bye bye Mr Rudd

[PhilG]

..

[Psyber]

As distinct from the true nature of the Government's plans for 'strengthening' WorkChoices, as outlined by Nick Minchin when he thought nobody would know.

They're all politicians and therefore fundamentally shonky - the problem is which ones will do the most harm!

No, the problem is there aren't enough people willing to do something about it - like join another political party and work on pushing both parties out of the House, so they know that the people have had enough of them.

Yes Phil but you and I would never join the same party and we may end up with two major organised parties and a lot of splinter groups - mind you it can still put pressure on them. The Democrats scared them both for a while before they took a sharp left turn and only the zealots stuck with them. Cheryl Turncoat's getting into bed with the Labor Party, both figuratively and literally, didn't help, but Meg ?'s attempt to walk the middle line didn't suit the zealots.

I actually joined the Libs to try to moderate their turn right but I didn't have much support. Perhaps I should have joined Labor and tried to move them towards democracy inside the party, instead of internal power brokers controlling it all, but I don't think that would have worked either.

My other alternative is "bye bye Mr Rudd, and all of you", and moving to Eire or Iceland, which seem to be the up and coming low tax economies.

[PhilG]

..

[Psyber]

I have no doubt that the Libs and the ALP are beyond help in their own way. You're right about the Democrats. After all, it was Don Chipp who coined the phrase "Keep the bastards honest".

I'll tell you what, Psyber - I think you and I could make a better PM/Opposition Leader (take your pick - I'm the other one!). Yeah we don't agree, but I gues you could say you're a better conservative than the Libs, and I'm a better "socialist" than the ALP.

If only we had the back up!

Perhaps we could take turns, or find a third and form a Triumvirate, like Pompei?, Marcus Antonius, and Octavianus.
[I'm not sure whether Pompei was the third - should look it up!] Of course they let Cleopatra come between them.

[Sojourner]

No, the problem is there aren't enough people willing to do something about it - like join another political party and work on pushing both parties out of the House, so they know that the people have had enough of them.

I would love to see that happen, both Labor and Liberal get the arse and have a situation where several parties are in a coaltion government, we would still have plenty of arguments, yet we might have an attempt at democracy unlike the current sham!

[PhilG]

..

[mick]

I have no doubt that the Libs and the ALP are beyond help in their own way. You're right about the Democrats. After all, it was Don Chipp who coined the phrase "Keep the bastards honest".

I'll tell you what, Psyber - I think you and I could make a better PM/Opposition Leader (take your pick - I'm the other one!). Yeah we don't agree, but I gues you could say you're a better conservative than the Libs, and I'm a better "socialist" than the ALP.

If only we had the back up!

Perhaps we could take turns, or find a third and form a Triumvirate, like Pompei?, Marcus Antonius, and Octavianus.
[I'm not sure whether Pompei was the third - should look it up!] Of course they let Cleopatra come between them.

It was Lepidus who was the third and most short lived member of the triumvirate after the death of Julius Caesar, Pompey lost his head in a dispute with Julius Caesar I think

[mick]

No, the problem is there aren't enough people willing to do something about it - like join another political party and work on pushing both parties out of the House, so they know that the people have had enough of them.

I would love to see that happen, both Labor and Liberal get the arse and have a situation where several parties are in a coaltion government, we would still have plenty of arguments, yet we might have an attempt at democracy unlike the current sham!

Yep this sort of thing happened in Germany in the 1920s. We all know what happened there in the 1930s What I like about our political system is that small parties find it almost impossible to win a lower house seat, which IMHO is a good thing. Small parties and splinter groups cause instability and make parties with so called "strong leaders" more attractive to the electorate. Let's just keep the small parties for a protest vote in the Senate if you value democracy

[redden whites]

Dead right Mic,look at the Italian shambles with re-elections every year for decades everyone.A parliament full of minors and independents would be a disaster for this country.

