This was the worst campaign I have ever seen run by the ALP.
Ever.
This was an election where all of the ALP’s problems over the last 6-8 years came home to roost.
There was no central theme. The campaign material was ugly, late out, badly written, and largely unrelated to anything voters actually cared about.
The central campaign was a shambles, courtesy of a complete disconnect between the Parliamentary Labor party, party office, and the lay ALP membership.
Local campaigns were worse – added to little or no leadership from Stirling St was the placement of inexperienced and incompetent teams in a large number of individual local campaigns. People who had either no campaigning experience, no recent campaigning experience, or who were completely subservient to the sitting members for whom they worked.
Add to this lazy and complacent sitting members, who assumed Buswell would take the Liberal party to the election, did no work as a consequence and are now looking about for someone else to blame.
Add to this a poll-based campaign which had its agenda set from data collected by a polling company that, it would now appear, knew fuck all about anything.
Add to this a lack of political operatives with a marginal seat campaigning background in ministerial offices – a key way of making sure that community concerns about sensitive issues are recognised and dealt with, and the best way of ensuring that ministers and the premier are aware what the actual issues are.
Add to this the complete inability of the Carpenter government to capitalise on its record of being a generally competent government – or even mention it during the campaign. Despite the usual media angst, there are no real problems in health and lauranorder in WA, and the looming infrastructure issues are largely in hand.
Add to this the fact that a two term government appears to have been outspent by a Liberal party that was broke and widely regarded as unelectable as recently as a month ago. How, a month before the election, was Stirling St not up to the armpits in cash?
Make no mistake, the ALP lost the campaign – Barnett didn’t win it. And they’ve lost, whether they’re able to form a minority government or not. While a Barnett government will be unstable, a returned Carpenter government will be worse – the presence of Michelle Roberts in the caucus room, at the very least, will ensure that.
They got beat because it was the worst run political campaign in recent history.
Sure, there was a generally hostile media environment (with Paul Armstrong at the West, in particular, intent on playing kingmaker at the state government level), a number of running (CCC, for example) issues, a Premier with little direct experience of formal campaigning and questionable political instincts, a botched preselection process which saw a number of sitting members dumped, and general voter fatigue with the government.
But those people in the WA ALP now looking for someone to blame – every MP who failed to get returned, every staffer newly out of a job, every political wannabe currently staring at the wreckage of their ambition – wants to pay close attention to the top part of that list, because the reasons they were weeping into their Crown lagers last night were the product of eight years of inattention and lack of political forethought, not one man’s decision to call an election six months early.
Yes but apart from all that how do you feel about the way the ALP handled the campaign?
Well, pretty positive, really.
Thanks, Adrien, crankynick and over to you , Sarah, for the latest beaver roundup.
From the sounds of it, Labor did a terrible job of putting forward a compelling vision for the future, combined with a lack of selling past successes, and a sprinkle of a really effective negative campaign from the Libs.
Some of my friends are Labor members who worked hard this time around, but it’s been a real education for me in the reality of party politics.
It seems quite a few campaigns self-destructed more than a week before the election itself due to woeful management and planning by hacks, and lay members simply quit them after getting shafted when they only wanted to help. Bill Johnston and the crew at 79 Stirling Street have a LOT to answer for. Former ministers Mal Bryce and Bob Pearce commented in the days leading to the election that this campaign was the worst in living memory. I mean, what are we being asked to vote on? An election is not a popularity contest, it’s about who’s the most fit to govern the state. I believe Labor have done the job well, but they did not sell that or even try to, and even more obscurely they campaigned on, no, wait, staked their ENTIRE campaign on leadership – the leadership of a guy who has never been a leader, is a poor negotiator and has a major perception problem in the community. It’s not been a fun time for Labor’s troops on the ground doorknocking and hearing exactly what they already know from the community and then being told “we know best” by the head office. That is, in areas where they even did doorknocking.
There was some great campaigns, don’t get me wrong, and my friends ended up working on some which, even though several were unsuccessful, they could feel proud of not only their efforts but the teams they were associated with. But the head office messed even with those, sending out those ridiculous posters of Barnett (serving to prove they could be as nasty as the Liberals with those Burke posters), many Labor people couldn’t see it being a winner at all with the voters.
As for the election result, it was small comfort that even when Labor lost the Liberals still couldn’t win. I think people realised they weren’t an alternative but wanted Labor out. I hope a chastened Labor and the resurgent Nationals can form a coalition, and can deliver for the community.
