Apr 08 2008
Newspoll: 59-41
The first federal Newspoll in three weeks has Labor’s two-party lead steady at 59-41. Kevin Rudd’s lead over Brendan Nelson as preferred prime minister has widened from 60 per cent to 64 per cent, having gone 73-7 to 70-10 to 73-9 over the past there surveys.
April 10th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
I’m laughing with you Glen, I didn’t think it would be such a high number.
April 10th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
401 steve - good one Steve. LOL
April 10th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
What, Pyne is not on the list.
April 10th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
396 Glen
The authorities still got pretty riled up by Rudd’s speech!
I wouldn’t want an FTA with China either, until their workers were paid a fair wage. Howard must have wanted an FTA with China to help drive down wages.
April 10th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
Thomarse #404
Howard could then have called it ChineseChoices.
April 10th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Kina,
I reckon Pyne could give Nelson a real run for his money in the search for Australia’s Least Preferred Prime Minister. The Libs would have to be crazy to nominate someone on such a small margin to lead them to the next election. A 1% swing against him in his seat and they’d lose their leader again!
April 10th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
I heard a farmer whinging about the way that the coalition used to go about arranging Free Trade Agreements. First they would agree that the US could sell there products here and later they would try to bargain for US farm subsidies to be reduced. As usual back to front in their efforts too help Australian farmers one would think.
April 10th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
406 [A 1% swing against him in his seat and they’d lose their leader again!]
A change of Liberal Leader is always a good thing Al. I’ve been a bit disappointed with how long this bloke has hung on. I like to see about four per year.
April 10th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
The next choice may also suffer being a bench warmer.
April 10th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Apart from a brief flirtation with Lord Dolly of Mayo who was the last Liberal leader not to come from NSW or Victoria? (electorate wise - not state of origin).
April 10th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
steve
I had a chat to a nice lady who was part of the FTA agreement negotiations with China, she said the biggest hurdle in agriculture was getting the Chinese to understand that they were supposed to buy stuff from Australia - not just the other way round. (That and having to eat deep fried scorpions - a delicacy apparently).
April 10th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Now there’s a symbolic form of consumption!
April 10th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
Queensland Treasurer thinks interest rates have risen enough.
[INTEREST rate rises have “smashed” demand in the economy and it is time for the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to give families a break, Queensland Treasurer Andrew Fraser says.
Mr Fraser, addressing a Queensland Media Club luncheon in Brisbane today, said family budgets had taken a battering because of rising interest rates and grocery and fuel costs.
The bank has lifted rates eight times in three years, with many mortgagees now feeling financial pain.
“Indeed, my assessment, and thereupon my plea, is for the reserve (bank) to relent, to stop. I think its work is done,” Mr Fraser said.
“I think they haven’t just curtailed demand, I think they’ve smashed it.
“The reserve has slayed the discretionary spending they needed to target.
“There is, therefore, a strong case for them to sit tight and in due course to begin descent.”]
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23517635-5006786,00.html
April 10th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Kevin too clever for Libs say the guardian (I love the guardian 100 out of 10 )
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/simon_tisdall/2008/04/the_rudd_stuff.html
April 10th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
413
If only the RBA measured it’s intervention against the ‘working families pain index’…
I think the RBA will say ‘enough’ when inflation is back below 3% and not looking like getting above it for 12 months or more, but he’s a treasurer, and he knows that, right?
April 10th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
Ruawake, the answer to your question at 410 is “nobody”. Include the UAP and you’ll have to go back to Joseph Lyons, a Tasmanian.
April 10th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
So interest rates rises are the fault of the reserve bank? Before the election they were the fault of coalition, now its the fault of reserve bank. Could someone tell me who is to blame? To me it is the coalition, the banks and the Labor Party for adopting policies which will hurt working people and farmers and not the rich one bit.
April 10th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Marky at 417, I blame Murdoch myself (and am quite surprised you don’t).
Of course it could be the fault of Bracksy for building that Southern Cross station instead of distributing the money froma hot air balloon over teh most deprived areas of Melbourne.
You don’t think rich people work, or there are no rich farmers?
April 10th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
417 [Could someone tell me who is to blame?]
MM, I always blame inflation.
April 10th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
Sarcasm i love it…
To me interest rates hurt people paying of homes and small business people the most. The government should instead raise taxes for the wealthy because the ones who are fuelling this economic boom if such the thing presents itself. Taxes are a much fairer way to controlling economy than interest rates.
