Category: General

I hope you will forgive me for burying the lede on this of all days – if you’re after a shortcut to the real action, you can find my latest review of the campaign situation here, and a thread devoted to discussion of the life and legacy of Bob Hawke here.

To the matter at hand: it’s time for my bi-monthly rattling of the can for cash. I normally do this at the end of every second month, but I’ve been holding back for the last fortnight and a bit, for hopefully obvious reasons. As a quick look around the place should make clear, I have devoted fairly substantial energy to this place in recent times, assembling a federal election guide that must be running to about 100,000 words by now, along with 55 blog posts (give or take) over the 35 days of the campaign, and maintaining the BludgerTrack poll aggregate that hopefully won’t be looking too silly 48 hours from now.

In and of itself, this does not bring immediate financial reward – advertising, even at times like this, barely covers the coffee consumption required to keep the whole thing going. So, if you have found any of this stimulating and/or informative, and doing so is within your means, your donations will be gratefully received.

You can do this through the PressPatron “become a supporter” button that appears in the blue bar across the top of the page, and the buttons that appear at the foot of each blog post. If you are having technical problems with the donation facilities, please drop me a line at pollbludger-AT-bigpond-DOT-com and we can work something out. Whether you can or can’t, do or don’t, I thank you all very much for being part of the Poll Bludger experience, and hope you are able to enjoy tomorrow evening, win, lose or draw.

NOTE: The main discussion thread has fallen down the page a little, to here.

At the end of every second month, this site rattles the tin to gently remind its valued readers of its reliance on their patronage. Among the things you might think I have done to deserve it lately:

• Published a super large guide to the March 23 New South Wales state election, which will only get bigger between now and polling day – and will soon be surpassed by an even bigger and even better guide to a federal election that will surely be held in May. Work on this is currently at an advanced stage.

• Covered the Cheltenham and Enfield by-elections in South Australia. Yeah, I know, boring — except for the invaluable opportunity it provided to further fine tune my election results reporting system, which moved one step closer to becoming the serious election watcher’s go-to source for live results on election night. See here for Cheltenham and here for Enfield – or better yet, see the full gamut of results from the Victorian election in November.

Donations are gratefully received via the PressPatron button at the top of the page, or the “become a supporter” buttons that appear at the foot of each post. If you are having technical problems with the donation facilities, please drop me a line at pollbludger-AT-bigpond-DOT-com.

If any of the spirit of giving is left in the tank at this late stage of the festive season, please note that it’s time for the Poll Bludger’s bi-monthly plea for cash. Donations are gratefully received through the PressPatron button at the top of the page, or the “become a supporter” buttons that appear at the foot of each post. If you are having technical problems with the donation facilities, please drop me a line at pollbludger-AT-bigpond-DOT-com. Many thanks for your support, now as always.

NOTE: If you are looking for the “main thread”, that continues to be the Sunday night Newspoll post, which you will find here. Note also the Victorian state post commemorating the launch of the Poll Bludger election guide, the latest Newspoll and the official start of campaign proceedings.

It’s been a year now since Poll Bludger flew the Crikey coop, a feat of survival made possible by your generous support. As I do every two months, I offer this gentle reminder that such support is gratefully received through the PressPatron button at the top of the page, or the “become a supporter” buttons that appear at the foot of each post. If you gave at the time of the relaunch, and are of a mind to donate once a year, perhaps now would be opportune. If you are having technical problems with the the donation facilities, please drop me a line at pollbludger-AT-bigpond-DOT-com.

I normally save this for the end of the month, but the present frenzy seemed too good an opportunity to pass up. Every two months, The Poll Bludger rattles the tin to remind its valued readers that this independent, free-of-charge resource relies on their patronage for its survival. Those wishing to do their bit can do so using the PressPatron button at the top of the page, or the “become a supporter” buttons that appear at the foot of each post. If you encounter technical problems of any kind, please drop me a line at pollbludger-AT-bigpond-DOT-com.

Every two months, The Poll Bludger rattles the tin to gently remind readers that this independent, free-of-charge resource relies on their patronage for its survival. Those who would like to do their bit can do so through the PressPatron button at the top of the page, or the “become a supporter” buttons that appear at the foot of each post. If you encounter technical problems of any kind, please drop me a line at pollbludger-AT-bigpond-DOT-com. Many thanks to you all for helping keep the Poll Bludger dream alive.

Every two months, The Poll Bludger puts dignity to one side to offer a gentle reminder that the site is reliant on the patronage of its valued readers. Those wishing to make a contribution may do so through the PressPatron button at the top of the page, or the “become a supporter” buttons that appear at the foot of each post. If you’re having any kind of technical trouble with any of this, please drop me a line at pollbludger-AT-bigpond-DOT-com. Many thanks to you all for making this site possible.

Time for the occasional gentle reminder of The Poll Bludger’s reliance on the patronage of its valued readers, who can contribute through the PressPatron button at the top of the page, or the “become a supporter” buttons at the bottom of each post. Things you might feel I have done to deserve it lately include the newly launched deluxe BludgerTrack facility and the comprehensive guides to the Tasmanian, South Australia and Batman elections linked to on the sidebar. If you’re having any kind of technical trouble attempting to make a donation, please drop me an email at pollbludger-AT-bigpond-DOT-com.