The Australian reports the Coalition has opened a 51-49 lead in the latest Newspoll, after the previous poll three weeks ago recorded a dead heat. The Coalition is up two on the primary vote to 43%, with Labor down one to 35%, the Greens down two to 10% and One Nation down one to 3%. Scott Morrison’s approval rating is down two to 66%, with the disapproval not yet provided; Albanese is down one on approval to 44% and up three on disapproval to 37%. Morrison’s lead as preferred prime minister is all but unchanged at 56-29, compared with 56-28 last time. The poll was conducted Wednesday to Saturday from a sample of 1504. More detail to follow later.
UPDATE: Morrison’s disapproval rating turns out to be up two to 30%. These numbers have been incorporated into the BludgerTrack leadership trends which you can see on the sidebar and in greater detail here. Newspoll has put to respondents the same suite of questions concerning coronavirus in its last three polls, which record soaring confidence in “federal and state governments’ performance” in managing the economic impact (60% satisfied, up 13 points on last time, and 24% dissatisfied, down nine), preparing the health system (up 19 to 78% and down 13 to 15%) and informing Australians about how to protect themselves (up seven to 82% and down seven to 13%).
Cud Chewer says:
Monday, May 18, 2020 at 1:27 pm
I suggest you move to Giles and let the rest of us get on with life.
Bucephalus @ #389 Monday, May 18th, 2020 – 1:33 pm
Kapow! That’s a spicy matzah ball!
sprocket_ @ #376 Monday, May 18th, 2020 – 1:30 pm
The dolt Bowen is a neo-lib in sheeps clothing.
Rex Douglas says:
Monday, May 18, 2020 at 1:30 pm
Continually Insufferable @ #211 Monday, May 18th, 2020 – 11:25 am
The Australian electorate will do what it nearly always does – elect an LNP Federal Government. We will all be the poorer for it, but that’s the way we roll in this country.
Centrist Labor types prefer the neo-lib trickle-down methodology.
Morrisons way is far more acceptable to you than Bandts progressive agenda announced today.
Whatever the editors of Rexology might think of other bludgers or what they might attribute to them wrt to Bandt, the policy announced by the Greens will never fly. By labelling these ides with a Green badge, they are inviting their certain rejection by voters.
The single best things the Greens could do is to dissolve themselves.
Rex Douglassays:
Monday, May 18, 2020 at 1:30 pm
Do you know any swing voter who can even tell you what Neo-Liberal means? I certainly can’t. It’s mumbo-jumbo.
But if you think it is the root cause of all evil then you keep banging the drum. Good luck.
alfred venison
Birmo all alone singing the chorus to Blondie’s ‘Call Me’
.
poroti
That was also the case in Australia. Public transport data showed people staying home in droves starting March 14.
https://citymapper.com/cmi/sydney
Note that Sydney has crept back up to around 20% of “normal” public transport traffic and Gladys has said that peak hour trains are already at “maximum safe” levels.
People did see the news and responded quite rationally – whilst Scomo was still talking about going to the footy.
Sir Henry Parkes: “…what really did for Labor was the inexcusable infighting, as Kevin Rudd and those backing him, constantly undermined Gillard’s leadership through leaks and backgrounding to the media and sometimes through open mockery of her. If not for that, I think there’s a good chance Labor could have won a third term and bedded down such worthwhile policies such as carbon pricing, the Gonski education reforms and a properly functioning NBN. Alas we’ll never know.”
That’s always been my view of what happened. Let’s name them up: Rudd, Fitzgibbon, Griffin, Albo (in a shadowy way in the background), Kim Carr and a number of others, including – ultimately – Shorten and Wong. Apart from the last two, who have some excuse, this bunch was the biggest group of Labor rats in Australian history: way beyond the likes of Billy Hughes, Joe Lyons and the DLP.
Carbon emissions declined in industrial economies generally in the aftermath of the GFC.