Yep now you mention Murdoch, a person who has brought down Labor governments whom do not do as he says, and the railway station well for all those people living on the fringes of Melbourne whom do not have public transport sorry but we must refit a beautiful station in the city first.
Meanwhile Lynne Kosky travels and her entourage travel the world first class, and for fifteen days cost the Victorian taxpayer some 93,644 dollars for a fifteen day trip, so much for not having the money for homeless shelters, or public housing or new railway stations in Mernda or outer Melbourne. And i thought these people were Labor people…
April 10th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
That’s the Marky we know and love - never fails to leave me feeling depressed about the world.
April 10th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
417 MM
The blame is easy - each person who has massively increased their debt in the last decade (or two).
Is it not obvious that most things bought on a credit card are close to 20% more expensive than the marked price?
When a house is advertised at $350K, it is in fact not worth $350K. Generally is at least twice that much.
Now we could just save up and not double the price of real estate or fridges from Harvey Norman through GE Money, but apparently that’s unfashionable.
Now I agree that the RBA toolkit is blunt. The more leveraged you are, the more blunt the result.
I actually blame the education system that can’t seem to teach these rather simple facts that can be expressed in less than 150 words. The eduction system is about training, not education. Principles people, principles.
Whole Systems Thinking.
April 10th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
onimod
Its the lack of housing supply that’s the cause of it all. people could afford to pay off fridges and plasmas if they are not paying these housing costs.
April 10th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
MArky, with Labor governments in every state and federally, how has Murdoch bought down Labor governments? Can you give examples?
And as for Lynne Kosky - do you really think $93K builds a railway sation or a homeless shelter? She stayed in a 370-euro a night hotel, which isn’t excessive for Paris. Sure I’ve stayed in places that were cheaper than that, but with no internet connection, no room for working and certainly I’d be pissed off if my work made me stay there. So you expect her to backpack and use a Eurailpass?
April 10th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
So what we do Chris is accept it. Yep bad public policy gets the contempt it deserves. Public policy should be about improving our economic base and our values instead it is now about helping certain people above everyone else. The facts need to be highlighted because what we have now are governments and people accepting the stupidity of poor planning and policy and people who use our taxes for their benefit and not for the overall benefit of the community.
Sorry cannot accept people who go into government with good intentions and leave where they are the only beneficiaries. We deserve better than this.
What upsets me is the good old IMF, who got is all into this economic pickle we are in concerning debt in the western world through their economic rationalists nonsense and they have the gualle to state that the large private indebtness in the western world including Australia could cause severe economic problems in future. Fantastic
April 10th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
That’s right Chris, we cant have our people running around Europe like backpackers. But the fact they can get taxpayer funded alcahol makes me mad.
April 10th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
and alcohol
April 10th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
C’mon, you can’t be serious? You expect someone to go on an overseas trip looking at transport systems and have to pay for her own food and drink? Far worse happens in business. I don’t think it’s unreasonable. Imagine the outcry if it had been paid for by one (or both) of the bidders.
You guys need ot find out what doctors and lawyers get upto with ‘conferences’ that are then tax-deductible and we end up paying for. $93K is nothing for at least 3 people for 15 days.
April 10th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
423
Yes and no nath
Housing growth has outstripped population growth for some time now.
It’s the fact that culturally we’ve decided to live in smaller groups, or on our own which is the underlying cause to your simple supposition.
House sizes have doubled, while occupant numbers have halved in the last 2 decades. The fact that a lot of us can afford to have a second holiday house is skewing these figures a little, but the population within established Australian suburbs has been on a steady decline for some time.
And back to Marky’s blame game - no-one seems to have noticed that block sizes have halved too - where do you think the IMF’s 62% overvalued figure comes from?
April 10th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
I wasn’t really thinking about overseas trips, fair enough then. But when in Australia a cardinal rule should be: buy your own f***ing piss.
April 10th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Here are the consumer sentiment figures that came out this week.
http://www.westpac.com.au/manage/wrap.nsf/vPdfUrls/51CBCE996592C0E9CA25742600009028/File/er20080409BullConsumerSentiment.pdf?OpenElement
April 10th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
onimod
‘Housing growth has outstripped population growth for some time now.’
this cant be true. at least not in melb. we’ve got a thousand people a week coming in.
April 10th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Onimod, whilst i totally agree with your views, i must add that the simple problem is the move away from government doing and owning things has not helped the increase of indebtness. Regulation is also another reason and the very lack of it.
