In a fortnight’s time, the polling booths will have closed. I now think there’s a real possibility we’ll be looking at an LNP victory. I’ve explained why at Pineapple Party Time.
Update: I’ve had a look at which seats are in play in a new post, challenging the conventional wisdom that the LNP needs a swag of Brisbane seats to win.
Mark, that’s a literally huge call. but yeah I think you might be right about the disengagement thing, water cooler conversations, general chatter and other very anecdotal evidence is that people thing the ALP is set for another term, And if anything the campaign material has really reinforced that business as usual feel. But surely not, Lawrence couldn’t possibly hope to go slide into the executive building by just laying low?
Of course it’s pretty unlikely if the Courier Mail keep publishing Galaxy polls like the last one. Wait and see I guess, and don’t panic any Borg government is going to be a one-termer anyway, and with very little left in the kitty to play with I doubt even he could do much damage.
PinkyOz
Things could still change, PinkyOz. But if people have made their mind up and continue to expect Labor to win, as I argue, I wouldn’t be surprised at a change of government.
John Howard – 1996!
Small target strategies work better against long term governments because people really want a change. And I think the assumption that Labor will win really takes the pressure off The Borg.
I strongly suspect that’s right!
Out of interest, who’d be frontrunner for ALP opposition leader if Borg seizes George St?
Lucas, I suspect.
I can’t see Bligh hanging around.
Though young Andrew Fraser might be in with a show. He’s been having a good campaign.
But I think the AWU will want to re-exert control.
Ah, the member for Lytton – yes. No McNamara tilt?
Again, wrong faction. And hasn’t impressed all that much as a Minister.
Well, yeah good old John I guess, but at least the guy had a vague idea of what he would do when he got into power, and he achieved most of it, good or bad.
What really scares me about Lawrence is he doesn’t seem all that bright and he’s effectively leading the Nationals into power, effectively leaving the narrow-minded and backwards thinking to make choices for him. Urgh, bad choices all around at the moment, but at least I get to send a get out of politics vote to Palmer and his progeny, and hopefully get to see the back of some of Labor’s less productive members (please let Redcliffe turn, please).
And yeah, Paul Lucas surely if the ALP leadership changes, Right aligned, reasonably clean of disasters (though he did have Transport and Main roads for a while, but there isn’t much there to hit him with), and hes fairly sane/rational, which will be a good counter for the Borg and his endless ranting.
PinkyOz
The people keep using all the checks-and-balances they can – but still they get lumbered with nasty, over centralized, authoritarians. This is wrong. I think more stringent measures are required to control politicians. They should all be tagged with GPS ankle-bracelets and made to live in Big Brother type housing.
It’ll be like a crash program in training our public servants to be our servants and that’s what we pay them for. They are beneath us.
People are so bloody dumb.
What can there possibly be in it for them to vote for a party that will rip off their children / grandchildren in the workplace?
What possible advantage could there be for anybody to vote against their interests of their own offspring?
I just don’t understand. Have Queenslanders taken to eating their young? This should be on the front page of every biological journal.
Great, the post-Bligh meme has arrived already. And the one of a queensland labor party led by Lucas: now there’s a name to conjure up confidence with, not. Why not Kaiser? Or Dick? What are the factional permutations? When you say “the AWU re-exert control”: when did they lose it?…
I certainly hope the Borg doesn’t get up, mainly because he’s threatened to pull out of the Murray-Darling scheme. As a South Australian, this really worries me.
Its hard to get a feel for Queensland politics down here in NSW because we hear not much about it. The biggest exposure I’ve seen was on The Insiders today, (which was a bit better than usual because I think Bolt might’ve been told to pull his head in a bit). Borg doesn’t impress, but then he wouldn’t would he? Apart from what I’ve read on LP and occasional surfs of The Pineapple Party, the only two things I’ve heard about him – pulling out of the Murray Darling Agreement and introducing a Queensland Workchoices – are horrendous.
Is the ALP as corrupt up there as Borg infers? As for the ALP bagging LNP business supporters – so they should.
(And the mind boggles at the Queensland Nats accusing anyone of corruption, anyway. But I’ve only been up there in the Petersen era. Apart from a brief stay in Brisbane in 1980.)
