Tired, cynical and not really listening

Tired cynical and not really listening
The real problem that has been so evident to those of us who have tried to talk to conservatives in teh last few years is there inability to really listen .

The Libs lack credibility in a number of key planning areas like health, labor relations and the environment. They think they know, when they are out of touch with those who clearly do. see for eg
We had a good time on the hustings , not because we agreed on much, but because we all got to talk more deeply about things that many in the community do not seem to care about. Most of us found the libs really unwilling to talk openly - what a tragedy . On election day here, we talked directly amongst ourselves across party lines about the challenges that the Libs faced .

To keep the power you have to cut it where it counts - in the credibility stakes .If you are not credible, or even too arrogant to listen the people who know, go quiet.
To be sure, with all the birdbath antics and shallow splashing, there is a great risk of superficiality and unsubstance driving the resul; but, at the end of the day incumbents need to punch hard at what's being talked about - the local libs were too comfortable about their "right to rule "--

The best form of defence when your in for 11 years is attack -- they didn't attack the simple rhetoric and make the most of competent alliegances ; ties that clearly could have worked for their benefit - we know because we know from talking to them , who the libs were really listening to . More could be said of course, but Yes the Libs need to take a very good look at themselves and No - it's not before time.

Predicting the outcome of 24th Nov

Why do we want to be so clever?
Do we desperatly want to prove that me too want to prove " i know something" Surely it's a bit like that . Takes one wannabe to know one.
Only God knows how much we don't . Hopefully His justice and mercy will help us continue to allow Australians to be blessed and be a blessing.
The liberals live in a comfort zone of their own making; making their reelection prospects much more difficult than they should be .
Rudd is a breath of fresh air because he is not running a set piece - he wants to get to the truth .
If anyone of the 2 leaders deserves to win ( not the party) Rudd does. We can work with a leader who admits they don't know something; one we hope too will be firm about fads and personal fantasies in his collegues .
I sure hope, if he wins, that he seeks out the advice he says he will ---on PC matters esp

Blunderbuss Brown on Lateline

It is not widely remembered that Latham's love in with the Greens last election produced a BIG downer for Labor . I won't be at all surprised if labors woosy and untidy association with the greens leaves them out in the cold again. This time its something much bigger than timber in tasmania - its so big that we can't get our heads around it.

Maybe the uncertainty and intangibility helps; if you prefer clouds to clarity? The best way to win elections is to create a fear and then solve it . The left partnership can do the former, but are they convincing about the latter?

Sure there is some sentimental and "sounds heavy" voters out there - but lets hope not too many .No more than last time I suspect . Let's hope the people use their reason a lot more than those party to the picture and shooting games gallery partnership presentation on Lateline last night.
Even if you believe the climates changing agenda is a key one we only have a few days to wait to see whether all the hype has worked the magic ; whether the campaign has a failed political aim , a failed practical commitment, or both .

Clearly Climate change talk will stand or fall on this election , so why wait until 2015 - only 5 days left to make history so spend more money on campaigns boys !! Have the scientists done their job and warned us well enough ?
Was it a good idea, if action MUST happen, to leave it to pollies to convince us ?

The greens and the political system were not credible in 2004, and they are still not credible .
Clearly , Labor could win the election if they were credible on matters of environment and ecomia. But they continue to woose out of the work and let the greens decide what flags to fly . While they don't do the hard yards themselves and carelessly let the greens provide the ever changing ammo of praxis, they remain as a team promoting some new target- totally unconvincing.

The ABC team did the greens a disservice by putting up a set 'its really the big issue of the election " advertising piece before the MC came on to speak on latelinetonight . a real Setup ! Who does the ABC lateline crew think they/ and we/ are- dumb? let the big election issues stand on their merits .

Bob Brown and the ABC are overdoing the fear factor (incl imagery abuse) and failing to convince on the " where we go to now factor "; the synergy of the 2 without real scientists speaking is just not credible ( the token scientist from overseas didn't tell us anything we didn't already know - "the job is hard" ; but back to nov 24 "what again is the job" - "going backwards to Kyoto "- haven't you got better tails for the donkey than old and incomplete ones?