RexDouglas
“Fair dinkum how do these people get away with their treachery ..??”
The Greens, you mean? I think people sorry for them, because of their perpetual idealism and naivety. But I’m less forgiving of Greens treachery. The Greens are just another political party after all.
Lots of songs for the Trade Minister..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTG7HOVIahs
meher baba says:
Monday, May 18, 2020 at 1:39 pm
That’s a big call – it was pretty freaking awful but worse than the DLP from an ALP perspective?
I’m just putting it out there that the LNP Abbott-Turnbull- Morrison proved that changing PM’s doesn’t have to be terminal, as was the conventional wisdom.
Just re-posting this to reinforce the point:
Continually Insufferablesays:
Monday, May 18, 2020 at 1:40 pm
“Carbon emissions declined in industrial economies generally in the aftermath of the GFC.”
Facts. Heh.
Now, about that “Planet of the Humans” doco…..
Shorten as well.
Labor is just a mirage now which their partisans promote with a sense of quiet hopelessness.
WeWantPaul
For mine the biggest issue with financial markets is the over importance placed on it by some people when all it really should be is giving people access to different access classes. The market is not the economy and shouldn’t be treated as such.
Cud Chewe
A better Blondie one than Call Me would be “Hanging On The Telephone”.
………………………………………………………………………………
“I’m in the phone booth, it’s the one across the hall
If you don’t answer, I’ll just ring it off the wall
I know he’s there, but I just had to call
Don’t leave me hanging on the telephone
Don’t leave me hanging on the telephone
Oh, why can’t we talk again?
Oh, why can’t we talk again?
Oh, why can’t we talk again?
Buce: “I’m just putting it out there that the LNP Abbott-Turnbull- Morrison proved that changing PM’s doesn’t have to be terminal, as was the conventional wisdom.”
The problem Labor faced was that they couldn’t force Rudd out of parliament after the 2010 election because they were likely to lose his seat in a by-election, and thereby their parliamentary majority (supported by the group of independents). He was always going to do everything he could to tear Gillard down: which, in turn, was going to guarantee Labor a loss in 2013 (the “save the furniture” argument was always total crap IMO). But, of course, Rudd didn’t care whether Labor won or lost: he was bent on revenge. And he got his revenge, but he tore down the house at the same time. And this was despite Gillard behaving even better after her removal than Turnbull later did.
At the risk of re-igniting the Centrelink discussion and apologies if this was in BKs round-up.
It is worth highlighting
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/may/18/robodebt-centrelink-to-issue-hundreds-of-thousands-of-class-action-notices-for-trial
And there’s Albo out today calling for cuts to jobseeker. Sheesh !
Rex : maybe they didn’t hear bandt ’cause they were all busy listening to albo “oppose” on the john laws show. -a.v.
meher baba- at 1:39 pm
What was your take on the first ‘knifing’ , the one of Rudd ?
Poroti 🙂
alfred venison
They would definitely be tuned into Laws as there was an in depth look into the “correct” pronunciation of “Albanese” .
Xi is threatening our economy.
Trump by undermining the WTO is threatening our trade-dependent economy.
Spot the difference for the Australian national interest.
Normally one would expect the US administration to lead the way, and in particular to be tough on China (mostly in private).
However, the track record of the current US administration is:
1. Make a lot of noise (cf. “speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far”)
2. Capitulate, and get thrown a bone (in the form of a trade deal)
3. Announce victory, and how it was only possible due to the “super genius” in the White House (and whole chorus of people will pop up to praise him)
4. Ignore the issue thereafter, and in particular avoid any analysis of the consequences (because consequences are for losers) or any follow up to ascertain that the “deal” is actually being followed (because it’s the making of the deal that requires the attention of the super-genius, not whether the deal ends up happening) . However, occasionally resurrect it for a news cycle as an example of the super-genius art work.
