The dying days of the Fourth Reich: it's the 2007 AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL ELECTION

i'm reminded of the election in futurama

i'm nervous too, i am not going to count on anything.

you can count on some sort of debrief on this thread, at least

true, i am going to stay home on election night and watch tv and read this thread!

Nerves?? I am going out of my head. I wanted the bastard out in 2004, and it didn't happen, and I've been beying for blood ever since.

The pure and simple truth, which I've tried to explain to many people over many years, is that the chances of ANYONE being as furiously bigoted as Howard are so incredibly remote as to make no odds. He's so far to the right he's alienated most of his party. No living ex-PM supports him, even the Liberal ones.

The reason to vote for Rudd is clear: If he turns out to be half the lying, racist, gay-hating arsehole Howard is, we're halfway there.

I am sick to fucking death of being ashamed to be Australian, I really am.

(and I was once a Liberal supporter)

Hey, and I didn't even mention all the wars he started.

Can you tell I'm angry? ANGRY!!

I really dislike my (labor) mp but I still will vote for her (or the Greens)

(Actually probs the Greens coz if I don't my brother's gf will beat me to death)

Never underestimate the greed/stupidity of the average Australian, though. They've fallen for obvious Coalition bullshit so many times there's no reason to think they won't again.

On Today Tonight/ACA last night they had the inevitable story about interest rates, but a few people were still staying "better the devil you know". What the fuck is wrong with bogans.

Also I don't know if it is more hilarious that bogans are blaming Howard for rate rises (sample quote: "I expected it with the government at the moment") or frustrated that they are annoyed that their cost of living is going up; oblivious to the fact that THE WHOLE FUCKING POINT OF INTEREST RATE RISES is to get these people to downgrade to a house they can actually afford, and stop living off credit cards, and generally SPEND LESS THAN YOU EARN BECAUSE IT IS BREAKING THE ECONOMY

BTW people should be watching ACA tonight, it looks like they are going to have an epic story where they systematically tell you why every foreign race is evil.

frustrated = frustrating

I suspect most people will have federal leaders in mind when they vote this time. National politics hasn't hogged newspaper headlines all year for nothing. :)

xpost

Sadly, not that genuine stud (or that gay sex symbol himself, Wilson "Ironbar" Tuckey) but the rather lovely MP for Adelaide.

-- King Boy Pato, Monday, 15 October 2007 13:50 (3 weeks ago) Link

very lovely. noting that her electorate offices are in NAILSWORTH

from her website:

Kate has also spoken in parliament about victims of international crime, eating disorders and broadband, among other issues.

what a victim of broadband?

they are annoyed that their cost of living is going up; oblivious to the fact that THE WHOLE FUCKING POINT OF INTEREST RATE RISES is to get these people to downgrade to a house they can actually afford

True, but there's no such thing as a cheap house anymore, unless you live in Oodnadatta.

This is where the "interest rates are lower now than... etc etc" line falls flat on its face.

BTW people should be watching ACA tonight, it looks like they are going to have an epic story where they systematically tell you why every foreign race is evil.

Wait there while I feign surprise.

online gamblers

facebook addicts

xpost

Oooh, Turnbull would appear to be losing Wentworth.

Just imagine if this is a comprehensive slaying. Just imagine.

gambling/facebook = internet victims, rather than broadband ones?

xp

very lovely. noting that her electorate offices are in NAILSWORTH

Yeah - the Libs would have their electorate office in UNLEY.

Speaking of Kate Ellis, not that I need any more encouragement to vote for her, but she sent me TWO fridge magnets today...compared to the shitty letter that the Fourth Reich sent to me yesterday.

Whatever who r you? *curious*

noting that her electorate offices are in NAILSWORTH

-- whatever

Ha! I just got that one. Took a while.

I thought it was because Nailsworth is home of The Big Scotsman??

Ah, the Big Scotsman. I used to live just up the road from that. It is truly hideous.

By the way, what DO you people here do on election night? Our tradition is having a few like-minded friends over, eating comfort food and getting horribly pissed to dull the pain (and it's been pain every time--the first election I was old enough to vote in was '96, when Howard got in).

Usually we watch the ABC and cry.

Last night I realised a couple of things:

1. Is the rate rise good for Labor? Given the amount of time and energy Rudd and his ministers have invested since Wednesday talking about it, I think that answers the question. Expect Labor swings. (Incidentally, Sportingbet's and Centrebet's odds are still fiercely against the Coalition.)

