Oz Federal Election 2013 - Discussion and Comments

[Skyring]

Spoken like a true warrior from the left.

A suicide bomber, perhaps.

 

[Sprucegoose]

Criminals all of them...

 

[Moody]

A suicide bomber, perhaps.

Even suicide bombers make sure they take some high-value targets with them. Not many of those around in this thread ....

 

[Pukka]

What's happening no input for 2 days surely the government must have made some stuff up we can talk about

 

[Hvr]

What's happening no input for 2 days surely the government must have made some stuff up we can talk about

Or even Tony Abbott?

 

[Pukka]

Or even Tony Abbott?

Lol maybe even the mad monk!!

 

[Skyring]

What's happening no input for 2 days surely the government must have made some stuff up we can talk about

The Newspoll figures are out. Coalition is on 49% primary and on track to win 108 seats to Labor's 38.

Julia Gillard must be really hoping for a Tampa moment to come along. She'd probably need a fleet of them, actually. Send in the navy to sink the coughs and she might hold on to some seats in Western Sydney.

 

[Major]

Unfortunately this will be one of those elections which will be decided before the WA polls close. Not good for democracy when an entire State only needs to vote for the final numbers and will have no influence on the outcome.

 

[Pushka]

Unfortunately this will be one of those elections which will be decided before the WA polls close. Not good for democracy when an entire State only needs to vote for the final numbers and will have no influence on the outcome.

If it was daylight savings I think even QLD would miss out. I don't see it as being bad for democracy, as it isn't as though the people don't get a chance to have their say. And it isn't like we had a say last time, no matter what kind of positive spin the Labor supporters try to out on it. Hell, even they got gypped.

 

[Skyring]

Unfortunately this will be one of those elections which will be decided before the WA polls close. Not good for democracy when an entire State only needs to vote for the final numbers and will have no influence on the outcome.

How do you think I feel? Labor is going to hold onto both Canberra seats because the public servants here are worried about their jobs. My vote counts for nothing apart from me making sure the major parties don't get their public funding out of me.

 

[serfty]

Living in a 'safe' seat does make one voting seem a waste, I guess the senate was always a sop to that.

Interestingly my electorate is Isaacs ...

 

[Pukka]

Unfortunately this will be one of those elections which will be decided before the WA polls close. Not good for democracy when an entire State only needs to vote for the final numbers and will have no influence on the outcome.

Sounds like the very essence of democracy to me

 

[amaroo]

Sounds like the very essence of democracy to me

Big + 1

I much prefer the voters get to decide........having a couple of donkeys (Windsor, Oakshott, etc) making the call does nothing for democracy.

 

[dajop]

Not good for democracy when an entire State only needs to vote for the final numbers and will have no influence on the outcome.

Why is that such an issue? If the [support for one party is so overwhelming] dislike for one party is so strong, then isn't it good that democracy can so resolutely [elect] reject that party? The senate is where the (smaller) states have the power, not the House which (in theory) each vote is valued equally.

 

[wmetz]

Before u decide what party you going to vote for, just have a good read of the situation in QLD since we changed government here.

WoW we going to get a 21% increase in Electricity charges. (the carbon tax part just 3% of the increase). And the reason given, well because people are struggling to pay their bills, we need to increase the bills.

We got a government that wants to increase speed limits. Another great idea, as the state heads towards Record fatal road accidents.

We not going to be part of Gonski, another good idea. We solved the problem by closing schools down.

Now we hear that preschool kids are getting kicked out of class at record levels. Solved that problem just hold them back. To bad he sacked the
extra teaching staff we had to deal with difficult children.

Record unemployment. A new casino will solve that problem. They can keep busy playing the pokies

And as for dodgy behaviour. If u havnt read about how many ministers already been sacked or the benefits received to friends and family, well
do an internet search on that. The best one is the story of the minister's son that went from a part time sales assist to a 100K+ a year manager.

ps. Be careful what you wish for.. When the current Federal Government still out performed any other western country. Kept people working
when record unemployment tore across Europe and the US. When the housing market crashed in the US. There was no crash in the housing market here.
People kept their houses and still got to drive to work everyday. Is it because the middle class wont give up their welfare cheques, just help keep things in check???.

 

[Pushka]

I believe support for the QLD govt is back to the levels it enjoyed pre election.

South Australia has the highest electricity and water costs in Australia so QLD has a ways to catch up.

The Gonski report is no guarantee that education standards will improve and there is not a positive relationship between spending money and improvement. SA can't afford Gonski right now and I'm happy with that. I don't trust Gillard to implement anything like an education reform without messing it up like every other grand plan she had. I just want her to stop spending money on advertising right now especially things like the Super Guarantee when it's employers who have to stump the extra money and not the Government.

What do I wish for? Competence. Not that much to ask for really.

 

[Skyring]

People kept their houses and still got to drive to work everyday. Is it because the middle class wont give up their welfare cheques, just help keep things in check???.

Nah, it's because people just don't like Julia Gillard and her Flying Circus.

We've seen 'em perform, we give everybody a chance, but they are just taking advantage now and it's time for the next act.

 

[Pushka]

I consider myself to be middle class and have never received any commonwealth benefits. So nothing to hang on to.

 

[eastwest101]

Before u decide what party you going to vote for, just have a good read of the situation in QLD since we changed government here.

...

Record unemployment. A new casino will solve that problem. They can keep busy playing the pokies

And as for dodgy behaviour. If u havnt read about how many ministers already been sacked or the benefits received to friends and family, well
do an internet search on that. The best one is the story of the minister's son that went from a part time sales assist to a 100K+ a year manager.

ps. Be careful what you wish for.. When the current Federal Government still out performed any other western country. Kept people working
when record unemployment tore across Europe and the US. When the housing market crashed in the US. There was no crash in the housing market here.
People kept their houses and still got to drive to work everyday. Is it because the middle class wont give up their welfare cheques, just help keep things in check???.

More nonsense than a Monty Python pantomime theme night there, but even if you believe the ABS unemployment data you cannot say that the politics of the State Government solely dictates the official unemployment statistics. Your "record" unemployment for instance stands as a record way back to the distant "past" of 2003-ish. Sure the QLD economy has some challenges, but there are also other effects on QLD's unemployment rate which I have just inserted here for people who cannot conceive of the idea of history pre 2003.....



And no - the Federal Government did not save the Australian economy from the after effects of the GFC, the Costello surplus, high commodity prices and the Chinese economy did most of that. Some people argue that by blowing the surplus the Federal Government has effectively relocated the effects of the GFC from 2008 to 2013, although that is one for history to decide later maybe.

 

[Hvr]

I consider myself to be middle class and have never received any commonwealth benefits. So nothing to hang on to.

If you're middle class and have a family you've received Commonwealth benefits.

Heck as a single middle class male even I received one, the health insurance rebate.