Since the NT Election a few weeks ago you mean?
Or were they just practicing then?
Of course. The ALP suffered a massive swing mainly because it ran a bad campaign. That was in contrast to the LP whose party organization and candidate selection was impeccable.
Who could fault the organization of a party that selected a leader at the last minute who was about to retire. And who left his chair sniffing former leader on the front bench.
C’mon. Face it, the worm turns. The LN/P have copped a hiding from electors over most of the past decade. Now its the ALP’s turn to face a drubbing at the hands of the electors.
I have been emphasising this point for several years. Now its happening with a vengenance.
I told you so.
cranky,
do you mean the recent WA election campaign? or the recent campaign in NSW to save the State Labor Govt.? Your comments seem to apply to both.
News in from Sarah: recent polling shows numbers of frisky beavers at an all-time high; dams built are UP, beaver cubs reared are UP, habitat is UP, oil futures are UP, lumber concessions are UP; ah, McCain, you’ve done it again !!!
This IS about decisions and democracy. In a Real Democracy one is not shouted down for Capitalising -
The really silly thing about alleged democracies is the artificial way they are somehow bent – to somehow function – whenever the ‘stakeholders’ (I call ‘em the raffle winners) end up with a result they dislike.
If the voting population is evenly divided in philosophy – or limited in choice between two party’s policies (which is essentially where we are) then no-one is satisfied and the resulting parliaments are usually ineffectual.
Bottom line is that politics have become a ‘profession’ and like most professions provide poor value for money for those forced to accept their dubious services.
Why not look at the whole show in a new, refreshing way?
Why not do away with the states – then divide the whole show up into regions – each region steadfastly supporting and maintaining within it’s borders it’s own mix of interests.
Bikers and nudists might choose regions with good sunny weather.
Farmers could sell up and move to regions where it rained a lot.
Well heeled old farts could claim the Gold Coast; gays – Canberra – while the wowsers – well come on someone get your act together and report back to me !
PS – As a sometime old fart myself, but not well heeled – my region of choice would be one that provided enough freedom permitting people to relax enough to start acting decently and consideration with and to their neighbours – whether they’re into being gay or riding Harleys, drinkin booze (or smokin’ stuff) I do not in the least care – just so long as me and mine are not jammed in with three million wowsers, a fate we seem to be suffering now in the triangular state.
You clearly don’t understand how WA politics works. Everything is different here. Western Australians are nothing like Easterners, even those who have almost every possible thing in common with them. WA Is Different, d’y'hear? Different! Even the water is different, being composed of wholesome WA H and O, not silly Eastern H and O.
There are no lessons to be drawn from the endless list of parallels between the NT election and the WA election. Nothing to see here. Move along, Easterners.
Jacques,
please don’t think we don’t ADMIRE you Westerners. The Burkey and Grillie Show has been great. The wide boys on’t come much wider than in the Wide West. And your mining boom has been lovely.
Your druggie AL team was fun, too. Keep up the good work…. On the ladies side, BTW, who are your current replacements for the fragrant Rose, and Big Red??
Dear Jacques Chester,
Re your -
“You clearly don’t understand how WA politics works. Everything is different here. Western Australians are nothing like Easterners, even those who have almost every possible thing in common with them. WA Is Different, d’y’hear? Different! Even the water is different, being composed of wholesome WA H and O, not silly Eastern H and O.”
How would it go if we sent you about 3 million wowsers over from Qld then?
You guys have a mining boom? Yes.
I’ll send ‘em – you put them to work and we can split the profit. Okay?
Can someone please tell me what happened in the second house, not “upper house”, in W.A ?
Oh. I’ve just woken up. Did something happen?
I reckon its the singer – not the song mate. Exhibit a,b,c and d being the recent NT, NSW, UK and USA feedback respectively. I mean stick yr head in the sand and yell campaign as much as you want. Makes my job as an anarchist far easier.
Bend over and say ‘ Ahhh’ Nick
Er, Jacques, the point of my post was to suggest that the ‘worst.campaign.ever’ (see right at the top) title may just as easily have applied to the NT Election.
No parallels being drawn other than to say that it is in the running for the ‘worst.ever.campaign.’ Or do you think that Hendo and Co did a fantastic job?
Nor any parallels being drawn to Mayo where the expansion of the Adelaide ‘burbs into the Hills is fast changing the demographics of that seat…but the ALP didn’t even bother to run a candidate once the popular incumbent was retiring and the Liberal Candidate was workchoice associated.
