The fortnightly Essential Research poll is out and, perhaps unsurprisingly for what will surely be its last survey for the year, it does not break its post-election habit of not publishing numbers on voting intention. What it does have is the monthly leadership ratings, which record little change for Scott Morrison (approval steady at 45%, disappoval up two to 43%) and favourable movement for Anthony Albanese (up two on approval to 39%, down six on disapproval to 28%). There is no preferred prime minister rating, but we do get evaluations on how the leaders have performed since the election: 11% say Scott Morrison has exceeded expectations, 41% that he has met them and 47% that he has fallen short of them, with Albanese’s respective ratings being 8%, 48% and 44%.
Also:
• The regular end-of-year question on for whom this has and hasn’t been a good year suggests people leaned positive about their own circumstances, albeit less so than last year; that it was a much better year for the government, which is hard to argue with on a purely political level; that it was a bad yet still much better year for “Australian politics in general”, the improvement presumably relating to the lack of a prime ministerial leadership coup; and that things were unambiguously positive only for large companies and the Australian cricket team.
• After two years of legalised same-sex marriage, 47% say it has had a positive impact, 15% negative and 38% neither.
• There remains negative sentiment towards unions, whom 49% say have too much power compared with 37% who disagreed. Fully 68% thought union officials should be disqualified merely for breaching administrative laws, with only 18% in disagreement, while 51% thought unions should be disqualified for taking unprotected industrial election, with 32% disagreeing. However, 62% agreed the government was “more concerned about the actions of union officials than the CEO’s of banks and other corporations”.
• Thirty-five per cent thought Scott Morrison should have stood Angus Taylor down from cabinet with 17% supporting his position, while 48% conceded they had not been following the issue.
• There was overwhelming support for the establishment of a federal ICAC, at 75% with only 8% opposed.
The poll was conducted Thursday to Sunday from a sample of 1035 respondents drawn from an online panel.
“ Of course the Lib Dems were the Centrists. It’s why they got both Labour and Tories defecting to them.”
Please try to pay attention. The defectors were mainly the Remainers from both of the other parties. They defected in the face of ideological purges. Before going LDP they tried to set up an independent group first.
“If you are going to troll, at least try to get it right!”
Oh doGs above you are easy to confuse.
Player One @ #1796 Saturday, December 14th, 2019 – 5:41 pm
It’s a great story. The pursuit of knowledge, allowing bravery to come to the fore and always having a heart.
Thank you for the accolade.
AE
Yeah maybe. With right wing radicals in charge governing that way is not that hard.
However Albo has to do it from Opposition. He is not in government.
Stop thinking you campaign as if you are the government. While reasonable normally. These are not normal times.
We are in a similar political era as the 1920’s.
Post crash pre WW2
In the UK they have more food banks than McDonalds.
AE
So you don’t think it was the policies other than Brexit. Cool. 🙂
lizzie @ #1788 Saturday, December 14th, 2019 – 5:30 pm
There is no hope for the MDB as long as people believe water allocated for environmental flows is just being ‘wasted’ 🙁
“We are in a similar political era as the 1920’s.
Post crash pre WW2 ”
There are a lot of worrying parallels betwixt now and then. And new worrying factors like Climate Change and the kind of chaos in politics and markets caused by the speed of info (both correct and bullshit) vi internet / social media. I suspect teh Chinese would describe it as “interesting times”. 🙁
Guytaur
The LibDems could be seen as a more centralist version of the Greens then a real centalist party. This election was about delivering Brexit or in Scotland being against it.
imacca @ #1802 Saturday, December 14th, 2019 – 5:51 pm
Your post was a misrepresentation of my comment, which is a very common tactic here amongst people who are on the losing side of an argument.
What would you call it?
I thought I explained it all last night so that we don’t have to repeat it endlessly.
The Bastard Blairites and the Bastard Labor Centrists systematically stole Corbyn’s oxygen and this is why Labor got hammered in the British elections.
Corbyn was so busy trying to breathe that his messages about turning back the British clock by three quarters of a century did not get anywhere. Nor did his clever approach to betting two bob each way on Leave/Remain strike a chord. This is all because the Blairites and the Centrists muddied the messages at every turn.
If it hadn’t been for those capitalist roader fifth columnists, Corby would now be bestriding Britain like a Colossus.
Victoria is the most civilised state, partly because Melbourne is a far greater proportion of its population than the capital cities of other states. There are other factors, but the occupation of the Liberal party in Victoria by right wing and religious extremists will result in Victoria being an almost perpetual Labor state. Not that I have any regard for the Victorian Liberals, but I do think it would be better for democracy if there were a sane alternative.
Boerwar
I differently think that a lack of unity was an issue for Corbyn when compared to Shorten and his level of team unity. Labour didn’t help themselves.
Boerwar @ #1810 Saturday, December 14th, 2019 – 6:00 pm
It’s the reason why Sydney was infested with bushfire smoke this week.
