe the Abbott government’s performance in its first year in office has been poor or very poor….]
They’re blaming the senate cause the senate won’t pass Abbott’s b-shit budget the screws the workers. I couldn’t give a shit what company directors think about Abbott & I am one.
confessions
‘Twas a black tie.
I like my pic better Poroti…. it has BK’s famous quote
mike,
There are two really bad things that can happen in life. Not getting what you want and getting exactly what you want and having to live with the consequences.
In my Pic …. is that Morrison’s Former Toy General to Abbott left
An interesting article on the cost of bandwidtha round the world.
About half way down is Australia. Read and weep, especially the reasons why.
http://blog.cloudflare.com/the-relative-cost-of-bandwidth-around-the-world/?utm_content=bufferfc0a8&
poroti, jeffemu:
Well, well. The seal’s been broken on that then!
jeffemu @ 811: No, it’s not. The gentleman in your picture is General Hurley, now Governor of NSW. It’s Lt General Campbell who worked with Mr Morrison.
GG
Agree.
It’s more about not really wanting too much & living with what you’ve got.
jeffemu
Great comment from BK. Another great line was from CTar1. Reckon it is good enough to be chiseled on a memorial.
[ An imperfect Giant went by.
We’re better for it.”]
Thank you Pedant – I stand corrected.
Talk about a parochial group living in the past and fighting battles from 40 years ago. A political website and not one comment in this thread about the US mid terms and the comprehensive denunciation of the Obama legacy. Apropos of the Australian voter verdict in 1975 and 1977.
Ooo a drive by conservative. 🙂
OMG! An Australian politics forum discussing a former PM whose memorial was today!
TALK ABOUT WHAT I WANT YOU TO TALK ABOUT: MY SPIN ABOUT A FOREIGN ELECTION!!1!
ru
Don’t stop him as he moves on through to somewhere he’s welcome.
The impotent are pure
Carey Moore
As Basil Fawlty may have said “Whatever you do don’t mention the Abbott v Whitlam comparison”.
Good luck y’all ‘Mercans now that even more Tea Party wing Repugs were elected. Enjoy !
“Yes, the demonisation of Rudd has had its effect.”
Hardly demonization if it’s the people who knew him doing the characterisation.
The Labor party base hates Rudd. He’ll get no redemption in their eyes. The fact the MPs desperate to save their hides closed their eyes, choked down their vomit and let him back in – if only he’d stop stabbing everyone – says nothing other than that Labor were desperate.
Gillard’s legacy is secure. Rudd will never get more than grudging acknowledgement.
Actually, many of the major GOP candidates this year, defeated Tea Party primary challenges.
One of the reasons the Republicans did so well this year is because they were a bit more mainstream.
victoria@778
Yes. And about Gillard too.
“If Whitlam had turned up for a funeral in 1979 I would have been met with near silence and Keating in 1999 with boos. Time heals. After all we all love Fraser now – or at least I do- he is far to the left of Shorten, Gillard and Tanya P”
And if he were 30 years younger and leading Labor, he’d have their 2PP in the low 40s.
Rambler 818
_________
Actually I commented yesterday on the likely US poll outcokme
I baeed this in the Nate Silver Blog in the US,and he has a remarkable record of success
I pointed out he was predicting a result like that which has now come with a very big swing to the Repubs
This is compounded of voter dissisfaction with Obama ,who apart from Obamacare has little to show for 6 years ,and gets the blame for the sate of the US economy as Bush did six years ago…as as will his successors who will fail… as the US economy continues to decline and living standards fall
Most Americans are worried but don’t realise yet… that as they say…the parade’s gone by
US Presidents do see to get a negative message in mid-term elections. Only 38% turnout with large parts of the Democrat base not bothering to vote.
Actually enjoying watching Paul Murray on Sky. Knew he would have loved the Gough show….NOT.Something about people like Paul and Planet Janet blubbing over Abbott being booed warms the cockles of the heart.
[Gillard’s legacy is secure. Rudd will never get more than grudging acknowledgement.]
