The NEXT coming Oz election thread!

You know, I saw a bit of an interview between Laurie Oaks and Peter Costello on Sunday, today (Sunday of course).

I haven't seen an interview with Costello for a while, and I have to say, if he's like this consistently, then he's learnt a lot about politics in the last year or two...that is to say, he managed to keep any trace of smuggness or arrogance out of his face/voice during the interview...he actually sounded reasonable (even if he, like JH seems to suffer memory failure in relation to AWB and Children Overboard during the interview...which part I saw was in relation to personal attacks in parliament)

Damn. I have no idea what has just happened in Aus politics. I'll spend some time tomorrow trying to sort it all out.

I regularly "drop in" and have a read of the various items here. I fully intend putting in my two cents worth but I am under very strict instructions to fight depression whenever it rears its ugly head. Thus it is that I then withdraw quietly, shaking my head in abject sorrow.

Hi there, RJB!

I'll try to explain as briefly as I can.
Basically Howard & the Liberals have panicked since very favourable polls for Labor (& Kevin Rudd), so have taken to attacking the integrity of Labor. They are trying to create doubts in voters' minds about the Rudd team's suitability for government. First there was the accusation that Rudd had met with discredited former Western Australian premier, Brian Burke (a political "fixer" who had previously spent some time in jail for corrupt activities). Apparently Rudd had dined/met with Burke three times, some years ago & Howard & the Libs argued a "guilt by association" case which didn't appear to make much impact voters, judging by the first poll findings since the attacks. Pretty hysterical stuff! One of the Lib cabinet ministers declared that Rudd had "supped with the devil!" Since then it's been tit for tat with revelations about misdemeanors of various ministers (from both sides) hitting the headlines, almost daily. Hence all those dirt/mud-slinging cartoons. That is about the level that things are at right now.

So far two politicians have lost their postions as a result of scandals & revelations, a government cabinet minister & the shadow attorney-general from the Labor side. Expect more "exposes" & scandals in the coming weeks & months! Especially from the Liberal side. They are digging, digging, digging for anything that can make Labor look corrupt, dishonest or lacking in integrity. They smell defeat & don't like it!

Oh, I should mention that prior to the initial public attack on Rudd by Howard & co, Labor had publicly criticized John Howard for having discussed (& apparently approved of) a nuclear energy business venture (by some Liberal cronies) prior to the release of "findings" of an inquiry (initiated by Howard) which viewed nuclear power as a viable, "clean" energy option for the future. (A very hot issue here with the Greens & environmental groups & sections of the Labor Party.)

Phew! Perhaps someone else can explain it better than I have?

So basically we are not having in-depth debates on important election issues in the Oz media right now. Just a lot of accusations, "revelations", attacks on character & mud-slinging. The Liberal tactic is to "go for the man" (Rudd in particular) & destroy the growing popularity that the Labor Party has been experiencing. It is certainly very interesting to see the Libs arguing for morals & integrity! :wink:

What was the subject of the interview, vikorr?
Kelvin Tomson?

I saw Alexander on the ABC news tonight. He was not exactly impressive attempting to do his character attack bit for the cause! :wink:

Good to see you here again, lezzles!

Yeah, a person could become depressed observing what's going on right now! You take care.

My hunch is that voters won't be too impressed if Howard & co continue with this incessant mud-slinging. It makes them appear pretty defensive & I think people will soon tire of it .... particularly the really petty stuff.

I was listening to Barry Cassidy's (ABC political commentator) regular spot on Jon Faine's morning program on 774 last week. He was talking about his travels around Australia with politicians & his perception of the important issues for voters. Interestingly, he said that despite there being so many other important issues that ought to be making an impact with voters right now (like climate change, water supply, etc ...) the two topics that people constantly wanted to discuss with politicians were IR & David Hicks.

Hi Msgola

Unfortunately I only saw a small part of the interview, so I don't really know what it's about. Normally I have no time for Costello because of his smug attitude towards the public, but something about the way he was talking caught my attention, and I only got the last minute or two...

...that's not to say I believe he's no longer smug, arrogant and condescending, but more to say I was fascinated that he's managed to presents himself as reasonable...

Well, well, well .....!

Lookee here!

The front page of my morning newspaper! :

Rudd would romp it in, poll finds
Michelle Grattan
March 12, 2007/the AGE

LABOR has taken a huge lead over the Government despite pressure on Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd over his meetings with Brian Burke.

