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

I wouldn't expect any less from those fine publications.

I just looked at all those LOLpollies pictures and they are *so fucking dreadful* that I'm no longer voting Greens in the Upper House.

I did chuckle at this one, through...

Howard has told Rudd to 'grow up.' Gillard has responded by calling him out for schoolboy tactics, retaining the high ground.

I'm telling ya, status is where it's at.

Hockey calls unions irrelevant, which explains why he's attacking them. He looks better with green horns.

"So: tax cuts will save the day for the liberals? What do you think? They can always renege on all promises after the election, as is traditional."

Well, they did say _if_ the strong economic growth continues, so when that inevitably peters out, they can fuck their promises right off the way they always do.

Got a SSAE envelope from bloody Alexander Downer yesterday, along with various bullshit screeds. Our dog once crapped on his front lawn. I wonder if he can be persuaded to crap into an envelope?

Alexander Downer is a talking pudding

who travelled back in time for some reason

to fetch his party leader frin the 19th century obv

from

Housing affordability figures and IMF world economic outlook report both released today. Both grim. The former makes the government look ignorant, the latter makes it look impetuous.

Oh and for all Costello's cries of GILARD OMG COMUMISM he was once a member of Australian Young Labor and did the same student union work as Gillard.

http://reasonsyouwillhateme.com/images/dfiu.jpg

How's the situation in the seat of Bennelong these days?

Last I heard [1? week ago] McKew was winning by a clean margin.

That is so fucking sweet.

i don't think it's quite so clean now, but who knows what will happen.

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/7303/071018homehowardmarx1bcww6.jpg

Any way he's wiped out is fine by me. General election loss, Bennelong loss, errant bus, whatever.

James Morrisson are YOU from THE ADL??

Now being bombarded by anti-union ads every ad break. How antiquated is the liberal approach? These anti-union scare mongering tactics - I just can't see them cutting any ice with the under 50's.

I'm really not sure whats wrong with unions. Can someone explain?

if you believe the dickheads over at gearslutz, they ruined working life for everyone

man who knew that sound engineers were such right wing fuckwits

Can anyone take an image from the TV next time the "70%" of ministers are trade unionists" advert comes on? I think it would make for a great Labor version of 'Guess Who'.

Unions?

Goodness, I thought they were there to protect the worker.

xpost

Husband says, the only people who are anti-union are people who earn too much money...with the communist manifesto in one hand...bong in the other.

I'm really not sure whats wrong with unions. Can someone explain?

-- Kate, non masonic, Thursday, 18 October 2007 10:52 (9 minutes ago) Link

Too much union means enforced strikes and picket lines and something else I can't remember. Too little union means WorkChoices and other cockfarming pursuits.

70% union members? Sounds pretty fucking good to me. Sic 'em on the ACCI, the fuckholes.

It's always the heads of massive companies saying how good WorkChoices is for workers, like they'd know.

Because god knows that a government run by people who have links to trade unions are just going to screw people over. Unlike a government hand in glove with big business who make people's lives wonderful and joyous.

Fucking zakly.

This week I've noticed a lot of people under 40 ask what the union thing is all about. Chances are they'll discover that the unions are ultimately there to protect workers, and that their weakening has coincided with the rise of WorkChoices. If this happens, the Coalition's union scare campaign will work against it in a huge, huge way.

ACNielsen polls released tomorrow. First to be taken in the campaign, so probably taking into account the very early reaction to Costello's tax cuts (i.e. before economists pointed out how dumb the tax cuts are).

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1243/531437213_769ee8dd68.jpg

Howard gaining slightly in polls. Polls taken between Monday and Wednesday. Early shock of tax cuts, probably.

That's much better than any Green LOLpollies.

People are stupid, AA. Plz to remember that? And taxes are obscene right now - well, obscene for a conservative government at any rate.

Link to ACNeilsen poll:

http://au.acnielsen.com/news/200512.shtml

Dear Mr King Boy: yes indeed am from/in Adelaide. For my sins.

People are stupid, AA. Plz to remember that?

well doy, otherwise howard wouldn't be there now

In fact, I think Rudd releasing a tax policy today (not yesterday, not next week) would be the best thing he could do. I'll explain why later when I have some effing time.

Please explain?

The economy is Howard's and Costello's ground, as is reflected confidently in opinion polls.

If the ALP announces its tax policy today, it'll put economics to bed in week one and move the campaign focus onto health, education, environment and housing for the next five weeks -- all areas in which the ALP is favoured in polls.

If it were released before today, it would have looked like a rushed response, and it would also have appeared as though Costello's bullying had scared the ALP.

Oh, and a tax policy release today will get Saturday morning headlines. Easy and prominent coverage on a day when less news is being gathered.

I get what you're saying, but Howard and Costello will be very, very quick to remind us all of their "awesome" tax cuts.

True, but over five weeks it'll lose its punch. Particularly when the ALP releases its more cautious tax policy with funding for schools and hospitals, effectively neutralising Howard's big trump card.

That's my call anyway.

It merely underlines why I think the ALP should release its tax policy today. I'm not saying it's going to win Rudd the election. :)

Interesting comment from Michelle Grattan:

The Government would have hoped for more bounce from the tax package. But people are blase about tax cuts. And who wants to admit to taking a bribe?

The message of this poll and this week? The Government has a very difficult but not impossible task.

In my view, if the ALP stays on message and cautious (and, importantly, retains its status) it may not lose much ground at all.

"And who wants to admit to taking a bribe?"

A small percentage of those people who'd want to actually take said bribe, unfortunately.

Yer, let alone those who don't have to admit taking a bribe because ballots are SECRET. Sexy ms grattan is a bit dim sometimes.

ALP's tax plan!

$2.3b in education tax rebates for pri & sec schooling. Six-year plan to reduce four tax thresholds to three (40%, 30%, 15%). $400m to cut waiting times for elective surgery. Total rebates $31b, just under what the Coalition announced.

AMIRITE

nice

So close to the Coalition's that it effectively neutralises the whole economy issue. Bang. The polls should stabilise now, if this announcement gets enough press.

It's getting enough press.

Well done Almy. You must be the expert commentator on ILX at election night.

yes, i am deeply impressed.

Yay!

The polling is a bit misleading, considering the Coalition was guns blazing on day one but the ALP's campaign really hasn't started yet

I reckon two weeks before election day we'll get a sudden avalanche of ALP ads about the big stuff: WorkChoices (the elephant in the room), nuclear power stations, Al Gore, etc. I think they'll make a lot more difference than FREE MONEY, and Howard really can't come back at any of it.

This year's different to previous elections in that the ALP has far greater support this year, which means more financial backing, which means a bigger warchest for the campaign.