I wonder if the ALP will agree that there are no parallels to be drawn (or even lessons to be learnt) either.
Hello All,
Many years ago while in training I was instructed to observe, think ahead and plan my decisions decisively – making best use of Command, Control and Communications as the raw tools towards generating my solutions. Never reinforce defeat.
The theme in this stream is about a failing by incumbents to maintain their seats in parliament in WA.
No-one seems to have much care for the decisions made (one assumes) individually by voters.
At staff college I was often reminded of “The War Between the States” and the election of officers by the men in many regiments. As the situation in that conflict became desperate all that went by the board.
It mainly went by the board because the best and finest of a generation honoured the vote of their men and led from the front.
Putting it bluntly the brave, decent and honest were soon fertiliser and were replaced by another sort who drove conscripts on from behind with a pistol in their hand – not to fight themselves but to shoot down their own men sane enough to retreat from such an impossible situation.
In my mind that mirrors politics in Australia now.
The brave, decent and honest only last five minutes and are, through lack of any choice, replaced by bastards with no fibre whatsoever.
does this mean the bar in parliament house won’t be shut down now??
Some reflections on this far from surprising result are at How the West was lost.
I don’t think you could call it the worst campaign ever in comparison to the last one in Victoria. I don’t mean in results, of course the Brumby government got back in, but in terms of Teh Nasty the Labor campaign was hard to beat. I guess it depends how you define “worst”.
I was using the word ‘worst’ in the sense of ‘least competent’ rather than ‘nastiest’.
Even the attack ads put together by the ALP over here were pretty insipid.
Doesn’t surprise me…when you have governments full of bureaucrats who wouldn’t know “imaginative, talented people & ideas” from a pack of “accountability” photocopy paper…Labor leaders afraid of their own shadow (yep Rupert Murdoch)…a shadow that looms over every decision, every word spoken, every indecision…& likes to send out minions that call themselves “News Ltd” reporters now…distinct from the reporters from The Australian, Daily Telegraph & Courier Mail…AS IF
Add to that links to corrupt figures who shoulda been smashed…just like many CEOs, financiers & a certain ATSIC fella…the failure to build sustainable neighborhoods whilst ensuring LOCAL PAPERS didn’t piss all over every initiative…the fear of not going to Church & speaking up for the Agnostics, Atheists & Secularists…the anxiety over who wears the pants (screw gender politics…be BLOODY INDIVIDUALS)…the failure to protect small farmers from predators ranging from the mining to supermarket interests…the perpetuation of RELIGIOUS-ORIENTED, ELITE, DIVISIVE education practices that will see this country/nation in flames oneday w/ a version of One Nation cum The National Front laughing hysterically because gutless sods didn’t turn back the tide of King John’s insanity programs when they had the chance…the failure of Fed & State governments to get together as ONE and explain the pressures from certain top surgeons, the Liberal Party & others who PROFIT from the private medical system & & reasons why these mongrels are delaying the construction of a top-notch health-care system.
It’s TIME for Labor to act like Laborites…the days of pussy footing are over…Tony Blair wou;dn’t get elected in this country. Get it!
Help the small farmers & don’t screw w/ their water…and up pensions…& widen them…& dental services by way of THE STATES…put heaps more into services…stop acting like confused “Time & Motion” bureaucrats…get aggressive…show some courage…roll up yer sleeves…throwaway the suits…grow the hair out…STOMP on Fielding…STOMP on News Ltd…take on the media instead of sucking up like a certain minister on Q&A who made me spew by saying in a sycophantic manner “The Australian sets the news agenda for the day” or some such crap…
the perception is growing that LABOR are sneaky corporatists & bad property developer lovers, led by Christian wowsers, who are SPINELESS to set their own path & fight.
Anna Bligh is the only one who has a spine…& I can tell you from personal experience that her bureaucrats are letting her down too. They are acting in the education system like the mindless drones of the Goss years. And teachers everywhere are asking…WHY NOW? After so much innovation & motivation was happening.
Stop acting boringly cocksure & in two minds…be DECISIVE…URGENT…NATION BUILDERS…get a pulse…
Mediocrity lives…as does a SHADOW.
Both must END NOW.
N’
“& a certain ATSIC fella”…make that a certain ACCC fella…fck I’m stupid sometimes.
