I object to the reference to Gillard knifing Krudd in the back. The Party power brokers knew Krudd had to go because he was responsible for 'bad government' and Gillard didn't do anything that Tony Abbot didn't do to Turnbull or any of their predecessors before them - that is how leaders get changed. They normally don't go easy and have to be rolled. Indeed, Krudd cried sour grapes after he was replaced. Right now we being are asked to make a choice between little decent policy from either side of politics and inhumanity by Abbott who claims to be able to 'stop the boats'. He is demonising refugees who deserve some caring and compassion. What an affront to my intelligence. The next thing we will know on Sunday morning is that one of them will be sprouting arrant nonsense such as 'the Australian people have given me a mandate...." !!!!! All I've got to say in the words of the immortal Bard is bah, humbug, because I'm not allowed to use worse language.
2
Saturday, 21 August 2010 15:38
Dion Riverlea
I find the idea that Julia Gillard "knifed" Kevin Rudd in the back pretty primitive: but obviously it holds a lot of sway. As I remarked to my brother Friday: if people vote on the basis on state or gender, well God hope Democracy.
Julia Gillard didn't knife Kevin Rudd in the back: Tony Abbott did. Abbott killed not just Kevin Rudd & Julia Gillard, but the planet as a whole ...
I make one further comment. If I sought to obstruct the operations - be it commercial or otherwise- I'd be charged with various crimes- stalking, & sundry other crimes- yet we pay "an opposition" to be obstructive at any other event in Governing our Nation. Doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
3
Saturday, 21 August 2010 16:39
Dion Riverlea
We'd need a few more elections lie this to establish what I was saying ... but it it doesn't look good when Australians vote, on the basis of where the candidate lives, rather than what he or she might have to say.
The whole concept of "the nation decides" is, in fact crap. It's a small proportion of the Australian population who decide who govern us: generally those who pay least attention to politics.
And what is politics? Much has been made made about the Parramatta - Epping Rail line, which apparently went down like a lead balloon. The message you seem to have delivered to Government- of either side is: "we don't want improvements to public transport".
Melbourne? different matter. I don't give a stuff what you think about your present government; try it out with the next.
Don't stuff up our infrastructure projects: we're Australians too.
4
Sunday, 22 August 2010 02:29
Sheila Hale
I am sick of hearing about Tony Abbott's "great campaign". He has offered nothing positive for Australia's future. He was given a free ride by the Murdoch and Fairfax Press who wanted to put "their boy" in the PM's chair. His campaign was a scare exercise about phantoms like boat people (an issue blown totally out of proportion by the Libs and their media mates), government debt ( tiny when compared to other first world nations), ending the waste (ninety seven per cent of BER was audited as being satisfactory). Abbott's pork-barreling would not survive genuine scrutiny and their cobbled together costings by a private accounting firm is a joke. The Coalition's policy on IT services is totally unworkable and would place Australia in a very precarious position when competing with other countries in relation to a large spectrum of business enterprises. I agree with Dion Riverlea that only a small proportion of the Australian people decide who will win Federal Elections for a larger majority of them have no real interest in politics. They can be easily duped by the media in relation to xenophobia, boat people, mining tax and the quantum of Labor's stimulus spending and interest placed on borrowings. If Abbott does become PM rest assured he will quickly drop all his promises about parental leave, mental health (he thinks, " people can control their thoughts and emotions and exercise free will over issues like depression and anxiety", assistance for long term unemployed etc. He will announce that such promises are not affordable because of the colossal amount of debt the Liberals have been left with by Rudd and Gillard.
5
Sunday, 22 August 2010 03:56
bobcooper31
I agree with Dion Riverlea & Sheila Hale that only a small proportion of the Australian electorate decide the result of the elections.
I'm saddened that Australians are so ignorant that they are completely oblivious to the critical issues that the ALP was trying to address. My main concern is the Resources super profits tax which was designed to slow the mining boom down so that the damage being done by the 2 speed economy didn't totally wreck the Australian economy.
The problem is referred to as the "Dutch disease" or the "Resources curse". You'll find good explanations to the phenomenon in Google.
