Julia's Reign

[matty_k]

Whenever I hear people comparing different governments I always think of this Tony Martin Get This sketch.
Peter Costello is blaming the previous government for the financial problems of today. It was recorded in 97.
http://getthisoccasionally.tumblr.com/post/9873630562/last-nights-q-and-a-made-me-think-of-this

 

[barbarian]

You mean 2007.

 

[matty_k]

Something like that

 

[ACT Crusader]

Latham on PM Live, the guy is nothing short of hilarious. Calling for the faceless men (and women) to work their magic and wield the sword.

My concern is that the team is poor. Some of the policy incompetence across the Cabinet is very worrying from my POV.

 

[Scotty]

Latham on PM Live, the guy is nothing short of hilarious. Calling for the faceless men (and women) to work their magic and wield the sword.

My concern is that the team is poor. Some of the policy incompetence across the Cabinet is very worrying from my POV.

Yes, and two of the core team that has been responsible for the policy making from 2007 are still there. Gillard and Swan.

Chief, you are right, the policy making may not have been as bad since she took over, but there are two points on this:

1. She was responsible for a lot of it in the first place
2. She hasn't cleaned any of it up. Particularly NBN, but add BER to that equation. Both are applying inflationary pressures at a time we do not need them.

 

[Ruggo]

So Newspoll has told us through those wonderful people at the Australian that Gillard is unpopular, the government is unpopular, Abbott compared to Gillard is popular, Rudd is more popular than Gillard. What we haven't been told is how Rudd's popularity stacks up against Abbott's and as they are polling the popularity of former leaders, the popularity of Turnbull in comparison to Abbott. Call me cynical if you wish but that is just a little convenient and may be a blow to the agenda of the wonderful people at the Australian.

 

[Lindommer]

Why hasn't Malcom (Fraser's) name been mentioned with all the other former leaders? Bugger that, let's bung in Pig Iron Bob while they're at it.


Polling/pollsters, ridiculous.

 

[Ruggo]

A desperate Opposition rearguard action failed to stop renegade Liberal MP (Moana Pasifika) Peter Slipper from being installed as Speaker of the House of Representatives in a stunning Labor coup today.

A day of extraordinary political drama began when Labor Speaker Harry Jenkins announced his resignation.

The move pitched Mr Slipper into the spotlight, with Labor Caucus wasting little time in nominating him for the Speaker's role - a move which will effectively give Labor one more seat in the House of Reps and lessen its reliance on independent and Greens MPs.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott hit back by threatening to throw him out of the party if he accepted the job.

The vote to install Mr Slipper was scheduled for 12:30pm AEDT and Mr Slipper announced that he would accept Labor's nomination - effectively casting himself into the political wilderness and guaranteeing his expulsion from the Liberal ranks.

But manager of Opposition business Christopher Pyne stepped up to nominate a succession of Labor MPs for the job instead.

All declined; Anna Burke, Dick Adams, Sid Sidebottom, Sharon Bird, Kirsten Livermore, Steve Georganas ... the list went on.

Finally Mr Pyne gave up the unequal task and Mr Slipper's election to the Speaker's role was confirmed.

It is understood the Government has been negotiating with Mr Slipper for some weeks, deliberations that were kept secret, and surprised his former colleagues today.

The coup strengthens the Government's position in the Lower House and means independent MP (Moana Pasifika) Andrew Wilkie will not be able to carry out his threat to bring down the government should his bill on poker machine reform be defeated.

Mr Slipper's political future had already been under a cloud, with calls in Queensland's Liberal National Party for him to be sacked over a series of internal and ongoing disputes.

He angered party bosses by appearing with Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd on the same day former prime minister John Howard was launching an LNP candidate's campaign.

Reports had indicated he was unlikely to retain preselection for his Queensland seat of Fisher.

More to come.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-11-24/slipper-installed-as-new-speaker/3691680

 

[kambah mick]

The fact that the "Noalition" are surprised with this move is enough to sum up their complete lack of political nouse. Slipper has been getting whiteanted in his seat by LNP backroom boys trying to shoehorn in Mal Brough, former minister in the Howard Govt. Brough is about as popular as Slipper, which is to say very unpopular. Political operators with enough ability to run a boy scouts troop would have been smart enough to keep their actions under wraps until as close to the next election as possible, both to keep Slipper from going feral as he has done and to stop the inevitable whiteanting of Brough by his myriad of enemies within the LNP.
Will be interesting to see how much of Slippers personal life gets leaked into the press, especially the Murdoch press as a consequence of his move. Apparently Ray Hadley, mouthpiece to the bogans is going feral this morning. Don't remember him being so upset about the late great Mal Colston.

