Re: 2013 Australian Federal election
You make well make that point now you did not intend to before.
Yes we should, if the coup doesn't happen, Labor is comfortably re-elected, Abbott becomes a historical footnote and the moderates take back control of the coalition. Not under Turnbull though, more likely a Hockey/Pyne team.
Wrong.
Who is they? If you mean the people they didn't. Given the opportunity to affirm Gillard's appointment as Prime Minister the overwhelming majority of Australians declined that opportunity. She should have resigned then and there, the new leader would have been entitled to negotiate with the Independants but should have done so with a view to return to the polls within 12 months as per the example set by Brown, Mandelson and Miliband in the UK just months earlier. Their keeping Gillard in government depsite the electorates rejection for her all contributes to this disliking voters have for the current government. They feel, justifiably so, that by removing the Prime Minister they elected, then keeping Julia Gillard in office despite their rejecting her at the election that the Labor party caucus is treating them with contempt. And they are. This is how it's come to be that the retarded problem child of the Howard ministry now is poised to become Prime Minister.
You may well think Temporary Protection Visas work, a substantial block of the coalition(and the department of immigration) do not.
An ETS is a policy which pertains to an issue which generally seems to split people along left/right ideologically lines. A policy which encourages women to be good old fashioned wives and have lots of sex and babies with their husbands is socially conservative, yes.
Apologies... Typo. It should of read: "(or, sadly, it shouldn't)".
Not to the extent that we see Liberal gains/Labor losses through the sole prism of some shoddy leadership mistakes. The current state of labor is blamed in part for many factors. For example... Their failure until recently to articulate and map out an effective narrative, their lackluster communication skills both on good policy work and remarkably, in defense their own tax. But a few problems which dog labor. The leadership issue is still there but we should not paint it with a 4 inch brush it's not "post hoc ergo propter hoc". Hockey is not so moderate. He gave a speech to a conservative think tank in London in mid-late 2012 urging that a razor be taken to welfare policy and the like. Turnball is moderate. Pyne is closer to TA.
If my memory serves me correctly, then I have on this forum already spoken (with you and et al) about this issue directly. Granted, it is difficult to articulate a vision for Australia after only one term, to be fair, he had championed the big Australia idea which was connected of course with China and placing australia in a better context for bigger/better regional development.However I stick by my claim that Rudd, had he of truly believed in the ETS should of gone to a dd. He could of at least tried to pass it again, and this time go full bore on the political attack (lacking one it pasted house of reps).
Indeed, the majority (but not overwhelming - lets not get hasty) of voters did not pull for gillard. However that is not how our system works - as you know. It was neither an endorsement nor strong backlash against her. Simply: the people voted, Gillard got into office again. I share your views on this, that the independents (and the party room) held the country to ransom. However, gillard had a mandate.
TPV's do work - if as I said Incorporated with the aforementioned, key factors.
The ppl is in our case an issue of semantics. While I disagree that the govt should support new mothers at all, I will play devils advocate. I see the ppl more as a welfare net than a means to end to produce more babies and thus get free money. You go against the grain here, commentators disagree that a ppl is socially conservative, rather is is actually progressive. Is it socially conservative to pay dads to spend time off work to look after their new babies, after all, i thought it was the conserv. view that they be at work being the bread winners? Over to you...