If governments owned assets or supplied them we would not have to raise money to buy them, hence i can remember the times when our governments did things for us now it is all about the market. It is strange the rise in indebtness seems to be a common problem in the western countries to have massively deregulated their economies over the last three decades. Time for governments to start providing things again like university education, phone services( broadband) and expecting the wealthier groups our their to pay higher taxes.
And Chris politics is about perception and this may be simple for you and me to understand but the average punter well they will look at it and start to wonder is this government becoming arrogant and aloof and i am afraid to say it is.
Water- problems is their area in regards to policy planning and development and be able to negotiate and compromise with people.
Transport- wasted dollars on big projects which are now causing significant problems, overall.
And then their is the Channel Deepening and a Safari Park at Werribee Zoo,
put simply the perception is starting to occur that big business comes first and the people second.
April 10th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
one more try
http://www.westpac.com.au/manage/wrap.nsf/vPdfUrls/51CBCE996592C0E9CA25742600009028/File/er20080409BullConsumerSentiment.pdf?OpenElement
April 10th, 2008 at 8:07 pm
Must applaud Rudd for showing immense courage over Tibet, it took guts to tell the Chinese what they are doing and yep on this he at least stated the facts, unlike Howard who rarely said anything.
April 10th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
396
Glen @ 396 -
If Rudd really was upset with the treatment of the Tibetans then he should raise it with Hu Jintao or the Chinese Premier not a bunch of students that’s a cop out!
Rudd has indeed raised it publicly with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in the political epicentre of China, the Great Hall of the People. Do you ever get anything right, Glen?
Makes a big change from the bloke you revere who back in 1997 agreed to limit criticism of China’s human rights record to a behind closed door annual meeting between minor officials in some backroom. I’m guessing that neither of the flunkeys spoke the other’s language.
April 10th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
Ah, glenbaiting. Its good to see the traditional sports live on.
April 10th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
432
regionally nath, you are right, but you’ll definitely find that the population of most of the established Melbourne suburbs is definitely dropping, and that’s not helping.
here’s some back of the napkin figures:
Australian population: 20,743,300 (26 January 2007 - ABS)
Australian population growth: 1.4% (March 2008 - ABS) or roughly 300,000 people
Residential building approvals: 13,000 per month (reference below - this one needs more verification) or roughly 156,000 new homes annually.
Simple calculation says that’s enough home if each home is to house 2 people doesn’t it?
The unspoken problem is that there’s massive cultural change happening that’s resulting in less people in each dwelling. Divorces, Grannie doesn’t live out the back any more, and people just choosing to live on their own are things that that are affecting us all.
(reference: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/07/31/1992934.htm)
April 10th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
Did John Howard ever state anything about human rights abuses in Tibet Glen?
April 10th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Howard said when questioned about housing affordability “I don’t hear people complaining that their house has increased in value” .
Thank goodness he is now in the garbage can of history.
April 10th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
interesting stuff onimod, but what about infill, that must make a difference in melb with all the units being made from formerly single detached dwellings. I see your point about lifestyle changes etc, but there cant be a thousand homes in melb being built in a week. And even if these facts are right we still need more houses. buggered if i can work it out. my head hurts.
April 10th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
Via Andrew landeryou, some interesting news about the Victorian Libs.
http://andrewlanderyou.blogspot.com/2008/04/done-former-howard-chief-of-staff-tony.html
April 10th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
439 [Did John Howard ever state anything about human rights abuses in Tibet]
didn’t want to upset anybody apparently.
http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2003/s926710.htm
April 10th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
433 marky
yep - agreed
I just worry about the idea that a ’smart’ government can drag a ‘dumb’ population along. I think we’d all be better off with a ’smart’ population because I rather think that a lot of people on the government side of the equation fit in to the ‘dumb’ side of the ledger.
We’ve all had experience here in trying to take someone from the ‘dumb’ side of the ledger along on the bus ride, haven’t we?
April 10th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Howard isn’t in the garbage can of history, he’s flying around the world picking up cheques as he goes. cheeky bastard.
April 10th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
Posting from him indoors machine tonight as mine is off at the machine doctor, my confuser having said “no”, in no uncertain terms, to functioning in any way. Anyway, Marky, sport, while the Victorian health system and its mental health system, about which I know something, might benefit from some extra $, I think the relevant Ministers (Health & Mental Health) are entitled to do some overseas learning, and I don’t begrudge them those opportunities. The initial reforms in mental health service delivery in Victoria was informed by what was being done elsewhere in the world, at a time when the internet was less available, and so, travel to inform yourself, was important. How much knowledge of what actually works these days that is available via the net, and specifically Library databases, add much to policy makers capacity to form reasoned and informed policy, but I’d still argue for eyeballing things directly, much like I argue for psychiatrists doing home visits, and when they do, they’re converted to the direct experience.