Mexican
We are in full agreement about the unity. I don’t blame Corbyn for it took time to replace the Blairites in the party who were being disloyal.
I don’t count people like Starmer in that lot of course.
It’s also why I think people are dreaming if they think Labour is going back to the Blair style of government
imacca
I wish EVERYBODY with a functioning brain could listen to an interview of JK Galbraith by Philip Adams which included an explanation by JK of the motives behind the setting up of the ‘Welfare State” post WWII. JK was there ! Any way , it was basically as a means to avoid the populace taking up extreme politics as happened pre war. It has been pretty depressing over the years to watch the “welfare state” provisions being dismantled and remembering his words 🙁 .
The crazy thing is he said the motive behind ensuring such protections of the “workers” was to protect the wealth of the elite. The very people who seem behind today’s dismantling. Their “altruism” at the time based on the fact that the war and the results of the mob being attracted to extreme politics saw them suffer the greatest ‘destruction of wealth”. 100% behind the Iron Curtain.
Boerwar
NSW seems to be the fly in the ointment (or the carp in the water).
‘Mexicanbeemer says:
Saturday, December 14, 2019 at 6:03 pm
Boerwar
I differently think that a lack of unity was an issue for Corbyn when compared to Shorten and his level of team unity. Labour didn’t help themselves.’
The Tories had shown considerable disunity. But they ran with Brexit. End of story.
An interesting piece by historian Dan Jones. He basically takes much of what has been written into a simple article.
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/12/13/opinions/uk-election-results-opinion-jones/index.html
Things were different back then. How different ?. A story about the crossing of paths of Fraudenberg’s dad and Barry Cassidy. A 16 y.o. trusted to do such things ? A 16 y.o. having to do such work >
“Victoria is the most civilised state, partly because Melbourne is a far greater proportion of its population than the capital cities of other states.”
SA and WA both have about 80% of their population in their capitals city metro areas.
Steve777 says:
Saturday, December 14, 2019 at 6:43 pm
“Victoria is the most civilised state, partly because Melbourne is a far greater proportion of its population than the capital cities of other states.”
SA and WA both have about 80% of their population in their capitals city metro areas.
_________
Well there are clearly other factors. Such as having such a large city which creates an extensive inner urban area where a certain level of sophistication and specialisation can occur.
NSW has been ruled by the Rum Corps and their successors for most of the time since Governor Phillip quit.
now this is unfortunate…
“christmas shoppers have been left stranded at Myer stores nationwide, unable to pay for items, after the store’s IT system collapsed.
The department store’s point-of-sale system was down at all of its 61 stores on Saturday afternoon – less than two weeks before Christmas, in the peak of the holiday shopping rush.
The technical issue began at 1.20pm. Some stores have since come back online, while others are still unable to process sales.
At 3.30pm at Myer’s flagship Melbourne store in Bourke Street Mall, shoppers stood in a queue that snaked for around 20 metres to make purchases at one of only two operational registers.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/consumer-affairs/myer-registers-down-leaving-christmas-shoppers-stranded-20191214-p53jzw.html
nath @ #1811 Saturday, December 14th, 2019 – 3:02 pm
Expressed as a percentage I think you’ll find the Perth/WA ratio is higher. Adelaide/SA probably likewise.
EDIT: I see steve777 got in before me.
Steve777
Yep, for NSW the choice is between the Rum Corp’s Blue Platoon and the Red Platoon. Their ‘business model” has shown remarkable resilience 😆
Why do Melbournians always have to tug their own chain?
I did greatly enjoy myself last week in the glorious metropolis- but really..
sprocket_ @ #1826 Saturday, December 14th, 2019 – 6:52 pm
Just helping out the stranded asset called Sydney.
Why come to a city if you can’t see anything?
Steve777 says:
Saturday, December 14, 2019 at 6:43 pm
“Victoria is the most civilised state, partly because Melbourne is a far greater proportion of its population than the capital cities of other states.”
SA and WA both have about 80% of their population in their capitals city metro areas.
___________
In the late ninteenth century we were called Smellbourne. In the early 1990s we were called a rust bucket. But how the tables have turned. Melbourne will be the biggest city in Australia in a few years and we’ve got culture coming out of our backsides.
nath
Speaking of coming out of backsides. How good was the first human who said….. “I’m going to eat the next thing that comes out of that bird’s arse”
nath @ #1828 Saturday, December 14th, 2019 – 4:02 pm
You can get ointment for that.
Nath wrote, re. Melbourne:
… and we’ve got culture coming out of our backsides.
Exactly. And it’s pretty obvious that’s the path it’s taken.
All this envy of our extensive tram network, our unparalleled architectural heritage, our National Gallery and winter wardrobe options.
Melbourne is also fortunate to get less of virulent Murdoch media.
