2007 Federal Election - Coalition or Labor/Howard or Rudd? (2 Viewers)

[withoutaface]

Next galaxy will be released on the 19th or thereabouts, supposing they're still doing it fortnightly.

 

[Triangulum]

You can't really predict polls at this point, they're shoving them out basically at random. There'll probably be a couple released on Friday and Saturday to gauge the response to the campaign 'launches' this week.

Incidentally, Peter Hartcher makes the good point in today's herald that it was a bit of a strategic error for the liberals to schedule their launch before the ALP. It lets the ALP make sure its spending commitments are less than the government and then say how economically irresponsible the government is.

And that Newspoll is truly appalling. I mean, it's basically the same result as we've been seeing all year, which sort of suggests that the Coalition campaign is being completely ineffective. I'd love to see some more qualitative polling on what's going on out in the electorate.

 

[volition]

Incidentally, Peter Hartcher makes the good point in today's herald that it was a bit of a strategic error for the liberals to schedule their launch before the ALP. It lets the ALP make sure its spending commitments are less than the government and then say how economically irresponsible the government is.

In the end though, the spending commitments won't really be all that different from each other will they? They'll both still number up in the 30+ billions (if you count tax cuts as 'spending' lol).

 

[Triangulum]

In the end though, the spending commitments won't really be all that different from each other will they? They'll both still number up in the 30+ billions (if you count tax cuts as 'spending' lol).

Basically yes. But it means that the ALP can be slightly more moderate and accuse the government of a spending spree, which is exactly the line that the government needs to be running against Labor. I can't imagine why they didn't wait until Labor announced its date to schedule theirs.

 

[Iron]

Meh, Latham tried that on ("Crazy John's end of year sale, everything must go!") and it didnt rock the boat much.
I think it's an entirely appropriate convention for the incumbent to open the batting. They also need to do what they can about the "no plans for the future" charge - which really is biting, considering Howard's imminent retirement

 

[Triangulum]

So here's the Liberal campaign launch that is allegedly going to "blow Rudd out of the water":

Mr Howard has promised that the Coalition will introduce "home saving accounts" for all Australians saving money for a deposit on their first home. Up to $1000 a year would be tax deductible while all interest would be tax-free.

The plan would allow parents and grandparents to create trust funds for their children that could be used for a deposit after they turned 18.

Mr Howard has said the Commonwealth would consider plunging money into those accounts from Budget surpluses if "economic conditions prevail".

More or less the Labor plan, with a trust-fund element. Plus, the government paying into the accounts! Yay, middle-class welfare!

Mr Howard has said a re-elected Coalition government would pay the childcare rebate in advance rather than through the tax system.

The rebate would be given directly to childcare providers in a bid to reduce the fees parents must pay.

Is he supporting Labor's increase in the rebate percentage? If not, then this isn't really that big a change.

Mr Howard has also announced a plan to offer tax rebates for education expenses, including on school fees.

Parents would be paid up to $400 annually for each child in pre-school or primary school. Up to $800 would be paid for each child in secondary school.

"I know that for many parents this is the most important investment of all, but of course they face many competing pressures on the family budget," he has said.

The rebates would be available to all Australians, not just to those on Family Tax Benefit A, as it would be under Labor's "education revolution". "All Australian families will benefit from the full value of the rebate irrespective of their income," he has said.

A cheaper version of the Labor plan. Plus, public subsidisation of private school fees! Just what the underfunded public school system needs.

So is the Coalition planning to drop the whole 'me too' attack on Rudd, given that they've basically copied the structure, with minor changes on the details, of two of his major policies?

 

[jb_nc]

Howard is porkbarrelling the middle-class welfare...

 

[chicky_pie]

Howard is porkbarrelling the middle-class welfare...

your sig is funny :rofl:

 

[Triangulum]

Mark Bahnisch:

Peter Costello also had something to say about ‘reds under the beds,’ which I didn’t quite catch, but I think he was warning Australians of the danger of obscure Victorian factional groups in the early 1980s. I’m scared!

 

[volition]

The 'reds under the beds' comment is probably fair play I reckon, seeing as Gillards a communist. (I don't have any real proof, its just my suspicion based on her involvement with the commies in her youth)

 

[Enteebee]

Liberals lose, should change strategy to save as much as they can... if they haven't already

 

[veridis]

will be interesting to see how rudd responds. the lib launch was pretty much a non event so he doesn't have to bring out any more policy(bribe) announcements. hopefully he'll get a good "future focus" speech or something, they always get good reactions. he has a great chance to come out of this looking like he's above chasing votes and has a passionate vision for the future. of course it'd be mostly empty rhetoric but it'd make him look good.