April 10th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
430
nath
Get over the free piss. It’s appeal wears off after you’ve had a gut full.
April 10th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
Opposition backflip on aged care.
THE Federal Opposition has left the door open for nursing home residents who need high-level care to pay “bonds”, overturning a decade of staunch opposition to the controversial idea.
The Opposition spokeswoman for ageing Margaret May said new funding approaches were needed to rescue the industry, which faced crippling overheads.
The industry says such “bonds” or deposits would not seriously financially disadvantage most people.
Nursing home residents who could afford it would hand over a lump sum allowing the provider to draw annual interest, then return the capital to the patient’s estate.
A financial analysis of the industry by global accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers identified a $5.7 billion funding gap opening up over the next decade as a direct result of the spiralling costs of high-level care.
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,23512669-953,00.html
April 10th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
From Howard’s bio on the Washington Speakers Bureau website:
He delivered economic vision and strategies for international security that raised Australia’s profile on the world stage while gaining the respect and gratitude of the world.
A better version:
He terrified his constituents with economic voodooism and reckless, allegedly alliance-strengthening, ventures in the middle east that raised Australia’s profile on the world stage while gaining the mockery and disgusted disbelief of the world.
Okay, this is a tad dramatic, but …
April 10th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
441 nath
This is really general, but the infill in most capital cities isn’t keeping up with the population reduction in those same areas. Where did you grow up and move to when you left home? How many schools are in Hawthorn now compared to 15 years ago?
Sorry I haven’t got up to date figures for most cities, but I did see the figures for Canberra less than 6wks ago and I can absolutely confirm population reduction in almost all of what used to be the extent of Canberra 20 years ago.
School closures are usually the best way to track it - see a school close and you know you’ve got a community and population problem. The catch 22 is that once the school is gone you’ve just confirmed future population reduction as it becomes extremely unattractive for young families..
A former boss of mine used to refer to those areas as ‘God’s country’ - the area where eventually the almighty plucks souls at will….
It’s not JUST a supply or affordability problem - it’s a cultural problem.
Whole systems thinking.
April 10th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
What is Nelson on about with this subsidy business in an interview on his Listening Tour today? Once there used to be a subsidy to encourage people to use LPG because it was a cheaper, and cleaner fuel.
In the 2003 budget Costello introduced an excise on LPG and ethanol that is to begin on 1 July 2008. I do believe that the “subsidy” that Nelson is on about is to protect people from the costs associated with the increased prices due to the new excise the Liberals imposed.
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/12/13/1071125711088.html
“But the truth of it is, Joseph, that when we get emissions trading, carbon trading, we will almost certainly see the price of petrol go up further and I think we need also to make sure that that LPG subsidy is maintained and kept. We just can’t afford to lose that $2000 subsidy for people who want to go to cheaper fuel.”
http://www.liberal.org.au/info/news/detail/20080410_NelsoninterviewwithJosephThomsenABCGoulburnMurrayRadio.php
April 10th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
This is typical of another tactic the Liberals used year after year. Set up a program with great fanfare but fund it shortterm so it will collapse. From ABC interview in Goulborne.
Well, speaking of losing things, there’s a local Pharmica therapy programme that has been federally funded and that funding continues up until June this year. It’s based in Wodonga and among other things it coordinates local nurses and GPs to help addicts get off drugs like heroin. When that funding runs out there’s no state-based funding, there may be no federal funding and it may be forced to close its doors. What’s your suggestion about what should happen to programmes like that?
DR NELSON:
That sort of programme must be maintained at all costs. I cannot for the life of me understand why it wouldn’t be and I will be very, very happy to take that cause up personally. I know that our local MPs would be working on it but look I’ll do whatever I can. I’ll get the details of that, Joseph, and get stuck into that.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
ominod, my solution: a few hundred 20 story apartment buildings near railway stations in melb. lets get em built, chuck in all the singles and service workers. problem solved, done and dusted.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
452 nath
It’s not quite that simple but you’re not far off.
New York is the most ’sustainable’ city on the planet; Australia has well and truly outgrown our open space addiction.
And back to marky’s problem with provision of services: here in Australia we’ve sold off our public space too, which means we get whatever the minimum that the developers think they can get away with. Having said that, if we don’t allow density then the developers have even less to spend on the public space, so it’s almost like shooting your second foot off.
