I am mourning

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I am a usual Liberal vote that voted labor. I will explain my reasons:

1. I grew tired of the secrecy and downright nastiness of the howard government. Look at something like Haneef.. the govt lied to the court, used the AFP as a political tool, shafted over the judiciary when it didn't get it's own way etc etc.. this was just one of many things. Surprisingly, Barry Jones put it best when he said "[SIZE=-1]And if you take a dissenting view, you're either marginalised, trivialised or trashed. "

John Howard came to power on a promise of accountability. That worked great, about 5 of them lost their jobs because of dubious accounting methods and expense claims. That was until too many were lost, then Howard came up with this rubbish "non-core promise". He then stacked the high court with extreme right wingers and it was downhill from there.

2. Howard and Costello have been the best economic managers this country has ever had. No doubt about it. However, a lot of the good fortune was based on the freeing-up of the economy that Keating started and Howard continued. However, the economy is only one part of a society - and an A here wasn't enough to make up for the F in other areas (like FOI)

3. The whole liberal campaign was simply based on badmouthing the past. I never saw one thing from Howard where he actually talked about his vision for the future. Who cares what interest rates were under Whitlam? If you suffered them then, you must be incredibly unlucky to even still have a mortgage.

4. Howard became increasingly arrogant in the last few years. He really should have left about 12-18 months ago, to give Costello a chance. Instead, he shafted him and treated the public like dirt by telling them "well i'll only stay around a little while" and forcing them to another by-election. Keating had it right when he said "costello is great at attacking the opposing side, but he really should be focussing on Howard" (i'm paraphrasing there)

So in the end, yes the economy is going great but that is it - and that doesn't make up for the loss of my civil liberties and everything else.
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I doesn't matter what I vote! I live in an electorate that has always been Labour. I think!

Howard was never well liked even as treasurer under Fraser. It was Keatings arrogance that lost the 1996 election and put in power the Liberals/Howard. In 1998 Labour won 51% of the two party preferred vote due to their anti-GST campaign yet lost the election. I think Beazley would have made a good PM even though he has made a few blunders recently. Liberals won the next 2 elections thanks to the instability in the world and the inability of Labour to be an effective opposition.

Howard lost the last election because he stayed on just a little too long. I have no problems with how the Liberals have managed our economy although I am against the GST. I think it is now the turn of the Liberals to have leadership issues and lacking high profile names. Nelson and Bishop?

Rudd and Gillard I am not too sure about. I don't like it when a government gets too arrogant in power. Labour is showing these signs already and the election was only last week. I just hope that the Liberals have not done too much damage to themselves and the next election is a contest rather than a one sided affair like last weeks election....
 
JohnK said:
I just hope that the Liberals have not done too much damage to themselves and the next election is a contest rather than a one sided affair like last weeks election....
It's interesting that we call this election such a one sided affair when the winning margin, in percentage of votes, is so slim. Alternately put , that such a slim percentage of votes can give such a positive majority in numbers of seats. :confused:
 
straitman said:
It's interesting that we call this election such a one sided affair when the winning margin, in percentage of votes, is so slim. Alternately put , that such a slim percentage of votes can give such a positive majority in numbers of seats. :confused:

It's more the number of seats changing hands, and the swings in some of those seats. You can win the overrall % of votes but still lose the election if you don't gain the requisite majority of seats.
 
QF009 said:
It's more the number of seats changing hands, and the swings in some of those seats. You can win the overrall % of votes but still lose the election if you don't gain the requisite majority of seats.
Exactly.

As per the example given by JohnK in post # 42.
 
I am celebrating

Yes I'm celebrating. I was at the tally room on Saturday night behind Kerry and Julia making a lot of noise.:D

Like some of the other posters I am hoping for a return to decency and truth. Some criminal charges against the people responsible for funding Saddam Hussein via the AWB would be nice.
 
Re: I am celebrating

Hvr said:
Some criminal charges against the people responsible for funding Saddam Hussein via the AWB would be nice.
Let's not go there. Whlst we have politicians we will always have these problems from both sides. :rolleyes:
 
What really peeved me off about JH was the fact he was a master of deception, he had the ability to spin enough dirt to make any lie seem truthful and whenever it was dead obvious that he was caught out, he would just say "nobody informed me" or "i didn't know about" and alot of people actually fell for it.....

He was very lucky that national security was the biggest issue post 9/11 because this made his election campaign's very very easy and no other messages, policy, agendas from both sides were able to break through during the election campaign, and when mr ruddock declared Tampa & children overboard, it was game-set-match for the coalition's victory!

But going to the Iraq war on a loadful of lies is totally dreadful and this made us, imo, a bigger terrorist threat than ever before.