“(screw gender politics…be BLOODY INDIVIDUALS)…”
Very easy to say from a position of male privilege.
I find my perspective on this “result” to be in concert with the swirling vortices of the Strocchiverse.
Knock me down with a feather.
I’m sure the campaign was just as bad as those are saying who know better than I, but that can’t be the whole story.
If you’ve got a point to make Rebekka, come right out and SAY IT WITH CAPS! or nobody will UNDERSTAND!!
Django and Marks – I think Jacques was taking the piss.
FDB at #25
A stopped clock, after all, is right once every 24 hours.
Helen, begone with your digital filth! My giant ex-ABC-newsroom chronomatron manages twice a day.
Sorry Jack, you get zero points for “predicting” hard times for ALP state govts post-Howard.
I’d have paid better returns for those predicting what a spanking the LNP would get in Mayo (Lyne seemed to be coming)
And moreover, Id have paid good odds against the ALP hanign on in NT, and a hung parliament in WA.
Id say the LNP state opps have actually done rather poorly, all things considered. Though I agree with you they are the natural party of opp’n at state level – Id have thought they’d get home easier.
“I’m sure the campaign was just as bad as those are saying who know better than I, but that can’t be the whole story.”
The campaign was dreadful, and the awful state-secretary responsible now has a safe seat in parliament. But the whole story is that people wanted to give the government a kick for their mediocre performance in an economic boom, their nasty political ways and the unappealing personalities of their main players (McGinty, McGowan and Mactiernan, stand up and take a bow). I didn’t detect a big mood for a change of government, or any real enthusiam for the Liberals. I was glad to see Troy Buswell’s vote went up. And I would be happy to see the Nationals get everything they want (and supporting the ALP in government) because services out of the metro areas are lousy – they’re entitled to a lot better.
“I was glad to see Troy Buswell’s vote went up.”
Please explain.
“And I would be happy to see the Nationals get everything they want (and supporting the ALP in government) because services out of the metro areas are lousy – they’re entitled to a lot better.”
I agree – the Nationals are entitled to everything they want.
Wait… what?
Down and Out [27] you are sooo right.
*smacks self*
FDB – we’re stuck with this two-party-taking-turns system of government (how come my Greens got 11% of the vote and no seats, while the Nationals with 5% get 4 seats?!) so I’m interested in both sides having the best people they can get. So I’m really disappointed that Steve Thomas, Liberal, is losing to Mick Murray (ALP) – I think Thomas offers the parliament much more than Murray. Troy is one of the Liberal’s best – intelligent, capable, likeable. After the nastiest campaign directed at one individual that anyone can remember (from his own side, it must be said) it’s good to see that people weren’t fooled.
At least the Nationals can hold their heads high and say they sold a message and won votes because of it. In an election which should have seen them eradicated, they have gone on to, most likely, hold the balance of power.
A week ago, neither party wanted to talk to the irrelevant Nationals. Colin Barnett is still pretending he doesn’t want to talk to them but, seriously, will he return to the opposition benches as a matter of (silly) principle?
“Very easy to say from a position of male privilege.”
keep telling that joke…i’ll keep laughing. You look pretty relaxed in that chair
Rebekka. Keep up the BS & we’ll see how long the so called LEFT stays in power. My wife has never used her gender to gain anything. She just gets out there & DOES. Playing the victim is just a lazy-arsed way of getting promotions & attention. I could give you plenty of examples of how my career was undermined because I was a white male…but I couldn’t be bothered playing your game. I’m an INDIVIDUAL. I live or die on my own instincts, use of experience, effort, imagination, innovation etc…
If you can’t stand the CAPS get out of THE COMMENT. Idiots.
N’
“If you can’t stand the CAPS get out of THE COMMENT. Idiots.”
That’s just the thing though Nasking. Some people – I’m one of them – really do see a comment peppered with CAPSLOCK and just skip it. It’s offputting.
Calling them idiots isn’t likely to help.
“I’m an INDIVIDUAL.”
Ok, I’ll do it if no one else will.
BBB
Wait, this one is even better.
BBB
“It’s offputting.”
So’s your gravatar FDB…but i still read your inane comments. I need a chuckle or two a day to keep the blood pressure down.
Still Bingo Bango Boingoing yourself senseless I see BBB.
Perhaps you & the lazy Janes can get together & throw mud at each other…might make for a top show on Fox 8.
