Oz Election Thread #4 - Gillard's Labor

Sun 13 Feb 11 (04:50pm)
What’s the email address for Insiders? They were particularly disgusting today.

Andrew did his best but looked really disheartened. And excuse me but why do they have one Conservative commentaor and 3 sickening lefties?

Andrew Bolt you’re a champ. You’re decent and ethical and have the brains to match your high standards. I don’t know how you put up with them.

I think Barrie Cassidy has passed his use by date. The wrinkes on his face he can’t help but the wrinkles in his thinking are just appalling.

These ALP governments are an outstanding example of what happens to a country when its been dumbed down to
the level playing field of the bog standard of PC socialism/
Marxism.
Playing games is abouyt all they and their media acomplices
are good for as they twist, turn spin and obfuscate to avoid
all responsibility and blame for their idotic and very dangerous poor judgement decisions and policies.
The Insiders truly disgusted me this morning

Well said and it proves once again that the media is in the pocket of the left and maybe some other country , it really is a disgrace, but we can see why the distraction tactic was used.

Media treatment of Abbott 'disgraceful'
Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Broadcast: 13/02/2011

Barrie Cassidy and the panel discusses the media's treatment of Tony Abbott's comment in Afghanistan.

Bolt seems to barely grasp how concerning that is ...

Coalition surges to decisive lead
Michelle Grattan
February 14, 2011

THE Coalition has opened an emphatic 54-46 per cent two-party lead in an Age/Nielsen poll that shows Labor's primary vote and the Prime Minister's popularity sliding.

This is the biggest lead the opposition has had over the Gillard government in Nielsen polls and - depending on preference allocation - probably its best result since early 2005. The Coalition's two-party vote is up 3 percentage points since November, with Labor's down 3 points.

On the positive side for the government, the Prime Minister's flood levy, introduced into Parliament last week, is backed by 52 per cent, while almost two-thirds approve of her response to the summer's natural disasters - despite criticism that she looked ''wooden''.

The results come as Julia Gillard last night won a deal with the states on her hospital plan - but only after she was forced to leave vague the detail of her proposed national pool into which federal and state governments will put funds.

The national poll, taken Thursday to Saturday, came at the end of a difficult week for Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, with leaks about a row with his deputy, Julie Bishop, and controversy over remarks he made in Afghanistan last year.

Yesterday opposition finance spokesman Andrew Robb was forced to reaffirm his support for shadow treasurer Joe Hockey and Ms Bishop, after a newspaper quoting him saying he had told Mr Hockey: ''I aspire to your job.'' Mr Robb said this had been a pre-election conversation, and accused the paper of stitching him up.

Labor's primary vote has fallen 3 points since November to 32 per cent; the Coalition is up 3 to 46 per cent, while the Greens are down a point to 12 per cent.

Ms Gillard's approval is down 2 points to 52 per cent; her disapproval has risen 4 points to 43 per cent. The rise in disapproval is statistically significant, but the movements in voting numbers are not. Ms Gillard is more popular with women than with men (55-48 per cent).

Mr Abbott's approval has fallen a point to 46 per cent; his disapproval is up a point to 49 per cent. He has narrowed the gap as preferred prime minister by 3 points. Ms Gillard leads him by 51 per cent (down 2) to 41 per cent (up 1).

Despite Mr Abbott's intense campaign against it, only a minority (44 per cent) oppose the flood levy, while 50 per cent back his response to the natural disasters.

Support and opposition on the levy followed party lines. Nearly three in four Labor voters back it, as do two-thirds of Green supporters. More than six in 10 Coalition voters oppose it, with 35 per cent in favour.

Independent Tony Windsor said yesterday he was ''probably leaning against'' the levy, which Ms Gillard needs to be supported by four of the six House of Representative crossbench members.

The poll shows the government making little progress with the carbon price. With a proposal for a July 2012 start to a price going to a cross-party committee this week, people remain split 46 per cent in favour and 44 per cent against, the same as last October.

The 54-46 per cent vote is based on preference flows at the election, giving the Coalition probably its best lead since 2005. If preferences are distributed by how people say they would allocate them, the result is 53-47 per cent, the best opposition lead since May.

Labor is doing better in Victoria, where it leads 51-49 per cent, and SA (where it trails 48-52 per cent), but is struggling in Queensland (39-61) and WA (44-56). It is also performing poorly in NSW (44-56).

Still pre Tony mind meltdown/Julia health empress. Plenty of time.

Julia has said her govt will live or die on it's performance in it's current term. I agree. I think they can definitely turn it around, but they'll have to be a lot more effective than they have been in the three years previous - but the health agreement is a good start. I think she has turned a corner. I also think Tony's honeymoon period with the lib executive and mps may be fraying.

That philosopher to the common-folk, Tony Abbott, is this week dealing with his own slings and arrows as he enters the political twilight zone of disapproval from which some never return. ....

I wouldn't be at all surprised if there's another Liberal leader before the next election. He appears to be out of his depth.