Density has to rise if we’re going keep up our living standards. How profitable (to the city, society) do you think the squinty’s are who drive 2hrs into the Sydney CBD each day and 2hrs home each night?
April 10th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
Damn it!
I’ve tried everything else but had no luck
I don’t suppose any of you know where my car keys are?
April 10th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
There was an article in The Age a couple of years back by Kenneth Davidson (maybe? I can’t remember), where he asked why there weren’t multiple storey developments along the bay all the way to Frankston along the Frankston railway line. Upgrade the line to one that goes at a decent speed like anywhere else in the western world and you have effectively created a growth corridor.
I think it’s only NIMBYism and groups like SOS (Save our Suburbs for any non-Melburnians) taht prevent govts taking difficult decisions like that. It makes sense to me. I have an apartment in a 5-storey block in Fitzroy - I certainly don’t mind living in a high-density environment.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
Classified
I’m totally atheist and come from a Protestant background anyway but find (as my Proddy mother did before me) that St Anthony is still the saint to pray to when it comes to finding things.
I think it might be ‘cos he’s so miffed that the Catholics desainted him.
Otherwise –
(i) look in the car (on the sunglasses theory)
(ii) visualise where you last had them. If necessary, go back and stand there and think about what you did next.
(iii) ask spouse/significant other/cat/dog/child whether anybody moved them
(iv) pick things up.
(v) throw a tanty (I always thought these were childish and a waste of time. However, last time I lost something irretrievably, I decided to throw one…picked up something from the floor to throw and found missing item underneath…)
April 10th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Oh, and I spent hours looking for something the other day. Had looked in the ‘obvious place’ (a drawer) half a dozen times. KNEW it wasn’t there, but tried again anyway…emptied contents of drawer and put them back one item of at a time.
It was there, after all - I just hadn’t looked properly.
Persevere.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Chris there was another article in the Age today.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/look-200-extra-trains-without-a-massive-bill/2008/04/09/1207420486451.html
April 10th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
Zoom a big thank you!
After much searching and retracing steps (this method I also use and habitually preach to family members) as a way to find things… I came up with zero… So I traced back in my mind what happened AFTER I noticed the keys where missing….
::sets a scene::
ME: Anybody know where my keys are?
Kid 1 : nuh
Kid 2 : what?
Anybody seen my car keys?
K1 : nuh
K2 ;whaat?…um na
Me: mutter mutter, “where the f%^$K are they, jebbus …mutter mutter
Me: Get up of the couch and LOOK… at this point both kids get off the couch and hurriedly pretend to be concerned and look for missing keys… next bit is important : THE CAT is swooshed off the couch too (with usual nasty looks from said cat)
Nothing is found… much searching goes on by me (kids go to bed etc) but nothing appears
I think… sh1t, I’ve got to be at airport in 1hr, must leave in next 10mins or will be late… search more…mutter a lot and eventually decide to post “missing keys” on PB
Time drags on…search everywhere but FAIL to notice EVIL CAT looking slyly at me…
At wits end give up and decide must organize taxi for airport pickup… just one more search b4 I call cab…
F#(K I yell loudly scaring everything for miles around… INCLUDING EVIL CAT!!!… Who jumps up and runs away
Exposing keys it was lying on …!!!!!
I really really hate that cat but I have to admit…
This time it won
April 10th, 2008 at 11:43 pm
456 Chris
You know it doesn’t even have to travel a current corridor - you can unlock a whole new development corridor with the right planning.
Vancouver is a wonderful example of a new transport link can invigorate a city. their monorail built for the 88 expo runs diagonally across a traditional grid city that gave tremendous development impetus. You can live in an apartment anywhere down the line and you are a maximum of 40 minutes from the centre of town.
459
the Classic statistic I heard was that there were more trains and greater frequency in Melbourne and Sydney in 1930 than there are now.
It’s almost like the rail administrators have never seen a decent train system. Bigger trains aren’t the way to increase patronage - frequency is. Smaller trains, every 5 minutes - simple & predictable, but then the way the contracts are set up there’s no incentive to increase patronage; just the opposite.
Lateline
What happened to Uhlmann’s attitude tonight - he’s given it a holiday! Yipee.
Oh, and Gosper is a first class git
April 10th, 2008 at 11:46 pm
Steve,
Thanks, I saw that article, but the original was talking more about the fact that the potential of the strip running all the way down to Frankston is pretty much untapped. The problem is upgrading the line to a standard that could cope with the numbers involved, increasing the speed and frequency of the trains.