[noone]

Dead right Mic,look at the Italian shambles with re-elections every year for decades everyone.A parliament full of minors and independents would be a disaster for this country.

While italy is a running joke of an electoral system their are many proportional systems with good records. Mixed systems like new Zealand and germany give good results.

Personally I think preferential voting (ie ours) is pretty much the best it allows two right wing candidates polling 30% each to beat a left wing candidate polling 40% , not falling into the problems that first past the post (uk us canada) have with large minor parties (vote share around 20%) such as the liberal in the uk but getting virtually no representation.

[PhilG]

..

[Sojourner]

What I like about our political system is that small parties find it almost impossible to win a lower house seat, which IMHO is a good thing. Small parties and splinter groups cause instability and make parties with so called "strong leaders" more attractive to the electorate. Let's just keep the small parties for a protest vote in the Senate if you value democracy

I think that times are changing in relation to independants winning lower house seats, take for example Rory McEwan and Kris Hanna who have both managed to give the major parties a smack in the last two elections, Rory McEwan was written off as an abberation of being a country candidate and well known in his election, yet not many thought that Hanna would get up and win as he did. Rory McEwan's successfull bill re hoon driving is believed to have made a good dent in the road toll figures in country areas as last year was the lowest on record, co-incidently tying in with the first year of the new laws. My point being that independants may well cause headaches for the ruling party, yet they can also bring plenty to the table as well.

Mark Parnell Greens, Andrew Evans & Dennis Hood Family First, Nick Xenephon & Ann Bressington No Pokies are all doing well at their role in the senate and I think that in the next election No Pokies stand a good chance of winning three seats rather than two and as a result the only winner will be democracy, I am hoping that John Darley head of the land tax reform association will be number one on the No Pokies ticket as then the government, whichever side they are might well have a headache to deal with!

[noone]

next election xenophon isn't standing, which means the ticket will gather very few votes. everyone one else on the no pokies ticket are complete nobodies who wont attract more than 100 votes from personal family and friends. In xenophon campaigns hard he might get one quota through preference harvesting, however any more is silly talk.

and that rat kris hanna won only the last election as an indie, he was elected as an alp candidate first up.

[mick]

Xenophon and his ilk are a waste of space as are also the Democrats. I will predict that the Democrats will cease to exist federally after the next election. I would (and it pains me to say) prefer the ALP to these one issue and spoiler groups. The ALP for all it's myriad faults at least lives in the real world and has some idea how to govern.

[Sojourner]

next election xenophon isn't standing, which means the ticket will gather very few votes. everyone one else on the no pokies ticket are complete nobodies who wont attract more than 100 votes from personal family and friends. In xenophon campaigns hard he might get one quota through preference harvesting, however any more is silly talk.

and that rat kris hanna won only the last election as an indie, he was elected as an alp candidate first up.

No Pokies almost got enough votes to get three members elected, they fell not far short of 60 000 votes, 60 000 people is a good pool to draw votes from and now that people saw the landslide last time, that may well cause a few more to make the jump over. Fortunatley he has a good deal going with the Greens which will make sure that his preferences dont go to the major parties, his preferences got Mark Parnell of the Greens elected which should go some way to white-anting further Labor votes for the Greens next time.

Hanna won the last election as an independant on his own terms, clearly the people in the area prefer him to both the Labor and Liberal candidates. Now that he has gotten through hopefully more people will consider abandoning the major parties and going independant after seeing that it can be done!

[noone]

nobody voted for the no pokies ticket.

the voted for nick x.

in the weeks before the election xenophon played the media very well with the risk that he would not get in, that drew hundreds of volunteers to help him and thousands to vote for him that wouldn't of.

the no pokies ticket will be lucky to break 1% without his name on the ticket. Nick Xenophon is the brand, no pokies is not the brand.

Nick X will be a massive influence in the 2014 election when his term is up, but in 2010 his influence will be VERY limited.

[Dogwatcher]

Heavy backing as Rudd regains favouritism!