2. Everything Howard has gotten away with since 1996 is biting him on the arse right now. First indigenous affairs (the weird Damascus road conversion two days before he called the election), then the findings about Haneef's extradition being rigged, then his interest rate promise on Wednesday, and yesterday his refusal to say sorry. It's a bit like his life is flashing before our eyes. Expect more.

3. Last night on Lateline, Rudd mentioned being influenced by prime ministers including Whitlan, Hawke and Keating. If Latham or Beazley had mentioned any of them in a positive light, it'd have been political suicide. This more than anything indicates how much perceptions of Labor have changed since 2004.

Regarding sorry not being an apology: Howard's been playing this game for decades. He knows that if he says sorry in any context, the country will (a) see it as an apology and (b) will draw links to his stubbornness over the reconciliation issue.

The fact that Wednesday's "sorry" was definitely an apology, and that he is now definitely backpedalling, shows just how greatly he's lost his touch.

Oh, and he's blaming Labor for taking his "sorry" out of context, a statement which will piss off Labor, all the press and every voter with a mortgage.

http://www.pollbludger.com/689

"I am the Prime Minister, I am not an English teacher," Mr Howard said.

You're the one playing semantics, you ugly fuck.

Morgan's showing Labor gains (hurrrr) in its brand new polls. Its face-to-face poll shows a 22% lead. That's not a typo.

Also I think the Liberal party is considering taking its brand off handouts. IT'S OVER CUNCE.

So "go for growth", or whatever the fuck bullshit it was, is still being used by the libs?

22% lead = 61/39 split. I tried putting it into Antony Green's ABC election calculator but it literally goes off the scale. I forced it go the other way and it said 123 seats to 25.

xpost Yeah, because some mental in the strategy dept has decided ANY economic discussion is automatically a positive for the Coalition. Based on polling of course.

And here's the woman who got knocked over:

http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200711/r198876_758930.jpg

Oh fuck and he just walked away from her!!

There's your caring prime minister in action, two weeks from an election.

As Mr Howard was chatting to two elderly women, a young woman ran up behind him and screamed that he was a "scumbag".

"You will not be getting my vote," she yelled, prompting the two other women to assure the prime minister "you will be getting mine".

See, this is why ppl like my parents still vote liberal. They see idiots like this who scream abuse, link it IMMEDIATLELY with the left, and dismiss labor/greens as a bunch of insane morons.

re: pushing people over

Latham did basically the same thing and we thought it was great.

Of course we did - Latham's not Howard.

Did anyone see the doctored "Alien vs. Predator: Whoever Wins, We Lose" (with 'Latham' and 'Howard' replacing the names, done very convincingly) billboard(s) during the last election

They see idiots like this who scream abuse, link it IMMEDIATLELY with the left, and dismiss labor/greens as a bunch of insane morons.

Exactly. You won't see such attitude from gentlemen like Andrew Bolt, would you?

Oh yes, The Greens have a sing-a-long advertisement now. Gold!

I just found out that Malcolm Turnbull is a worse Environmental Minister than Rudolf Hess was - thanks, Shaun Micallef!

I think it is too late for me to register to vote for this.

If the latest Newspoll is any indication, none of us will need to vote.

There's only one Newspoll to go! That's got to be scaring the bejeezus out of the Coalition.

Today's the official launch. If it spends too much it's branded even less economically responsible; if it spends too little it's at risk of being shown up by Labor (which will probably be conservative (geddit) with spending).

Either way, the polls ain't changing, which tells me everyone's made up their mind and just given up listening. Even I'm sick of it. What's it now, 11 months?

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j171/mdanielwalter/img_197_p.jpg

^^^^^^^^
My Greens candidate who i could very well vote for because I dislike the Labor woman. He's what I like to call "eccentric".

nice hat

And that's a tame outfit for him :/

I thought the Greens were trying to move *away* from the 'crazy nutbar' image.

Not in Northern NSW.

Plenty of crazy nutbars on the global warming march yesterday. Nice ones though.

Quite a shift, after seeing Kevin Bloody Andrews at the Remembrance Day event. I didn't hear what he was saying (too far away) but he probably asked what all the nig-nogs were doing here.