April 11th, 2008 at 12:10 am
There you go…the obvious place.
Should have prayed to St Anth.
Glad you found them!!
April 11th, 2008 at 12:14 am
lol…hmmm.. I suspect your on the cats side
April 11th, 2008 at 12:35 am
Very possibly.
You realise, of course, that (v) worked in the end.
April 11th, 2008 at 12:47 am
Glen @ 396,
I appreciate that the Chinese government is a regime that democrats should hold in deep distaste. But I would be very wary of saying that Rudd should abandon efforts for a free trade deal just because that government abuses its citizens’ fundamental rights. A lot of people (including me) genuinely believe that the more China integrates with the rest of the world economically, the greater the internal reform pressures on the Chinese government will be. Remember that in Indonesia it wasn’t the destitute who challenged the Suharto regime on the streets, leading to its demise. The protests started in the Jakarta universities, with the sons and daughters of the new middle class.
We should be even warier of promoting a free trade deal with India simply to indicate our displeasure with China. An agreement with India may be a good idea in and of itself - I’m a free trader. But I’m concerned by the way some people (largely conservatives) are starting to openly canvass the idea that we draw India into an informal alliance against China. I can think of few strategic developments that would be worse for us than a confrontation between India and China. That particular relationship will be delicate enough without the West trying to egg on the Indian China-hawks (in the process making the Chinese government even more suspicious and allowing that government to rally its people against encirclement). In my opinion, Australia should be doing everything it can to convince the Americans that this idea is dumb, dumb, dumb and will be directly counterproductive. We certainly shouldn’t be doing it ourselves.
(Incidentally, this view is shared by at least one Indian diplomat in Australia, who I met. I mentioned a Greg Sheridan article promoting the India-against-China line and he just about bit my head off denouncing it (and Greg Sheridan). He was genuinely peeved, it seemed, and quite open about it. The Indians, one suspects, know full well when they’re being used and don’t much like it.)
Thomarse on the China FTA,
I think ruawake’s comment on the actual negotiations says it all. Australia is pretty much open to Chinese manufacturing already - nothing will change on that front. From our side, there’s much to be gained in sectors like agriculture, if we can pull it off.
The main thing I fear is that Nelson and co will try to twist any success to promote their idea that Rudd is somehow downgrading the American Alliance and kowtowing to the Chinese just because he supports good relations between China and the West and is prepared to do something about it.
April 11th, 2008 at 1:03 am
Classified, see what happens when you make the cat scarper?
April 11th, 2008 at 1:26 am
From D.T.D’s wire
Dennis Spam-in-a-can
Reports are coming in that local PB poster’ Classifieds’ family pet life may not be all that it seems. “Local tray litter” reports are saying…
Source’s report (Dog’s name removed by court order) “hey, he‘s an ass but at least I get free biscuits”..
Other reports are coming in that “the cat” has lodged a protest via channels.
These are testing times for Classified and his cat. Whilst always happy to encourage the hosting of “the games” the latest bout of “hide his keys” has caused some difficulties in a meeting between the two.
It’s is well worth noting that whilst “the dog” has seen a huge improvement in his PPM (preferred pet measure) due to his general cuddliness and not shitting in flower pots lately.. “The cat” has been basically pissing Classified off…
” The dog” also impressed this reporter with the following when he was quoted as saying “well, my opponent is pretty slick, good looking, smarter and much better at politics, not to mention getting himself seen in all sorts of right places around the neighborhood. Me personally, I’ve been sticking around home, not saying or doing much and generally keeping people’s blankets warm”
Over to you
April 11th, 2008 at 8:10 am
Ahh, so the cat is out there engaging with the wider world whilst the dog is an isolationist, who keeps its tenuous hold on power by sucking up to the boss.
April 11th, 2008 at 9:37 am
Two staggering poll results from Rasmussen in Montana and Alaska, bearing in mind that Bush won each of them by over 20 points in 2004. I don’t put that much faith in them, but maybe it’s a sign of the 50 State Strategy that Obama has been trying to push.
http://rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/alaska/election_2008_alaska_presidential_election
http://rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/montana/election_2008_montana_presidential_election
I doubt either of these states will turn blue in November, but polls like this could force McCain to spend a lot more time shoring up red states than attacking the purples (much like Howard was forced to do last year).
April 11th, 2008 at 9:38 am
Dammit, wrong thread. Sorry Billbowe.
April 11th, 2008 at 9:38 am
We usually find the TV remote under the dog.