Bolt may have been told to pull his head in a bit but the conversation seemed to be headed towards a consensus that, whether or not you despise her politics, Pauline Hanson has been badly treated by the press.
“(which was a bit better than usual because I think Bolt might’ve been told to pull his head in a bit)”
Gawd Paul, I have to disagree on that one. He was totally bloody obnoxious. He rudely spoke over everyone and accused a colleague of being a spokesperson for the greens…completely nonsensical. Bolt even spoke of the governor-general as a “partisan hack”; very rich coming from him.
The ABC should stop indulging this illogical creep. He is a disgraceful bully.
(Sorry OT, but could not let that one pass.)
Well, punters seem to be strongly backing a Bligh win. 1.45 plays 2.90.
So ten dollars on da Borg as a lay off to the tears.
I am afraid this is a classic case of a government losing an election rather than an opposition winning one. Very much in the tradition of Keating, Goss and Borbidge.
Probably a bit pre-mature to call Anna down and out still 2 weeks out with Cyclone politics set to play out over the next few days. There is still a distinct possibility that Labor with fall over the line ( I think the most likely outcome given the size of the swing need). If that happens with say 7 to 3 seat margin, it will be interesting to see if any recriminations and challenges emerge.
Any thought I would might be Premier this time next year?
Lefty E,
He’s been a lot worse than he was today. (Sorry for being OT)
I’m with Mick.
danny @ 11 – I thought you weren’t a fan of Bligh’s – all the comments you’ve made critical of her in the context of The Greens’ chances in South Brisbane would tend to indicate that!
Milton Dick and Mike Kaiser aren’t in state parliament. And Kaiser – who’s been heavily responsible for the campaign strategy – would likely take a fall if it fails.
The AWU’s inability to control the succession and indeed its split over who should be Deputy Premier (Lucas v. Mickel) at the time of Bligh’s ascension demonstrates its eclipse as a faction. Note that Lucas got the gig through having cross-factional support rather than a narrow AWU base.
Key question is what are the marginal seat candidates like? I understand the LNP have picked a right clown in Beaudesert, so the candidate matchup will really matter if it’s as close as it seems.
PinkyOz: A Borg Government wouldn’t need much in the kitty, all it would need to do is bang the “Quinceland isn’t getting a fair go” drum and he’ll have 2-3 terms at least. Don’t forget there are a lot of Howard government veterans who wouldn’t go all the way to Perth but might fancy their chances with a lobbying/staffer job in Brisbane.
Does anyone think Andrew Fraser would survive more than about ten minutes out of government? I think it would take a week worth of tutoring just to get through to him the whole concept of a non-Labor government.
In other words: a grey man who will cop the blame for everything Labor hasn’t done, from a dam in the southeast to losing the State of Origin.
Rx: you need to get out more. Seriously. Labor people battling it out in marginal seats are not helped by this type of incomprehension.
Why? What makes you think a lion of the backrooms will be anything but a mouse in the frontlines?
Isn’t your own State Government threatening to not only pull out, but sue?
“And Kaiser – who’s been heavily responsible for the campaign strategy – would likely take a fall if it fails.”
Come off it, Mark! Miserable, humiliating and abject defeat can only improve Kaiser’s career stocks in today’s Labor.
Kaiser has a proven record of self-induced failure the likes of Barrie Unsworth could only dream about. His political acumen and campaign skills are such that the safest bet would be to do precisely the opposite of whatever he recommends. As a young up-and-comer he spiked the rails of the 1995 Goss campaign with the inspired hospital postcard tactic. In 2009 he dreams up the campaign pitch focusing on the Borg, who is the only decent thing (in every sense of the word) the LNP has going for it. The idea to go early based on crisis management skills when no-one thinks there is a crisis has Kaiser’s fingerprints smudged all over it. Come to think of it, I can’t recall Kaiser ever being associated with a political victory in a senior campaign organiser role.
And that’s without mentioning his public disgracing at the Sheppardson inquiry. It speaks volumes for the ineptitude and moral bankruptcy of the Queensland ALP brains trust that each new and manifest piece of evidence confirming Kaiser’s cynical incompetence inspires only further promotions. The already-evident disaster that is the 2009 Bligh campaign is sure to see Kaiser preselected again for a safe seat – perhaps to an unelected Senate sinecure if one of the logs occupying the two AWU spots can be bribed with an overseas posting or something.
mark says:
Last week Mark was suggesting“that a plausible argument could be made that The Borg sunk his ship today”. Today he’s asserting that “there’s a real possibility we’ll be looking at an LNP victory”.