Dr Haneef's situation was a sad case of 'power in my head' for the Liberals and the misuse of power!

the use of the AFP as a puppet to their promote their policies and when Mick Keelty declared that Australia was now a bigger terrorist risk, the PM then slapped him down and warned him!

David Hicks & Mamdoo? Habib were very sad sad affairs and the government unwilling assist their citizens but when Ms Corby - another aust citizen, who appeared more popular, the then government jumped up & down, brought in well resepected (and definitely well paid) silks (qc's) to review the merits of the case and provide specialist advice at OUR taxpayer's expense... and those silks are not cheap to hire for a day either (a good guess is their fees are $8-$10k per day).... summoned the Indonesian ambassador etc......
 
You have to hate democracy don't you. Benign dictatorship is the way to go - or benign monarchy - saves all that debate, money on politicians, money on elections (although I would miss out on the sausage sizzle at the polling station) and those pesky CL memberships.
 
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JohnK said:
Howard lost the last election because he stayed on just a little too long. I have no problems with how the Liberals have managed our economy although I am against the GST. I think it is now the turn of the Liberals to have leadership issues and lacking high profile names. Nelson and Bishop?

Rudd and Gillard I am not too sure about. I don't like it when a government gets too arrogant in power. Labour is showing these signs already and the election was only last week. I just hope that the Liberals have not done too much damage to themselves and the next election is a contest rather than a one sided affair like last weeks election....

For the most part, Australia tends (in my opinion) vote for whichever party is in the middle, and tends to reject the extremists. In the previous election, both parties were sitting in the middle with not much differentiation, and Howard got back in. Since then, labour seems to have remained fairly in the centre, while the liberals have become somewhat more extreme.

For next time, Labor needs to keep a lid on the extremists in their midst, while the liberals have to return to a more middle ground.
 
mainly tailfirst said:
Don't get me wrong, having a split senate is vital to decent government (Exhibit A: Work Choices), but you need reasonable minor parties holding the balance of power - not independent whack jobs like FF.

mt

simongr said:
This is my pet hate - minor parties holding the balance of power. I Senator (fi I am reading this correctly) can effectively veto the Governments reforms - does that not seem wrong to people? It's not like his allegiances were clear from the commencement of the campaign.

NYCguy said:
Which is exactly why then-PM Keating described the Senators as "unrepresentative swill".

Hear! Hear! I am with you there.

Ric
 
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Ric said:
Hear! Hear! I am with you there.

Ric
Likewise from me. I only hope that Mr Krudd is able to hold the unions at bay. Good to see he is already standing up to the Public Service Union.
 
oz_mark said:
For next time, Labor needs to keep a lid on the extremists in their midst, while the liberals have to return to a more middle ground.
I really don't follow factions that much but wouldn't Gillard be about as extreme left as it gets!
 
JohnK said:
I really don't follow factions that much but wouldn't Gillard be about as extreme left as it gets!
She's a member of the (Martin) Ferguson Left, or 'soft' left. They vote with Labor Unity at a national level.

Then there's the Socialist Left, or 'hard' left. There's also a large element of personality politics and pragmatism involved in factional membership. Lindsay Tanner, MHR for Melbourne and incoming Minister for Finance and Business Deregulation, is a member of the SL but I'd hardly consider him extreme. He was one of the first Labor MPs who actively advocated for tax cuts.

FWIW Labor Unity, a coalition of various moderate factions or more commonly known as 'Labor Right', is approximately 70% of the party. :)
 
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JohnK said:
I really don't follow factions that much but wouldn't Gillard be about as extreme left as it gets!

It's looking like the new government is more concerned about getting the job done based on ideas with merit than playing out a compromise solution of conflicting ideologies. ;)
 
Thats a big call given it is only 7 days since the election and the PM and his Ministers haven't been sworn in yet...
 
My dad's comment in regards to the Labor win was along the lines of 'Well we can start the countdown for an Aussie recession now kiwicounter'
 
kiwicounter said:
My dad's comment in regards to the Labor win was along the lines of 'Well we can start the countdown for an Aussie recession now kiwicounter'

Maybe that will encourage some of the kiwis to go home :mrgreen:
 
codash1099 said:
Maybe that will encourage some of the kiwis to go home :mrgreen:

Or at least take out Aussie citizenship so they can vote - many I know are quick with an opinion on Australian politics, but not committed enough to seek citizenship and actually realise their opinions through the ballott box. Come to think of it, I know some poms and yanks in the same category...:)
 
Platy said:
Or at least take out Aussie citizenship so they can vote - many I know are quick with an opinion on Australian politics, but not committed enough to seek citizenship and actually realise their opinions through the ballott box. Come to think of it, I know some poms and yanks in the same category...:)
Platy,

I know some Aussies in the same category :!: :evil: :evil:
 
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