Other good places (for future reference):
1. In the laundry.
2. On the basin next to the dunny.
3. The most unlikely spot you can think of.
April 11th, 2008 at 10:13 am
Penny Wong is also in Beijing. Does anyone know if she speaks Mandarin? (Chris Uhlmann just said on ABC radio that he didn’t know. He said he was going to ask her yesterday but instead complimented her on what she was wearing.)
April 11th, 2008 at 10:32 am
Chris Uhlmann obviously has the same keenly honed sense of what’s important as Downer:
http://au.news.yahoo.com/080410/2/16flr.html
- apparently Rudd has been foolishly concentrating on trivial issues such as human rights when there’s a couple of pandas for Adelaide Zoo at stake!!
April 11th, 2008 at 11:09 am
These so-called MSM political experts never learn. After having been shown to be so out of touch and biased with their coverage and commentary in the year leading up to the election, they continue to look for something to spin against Rudd. At what point might they realise that, hey, he has record poll numbers, a good team, sound policies, and maybe he might just be doing a good job??
April 11th, 2008 at 11:21 am
Al: the Democrats won a Senate seat off the Republicans in Montana in 2006, so it’s not completely unlikely that Obama could make things competitive there.
Chris Ullhman, or Chris “Toolman” as I prefer to call him - has there been a more inept ABC political correspondent in the history of the national broadcaster?
I’d take David Spears over Chris, and that’s saying something.
I guess the MSM is pissed off Rudd’s trip is going so well, that’s why we’re getting more crap today about some company Terese Rein owns(rolls eyes).
April 11th, 2008 at 11:41 am
#476
I thought Uhlmann was very good on AM in the election campaign. He went in hard at everyone, even to the extent that I wouldn’t be surprised if some pollies were shaking in their boots at the prospect of facing up to him.
April 11th, 2008 at 11:52 am
Turnbull: proposed budget cuts NOT ENOUGH
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/04/11/2214029.htm?section=justin
Excellent! Now when they deliver the budget cuts Rudd and Swan can say the opposition would have cut more. Well done Mal
April 11th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Rudd was right and Shanahan was wrong… says Shanahan.
I nearly choked on my boiled egg this morning as I saw the Shanahan headline, Coup for old China hand.
Talk about fulsome praise! And from Dennis himself! The article concludes:
But we should cast our eyes further back, to another second Friday of April: Friday, April 13, 2007 - exactly one year ago - to see what Dennis predicted would happen:
I guess Dennis hoped we’d forget the earlier article I (found here: http://blogs.theaustralian.news.com.au/dennisshanahan/index.php/theaustralian/comments/one_man_band_rudd_risky_as_chinas_mate/), in favour of the latter one from today (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23520990-5013871,00.html).
Well, I didn’t.
What with Henderson and Albrechtsen both dismissing Salutegate as a storm in a teacup, Greg Sheridan raving about Rudd’s brilliant success on his world trip, Chris Uhlmann being almost decipherable in his dispatches from overseas, and now Shanahan doing a quiet change of horses on Rudd and China, we are only left with Brendan Nelson waffling on about Rudd being too “public” in his criticism of China over Tibet, Brandis shaking with rage at Rudd’s not bowing to the Queen (he did, anyway), plus a few troglodytes at Pies’ and Bolt’s blogs raving on into empty space about how Kevin is a national embarrassment and should be shot for treason immediately upon his return. As the swamp drains competition for the remaining water becomes intense and loud, but ultimately they’re arguing about a speck in the middle of the desert. I saw that on the Disney channel. Everybody knows it, but the RWDBs.
It seems there is a re-alignment in the stars of our Commentocracy. Perhaps word has come down from upon high (Murdoch for one is, uhm, “interested” in China), perhaps the scales have been lifted from their eyes. Whatever the mechanism, Rudd is suddenly - and almost universally - flavour of the month, and you don’t need to book a table at Portia’s to sip from the bowl.
April 11th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
BB @ 479,
How long before they claim that it is good that Rudd has finally got on board with their view on life?
It seems that some of our free thinking independant political journalists like backing a winner. Probably keeps them in a job.
April 11th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
But now, shock, horror, Rudd has failed to decare a dormant company (which belongs to his wife) in the register of interests.There was no obligation for him to have done so, but what a scoop!.Ninemsn has it as banner headlines.
Graveyard shift in the fertiliser factory.
