Australia General Discussion

[Platypus]

Well, as we've been saying for months, Nelson was the fall guy. Unfortunately he spilled before he fell.

[Platypus]

I can't help it, I love Senator Coonan. I once predicted she'd be our first female PM, and even though she is a senator, it might just happen.

[Platypus]

Beat that, Reagan.

[Platypus]

TFFT

[Platypus]

Crean, ploise. Now.

[Platypus]

Basically, I miss Kim Beazley.

[Platypus]

I've also got anecdotal evidence, so to type, of Rudd being a twat and Gillard being a nice enough woman.

FWIW, Nicola Roxon is apparently the only cabinet minister more odious than Rudd.

[Platypus]

anyone know where I can find a breakdown of the support for Rudd or Gillard?

[Platypus]

Maybe now Labor can start the recovery effort before the election. I can't see Rudd being truly quietened, but at least this should stop the media speculation a little bit.

[Platypus]

No more Arbib? Excellent.

[Platypus]

Here's the text of her speech, which I found quite good:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[Platypus]

Another 75-150 people have drowned in an ayslum boat sinking north of Christmas Island.

[Platypus]

The whole debate is really muddled. It is inhumane not to accept for processing those who seek asylum here, but it's also inhumane to not be doing what we can to discourage people from getting on these boats, roughly 5% of which sink. I don't have the solution, but the Greens can't compromise, the coalition play the worst kind of dogwhistling on the whole issue, and Labor's plan it an ineffective bitza mess. As much as I xan't believe I'm typing this, the only plan I've heard in the last few days even worth considering is, gulp, Clive Palmer's.

That said, at the very least, the govt is setting up an independent investigative group for finding solutions to the issue, headed by former ADF chief Angus Houston, so maybe they'll have a plan worth reviewinf, he's also struck me as a non-reactionary conservative, a small group in Australia, but a group that has had some remarkable, real sucesses in government and policy.

[Platypus]

Also, if that post was a dash rambling, sorry, its two am here.

Also, because I'm obliged to say this in any circumstance where asylum boats and the leader of the opposition are mentioned...my god Tony Abbott is a count.

[Platypus]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-07-02/emerson-sings-no-whyalla-wipe-out/4105246

[Platypus]

It was awful, but he's a better trade minister than his shadow would be, by a mile.

[Platypus]

The Carbon Tax has claimed another victim...

http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/story/2012/07/09/carbon-tax-funeral-impact-unknown/

Looks kinda like you saw a more balanced story elsewhere and then hunted down a source that most closely aligned with your views. Good to know the Sunshine Coast Daily didn't disappoint.

For a somewhat more balanced version, here's the take by the (still right-wing) Courier Mail:

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/death-costs-wont-rise-under-carbon-tax-the-federal-government-has-promised/story-e6freon6-1226421669761

[Platypus]

I'd make an argument that the ABC is broadly anti-government, whoever the government may be. Which in the Australian context, is a leftish position.

That said, ABC viewers/listeners are most certainly left wing.

[Platypus]

Kerry O'Brien? aka Red Kerry? Broadly agreed by the left and right to be one of the best political journalists in Australian history.

[Platypus]

Here's the new campaign for Tourism Australia. I reckon it's perfect, which makes a nice change from some of the old ones.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pOVfJwBd5s

[Platypus]

It's more that Australian Labor is basically left-in-that-it-isn't-as-right-wing-as-the-liberals.

I highly doubt anyone will replace Gillard before the next election, and if it were to be anyone it would need to be an old face like Crean.

Post election, Shorten is a possibility, although I wouldn't be surprised if they put up a bit of an unknown, and allowed them to build a brand new identity as Labor leader, untainted by the Gillard government. If they're at 60-65 seats post election, which seems about likely, someone along the lines of Andrew Laming, Jason Clare, at a stretch Mark Dreyfus.

[Platypus]

It's more that Australian Labor is basically left-in-that-it-isn't-as-right-wing-as-the-liberals.

I highly doubt anyone will replace Gillard before the next election, and if it were to be anyone it would need to be an old face like Crean.

Post election, Shorten is a possibility, although I wouldn't be surprised if they put up a bit of an unknown, and allowed them to build a brand new identity as Labor leader, untainted by the Gillard government. If they're at 60-65 seats post election, which seems about likely, someone along the lines of Andrew Laming, Jason Clare, at a stretch Mark Dreyfus.

Dude, Laming's a Liberal.

I meant Andrew Leigh, oops.

[Platypus]

Queensland at a stretch, largely because it hasn't been as clearly two-party as the rest of the nation. It is now, but you see the right wing in QLD fracture a lot and it will fracture again, whether through disintegration of the LNP or rising new challengers like BKAP or PHON back in the 90s.

NSW saw a few minor parties do surprisingly well, but a massive swing to the opposition away from the government doesn't really count as volatility when compared to Canada.

[Platypus]

If Gillard loses the election in 2016 Roxon will be Labor leader.

Highly improbable, and from a personal viewpoint, highly undesirable.

------

Re: Jones. Not a surprise he's a tosser, just a surprise the media have decided to make a scandal out of this. Why not any of the last 327 disgusting things he's said in the last few years?

[Platypus]

The state of it is basically this: Nobody likes the government, but when they have to choose between a labor government or a Tony Abbott Prime Ministership, they're splitting down the middle.

The question is, who is more likely to make themselves more attractive: Labor as a whole, or Abbott?