 

[Triangulum]

Yay, more shitty liberal pamphlets!

THERE WILL BE NO CHECKS AND BALANCES. IT WILL BE THE MOST POWER, IN THE HANDS OF ONE POLITICAL PARTY, EVER.

THAT MEANS:
-The Liberals won't be there to stop unions going into small business and dictating economic policy; costing jobs.

Lie about Labor policy. Plus, misuse of semicolon. Hate.

-There will be nothing to stop a softening of our immigration laws.

...because there would be if there were liberal state governments? What the hell? Anyway, I love the way that they're dog-whistling on immigration. The Sudanese gangs are coming!

blah blah blah blah unions blah blah blah blah debt blah blah blah blah interest rates blah blah blah blah 'anti-business', whatever the hell that's meant to mean blah blah blah blah $1.1 trillion economy blah blah blah blah unions want to rape your children blah blah blah blah.

God, I can't wait for these people to go away. Meanwhile, today we also received a nice positive pamphlet from Bob Debus talking about his track record and Labor's policy, rather than sledging his opponents with vague, threatening accusations. The contrast is very stark.

 

[atreus]

did anyone read keating's opinion piece in smh today? he should have a regular column.

 

[Iron]

did anyone read keating's opinion piece in smh today? he should have a regular column.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/...poorest-workers/2007/11/12/1194766584976.html

 

[Triangulum]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/13/2089191.htm?site=elections/federal/2007

An independent candidate in Wentworth claims a senior journalist with The Australian newspaper lobbied her to direct her preferences to the Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

Danielle Ecuyer says The Australian newspaper's Caroline Overington offered her front page coverage if she gave her preferences to the Liberal Party.

Ms Ecuyer, a former partner of the Labor candidate, George Newhouse, is running on an anti-pulp mill ticket.

She has not yet revealed who she will preference but says she was shocked to be lobbied by a senior journalist from The Australian.

"I received an email on October 26 from Caroline Overington at The Australian, asking me how my preferences were going, and I responded that, at this point in time, I was not going to give up my preferences. I hadn't decided. It was too early," she said.

"And her response was, 'Too early my girl? You've got four weeks. Please preference Malcolm'."

Ms Overington denies she was trying to influence preferences and says the email is a running joke between her and Ms Ecuyer.

I'm not quite sure who to believe. On the one hand, Dani Ecuyer is clearly a massive publicity whore, as the 'climate hunks' strategy demonstrates, but on the other hand Caroline Overington and the rest of the Australian's political team are so hopelessly and comically biased that it wouldn't surprise me if she'd done exactly what Ecuyer is accusing her of.

 

[katie_tully]

did anyone read keating's opinion piece in smh today? he should have a regular column.

And by column you mean long and painful death.

Meh. I don't take a lot of notice in the polls. Howard seems to always cop a flogging in the polls. Truth is, most people probably genuinely dislike Howard which may be reflected in the polls. Come election time though, meh.

Thank god there are only 11 days left, election time is the worst.

 

[katie_tully]

Little does he remember, that he was destroyed in a massive swing in '96.

It quite often slips his mind that he was shit and should stfu, too. Nobody wants political advice from Paul Keating...It's like, I don't know, taking advice on Nuclear Phyics from a cashew. It's talking to you but you know it shouldn't be.

 

[Kujah]

More about the handing over of leadership to Costello in the future if the Coalition are re-elected:

Peter Costello would not become prime minister for at least 18 months should the Coalition win this month's election, John Howard says.


In his clearest indication yet of when he intends to hand over to his Liberal deputy, Mr Howard said it would not be for at least 18 months or two years.


Mr Howard has previously promised to retire as Prime Minister "well into" his next term if he is re-elected on November 24, but has refused to say exactly when.


"Peter Costello, if we win, will not become the prime minister until well into the next term, and that would be a matter for him and the party to decide in the tradition of the Liberal Party," Mr Howard told ABC Radio in Adelaide today.


"It would be a choice that could be made by the new deputy leader, but that's two years on at least - or 18 months, two years on."


Mr Howard has previously said that he wants to stay on as Prime Minister to steer through a referendum on formally recognising indigenous Australians in the constitution, which he has pledged to hold within 18 months of the election.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/federal-...it-18-months-pm/2007/11/13/1194766637566.html

 

[katie_tully]

If anything the fact that the moronic Australian electorate dislikes him adds to his credibility.

I don't know that having the moronic Australian electorate dislike him will vindicate him for being an idiot.

He's just a token columnist at the moment, as he has been since 1996. Somebody thought it'd be a good read to get his thoughts on the matter. All it did was remind me he's still alive.

What'd be good would be Latham writing a column. I'd read that.