Oz Federal Election 2013 - Discussion and Comments

[medhead]

Re: Where will you be election day (September 14th)

So Julia's stand against equality in marriage showed what then? Remember her?

Hahaha anything to distract from hard questions about Tony? Gillard is irrelevant. She is gone. Try focussing on the future.

 

[Pukka]

Re: Where will you be election day (September 14th)

Hahaha anything to distract from hard questions about Tony? Gillard is irrelevant. She is gone. Try focussing on the future.

Well the future's certainly not Rudd he's as good as gone too

 

[medhead]

Re: Where will you be election day (September 14th)

Well the future's certainly not Rudd he'd as good as gone too

Which makes your continuing obsession with him even more bizarre. But I'm glad you're finally catching up with me. Want to try answering some hard questions about Abbott? Like why he deserves support when he is mostly copying the ALP?

 

[Pushka]

Re: Where will you be election day (September 14th)

Actually, the ALP has moved to the right, which means they are chasing the Coalition.

 

[Pukka]

Re: Where will you be election day (September 14th)

Which makes your continuing obsession with him even more bizarre. But I'm glad you're finally catching up with me. Want to try answering some hard questions about Abbott? Like why he deserves support when he is mostly copying the ALP?

He needs to save lots of money so he's keeping the ALP policies taxes etc that save money because it will help him balance his budget and he can blame them on the ALP and say there's a budget emergency we can't afford to get rid of the policies that they brought in at this stage because we don't have the money because the budget situation is far worse than I was led to believe but it is an aspiration of mine to get rid of these ALP policies when the budget pressures allow.

Something like that is my best guess as to why he is retaining some of their policies

 

[amaroo]

Re: Where will you be election day (September 14th)

If Rudd is supporting marriage equality for political reasons, then he is he doing the right thing in his role as a representative of the people by supporting equality for all before the law. That is regardless of either his personal beliefs, the beliefs of his electorate or the beliefs of the entire country.

If he genuinely does oppose it personally, then all the more respect as he is recognising the greater good takes precedent over his own beliefs.

Same principle as "I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend your right to say it".

The above reasoning depends on the issue, of course. Marriage equality is a pretty easy one since there's no moral or rational justification for opposing it.

I'm surprise this hasn't been a bigger issue in the campaign......it's dropped right off the political agenda. When you read all the published polling it appears that Australians overwhelming agree with marriage equality - a clear policy winner with strong support.

If the public is overwhelming in support of this policy wouldn't you assume it would be a no-brainer, front & centre, core policy winner?

One conclusion is that the various political parities internal polling show a completely different result? Sure it's a popular policy in some seats but it must be a dead set stinker in many others.....

 

[Skyring]

Re: Where will you be election day (September 14th)

Which makes your continuing obsession with him even more bizarre. But I'm glad you're finally catching up with me. Want to try answering some hard questions about Abbott? Like why he deserves support when he is mostly copying the ALP?

Well, we've settled the election. Tony Abbott will win and win well. So why bother talking about it?

Just having a whinge - that must be the only thing going.

Look, I've got big reservations about Tony Abbott. So has most of Australia. Including, I suggest, Tony Abbott himself. But if the election is settled, then what good is it to argue about his policies?

Might as well examine them with a view to finding the best way to arrange our affairs, just as we do when Qantas or Virgin change their terms and conditions. We have very little input - we just try to game the system.

Or whinge about things, but that gets real old real soon.

 

[Skyring]

Re: Where will you be election day (September 14th)

One conclusion is that the various political parities internal polling show a completely different result? Sure it's a popular policy in some seats but it must be a dead set stinker in many others.....

It might attract a few otherwise Green voters to the ALP, but their votes return as preferences, mostly.

But it would drive a LOT of staunch ALP voters straight into the arms of the Coalition. Rudd can't afford that, so he's been running dead on it after the initial announcement.

Until last night, when he copped a direct question, and to his credit he gave the best possible answer. It's not religion - otherwise we'd be supporting slavery - it's justice.