All US politicians play principally to their domestic base. This has becomes problematic because both the super-genius and his base are total fuckwits.
I dont want to harp on it. But we shouldnt forget. There have been stuff ups in SA. There was a groupthink in SAHealth and Education department that kids would be fine. They had this opinion early and were eventually forced kicking by public opinion to change course. But the stubbornness continued.
They said this in mid April…
Then they commissioned a report in late April which looked at all the research and the report said this…
One has to ask why the review was not conducted before they got stuck in the mud.
So, yes, SA were pretty good in dealing with the pandemic. But they were not immune to incompetence.
EDIT – thanks to The Premiers .gov website and InDaily for the quotes.
And was thus rewarded with life membership. True story.
But, of course, Rudd didn’t care whether Labor won or lost: he was bent on revenge. And he got his revenge
________________________
You mean he was voted back in as leader by the party with Bill Shortens’ approval?
Dr. Dena GraysonVerified account @DrDenaGrayson
Like me, ousted @BARDA head—Dr. Rick Bright—warned IN JANUARY about the #coronavirus: “I knew that all of the signs for a pandemic were present. It was just a matter of time before that virus then jumped and left China and appeared in other countries.”
’60 Minutes’ interview with Dr. Bright that sent Trump flying into a rage
In his interview with CBS’s Norah O’Donnell, Dr. Bright reiterated much of what he testified to Congress, saying that he tried to warn the White House that no drugs could be promoted until they were tested and proven to work on the coronavirus. Trump demanded that hydroxychloroquine be used as the drug to help treat the virus. However, it was later found to cause irregular heartbeats and other heart problems in patients. It’s for that reason that doctors recommended only using it while under close supervision at a hospital.
Still, Trump and Fox News continued to push the drug.
Dr. Bright also told O’Donnell that he and others were sounding the alarm early on in the COVID-19 crisis, only to be ignored.
https://www.rawstory.com/2020/05/this-is-the-60-minutes-interview-with-dr-bright-that-sent-trump-flying-into-a-rage/
You can see Trump’s tweets below:
….spews lies. @60Minutes report was incorrect, which they couldn’t care less about. Fake News! I don’t know this guy, never met him, but don’t like what I see. How can a creep like this show up to work tomorrow & report to @SecAzar, his boss, after trashing him on T.V.?….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 18, 2020
Beaumont, A. has opened at the conversation if anyone wants to chime in over there. -a.v.
https://theconversation.com/coalition-gains-newspoll-lead-as-labor-ahead-in-eden-monaro-trumps-ratings-recover-138793
SK
[So, yes, SA were pretty good in dealing with the pandemic. But they were not immune to incompetence.]
It is not incompetence to take a different view on things least of all when that view has not proven to be wrong.
Ryan StruykVerified account @ryanstruyk
Reported US coronavirus cases on date:
Feb. 17: 15 cases
Mar. 17: 6,135 cases
Apr. 17: 701,475 cases
May 17: 1, 527, 978 cases
Reported US coronavirus deaths:
80 days ago: 0 deaths
10 days ago: 75,662 deaths
Right now: 90, 978 deaths
ELO did a great telephone song too..
The one place in which children going to school would prove to be/not be a source of spreading of the virus would be Sweden which has only closed schools to older children.
RexDouglas
“Fair dinkum how do these people get away with their treachery ..??”
———————————
It’s not really treachery, because trickle downonomics and not rocking the boat too much by promoting fundamental change, is what centrists really believe in….
The money “recovered” just covered the cost of robodebt.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/feb/22/robodebt-scheme-costs-government-almost-as-much-as-it-recovers
and now it looks like they are going to have to refund 1/2 billion dollars and cover legal costs.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/may/18/robodebt-centrelink-to-issue-hundreds-of-thousands-of-class-action-notices-for-trial
1/2 billion dollars pissed down the drain. It takes a special skill to be as incompetent as the Liberal D team.