Did Mark start falling out of bed on a different side?
Because nothing fundamental has changed in the parties, policies or polity in the interim. The polls have shifted in the LNP’s favour (people are making up their minds closer to decision making time.
Mark’s psephological models alaways seem to be built with spacious wriggle room and rubbery projections. This suggests that his poll commentary consists of Monday morning quarter-backing with little or no predictive value.
By contrast I follow the scientific method and lay out a general theory, with implications specific to the case under investigation. I use a basic stimulation/stagnation – incumbency/outcumbency model, fine tuned for local conditions.
This is my prediction for the QLD elections, cranked out over a week ago (but in principle development since the “its the economy stupid!” end of the cold war):
When I made my prediction a week or so ago the ALP was ahead in the polls and the bookies favoured them accordingly. At least they put their money where their mouths are.
Its time psephologists put their predictions where their mouths are. I re-issue the challenge to both possum and mark, that I initially issued when I posted the above comment:
I am not doing this to be mean to mark or possum. I think they are well-meaning and honest. But they do not put their theories properly to the test.
I want all psephologists to be on a level playing field where they state their assumptions and predictions for transparency and accountability.
That is the method of both intellectual and institutional progress.
Mark @21:
Oops, wrong Dick candidate. And, shame on me, I just assumed Kaiser would have been given pre-selection. Silly really, he is after all on a very good wicket. Clearly I’m just not machaivellean enough, he’s a belts and braces kinda guy: engineering a “disaster that is the 2009 Bligh campaign is sure to see (himself) preselected again for a safe seat ” after the borgias’ oncer term, when it’s ultra safe, is just brilliant. Only Labor could be that devious and forward thinking.
I reckon you’d be doing everyone a favour with a bit of in-depth parsing of
so that we might know just what sort of a nest of vipers what we would be getting. We don’t get enough of that sort of racy reading in the MSM. Mark Bahnisch’s Insider’s Guide To Queensland Labor Factions, that sort of thing. With a supplement of “Where are They Now?”.
Me not a FannaAnna? I’ve got nothing against her, except for what you say, she never managed the necessary shift from the Beattie BS paradigm: she might have said “Brains not Bricks” but she didn’t make it happen, couldn’t, didn’t have authority against vested interests, even if she meant it, which I doubt. I judge her on her performence as education minister, she was long enough there to have no excuses, and what is her legacy there? Queensland kids being bottom of the national class in all tested numeracy and literacy classes, Grades 3,5,7 and 9. that sort of comprehensive failure doesn’t get achieved overnight. Asking dud teachers to take $50k and piss off voluntarally , thinking it’s the duds who’ll take up the offer? Doh, the good ones knew they’d do ok anyway, and took the money, and we still got the duds. Then there’s the local issues, her performance as my local phantom member. The day I saw her wipe a local community meeting, chockas with state high parents, about routing the on ramp to the bridge through the middle of the high school campus, saying there was nothing she could do, was the day she lost me, and a lot more. Like I say, there aren’t many Anna posters up here, compared to the “rights at work” forest, and I hear the Greens candidate is having his torn down. She had to do more than buy from local dress design houses. Don’t get me started.
Indigenous workers across a number of state agencies & departments are already worried about a LNP victory – little or no funding & programs have bi-partisan support, and the hard-won things of the last 11 years, are seen as very very vulnerable.
re:Hal9000
Kaiser had a fair bit to do with the 1998 state campaign, which was successful and the 1998 federal campaign in Qld where his only mistake was to not play for the win, rather than a respectable defeat.
Jack @ 24 – since you posted an identical comment on PPT, I’ll save time here and link to my response there:
http://blogs.crikey.com.au/electioncentral/2009/03/07/campaign-2009-at-half-way-the-lnp-could-win/comment-page-2/#comment-1178
On Kaiser, I think it’s reasonably safe to say that he’ll have used up his nine lives if this campaign fails.
