Oz Federal Election 2013 - Discussion and Comments

[amaroo]

So reading a 'fly in sepo's (sic) notes' is bad whereas relying on a former Aussie, now dodgy sepo (sic) running the media to denigrate your opponent at the expense of real news is acceptable?

Oh and I think we have a very poor choice for PM this time around, they're both hopeless.

Rudd thought Rupert was pretty good back in 07. Case of sour grapes - much!

Rudd didn't mind taking the stripper $$ from Col Pot and milking the News Corp CC for a knock-up time at Scores NYC.

 

[JohnK]

Be strong, JohnK!

There was an issue of some relevance last night - the issue of a second airport. Both leaders squibbed it, but PM Rudd didn't explain why he didn't act on an urgent issue when he was in charge. He was quite happy to accept any positives from Gillard's term.

I have done quite alright up to now to ignore the election campaign and in general most things involving politics.

As long as they do not take away my hard earned money with stupid taxes I could not care less who is leading the country.

I do not understand the passion with which some people concern themselves with what happens in politics. I witnessed in Greece in small village politics.

But I guess to each their own.

 

[joyvee]

here is an Australian link that may balance some of the Murdoch press offerings

Tony Abbott's latest 15 lies | Independent Australia

keep the freedom of the press gong by circulating it!
joyV

 

[cove]

Rudd has no intention of paying back the $250 billion he borrowed from foreigners to get us bugger all. The abuse of Australia's finances showed us that he cannot be trusted with our money as finally someone will have to pay it back.
Your share of the payback is...............

 

[spudseamus]

You guess. These things change from election to election, debate to debate.

The point is that Sunday's rules specified no notes and Rudd clearly used notes. He claims he wasn't informed of this, which means two things:
1. Rudd didn't read the debate rules
2. Rudd's staff didn't communicate the rules to their leader. Or they didn't read them either.

A stuff-up that Abbott avoided.

However the rules for both 2010 and 2013 Leader's Debates state: "The Leaders may have a pen and paper on the lecturn and no other documentation or props."
And he avoided it because he did use notes in 2010 ,,,,

 

[Moody]

Rudd has no intention of paying back the $250 billion he borrowed from foreigners to get us bugger all. The abuse of Australia's finances showed us that he cannot be trusted with our money as finally someone will have to pay it back.
Your share of the payback is...............

You didn't finish that sentence ..... any reason why?

In the past 6 years my wealth has increased by approximately $250,000 - will that cover my share? Of course if Australia had gone into recession and I lost my job I would have been far worse off, but I wouldn't have as much government debt to cover so that would have been a comfort.

Anybody here with an economics degree want to chime in with some sensible comments, 'coz even I am getting board with the self-serving rhetoric.

 

[drsmithy]

Anybody here with an economics degree want to chime in with some sensible comments, 'coz even I am getting board with the self-serving rhetoric.

I don't have an economics degree, but I can observe our Government debt is piddling in context, and utterly dwarfed by the private debt of our massive real estate bubble.

Ergo, I don't consider Government debt to be of great importance at this juncture. At least not until we have to do a bank bailout a la Ireland or America, and all that private debt suddenly becomes public debt.

 

[cove]

Moody if there were only 1,000 taxpayers then your 250,000 would work. Fortunately there are quite a few more than 1,000 who will have to pitch in to help out.
With the real estate market turning white hot due to the lower interest rates maybe property flippers will pay capital gains tax to help out in the next 2 or 3 years.

 

[Skyring]

I have done quite alright up to now to ignore the election campaign and in general most things involving politics.

As long as they do not take away my hard earned money with stupid taxes I could not care less who is leading the country.

I do not understand the passion with which some people concern themselves with what happens in politics. I witnessed in Greece in small village politics.

But I guess to each their own.

You are an inspiration to us all. And you are not alone in your attitude.

Over my years of cabdriving I found that everyone has a button you can push. It might be baseball, it might be synchronised swimming, it might be pottery or opera. Everyone has some pet subject - they subscribe to magazines, they have accounts on websites, they have the badges, they know the jargon. Push the button, and the cabdriver need not worry about making polite conversation. It is all one-way traffic, and I need only grunt now and then to keep the talk flowing.

With a lot of us here, it's flying - perhaps not so much the flying per se, but the miles and the status and the perks and the lounges.

For some it's football, and heaven help their wives if the mother-in-law is booked for a visit when State of Origin is on.

And for some it's politics. It's cheering on their team, their heroes, their side. Much like all footballers are much of a muchness in my eyes, differing only in the uniforms they wear, likewise politicians are all cut from the same cloth. But some don't see it that way. If a politician from their team is cast in a bad light, it must be the media's fault. Or there's some conspiracy. Or a certain way of looking at things.

Reason flies out the window when it's a subject close to one's heart. I can't understand why people would spend great sums of money on attending the opera, but there it is. Likewise with those who somehow tie themselves in knots rather than accept that the carbon tax is a tax.

I think for a lot of people, passion takes the place of reason.

I am not one of these folk, thankfully.

 

[Skyring]

Ergo, I don't consider Government debt to be of great importance at this juncture.

Perhaps your view will change on 8 September when there is a new team pressing the button and Prime Minister Abbott sets his sights on beating Menzies' record?

 

[Skyring]

However the rules for both 2010 and 2013 Leader's Debates state: "The Leaders may have a pen and paper on the lecturn and no other documentation or props."
And he avoided it because he did use notes in 2010 ,,,,

Cite required.

 

[Skyring]

here is an Australian link that may balance some of the Murdoch press offerings

I always smile when I see IndependentAustralia. A lunatic leftwing blog with pretensions. They just make cough up.

 

[Mal]

Sent my form in to declare myself as overseas. Bring on the election.... Looking forward to voting.

 

[QF WP]

Sent away our applications for postal votes. Don't want to ruin our 10th anniversary weekend away by having to vote.

Wayne Swan, you're up against it already - can't wait to say I voted you out

 

[medhead]

Moody if there were only 1,000 taxpayers then your 250,000 would work. Fortunately there are quite a few more than 1,000 who will have to pitch in to help out.
With the real estate market turning white hot due to the lower interest rates maybe property flippers will pay capital gains tax to help out in the next 2 or 3 years.

Indeed. And both parties are failing to tell us we have to pay more tax.

 

[Hvr]

I always smile when I see IndependentAustralia. A lunatic leftwing blog with pretensions. They just make cough up.

Can't the lunatic rightwing mob at Murdoch get them for breaching copyright or something for following thier strategy?

 

[cove]

We would be in dreamland if we thought taxes can stay the same if we keep coming up with new unfunded programs.

 

[medhead]

We would be in dreamland if we thought taxes can stay the same if we keep coming up with new unfunded programs.

Yep and both sides are coming up with those as well. I fail to see how either side is worthy if a vote so far when they're both as bad as each other.

 

[drsmithy]

Perhaps your view will change on 8 September when there is a new team pressing the button and Prime Minister Abbott sets his sights on beating Menzies' record?

If that's the Government that bails out the banks, maybe.

 

[drsmithy]

Can't the lunatic rightwing mob at Murdoch get them for breaching copyright or something for following thier strategy?

Dunno about Copyright.

Patent infringement, maybe.