After all my careful distancing.
Went to the post office to collect mail and in reaching into the car for my walking stick, put my back out. Hobbling along in pain, nice lady comes over, puts her arm arm round me and peers into my face. Insisted on helping me back into the car and “tenderly” easing me into the seat with her arms around me. Gave me a lecture on going home and having a “nice cup of tea”.
So kind, but… All I could do was wash my hands after I drove home.
I would agree with MB about the roles played by various Labor luminaries in the removal of Gillard and return of Rudd.
I think Bill Shorten and Penny Wong defected to Rudd’s camp with reluctance because they saw a leadership change as the only way the constant leadershit destabilising was going to end. Yes, it meant giving into bullying and intimidation, but that’s often the way in politics.
It didn’t save Labor of course. Nothing could have at that point. Job well done eh?
Kevin Rudd was a good prime minister in the way he handled the GFC, laid the ground for the NBN and apologised to the stolen generations. But he should have taken his replacement as leader by Gillard the way a good leader would. The leadership was not his divine possession and his party had every right to choose the leader as they saw fit.
More to the point, it was a betrayal of all those Labor party members and supporters who placed such hopes in the party.
Contrast that with Julia Gillard, who forgave those who plotted against her and urged everyone to get behind the new leadership. Just one instance of the dignified and exemplary way she has behaved in political retirement.
Birmingham should call, leave a polite message and leave it at that.
What part of negotiating with China does Birmingham not get?
It is a national shame job for Australia that he keeps trying.
It is the equivalent of kowtowing.
BW,
The Government should appoint mundo has Head Trade negotiator to use all his legendary persuasive powers to parlay us in to a shooting war with our biggest trading partner.
Now right on cue, so to speak, I’ve received an email from Ausnet (elec supplier) reminding me to keep 1.5m distant from any tradies who call. :sigh:
Greensborough Growler
No need for mundo. Christiansen has already been signed on for that job.
It is an unfortunate trait of Morrison that he finds it impossible to acknowledge when he has cocked up.
In this case he solo shirtfronted Xi as if by accident.
The obvious superpower in terms of edging China to come to to a deal on the investigation is the US.
But, apart from the usual blathering and bloviating, Trump is showing zero international leadership on this matter. (He does inspire certain Liberal posters but, each to his own.)
In this case it is a matter of listening to what Trump says and watching what Trump does.
Both are trademark Trumpian clusterfucks.
When Trump should be uniting and leading the west and bringing the non-aligned into the tent he is too busy sacking US democracy’s watchdogs instead.
Instead, Xi must be absolutely delighted that Morrison stuck Australia’s head above the wall.
Easy trade meat.
GG
Mundo would be on the roof, screaming at Xi.
It might work…
Sir Henry Parkes
That’s how I saw it, too.
lizzie @ #437 Monday, May 18th, 2020 – 2:27 pm
You should have walloped her with your walking stick! 🙂
Bu
“Do you know any swing voter who can even tell you what Neo-Liberal means? I certainly can’t. It’s mumbo-jumbo.”
The term “Neo-Lib(eral)” is about as facile and meaningless as “centrist”, another term they bandy about a lot. I doubt its purveyors have any idea what they mean by this term either.
China will huff and puff for a while …but they know they can’t avoid an inquiry.
All will be well with Australia soon enough. Birmingham wisely just giving them some grumble time.
Sir Henry Parkes
says:
Contrast that with Julia Gillard, who forgave those who plotted against her and urged everyone to get behind the new leadership. Just one instance of the dignified and exemplary way she has behaved in political retirement.
________________
The fact is Rudd was a first term PM rolled by ambitious faction leaders who had Gillard in their pocket and put her up.
In contrast Gillard couldn’t claim a majority government. And when it suited them the same faction leaders rolled her. To put Rudd in. To save some of the furniture. So that Shorten could start as OL with some seats at least.
BW,
Right before they shot him!