And by the way, Jack, for the reasons Antony Green has explained at PPT, two party preferred figures are almost meaningless with the intersection of the current Queensland party and electoral systems.
http://blogs.crikey.com.au/electioncentral/2009/03/05/galaxy-51-49-to-lnp/comment-page-2/#comment-1166
So if you insist on putting your “theory” to the test, you really should specify the result in terms of number of seats.
Just to clarify, Jack, are you predicting that post election, Qld will have Premier Springborg?
My concern is that QLD is going to elect the LNP an ultra consertive party, If you thought Howards old federal Liberal party was consertive well this LNP is more consertive in my opinion, Its more consertive than Howards old liberals but not as consertive as the family first party. In some of the LNP vidoes on there website every second word is “family” and in some of the videos they assume you have “children” or your “married” – My problem is that Im gay. I have really no choice but to vote for Anna Bligh as voting gay friendly Greens is in my opinion really just a waste of a vote as the chances of them ever forming a government or holding the balance of power is next to nothing in QLD. If I was not gay I would seriously consider voting for the LNP.
OK, so I’m getting ahead of the game here and neither LP moderators nor Qld Labor supporters will thank me for it – but can I just point out how two main themes in this thread have negated one another.
The idea that a Springborg Government would be a oncer depends heavily upon the opposition to remain united. Does anyone believe that a Labor Opposition would unite behind a strong and effective leader, that factional heavies would hose down the kind of dissent that
is turning the Federal Libs intohas revealed the Federal Libs to be a rabble?Seriously, if you were a Qld Labor staffer/MP who found yourself packing boxes and shredding stuff if (yes, I stress if) the people’s verdict came in Nuh-uh for Anna – would you really commit yourself to Lucas[/Fraser/insert Qld Labor leader of your choice] ’12 or would you rather take your chances with Rudd ’10 (and elbow aside all those NSW staffers doing the same)?
“Queensland will have to pay an extra $200 million per year in interest after it became the only Australian state to lose its AAA credit rating”
Like Australia, Queensland can’t afford a Labor Government . People eventually see their pockets being emptied by excessive government with tax and spend policies and vote accordingly.
Labor shouldn’t be let near the till, as can be seen by Kevin’s redlining of the credit card.
Andrew, if Labor loses narrowly, and if they anticipate a schemozzle of a performance from the LNP, they’ve got every incentive to stay united. Not every party’s a plethora of primadonnas like the federal Libs. Beazley held federal Labor together reasonably well in its first term, as I recall.
# 30 Steve at the Pub Mar 8th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
Just to clarify, Jack, are you predicting that post election, Qld will have Premier Springborg?
Since the announcement of the election I have predicted a small but non-razor thin victory for the LNP. If Springborg remains leader then he, post-election, will be premier.
There is definitely some sort of weak anti-LNP bias in the electorate, based on Baby Boomer (largely for-show) aversion to traditional forms of authority.
However this aversion is not strong enough to overcome opportunistic defections by marginal voters to the LNP in the case of recessionary phase of electoral pendulum and economic cycles.
THere is also probably some weak counter-valent tendency in the electorate, tending to vote at the state level against the party in power at the federal level.
I think we will seem most state govts fall towards the LNP over the next few years. Most of the state ALP govts look pretty tired and stale.
The exception seems to be VIC. Lotta pretty active Lefties down here.
I don’t know much about QLD politics but I saw an interview with Springborg on Agenda during the week and then again on Insiders today and I find the guy totally insufferable.
Jacques,
I’ve seen him on telly, too, and he doesn’t look too bright. Looks like a brain-damaged football player. This election is, as much as anything, an IQ test of Queenslanders.
Gee, thanks, Rx.
People like Iemma of course were shining intellects and worthy of the confidence of NSW electors?
Maybe there’s a subconscious, population-based (rather than individual) instinct, (like schools of fish, flocks of birds, all turning at the same time) phenomenon happening whereby we are all trying to elect the worst state governments possible as a prelude to making it plausible, unavoidable, for us to do the unthinkable, unpalatable, but necessary: get rid of the state layer of government.