When you think about it it’s pretty sad. Things could’ve been so very different for him had he acted in the interests of the party rather than his own self interest.
Don’t b*tch about the mid terms — I was relying on this site to tell me who won the Melbourne Cup.
Nate’s great, but even he missed the size of the swing to the Republicans, likely because the polling data indicated higher turnouts than eventually occurred.
The Democrats desperately need young, urban votes to start turning up in mid-terms or they can kiss the House goodbye permanently.
confessions – agreed. His textbook response to the GFC, however abetted by Chinese stimulus, should have secured his legacy.
But he lost the politics and he never had the party.
poroti:
On Foxtel, I received a phone call the other day from Foxtel where the chirpy chappy informed me that Foxtel has never been such great value, inviting me to subscribe again at a much more competitive subscription rate.
I was tempted. Then I remembered the Paul Murrays and the other morons all over Sky News and calmly said thanks but no, and hung up.
Rambler@822
There are now effective medical treatments you can avail yourself of.
There are some similarities between Rudd and Obama. Both had and lost a substantial amount of public goodwill. Perhaps both were/will be replaced by the first head of state.
Sorry female head of state.
The Abbott vision for a “pure” G20:
[THE potential impact of Ebola on the global economy isn’t big enough to warrant adding it to the agenda of next week’s G20 summit, Prime Minister Tony Abbott says…
However, Mr Abbott said Ebola would be discussed if raised by leaders at the summit in Brisbane.
“But my very, very strong concern is to try to keep the G20 as an economic forum, not as a security forum, not as a public health forum,” he said.
“There are other forums to talk about environmental issues. There are other forums to talk about security issues and there are other forums to talk about health issues.”]
http://www.news.com.au/national/breaking-news/ebola-not-on-g20-summit-agenda-abbott/story-e6frfku9-1227113775603
Shirt-fronting is of course well known as a purely economic subject.
Re 830
Of course nothing about turnout and elections in the US of A is ever as straightforward as we enjoy in a compulsory voting regime. Democrat activists endeavour to get ballot measures up regarding raising the minimum wages etc (which incidentally appear to have been carried in every state that they appeared) as a way of boosting turnover.
The GOP relies more on gun measures. If you want to see how different the USA can be to what we are used to, see the Washington state measure where 40% of the turnout voted in favour of removing all background checks on internet gun purchasers – or the Maine measure to restrict ‘non-sporting’ means of bear hunting (such as using barrels filled with donuts to attract bears)which was defeated.
confessions@832
There, fixed it for you.
confessions
Knowing how he would take the Gough fest was just too tempting. Had to have a peek. It was a good 😀 , a case of it being so bad that it is good.
839
The Prime Minister is not our head of state. The Queen is, our second female head of state (Queen Victoria having been our first head of state for a few weeks before she died in 1901). The Prime Minister is the head of Government.
[His textbook response to the GFC, however abetted by Chinese stimulus, should have secured his legacy.]
I reckon most people have forgotten about the GFC, and have certainly forgotten what Labor did to ward its effects off here. Other than the pink batts scandal that is.
poroti:
Gotta say I do miss having Foxtel for the sport that isn’t broadcast on FTA, ie whenever our cricketers tour internationally. But other than that I haven’t really missed it, apart from the odd live news conference here and there.
[The GOP relies more on gun measures.]
Turn out or we’ll shoot you?
[The Prime Minister is not our head of state. The Queen is, our second female head of state (Queen Victoria having been our first head of state for a few weeks before she died in 1901). The Prime Minister is the head of Government.]
“Head of state” is such a silly political science term, especially in the contemporary Australian context.
Nonetheless, God Save the Queen!
words from a moron
“But my very, very strong concern is to try to keep the G20 as an economic forum…
There are other forums to talk about environmental issues”
The dimwit can’t see the connection between the two issues… too stupid
The USA, like everywhere else, would benefit from compulsory voting. It not only reduces people not turning up to vote but also increases people`s engagement with politics because they have to vote. It also reduces marginalisation of less powerful groups in society and makes some types electoral fraud harder or at least much easier to detect.