The ALP has moved to an extraordinary 61-39 per cent two-party lead

Labor's primary vote is the highest since April 1993The Government attack over Mr Rudd's meeting Mr Burke, the disgraced former WA premier, in 2005 appears to have fizzledThe results will panic the Government about the failure of its onslaught, which continued from cabinet ministers Alexander Downer and Peter Costello yesterday, on Mr Rudd's judgement and character.

The poll only partly overlapped Friday's news of shadow attorney-general Kelvin Thomson's resignation from the front bench, over his giving a reference to fugitive gangster Tony Mokbel. .... <cont>

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/rudd-would-romp-it-in/2007/03/11/1173548021767.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

... & a bit of commentary on the situation.

Now, the revered Michelle G is normally ultra cautious (& conservative) in her pronouncements, so this is very, very interesting!:

Playing the man fails to bite with voters
Michelle Grattan
March 12, 2007/the AGE



The ACNielsen poll will be deeply worrying for the Howard Government, not just for the size of the numbers but because they are increasing despite the federal Coalition onslaught on Rudd's judgement and character.

Admittedly, former shadow attorney-general Kelvin Thomson's resignation from the federal Opposition front bench came mid-poll. But the evidence suggests it wouldn't have bitten much even if it had occurred a few days earlier.

These numbers are remarkable. A two-party vote of above 60 per cent is hardly ever seen, even in honeymoons.

Equally concerning for Prime Minister John Howard is that Rudd has opened up a significant lead as preferred PMThe message from this poll for the Government is that voters are not convinced by attempts to play the man. Rudd isn't (former leader) Mark Latham.

And with so much publicity about people seeing former West Australian premier Burke, voters let such attacks wash over them.

They are interested in what affects their lives, not meetings with Burke in 2005 where little seems to have happened.

The Government's pursuit of the issue has done nothing for it and cost it a minister. But it persists with personalised politics, with Foreign Minister Alexander Downer's overblown description yesterday of Thomson as "grubby".

But Rudd must be careful. From Labor's viewpoint, these figures are too good to be true: there will be a correction. People are delighted to see choice; maybe even seriously considering change. But they will ask, "Do we feel comfortable and impressed enough to actually vote for him?"

Rudd will need lots of gritty policy out when that happens, to survive the realism test.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/playing-the-man-fails-to-bite-with-voters/2007/03/11/1173548021820.html

Yep! (Nodding in agreement with Bleak's cartoon below )

Still very early days, with the election tipped for November.

Stay tuned for mega dirt from the Libs - expect "terrorist" threats, perhaps a few more boatloads of nasty "illegals" heading for Oz shores, character assassinations, major dirt! ..... anything goes! Howard will not go quietly!

Fasten your seatbelts, folks! We're in for a very rocky election campaign!:

I can just see Peter Costello's dream of being PM slipping away. He was promised the top job ages ago, but John kept holding out on him. If Bonzai loses this election, Pete's dream will be just that, a dream.
Anyway, the sooner they get ousted the better, and get rid of those unjust IR laws, and replace Free Trade with Fair Trade, and put an end to selling off the country's assets. I think most people have had a gut full of the country being sold to overseas interests.
Well that's my 2 cents worth.

Poor Peter. He never once got it.

Howler knew that pushing Peter into the limelight would spell the death of the party...

No compassion, no feelings, and no eye dear.

Hi there bungie

I guess I don't worry too much about Peter Costello's thwarted political ambitions, though Howard hasn't exactly been fair to him, I agree. (It mustn't have been a core promise!) I just want the Libs to go! This election!
It's not that I believe Labor is perfect (nor that TinTin is a saint), either. I just want all the entrenched horror's of Howard's rule to be gone. It has been the ugliest & cruelest of times. Sigh.

It would definitely be an improvement to have a government that has more loyalty to the people of Australia & that president of the USA, though .....

I'm not exactly chuffed by everything Oz being sold off to the highest bidder from anywhere, either, but I'm not aware that Labor has some clear policy to address this. Someone fill me in if I've missed something important here.

Unlike Howard! :wink:

I'd vote for Peter's brother any day ... but he had more sense than to get himself involved in politics!

TitTin's reaction his lastest poll triumph, by Moir.
Rather sweet, really! :

Meanwhile Alexander's brief (along with the Mad Monk, Costello) has been to throw more dirt around, in the hope that (soon!) some of it will stick to Rudd. (Did anyone see him on the ABC news describing Kelvin Thomson (I think) as being "rather grubby"? Hilarious!

... while JH & the Oz public appear to be marching to beat of very different drums!:

... but as he's always said .... :wink: :