Queensland is just leading the way, showing us how gaming electoral systems into the anti-democratic farce of optional preferential voting for a unicameral government produces a robust, (to the point of indestructible, I’m still putting my money of labor) and durable ( we do 20 year+ cycles, borbidge was an accident, and joh’s demise was a badly played hand, the is no end in sight to qalpism) partisan oligarchy, a government of the people, by the careerists , for the careerists. And their corporate collabarateurs, aka retirement-plans’R'Us. I reckon she’s more worried about that Thiess directorship she was going forward with on the Ros Kelly holiday than losing power: I dunno about this “qld can’t afford Labor” thing but the economy may not be even be able to afford the downpayments on the retirement plans, all those juicy LaborMatesInc infrastructure(TM) construction contracts.
Mind you, Greg having the purse strings on the ‘Climate Contracts’R'Us’ is a pretty good Family Finances Plan B. The contracts won’t be in the same multi-billion dollar league, yet, as the ones he had his hand on in Transport, but it’s a growth area. The 1.2 billion blown on a technically defective, embarassingly de-useful for electioneering or drinking purposes, tugun desal eyesore shows the way forward in possibilities for climate-billable contracts. I see the projected 100% production date is End of March 2009: any bets Anna and Erstwhile Premier Huff’n'N’Puffin Paul will get to try and turn on the taps before election day? And will it be pouring rain as they do? Looks like the Northern Queensland floods put paid to the planned Cloncurry Solar electioneering photo opportunity. She just can’t take a trick, even hamish refuses to play into the cynical plans for campaign damage control ie shutdown. She whom the Gods will destroy, first they will rain on the parade.
concerned@27 I’m not sure the 1998 Queensland election counts as much of a victory. The Coalition was in disarray following a series of extraordinary scandals, the economy was stagnant and Beattie was the darling of the meeja. Despite this, Kaiser-steered Labor managed only to form a minority government. The 2001 landslide was a Kaiser-free affair – he did admittedly do the decent thing and hole up away from the public eye for the duration, unlike some others disgraced at the inquiry.
Then, of course, there’s the non-trivial probability of a hung parliament and a minority government. As I’ve commented previously, at least three seats will be retained by independent and/or minor party members (most probably Nicklin, Gladstone and Maryborough). It’s interesting to speculate on which way Peter Wellington will go this time if both major parties needs his vote to secure a majority.
Mark at number 38,
You’re a Queenslander I gather. Don’t take my comment personally. The election result, will, to my reckoning, be a collective IQ test result. I’m waiting to see how the “smart state” measures up when it really counts.
That would be the “smart state” that after several years of boomtown income, has barely a government service up to scratch (especially health) and financially is in the deep red.
Where did the money go?
So Hal, how do you account for Kaiser being Bligh’s QuarterMillionDollar darling if he’s so clearly a dud by any measure? Payback for taking the Shepherdson fall? Knows where the skeletons are buried? (Speaking of skeletons, there’s a good story, #6863, can’t link, sardonically titled “The Dead don’t vote”, about Qld voter roll rorts ) Or is Anna’s judgement really so bad she really thinks Kaiser is a genius? Putting company directors who had plans for de-necessarying large slabs of the queensland workforce (Pacific Brands) while taking a very nice payrise tyhemselves suggests either her judgement is actually that bad, or maybe that was a Kaiser idea too, which is the same thing. Honestly, discussing megabuck development deals with it’s proponent and beneficiary, at a $5500-a-head Labor private dinner, in his
mistress’patroness’ electorate, and 2 weeks later it gets the nod: he must have gone to the Sth Coast NSW Local Government School of Front Development, RatWithGoldTooth certification. I reckon Mark’s right, he’s gonna be main course, (scapegoat, stuffed and roasted), on the post election menu.I reckon back in the easliy-triggered reptilian recesses of the queensland collective voter brain, it’s stored away as a big black mark the stark wrongness of Bligh re-instating Kaiser in such a well rewarded way, after her mentor and better Pete had said “This guy will never work in my government”, and the drawer marked “Not to be trusted” is pretty full, as shown in the Galaxy poll, where only 40% describe Bligh as “someone you can trust”, only a 5% gap with Borgia, the lowest gap, except that between those who reckon health is the top issue, where there is no partisan gap at all. Lawrie’s untrustworthiness rating will have different drivers than Bligh’s, in his case it will be “would you trust a baby with razor blades”, not “would you trust a junkie with your pin number?” There’s a 25% “undecided” pool, which largely will really be “don’t trust, but feeling to insecure to admit it”
Paul Norton @ Mar 9th, 2009 at 9:37 am: having had a discussion with him I can answer that. He would lean towards an LNP government this time Paul.