April 11th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
We need “The Independent” newspaper here. They liked Rudd.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/kevin-rudd-rocks-the-world–a-hrefhttpmediafairfaxcomaurid37028bannabel-crabbba/2008/04/11/1207856773295.html
April 11th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
I hope your right BB but I think they simply had no choice but to bend-over a bit, they will be back to being d!(ks in no time. Unlike a lot of people though I don’t see the dodgy anti-Rudd reporting as a problem, it’s been that way for awhile now and the Ruddinator just keeps on going, clearing all before him and getting on with his thing.
The despair in the opposition, the International reception, the strut in the Gov’s stride, even the grudging respect he occasionally. gets from the MSM all tell me that this boy is firmly in his groove
April 11th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
GB (482) I think you should also allow credit to the SMH for covering The Independent’s editorial and for it (SMH) giving prominence to the story in its online editions this morning.
April 11th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
484 David - I agree David. I don’t have any problems with the SMH, it’s that Daily Pornograph, it’s a rag.
April 11th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
That’s true David. I don’t have any problem with the SMH.
April 11th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
Read all of this article and tell me it doesnt make you proud of KRudd and proud to be an Aussie.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7337940.stm
I dont think Howard would have the “smarts” to walk such a diplomatic tight rope - just look at his comments on the US Democrats last year.
April 11th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
GB (486) Greetings Gary I hope you are enjoying life in a ‘Howard-less’ Australia. My favourite newspaper is the Mx which I pick up at Wynyard station here in Sydney just before my afternoon commute on Morrie’s (poorly administered) public transport transport system. If I want to read about politics I go to the internet including but not limited to, this splendid site.
The Mx (no doubt there is an equivalent in Melbourne) has excellent coverage of just about anything except politics (gossip, travel, sport and the occasional ‘pornographic’ news stories). During last year’s election campaign, the Mx very helpfully ‘warned’ its readers on the front page whether there were any ‘election stories’. Usually there were only one or two (sometimes none at all) and surprise surprise those election stories were mostly favourable to (then) Opposition Leader, Kevin Michael Rudd. This is a newspaper which many ‘low involvement’ voters read so any favourable stories for the ALP during an election campaign came to the attention of a key segment of voters at just the right time.
April 11th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Rudd has done very well indeed and I think the proof of the pudding has been the sideshow “issues” by the press and Nelson’s silence.
April 11th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Eh?
Next to the story on Therese Rein’s defunct company, the ABC web site has the following box full of goodies:
What the…..?
How in the world are early-2007 pre-election “scandals” that came to nothing at all except increased poll numbers for Labor in any way relevant to today’s story?
“34 weeks ago”, “47, 57, 62 weeks ago”?
Either someone has seriously screwed up at ABC On Line, or they’re so far gone in the head with disgust that Labor won the election they can’t seem to forget that it’s.all.over.now.and.Labor.won.
I wrote earlier this week that the aim of the Howard Hugging Journalists was to publish every tiny scrap of “news” that had even miniscule potential to be called “scandal” about Rudd, in the hope that one day they could all be published side-by-side to establish “form” on Rudd’s behalf; a sort-of we told you he was no godd” litany of non-events that together they hope might equal more than the sum of the parts.
This is a perfect example of it: one story about Therese Rein’s defunct, non-trading company, and we get all the trimin’s, icing on the cake, hundreds-and-thousands plus a dollop of Burkegate Ice Cream with chocolate sauce next to it, supplied in the name of “balance”, ABC-style.
Seriously weird and seriously outrageous.
April 11th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
New morgan poll 63.5 to 36.5, a massive 27% lead.
http://www.roymorgan.com/news/polls/2008/4286/
April 11th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
According to Antonio some time ago its just the work of a search engine and nothing at all sinister.
Its just pure coincidence, random and unbiased, that nearly all the headlines have an anti-ALP slant.
Its all in your mind BB!
April 11th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
488 David - Sounds like a good read David and not because of the favourable treatment given to Rudd. If there is a similar type of paper here I haven’t found it yet.
I’m not critical of papers or journalists for criticising the government, governments should be scrutanised but I’m getting the feeling at the moment that Rudd is being unfairly dealt with by some because they don’t like him personally, not for what he is doing or saying. Some criticisms have just been downright purile. A paper like Mx is probably the way to go at the moment.
Our transport system is not much better than yours. The government is trying to do something about it. If only we had a strong opposition that would try to provide solutions rather than just criticisng everything the government tries to put up. We need answers. If anyone has the magic solution please provide it. The trouble is noone has.
April 11th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
New thread up on the Morgan poll.