Troy is one of the Liberal’s best – intelligent, capable, likeable. After the nastiest campaign directed at one individual that anyone can remember (from his own side, it must be said) it’s good to see that people weren’t fooled.
*Is speechless*
I stand corrected.
Your comments are no better without the caps.
And what’s so wrong with my gravatar? That bear of yours never won Best Muttonchops In World did it? Politics of envy I reckon.
Behave, you mob.
Also, it has nothing to do with the bloody post, so we’re not interested in How the FEMINAZIS Destroyed your CAREER.
“That bear of yours never won Best Muttonchops In World did it? Politics of envy I reckon.”
It’s probably being eaten by Sarah Palin’s family right now. Having been shot from a helicopter. The same type that will arrive at your Libertarian mates farm to grab his guns & dogs because corporate party types like Palin luv to dress themselves up as wilderness types but will brook no dissent when it comes to their stranglehold over power.
Isn’t this starting to turn out like the WA election. Chaos…no winners. Hardly. And notice the flock of seagulls.
Best all political parties do a rethink i reckon. Lots to be learnt from this exchange.
N’
Sorry, nasking. That honestly wasn’t directed at you personally. I’ll just use any old excuse to get Jacko into the conversation.
BBB
“And notice the flock of seagulls.”
Okay, now I’m really confused.
How did we get from WA to Iran?
No probs BBB…we were all just having fun…& doing the cathartic thing…I wonder if Anna Winter has a pair of combat boots that go w/ that big eye…just kiddin’ Anna…;)
Besides, isn’t that how the mainstream media get attention these days? Debate, beat-ups, hairy confrontations…confusing arguments where noone wins.
I think the WA election demonstrates that the political parties can’t just coast…or rely on INDIVIDUALS to fall into the old groupthink gangs…the people are SUFFERING out there in varied ways…they need services…cheap housing…community centres for their kids & too keep their tired minds alert…or less stressed…they’ve paid enuff tax over the years…
And that Lib leader is “up himself” & will fall big time if he keeps acting like some chubby Caesar in a bad play about the decline of the Roman Empire…I reckon Alan Carpenter has a damn site more passion, Go & personality…if only he could get enuff like him to push the platform.
With all the teeth problems out there the state governments need to call an EMERGENCY and come up with a group of dentists (some come out of retirement, some trainees & such) & fly them around the country to help the farmers & people out bush…then land in a park near Logan…;)…dentists are way too freakin’ expensive in this country. I reckon teeth problems are causin’ half the bad moods.
Affordable healthcare in OZ my ars*. King John & some of his State (traitors) mates did the dirty on us.
N’
nasking, Anna Bligh has a spine. Just a pity it was removed by Peter Beattie and the state sec some years ago.
Do me a favour and play nice, please, nasking – keep it on topic, if you’d be so kind.
Everyone’s having a whack at the WA ALP State Secretary, which is a tad unfair…if he has his way the election would have been called 2 weeks earlier with Troy “Sniff Sniff” Buswell as Libe leader.
It was the Premier’s office that bollocked the whole campaign, in much the same way as they bollocked up the Premier himself.
Django-
Django, baby, have you ever visited the planet Earth?
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Great axe artistry however. You gonna do an album with Eddie Van Halen anytime soon?
FDB #37 – Sorry what was that again? I couldn’t hack reading it the CAPS lock put me off. How did the Feminazis ruin your career? They tend to be good for mine. You think that might make me a war-criminal?
“Everyone’s having a whack at the WA ALP State Secretary, which is a tad unfair…if he has his way the election would have been called 2 weeks earlier”
So two weeks earlier it would have been a great campaign? The general consensus is that the attack website on Troy was a bad move, not a positive one. It was a lousy campaign which didn’t answer the Liberal’s best points, didn’t present the ALP as having anything to be proud of, and veered off into stupidities like closing the bar at Parliament House.
“Do me a favour and play nice, please, nasking – keep it on topic, if you’d be so kind”
That’s not how I work crankynick…I’m not one who likes being caged…I enjoyed the thread & found your topic interesting, gave to it what I had – surely you read the rest of the comments, i didn’t start the fun mayhem…besides, you might want to reign in some of the other sarcastic postees if you ain’t gonna let me tangle w/ ‘em…i get tired of protectionist measures by blogs that purport to be wide thinking…:) Should I serve them tea w/ a prissy comment or somethin’?