Mark wrote:
(concerning QLD election being a collective IQ test)
Springborg hasn’t shown any indication that he’s as toxic as Peter Debnam. The far right of the NSW liberals are the best thing that ever happened to the right wing of the NSW ALP.
Mike Kaiser is probably the best thing that ever happened to the LNP – what anybody was thinking in getting him re-involved in state government is beyond me. It shows incredibly poor judgment.
Danny at #44, I suspect that Mike Kaiser and one other staff appointment in the Premier’s office were part of the price the AWU faction exacted for their acquiescence in a woman from the Left becoming Premier ahead of one of their own.
Steve at #45, thanks for that snippet. I thought it might be the case.
Paul is precisely right.
Kaiser’s appointment was among the conditions Ludwig made for AWU acquiescence in Bligh’s ascension.
PN@47:
…That pretty much accords with what Mark has been saying about how things really are. Dare I ask: who was The Other? It might be a tried and true way to run The Party where insider careerism is the be all and end all, but is it anyway to run a Government, where some notion of service delivery used to be a reasonable expectation? FFS, “Oh look, the government is buiding roads, let’s believe the glossy brochures, and think of them as Shiny New Infrasructure, an optional extra to the Goverment’s role description, for which we should be grateful, and fall over ourselves to elect them yet again”.
I’m impressed by how cosy it is in the partnership/dynasties and job stakes nexus, and how they fit in with factional maneuvring. My favourite, for combined intricacy and baldness, is the seat of Ashgrove, for the way it’s warp and weft has just about everything that defines the QueenslandLaborMatesInc,(parliamentary branch) that we’ve come to know and loathe: ( from PollBludger, 06)
Ashgrove is where they decanted Jim Fouras, after Anne Warner did him in the famous Shepherdson generating, Kaiser fall taking, South Brisbane rort. Anne Warner bequethed South Brisbane to Bligh. Jim Fouras was Ronan Lee’s mentor. Anne Warner’s daughter is now running against Ronan the rat. Kate Jones partner is “BLIGH’S chief spin doctor Paul Cronin .. off to help shine up the ailing image of Queensland Rail which has become more renowned for Krug Champagne and canapes than its commuter service … after many years of faithful service.”
You gotta admit, it’s got it all. I can’t wait for it, our own WestWing/Dallas, with a costume melodrama edge, so there’s plenty of scope for the beloved local gown designers to get a gig: “The Duchess of Peel Street” perhaps?
Jason @ 31: My problem is that Im gay. I have really no choice but to vote for Anna Bligh… If I was not gay I would seriously consider voting for the LNP.
I’m gay too and also have no choice but to vote for Labor, even though I might hold my nose, espcially considering that Kaiser is in the picture. But even if I wasn’t gay I could never vote for the Nats (which is all the LNP is). THey still have people on their front bench who date back not only to the last National party gov’t, and that was a nasty and disgraceful gov’t if ever there was one, but even to the last days of the Moonlight State. And they’re none of them too bright either, which is why I couldn’t see them lasting more than one term on the great misfortune that they do win. A vile revolting and hopeless bunch, many of them I’m sure still itching for payback as in their last time round under Borbidge. But being gay, too, I know that LGBT people were one of the targets they had for payback in 96-98. And as Bernice pointed out, if I was indigenous, I’d be very concerned too.
@48 – Yep, Kim understands it correctly!
Danny at #49:
The Other was a student at Bjelke-Petersen Memorial University of Suburban South-east Queensland in 1993-95. In each of those years he ran for election to the Student Representative Council of said University. In two of those three years he was disqualified for electoral malpractices. In the other year the Returning Officer was a person subsequently named adversely in the Shepherdson Inquiry.
TG, in case you hadn’t noticed, there’s a recession and a global loss of AAA ratings. Qld is right there with the movers and shakers with their credit ratings around their collective ankles.
I would like to declare that the domain owner of http://annasrecord.com is indeed related to as he is my second cousin on my dad’s side.
http://whois.domaintools.com/annasrecord.com
This may be of interest:
Why I am contesting the Queensland state elections as an independent
Long-time environmental and anti-privatisation activist James Sinnamon who, stood for Lord Mayor of Brisbane in 2008, explains why he is standing as an independent candidate against Queensland State Treasurer, Andrew Fraser, what he hopes to achieve and how you can help.