Having said that I blame the ALP for a completely lack lustre approach to managing their political fortunes. Only very rarely and very late in the piece did we hear just how many jobs were saved by the stimulus spending. The number of jobs that would have been lost was put at around 500,000 if unemployment had reached USA & UK levels. That level of unemployment would have bought about mortgage foreclosure, marriage breakdowns, nervous breakdowns, suicide, poverty, humiliation and depression sickness. Everyone knows these things happened in the last great depression yet no reference was ever made to the importance of taking action to avoid these drastic consequences. In addition to these there so many other missed opportunities. Just reflect on K Rudd’s departure speech where he listed his achievements while PM. Why didn't he go on loud and long about those achievements long before he was axed. Laurie Oakes said he didn't think Rudd would have gone down if he had highlighted that list of achievements loud and long before he was axed.
6
Monday, 23 August 2010 03:41
Helen Olivieri
I was certainly left feeling that the problem with the ALP is that they can't actually campaign their way out of a paper bag. They had some really good policies on offer, but they were too mumbly and nuanced in promoting them, when they weren't busy putting too much energy into rebutting Liberal negativity.
They also three quarters stuffed it ages ago when Rudd promised a 'whatever it takes', take-a-stand attitude on climate change (ie. he did actually threaten to bring the issue to double dissolution if necessary), AND THEN HE SQUIBBED. Well, not really him, per se, but the ALP. You don't say climate change is the biggest moral issue of our time, you don't say you will go to double dissolution over the issue even without Copenhagen support, and then not follow through. YOU JUST DONT DO THAT. The magnitude of the stated commitment, and the magnitude of the squibbing out, is unprecedented in australian politics, in the time of my living memory at least.
Julia Gillard didn't knife Kevin Rudd in the back: Tony Abbott did. Abbott killed not just Kevin Rudd & Julia Gillard, but the planet as a whole ...
I make one further comment. If I sought to obstruct the operations - be it commercial or otherwise- I'd be charged with various crimes- stalking, & sundry other crimes- yet we pay "an opposition" to be obstructive at any other event in Governing our Nation. Doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
The whole concept of "the nation decides" is, in fact crap. It's a small proportion of the Australian population who decide who govern us: generally those who pay least attention to politics.
And what is politics? Much has been made made about the Parramatta - Epping Rail line, which apparently went down like a lead balloon. The message you seem to have delivered to Government- of either side is: "we don't want improvements to public transport".
Melbourne? different matter. I don't give a stuff what you think about your present government; try it out with the next.
Don't stuff up our infrastructure projects: we're Australians too.
I'm saddened that Australians are so ignorant that they are completely oblivious to the critical issues that the ALP was trying to address. My main concern is the Resources super profits tax which was designed to slow the mining boom down so that the damage being done by the 2 speed economy didn't totally wreck the Australian economy.
The problem is referred to as the "Dutch disease" or the "Resources curse". You'll find good explanations to the phenomenon in Google.
Having said that I blame the ALP for a completely lack lustre approach to managing their political fortunes. Only very rarely and very late in the piece did we hear just how many jobs were saved by the stimulus spending. The number of jobs that would have been lost was put at around 500,000 if unemployment had reached USA & UK levels. That level of unemployment would have bought about mortgage foreclosure, marriage breakdowns, nervous breakdowns, suicide, poverty, humiliation and depression sickness. Everyone knows these things happened in the last great depression yet no reference was ever made to the importance of taking action to avoid these drastic consequences. In addition to these there so many other missed opportunities. Just reflect on K Rudd’s departure speech where he listed his achievements while PM. Why didn't he go on loud and long about those achievements long before he was axed. Laurie Oakes said he didn't think Rudd would have gone down if he had highlighted that list of achievements loud and long before he was axed.
They also three quarters stuffed it ages ago when Rudd promised a 'whatever it takes', take-a-stand attitude on climate change (ie. he did actually threaten to bring the issue to double dissolution if necessary), AND THEN HE SQUIBBED. Well, not really him, per se, but the ALP. You don't say climate change is the biggest moral issue of our time, you don't say you will go to double dissolution over the issue even without Copenhagen support, and then not follow through. YOU JUST DONT DO THAT. The magnitude of the stated commitment, and the magnitude of the squibbing out, is unprecedented in australian politics, in the time of my living memory at least.