Abbott has likewise run dead on the issue, leaving it open for voters to hope that he'll either maintain his opposition or bow to public pressure at some point.

Smart politics.

 

[amaroo]

Re: Where will you be election day (September 14th)

He needs to save lots of money so he's keeping the ALP policies taxes etc that save money because it will help him balance his budget and he can blame them on the ALP and say there's a budget emergency we can't afford to get rid of the policies that they brought in at this stage because we don't have the money because the budget situation is far worse than I was led to believe but it is an aspiration of mine to get rid of these ALP policies when the budget pressures allow.

Something like that is my best guess as to why he is retaining some of their policies

It's called politics for a reason.

 

[Warks]

Re: Where will you be election day (September 14th)

Looks like Clive is as big as the Greens in QLD:
Rudd fails to rally voters in his home state

Am surprised at the level of support when Katter is also in the mix. Katter support is nearly all rural I guess.

Imagine if they put their money into something useful.


Looking at the age distribution on that poll you see the 18-24 year olds are overwhelmingly Labor and of course the other end is overwhelmingly Coalition. I wonder if you fast forwarded 40 years the results (if we still have the same parties) would be the same. I'm betting they would be.

 

[Warks]

Hey! Great minds!

 

[amaroo]

Hey! Great minds!

I'll delete my post

 

[Mal]

My "local" Liberal member has decided that she supports marriage equity and will campaign Abbott to change his views. Again, I smell political shenanigans... My electorate (Brisbane Central) has a very young demographic, and this is a core issue to many of them.

I get sick of this being a political football. Rudd decides to campaign and say "Oh, I will allow a conscience vote". This means little. Anna Blight pulled a similar stunt when she was looking at defeat.

 

[MartinMemo]

Re: Where will you be election day (September 14th)

So I was in the process of filling out a spreadsheet for my below the line senate paper, till I found this - Below The Line
Gives a great printable PDF document thats only 3 pages (for VIC).

 

[medhead]

Re: Where will you be election day (September 14th)

Here is the problem with the choices we face on Saturday.

Another Seinfeld election for Australia

The real problem is that neither man (both are 55) has come up with a plan to redefine Australia’s economy and its place in the world.

and

On the other hand, short-term thinking in Canberra risks shortchanging high-return investments in technology, education, broader internet access, and a state-of-the-art rail and highway system. Australia needs to make these kinds of investments now if it’s ever to develop a growth strategy that doesn’t depend on digging stuff out of the ground and shipping it to China.

Part of the problem is the legacy of 13 largely wasted years under John Howard (1996-2007) and Rudd (2007-2010) before he returned to power. The heavy lifting done by former prime ministers Bob Hawke (1983-1991) and Paul Keating (1991- 1996) turned Australia into a Group of 20 power. It’s now the world’s 12th biggest economy thanks to their steps to float the dollar, open the financial industry, remove import barriers and create a compulsory national pension program. On the economy, Howard and Rudd simply kept the plane on autopilot.

 

[Pushka]

Maybe you just shouldn't vote then.

 

[MartinMemo]

Re: Where will you be election day (September 14th)

Here is the problem with the choices we face on Saturday.

Another Seinfeld election for Australia




and

Could do what I do and just make fun of them both - http://www.facebook.com/australiangovernmentmeme?ref=hl

 

[drsmithy]

Re: Where will you be election day (September 14th)

So I was in the process of filling out a spreadsheet for my below the line senate paper, till I found this - Below The Line
Gives a great printable PDF document thats only 3 pages (for VIC).

Also worthy of note (at least it was to me, since I didn't know) is that you can vote both above and below the line, with the below the line vote taking precedence.

Antony Green's Election Blog: Voting Below the Line in the Senate

 

[medhead]

Maybe you just shouldn't vote then.

For someone who likes to have a dig at me you sure haven't read much of what I've posted.

 

[MartinMemo]

Re: Where will you be election day (September 14th)

Also worthy of note (at least it was to me, since I didn't know) is that you can vote both above and below the line, with the below the line vote taking precedence.

Antony Green's Election Blog: Voting Below the Line in the Senate

That is really good to know!