And Kitty, as for Anna Bligh, I dispute that assessment…she keeps comin’ up w/ the goods as far as I’m concerned…she’s thinking & acting for a wide spectrum of Queenslanders, not just a select few groupies from the past. She’s evolving. Like Julia Gillard (even tho she did piss me off w/ some education-related comments, she’s more than just a party hack). And now Allan Carpenter is being forced to evolve.
It’s all GOOD.
I’d like to see more polies cross the floor, represent their electorate…& beliefs.
N’
L – I am impressed at how well Carps and Johno managed to bugger this up so well. How Johno got to be State Sec is beyond me to begin with.
I believe the electorate has asked reasonable questions of the Governemnt and they haven’t been answered – there is an economic boom but why are so mny missing out or being left behind? The ALP never tried to answer this, probably because it would highlight that they were reasponsible for doing something about it but were doing not much. At the same time Carps’ arrogsnce has been well exposed. Internally in caucus and the party he is one arrogant SOB. The way he has pissed off so many and yet expects to get the support required to run a campaign. Mishandling how to move out older members, imposing his dream team preselections and then trying to be sneaky by calling an election the day after the opposition elects a new leader and the Olympics are about to start for two weeks of a four week campaign (giving the flailing opposition time to move from an undignified flail to a mor dignified tread water).
I’d like to see some more in depth coverage of the team that ran the ALP campaign. Johnston was running for a seat himself and trying to run a State campaign. The rest of the team like Bruce Cambell-Fraser have bugger all grey hairs. They probably are avid political beast who being leftys all hang around the lefty blogs and are immersed in the negative bile that spew from those blogs – hence we had the nasty, sniping campaign that was unable to actually articulate well why people should vote for the ALP rather than against the Libs.
Who was the idiot who thought that John Doratsio wouldn’t preference the Libs in order to stick it up the ALP after the way he was treated, even if it was deserved. tehre was always goign to be a strong ethnic community rump that supported John. And then to put one of their highest profile dream team guys into that electorate. Maybe it is a good thing because it shows that Whitby has as poor judgement or as much arrogance as Carps and therefore shouldn’t be in Parliament. That said, even I was suprised to have delivered the Morley Kindergarten for Britza. Funnily enough the Doratsio HTV chumps wouldn’t partake in any social banter with the Libs despite delivering the 2nd prefs. The ALP, and Greens HTV were very nice.
When I was in high school there was a certain selection of (mostly) fellows who left school in Year 10. Some did apprenticeships but a lot didn’t get any qualifications. They would’ve left school earlier if it was legal.
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Meantime this country which had once ridden on the sheep’s back in the bosom of the leftovers of the British Empire was opening up its economy and developing into a modern technological society.
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But it still had high wages which made unskilled work difficult to get. The education system became economically rational meaning people got charged for courses and there you go. They got left behind because they stayed behind. There was a built in assumption that we, as Australians, had a right to an affluent lifestyle even if economically we weren’t competitive or relevant. Hence Hansonism which seeks to return us to the halcyon days of the white Australia policy and high tariff walls.
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Gone forever.
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This will happen more and more in the old developed nation. Globalization creates worldwide opportunities for the skilled, the intelligent, the shrewd and such like. For those who are in places where one followed one’s dad to the mines or the steel mill it’s entrenched unemployment. Open economies mean a trade. The third world gets our technology, we get beggars.
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I suppose Kevvie is trying to address this in certain ways with his guaranteed places for TAFE students and the rest. It is a social problem and public policy solutions are warranted. But I also reckon that if you’re in a culture that persists in thinking that education is something to be avoided well it’s up to you to wake up.
Adrien – I was thinking more along the line of property prices – simply a factor of supply and demand. Not enough new blocks being released. The State Government is responsible for this and has oversight of local government. The information has been available to them since they were first elected. More people coming to the State than new housing being made available = rising house prices. They have done very little and LandCorp or whatever it is called now has basically profitted from the situation rather than trying to minimise rising land prices. McTiernan should have been made ot explain and pay for this. She hasn’t.
Sorry about the SNAFU spelling.
Ah indeed.
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That’s another question all together. I suspect the land boom feeding frenzy inspired by Mr Howard’s conservative social engineering may have something to do with that. I don’t own property anymore. I did tell my family to buy in Melbourne around 10 years back when you could get a 4 bedroom place a sparrowfart from the CBD for $250000.
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But as I’m not much fussed over money and live the typical rolling stone/beatnik life I don’t know anything right? Then I told my brother not to take out a mortgage because the property bubble was set to burst.