Contents: End privatisation – stop the liquidation of Queensland, End Queensland Government encouragement of population growthDemand action against homelessness and housing unaffordability, Labor’s coal exports – a crime against this and future generations of humanity, Why a vote for me is not be a wasted vote, To intending Labor voters:, To intending Green voters:, To intending Liberal National Party voters:, What you can do
Re Jane @ 53
Captain Bligh and her sinking credit rating have a lot in common with worthless AAA rated CDO’s. Surely the only Australian state to lose its AAA credit rating is worth something, but it is not clear what value the voters place on their captain.
Nice: power blackouts, at least in Anna’s electorate, even though we’ve had no (locally perceivable) storms to explain it. (Times like these I love my backup wireless internet thing, and pedal powered laptop).
Quick, get all those spin doctors from queensland health down to the staff gyms, and furiously spinning those grid-connected dynamos attached to their salary sacrifice fitness club exercise cycles.
Nothing says failure to wisely spend all that boomtime money than blackouts in the coal capital of the universe. Well except water restrictions in the flood capital of the universe perhaps. And the impending dengue pandemic heading southwards on the back of the hastily convened, badly-implemented water tank resposnse to it: mosquitoes, meet over flowing water tank.
“Surely the only Australian state to lose its AAA credit rating is worth something, but it is not clear what value the voters place on their captain.”
TG , never let the truth get in the way of a bit of election propagandising, eh?
Tasmania has also lost its AAA status to the now totally discredited rating agency Standard and Poors.
Tasmania and Queensland share the same lowly AA+ credit rating. Tasmania had its rating upgraded from AA- to AA+ . Bligh had hers downgraded from AAA. Please find a life raft and cast her adrift.
Power’s back on in AnnaVille, whew my legs were getting tired.
Danny and Paul:
On the one hand, it’s not really surprising that networks exist among the glitterati of a political party. So the fact, for example, that the new mp for Ashgrove is empartnered with a Premier’s staffer is neither here nor there. The issue arises when nongs and duds are consistently selected and promoted on the basis of their network status, eg Reba Maher and her many peers in NSW. Qld Labor has a long form sheet here, think Mal Colston, Bill D’arcy, Ed Casey, John Budd and of course Keith whatsisname the seducer of schoolgirls.
So, while Bligh has ability and indeed some charisma, she’s surrounded by dills she has to tolerate in order to get and keep her own job. When you focus on the team, as the inept Labor campaign has, it’s soon obvious she’s the Brownlow medallist in a bottom-eight side.
Sadly, the whole contest has the air of a fight for the wooden spoon, since the Borg’s neanderthals bear no scrutiny whatever.
“Surely the only Australian state to lose its AAA credit rating is worth something, but it is not clear what value the voters place on their captain.”
…..TG@56
“Tasmania and Queensland share the same lowly AA+ credit rating. Tasmania had its rating upgraded from AA- to AA+ .”
…..TG@59
Just plain wrong and not admitting it. Ever thought about a career in politics or are you already working in the area?
Both major parties appear to be fighting over a broken vase with a credit card that is maxed out. The Borgsters don’t seem to have much depth in the apex from the media that I have viewed. Anna-meisters have been badly advised. So ego-viewed on south eastern queensland. Doesn’t the rest of the State matter? Oh hang on. Silly me, that’s were there are are nasty cyclones, floods and crocs. Special people live up there! I think the election will be close. D’oh.
Funny thing, most of the people commenting on this site are predicting a Labor win.
From what I have gathered on most of the chat and talk back sites that I visit that Labor are on the nose and are in for one hell of a shock.
What am I missing that they seem to be picking up?
I visit a lot of sites, and by far the most negative comments have been about QLD State Labor.
Jenni.
Thats true. Everybody is talking 2PP. The LNP have fallen to Peter Beatties just vote one trick and ran with it.
That means that the LNP will gain seats but not the government as it failed to work and participate in preference deals.
Strange too is that the ALP have now done preference deals with the greens which should hold them in power.
Had the LNP paticipated in preference deals there is no doubt and LNP governement would have been swept into power in a landslide.
Tony Zegenhagen
DLP – Independent Candidate for Chatsworth.