 

[Bruwheresmycar]

Interesting. This will shake things up a bit.

 

[Ruggo]

The look on Abbotts face says it all.

 

[Elfster]

It will be interesting to see how much pressure is now put onto Abbott. Under his watch the NSW pre-selection shambles most probably cost him the election. Some of his political offerrings are economically unsound and it would seem the control over his party is not as stong as he thinksit is. He has spent too much energy confronting the government than looking at what his own party should be. Undoubtedly he has strengths, but his approach against the government seems quite one dimensional and probably unsustainable. Also in the manner of the way he has opposed the opposition he is making it hard for his party should they win the election: they will need to break promises and recant on some of his current ideas.

Abbott had a great opportunity to bury the current government on their perceived dishonesty, lack of administrative skills and the fact that they were of the NSW ALP right with their "do anything to stay in power" mannerisms. Instead he has followed them down that path and tried to battle them on their terms. To his cost.

 

[Karl]

Slipper is a dog and Gillard has shown that she'll pull any trick in the book (apart from establishing cohesive and intelligent policy and executing it effectively) to retain power.

The Labor party is like a Case Study in unethical behavior. Broken promises, back room deals to assasinate their leader, back-room deals and policy backflips to buy independent support, more cross-floor backroom deals to sneak an un-elected majority past the voters. Great example our politicians are setting don'tcha think? My 13 year old looks at them like their all crooks and liars already. Worse - incompetent crooks and liars.

 

[waratahjesus]

Not a question of either side here, but why is someone who is elected under the banner of a party (in this case slipper) allowed to denounce his affiliation without having to recontest his seat? Surely if someone from either side leaves a party after being elected they are turning there back on a big chunk if why they were elected.

 

[Karl]

Not a question of either side here, but why is someone who is elected under the banner of a party (in this case slipper) allowed to denounce his affiliation without having to recontest his seat? Surely if someone from either side leaves a party after being elected they are turning there back on a big chunk if why they were elected.

I agree - the rule should be that if you leave the party, you leave the seat you were elected to as a representative of that party and the party puts a caretaker in place until the next election when the disloyal dog who walked out during his term can contest it as an independent.

 

[kambah mick]

There is no mention in the Constitution of "Parties", just representatives. Representatives take a vow to represent the members of their electorate, not a party, and in the case of Slipper he is still a member of the LNP unless they have formally expelled him already.
The ALP is guilty of playing politics, the same kind of ruthless politics Tony Abbott played when he reneged on a longstanding committment to "pair" the speaker when he saw a short term advantage in doing so. Had he not done so, this act would not have been necessary, although the rumours have been around for a while that Jenkins had had enough of the bullshit behaviour in Question Time and was looking to get out, and if he was to resign as he has, who else was likely to get the job than the guy who was deputy for the last year or so.

 

[Scotty]

Not a question of either side here, but why is someone who is elected under the banner of a party (in this case slipper) allowed to denounce his affiliation without having to recontest his seat? Surely if someone from either side leaves a party after being elected they are turning there back on a big chunk if why they were elected.

I don't think he denounced his party, I think they denounced him.

The ALP set up Slipper for this possible change over from the start if my memory serves me well. I don't think that the coalition wanted him there, and the ALP were the ones that nominated him in the deputy role in the first place. No doubt they already had built a plan around what has now eventuated.

The question is, did Jenkins jump, or was he pushed?

 

[Ruggo]

Jenkins has the runs on the board in regards to credibillity and integrity. On that basis if the man said he resigned, he resigned.

 

[kambah mick]

To add to my point about this being just politics as is normal, news is that Hockey and J Bishop spent all yesterday morning trying to sweet talk Rob Oakshott into taking the job. In any other game except Politics, this would be seen as hypocrisy of the first order as they along with every other conservative politician and commentator in the land have been badmouthing Oakshott to all and sundry for years, but that is the way politics is played. Losers whinge and winners carry on governing.

 

[waratahjesus]

I don't think he denounced his party, I think they denounced him.

The ALP set up Slipper for this possible change over from the start if my memory serves me well. I don't think that the coalition wanted him there, and the ALP were the ones that nominated him in the deputy role in the first place. No doubt they already had built a plan around what has now eventuated.

The question is, did Jenkins jump, or was he pushed?

They were reporting on the morning news that slipper ad quit the libs to sit as an independent, I get that the libs were going to replace him anyway though.

My point isn't really about the specific situation (although that's what triggered it) more to do with it in general applying to every member of parliament. It's one thing to say they were elected by there people, but a lot of people vote down party lines etc that taking a stand like this in my opinion by any politition on either side should be met with a by election.