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So of course he did and his house is worth less than he paid for it.
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But naturally the only people who know about the market are ultra-conformist types.
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That’s another reason why ‘Strayans get left behind. They’re suspicious of a change in the weather and won’t try anything new ’til it’s old in America. The Catalogue of Stupidity in this country is breathtaking. The sense of entitlement even more so. The next time some dickhead in the mountains loses their timber house on stilts to a bushfire I’m gonna go up there, shake ‘em and say: you had it coming ’cause you’re an idiot.
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Bit of a rant sorry. But in this country we expect to have a good life without doing much to earn it and we think it’s the government’s job to compensate us for our laziness and stupidity.
If anybody needed to understand why Labor is in deep sh.t around the provinces, this is the Brumby official response to drunken fights in the inner city….
…Hummer sponsorship.
http://livenews.com.au/Articles/2008/09/08/Police_in_Hummers_to_get_tough_on_alcoholfuelled_violence
Joe2, I did hear that on the car radio this arvo and damn nearly drove off the road!
Hummers! 1 !
Hummers???!!?
What. the. fuck?
And does this have anything to do with a Hummer dealership in South Melbourne (I think it’s the only one we have here – correct me if I’m wrong) which might be in a teeny bit of trouble with all the news about climate change and fuel prices? Has a sweet deal been made here somewhere?
But the main thing is it’s just so RIDICULOUS.
Sorry, off topic.
Helen – bigger car, more respect, more drunk chicks you can pull. Simple.
Adrien – if you don’t think land prices are a major issue then you are as out of touch as the ALP.
nasking, Anna is coming up with the goods? Well, what of this spectrum you speak? To me, she has been having a good look into Joh’s ‘spectrum’. I see she has come out with some serious goods today.
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,24317554-952,00.html
“But in this country we expect to have a good life without doing much to earn it and we think it’s the government’s job to compensate us for our laziness and stupidity.”
Another myth based on limited knowledge and understanding. After all, most of the people I know work damn hard and expect just a modicum of intelligence, vision and yes, provision of basic services from our politicians.
But then again I don’t know anyone who works in advertising.
“All politics is local” – WA Labor forgot that. Look at the Labor locals that did well and even had a swing towards them – Mick Murray (Collie-Preston) and Peter watson (Albany) – good hard working local members. But then some good hardworking local members also got kicked – I wonder if the difference is that both those members (although to slightly differing extents) ran their own campaigns based on what they knew were the local concerns, largely told Party office to get fucked, put out material that was locally authorised as opposed to the negative and/or bland shit put out by Central Control. There may be local members who were kicked out who also did this so the theory may be slightly off, but it seems to work here in the SW.
Mick Murray also refused to display the pathetic anti Barnett posters sent on the eve of the election.
In contrast – party Office put up a non-local in Bunbury and what was a knife edge seat became a safe Liberal seat. BTW it’s not really a safe Liberal seat – put up a decent local and the electorate will swing again. Party office better learn this next time around. They don’t have a clue about local (and especially) regional campaigning.
“To me, she has been having a good look into Joh’s ’spectrum’. I see she has come out with some serious goods today.”
Bwahahahaha…the Courier Mail is worried…? The Murdoch propaganda tool for Queensland…not counting the local papers. Who can blame Anna for not trusting the monopolisation of the media & the biased messages that come outa that rag.
What a bunch of cry babies the News Ltd team are. I’m playing the smallest violin in the world for them.
Sorry Kitty but if you think Anna Bligh is anything like Jo Bjelke Totalitarianism you obviously didn’t live in Sth. East Qld during his corrupt reign. I’m still rolling on the floor.
N’
I agree that the Hummer approach sucks joe2…do they come w/ Terminator included?
HOMELAND SECURITY LIVES
Razor-
Well okay. Where did I say that?
Jeff – I agree (to an extent) with your comment about local members, though I think there’s a big difference between regional and metro areas.
In the city I tend to think that if the swing is on, it’s on – I reckon a ‘hardworking’ local member is worth maybe 2% over the swing in the city – either 2% against the swing, or a couple of per cent over it (though larger than life figures like John Quigley are the obvious exception to that rule.)
On that basis I’d also tend to disagree with your assessment that hardworking members got kicked – with a statewide swing of around 6%, any member with a margin of 4% should have been able to hang on, if they were actually working hard and smart.