The coming Oz election thread ...

Let's hope so.

The radio said yesterday that Labor was surging ahead in South Australia and New South Wales - but lagging in Queensland and Western Australia.


PM looked very chuffed in the west.

I am off to pound the damn pavements of Hindmarsh - where a friend is standing - one of the three key marginals in SA.

It was the "consummation" bit I was referring to, Deb! Just trying to keep the discussion clean! :wink:

Well, this is what my AGE told me this morning :

AgePoll puts Coalition on top by a nose
By Michael Gordon
National Editor
September 18, 2004

The Coalition has edged ahead of Labor on a two-party-preferred basis for the first time this year, according to an AgePoll.

It confirms that John Howard's Government has narrowly won the first three weeks of the election campaign.

Despite declaring Opposition Leader Mark Latham the winner of last Sunday's leaders' debate, voters increased the Coalition's primary vote lead over Labor to eight percentage points, 48-40.

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/09/17/1095394008892.html?oneclick=true

I'm looking forward to see more details about this:

Mr Latham will be helped in Melbourne today when Greens leader Bob Brown announces a national deal with the Labor Party to exchange preferences in the Senate and key seats around Australia.

`
All the political commentary I've read/heard over the past week suggests that the outcome will be very hard to predict until the last 2 weeks of the campaign. One in four voters have yet to make up their decision, apparently. Also Labor is saving its advertising till the last 2 weeks & it'll be interesting to what impact this will have on the undecided voters.

Good about the Greens - I read they were flirting with the Libs.

So did I, Deb. That they were willing to do a deal. But apparently not!
I think they'd be cutting their own throats if they did .... Remember what happened to Meg?

From today's AUSTRALIAN. Something's definitely up!:

Labor and Greens do national deal
Steve Lewis and Andrew McGarry
September 18, 2004

LABOR'S chances of winning the federal election are expected to receive a boost today when it announces a strong preference deal with the high-rating Greens.

It is understood Labor will direct preferences to Greens candidates in the Senate, in exchange for the minor party's support in 150 House of Representative seats. Well-placed sources confirmed that negotiators from the Greens and the ALP had concluded talks on a potential "national deal". ....

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,10800500%5E2702,00.html

repeat post deleted

Response to the Lib's latest evironment pronouncements. John Howard goes green! Nothing to do with opportunism, of course! :wink:

Oh, ya gotta laugh! Very funny!

Good morning Oz:
I've been away for a couple of days, preparing for Ivan. The last thing that caught my eye was a post by msolga on 9/15 quoting an AGE editorial containing this phrase (Caps mine for emphasis): "...the majority of children who have NO CHOICE BUT TO ATTEND STATE SCHOOLS..."
The subsequent exchange was spirited and seemed to expose a class warfare in Australia that I wasn't aware of.
Mr Stillwater introduced a new player not known to me. Who is Phil Rudduck?

rjb, this is he!:

"He is a gnarled, old man with pale, pallid skin, and searing, sickly yellow eyes. He is Palpatine!"

http://www.zip.com.au/~rocket/unofficial/ruddock.htm

rjb

Sorry if that was a bit obscure, but I couldn't help myself!
Ruddock is the former minister for Immigration - a heartless opportunist who never let the truth stand in the way of a good story (that might scare the voters out of their wits). Like the "children overboard" fabrication just prior to the 2001 Oz election. And, to put it mildly, he has not been known to show deep compassion for refugees to this country ... unless they possess considerable wealth!

Make that Philip Ruddock


here is the google page on him

http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=Philip+Ruddock&btnG=Google+Search&meta=cr%3DcountryAU

Here's another one with a certain...weird...oh well, you decide. Scroll down a bit:

http://www.mblog.com/there_aint_no_sanity_clause/083867.html

post removed - try again below:

Yep, that's HIM, Diane! <shudder shudder>Would you buy a used car from this man?

The result of a bit of wheeling & dealing b/n the Greens & Labor ... & obviously more to come!:

Greens, Labor strike preference deal
September 18, 2004 - 4:43PM

..Under a deal negotiated late yesterday, the Greens will allocate preferences to Labor after the Australian Democrats but before the coalition in 30 marginal seats.

The Greens have not yet made a decision on 26 seats with a margin of less than 6.5 per cent.

They have left their options open in 12 seats, but are leaning towards Labor as long as its environment policies are superior to the coalition's.

Seven marginal seats are still under consideration on local issues, including the crucial Tasmanian seats of Bass and Braddon where forests are the signature issue.

He said, Labor could assure itself of Green preferences in the remaining seats if it promised to end woodchipping and logging of old growth forests in Tasmania.

''The Prime Minister has promised a package to protect old growth forests,'' Senator Brown said. ...

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/09/18/1095394053117.html

Bob Brown (Greens leader) appears to be having a field day, with BOTH sides! I wonder that the private Liberal & Labor polls are telling them about the strength of the Greens position? Even stronger than we'd been led to believe, via the published polls ?(8%) It'll be interesting to see what sort "package to protect old growth forests" Labor comes up with, too. It'll be hard for them to keep both the Greens & the Tasmanian trade unions (loggers) happy at the same time. Whatever eventuates, it's great see that protection of the old growth forests (what's left of them!) is finally being taken seriously. And that is a very important issue with so many, right across the political spectrum. This is good to see! Go Bob Brown!