Fears grow of Labor election loss (Australia)

The Australian ^ | 28th May 2010 | Dennis Shanahan

[naturalman1975]

THERE are senior and experienced federal Labor MPs who say quietly and privately that they can see the possibility "that we could lose the election".

This is incredible not only because the people are not newcomers unused to dealing with falls in polling and tough periods of politics, but also because no Labor MP at all would have even thought it possible six months ago.

The incredible nature of this situation is heightened for Labor because where there was once certainty about how to defeat the Coalition there is now tension within the ranks about what should be done.

.....

Rudd has gone from being the most popular leader in modern times to having some of the lowest levels of personal support, and the ALP has gone from having an unassailable lead in the polls to being behind or at best level-pegging. This is just three full months from an election campaign.

There has been a mountain of explanations as to why Labor finds itself in this position: a loss of faith and credibility for Rudd; broken promises; botched programs such as the $2.45 billion roofing insulation scheme and waste on the school buildings program; interest rate rises; cost of living rises; the abandonment of the emissions trading scheme to combat greenhouse gas emissions; a reversal on asylum-seekers' treatment; and, latterly, the new $12bn tax on miners' profits.

[naturalman1975]

Australia hasn't had a government lose office after one term since 1932. It's incredible it's even looking possible.

[Mount Athos]

HOORAY!!!!!

[4rcane]

Excitement grows of Labor election loss, should be the headline. Rudd is a crazy big spender. In less than 3 years, we’re back in $200 billion debt, that took the previous government 7+ years to repay

[SoConPubbie]

Socialists, Progressives, Statists, Communists, Democrats, and left-wingers of all stripes are always willing to congratulate themselves on how smart they are, when usually, the exact opposite is the case.

Their political philosophy has never been shown to work, and yet, like the foolish people they are, they keep telling themselves how smart they are and keep trying the same old tired failed approach over and over again.

[Nipfan]

Please, please let it be so!

Just think Obama but with less conviction = Kevin Rudd. Its not that he WANTS to destroy Australia. Its just that it doesn’t even come close in his considerations to appeasing his own ego.

[Nextrush]

The headlines about the insulation scheme seem to have great traction.

Tony Abbott has invigorated the oppositon.

I don’t wish economic problems on anyone but if the problems in the rest of the world suddenly showed up in Australia Rudd would be toast for sure.

[101voodoo]

Like all on the lying left, they can only be elected by making outrageous promises they cannot possibly keep. People will vote for the candidate who promises them the most stuff for FREE. Then, when they cannot deliver the folks get angry and turn away from them. In the case they do deliver and must increase taxes, that part of the population which must pay the taxes (many do not, see first group)then get angry and also turn away.

Personally I believe much of this sort of thing could be avoided if every person who receives a penny in either wages, welfare, SS, dividends, etc was made to pay some sort of tax even if it were as low as 1%. In this way any increase in taxes would be felt by everyone and the politicians would have a much more difficult time getting away with buying votes by promising free stuff to people who don’t pay any tax.

[odds]

Labor has to go, that’s for sure.

However, personally, I don’t want a different colour or shades for the sake of it, i.e. Labor to be simply replaced by the Coalition because one is a “Labor” or “Liberal” voter.

Let’s not forget that Labor 3 yrs ago, among other reasons, won because Rudd,largely & in my assessment at the time, positioned himself as a John Howard lite. It might have appeared the right move on Rudd’s (Labor) part because Liberals (John Howard’s govt) had been in power for over a decade; and frankly many were tired of it at the time.

Right now, we need robust & practical policies (immigration is one key issue), and those who dare to fully implement them.

Unfortunately, neither Liberals nor Labor, presently, are winning my confidence in their potential future leadership.

[Fantasywriter]

Amen! Don’t look for it to happen, though. It makes too much sense, for one thing, and that’s one thing pols seem devoid of. Secondly, the liberal half of the equation depends on NOT levying a tax, however small, on the non-producers. The other side just never seems to fully get it, so here we are.