Cud Chewer @ #1833 Saturday, December 14th, 2019 – 7:19 pm
Melbourne is fortunate it does not have to put up with NSW Labor 🙁
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/dec/14/labour-meltdown-decades-govern-votes
P1
Chicken and egg situation there. 🙂
guytaur says:
Saturday, December 14, 2019 at 5:14 pm
I see RI is complaining about the Greens being effective again.
How pernicious of them.
You might think keeping the Liberals in power and destroying the environmental movement is effective, but there are a few people who care for the environment and not for the Green party wank and they are pretty dam angry with the damage wrought by RDN little private party.
nath:
Melbourne in the ’60s and ’70s was dishwater, prompting Ava Gardner to opine that she couldn’t think of a better place to make a film about the end of the world – “On the Beach”.
I was there at the time. I agree with her critique. Little wonder she was enamoured of Spain, elsewhere.
The Green party does deliver one advantage. Labor doesn’t have the problem of Labour. Labor lost by one seat and they only have to deal with a left wing anti labor party. Labour has to deal with a very serious internal issue.
Player One @ #1834 Saturday, December 14th, 2019 – 7:23 pm
You’re just the steak knives.
Mavis
says:
Saturday, December 14, 2019 at 7:38 pm
nath:
Melbourne in the ’60s and ’70s was dishwater, prompting Ava Gardner to opine that she couldn’t think of a better place to make a film about the end of the world – “On the Beach”.
__________________________
That’s what 30 years of conservative rule will do for you.
poroti, what dismantling of the welfare state is occurring ?
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/dec/13/corbynism-labour-left-party
“Labour’s ruling elite forgot that parties of the left are held to a higher standard than those committed to the status quo: to change people’s lives and spend their money, first you must win their trust. That obligation is even spelled out in Labour’s constitution, which insists that “Labour seeks the trust of the people to govern.” Instead, the leadership clique dragged around their 1970s baggage and arcane ideological obsessions – the antisemitism arose not by accident, but as the inevitable outgrowth of a strain of left conspiracist thinking – that marked them out as cranks, unfit to run the country.
Devoid of agility, charisma and credibility, Corbyn has led Labour into the abyss. To warn of this danger and sound the alarm was to be instantly howled down as a Blairite, a centrist, a red Tory. On social media, a group of outriders policed the conversation, unleashing a pile-on of mockery and denunciation on anyone guilty of pointing out that the emperor seemed to be unnervingly lacking in clothes. (Then they affected surprise when those they’d told to “fuck off and join the Tories” didn’t come running to help.)
The tragedy of this is measured in the idealistic young volunteers who signed up for a new and necessary movement in 2015, but whose faith was abused by a clique of hard-left sectarian dinosaurs – and, most important, it is measured in the millions who needed a social democratic government and now won’t get one.”
Melbourne does less of this building things pulling them down and building them again, as a result we have more stuff.
The Bolte government tried to do the trams in but they survived because of one man, Robert Risson. He was head of the Tramways Board from 1949 to 1970. He refused to give up on trams, despite nearly everyone else doing so. He was a strong, decisive man. By the time he retired in 1970 it was at the stage when people were starting to see the wisdom of his decision. If he had retired 5-10 years earlier, I think it would have been a different story and we may be in the same mess Sydney is in.
Kate
Wrong wrong wrong.
Look at the article I linked. The woes go further back than that.
A clue. Labour losing Scotland to the SNP.
Kate
Your rant encapsulates just the sort of bullshit that has seen this old basically left leaning bustard say “Fuck Labor” . Vote Labor for a nicer shade of lipstick on a Tory Policy ? Screw that and the party.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/dec/13/jeremy-corbyn-labour-manifesto-antisemitism-brexit
“Labour was disastrously, catastrophically bad, an agony to behold. A coterie of Corbynites cared more about gripping power within the party than saving the country by winning the election. The national executive committee, a slate of nodding Corbynite place-persons, disgraced the party with its sectarian decisions. Once it was plain in every poll and focus group that Corbynism was electoral arsenic, they should have propelled him out, but electoral victory was secondary.
………. Yet his legacy is of historic importance: he did this country profound, nation-splitting, irreparable harm. Had he led his party and the unions full tilt against Brexit, the narrowly lost referendum could have been won. But he and his cabal refused outright: when beseeched, they said they were too busy with May’s local elections. He wouldn’t share any remain platform. Festering Bennite 1970s ideologies blinded his sect from seeing Brexit was the far right’s weapon of buccaneering destruction. He could have saved us – but he obfuscated.”
Porori it’s not “my rant” – I don’t write for The Guardian
Re Kate @7:52.
Be that as it may, a lot of British turkeys just voted for Christmas.
Kate:
[‘Devoid of agility, charisma and credibility, Corbyn has led Labour into the abyss’].
Insightful post, there being no way that Corbyn would be elected. Thus we end up with clown Johnson.