A wave of money and renewed debate on whether the Prime Minister is the best leader for the Coalition has seen Labor’s Kevin Rudd storm back to favourite on Centrebet!

Punters made Mr Rudd favourite for the first time in mid-March after dominating the Federal betting book before the Coalition clawed back in the midst of work-place and industrial relations platforms, and then regained favouritism in and around a surplus-driven Federal budget!

But a series of big bets in the past 12 hours – including two of $15,000.00 at $1.90 - has seen Labor firm to $1.85, with the Coalition easing from $1.87 to $1.92. On top of that, opinion on the Liberal leadership between John Howard and Peter Costello again seems divided.

“Punters have reacted to polls and press - and an admission from Mr Howard that despite the Budget the government still has a lot of ground to make up. Labor’s price has been forced in,” Centrebet analyst Neil Evans said. “But we believe this is still a two-horse race all the way. Don’t forget Labor needs some pretty serious swings when the voters finally reach the polls!”

“Remember, the public has a ‘believe it when I see it’ attitude – and therefore they will not be convinced until the actual benefits of the Budget arrive. July and August will be the key months – and this is when the Coalition must turn around general opinion.

“There’s no doubting Mr Rudd’s a popular alternative – but he is still to convince key business sectors on industrial relations. And remember, the government didn’t win a poll after last year’s superannuation-strong Budget until mid-August – and has barely won one since! The bigger bets are definitely coming for Mr Rudd – but the Coalition still has a position.”


FEDERAL ELECTION

$1.92 COALITION
$1.85 LABOR

BENNELONG

$1.27 John Howard (Lib)
$3.10 Maxine McKew (ALP)
$25.00 Any other candidate

[BenchedEagle]

Xenophon and his ilk are a waste of space as are also the Democrats. I will predict that the Democrats will cease to exist federally after the next election. I would (and it pains me to say) prefer the ALP to these one issue and spoiler groups. The ALP for all it's myriad faults at least lives in the real world and has some idea how to govern.

Who are u and what have u done with Mick?

[mick]

Xenophon and his ilk are a waste of space as are also the Democrats. I will predict that the Democrats will cease to exist federally after the next election. I would (and it pains me to say) prefer the ALP to these one issue and spoiler groups. The ALP for all it's myriad faults at least lives in the real world and has some idea how to govern.

Who are u and what have u done with Mick?

I might ask you the same question, in case you didn't notice, we still have a democracy here and anyone, including you can have an opinion...Now get stuffed

[Dogwatcher]

Government on verge of fightback!

After six months of eating the betting dust left by a sustained surge of Centrebet money for Labor, the first signs of a financial swing have arrived for the embattled Coalition!

Punters started backing the government after it had eased to a high 2007 price of $2.20, amid further belief its standing as a policy and economic manager was superior to the Opposition!

Several bets, including two of $10,000.00 each from a client in Sydney’s east and another in Perth, have seen the Coalition’s price firm dramatically to $2.05 – and the ALP ease out to $1.72!

“Labor had shortened to a record tight $1.62 under Kevin Rudd,” Centrebet analyst Neil Evans said. “But I’ve been saying until blue in the face there is some Budget and financial year-related cheques and balances to come – and by the time polling day arrives, there won’t be much between them, although punters may still make Mr Rudd a narrow favourite.”

“Polls at the moment are like big-city buses – there’s one every five minutes – and traditionally rarely favour the government of the day. The big-picture fight must be closely watched because knee-jerk comments and reactions now are a long way from ticking the boxes on polling day.

“After Labor had maintained a 2-1 volume punting majority right through 2007, the last $30,000.00 has come for the Government, but I stress we have had several enquiries about bets for much bigger sums of money on both sides of the Federal fence! The fight is just beginning.”



FEDERAL ELECTION

$2.05 COALITION
$1.72 LABOR

BENNELONG

$1.30 JOHN HOWARD (Lib)
$3.10 MAXINE MCKEW (ALP)
$17.00 Any other candidate