The partners to the push mentioned nobel prize winning scientist and moral imperatives just one too many times, especially when neither were present to say yes - secondhand messages get the sus tick .
The greens are reknown for talking to the issues, but not thinking through them .......and it showed . The ABC, if they want to help the greens and Labor, need to be more convincing by being more probing of the shooting gallery games that they have seen so many times before. Pollies who want to win have to point to actions and process in a credible and local way.
If reason and good sense prevail, Labors 2007 reliance on the ephemeral agendas of the greens will prove, just like in 2004, - a lot of chasing after the wind.

The ravages of riches and rich parties

There is something really wrong with Australia in 2007 when we ( incl media here) don't even, with tokens at election time , acknowledge the real threats to our prosperity . When we ALL ( except someone like barnaby joyce yesterday ) are happy to play up to the illusion that "we have all we need" . In such a closed comfort zone mood the parties are able to ply us , not with their passion, but with more and better gifts .

I hunger for the politics of passion. Someone who knows what is wrong and has a mind to fix it .There 's lots wrong with how they spend our money , but few that have a mind to fix it ( except with a bigger hammer)
I see little evidence of competent economia focus on any side . Even the greens now ,it seems, have lost there way . Labor captures the libs territory and the greens as well. Changing territory though, has its price in cosmic and care level credibility.

One party can only capture the territory of another, when that party have lost the passion for it . Passion keeps the lead agency ahead and now its gone from the heartlands, the territory mentions on both sides are tokenistic and tame .

Rudd's education incentive is welcome, but fails to address the problem of dumbing down. Mind you, with a bit of luck a new labour policy of professional and public focus could stumble into their backdoor .

Years of libs meddling with fanciful visions of trickle down theory have never seen so little trickle down.
I , like many Austrailans, like Rudd, but would I put Labor in power? The old labor PM 's "stood "their yesterday - a sickening spectacle of blunt reactionary distraction . Their arrogance is offensive . I don't like any one of them . Home wreckers --wouldn't trust any of them to do anything properly .
Perhaps arrogance goes with the job, cause the Libs have had there fair share of fast moving fad driven plagerists. They are not as obviuos though.

I hope people vote for FF and the independants FIRST ( there i think some risk of that esp in the country) ---Not because they have yet the competence, but because they care - cause we need the minor parties to do , as Steve has done with all his ammendmnets in last few years " to GIVE ATTENTION TO PRAXIS and the detail .

And they do it " at their own expense". Just think, all that mail you recieved from polys in the last few weeks ----you paid for .
In that way he and FF can help keep the bastards ( the devil is in the detail ) honest " . Not much time though to get the momentum esp when the tax take is so good and there is the attraction of showtime and sweet talk.

Who really represents rural interests ?

What rural person could vote for Labor really?. They kick out Gavin and expect us to believe the wishy washy and weed in the wind O'Brien . Even when facing the audience on Landline this week the soft and muddle headed man can't even find the back bone to state a position that makes sustainability sense -no he said " if the people in the city think we are treating sheep badly the labor party will support the ...........rural people .... or something eqaully as hypocritical and full of bullsh " is he following Garrets lead? - having everything every which way ? .
As Mr Gaurgan pointed out - Kerry O brien is not willing to defend a position . Like so many dummies on environmetal mangemnet he thinks ( on sheep stirring) he can offer a technological out ( better mangemnet of sheep once they arrive in another country? )completely ignoring the incredible inhouse pressure on producers NOW and HERE . Is he not a A woose who would sell his soul to the devil of ignorance and fear before he would state the obvious vote winning and soul saving position - "we will support sheep industry from the simple -who think australia ideally should be covered in trees .....and who don't know YET how a sustainable grassland functions" .
God help us, because polys on LANDLINE this week sure seem incapable of even understanding our world.

Pity Mc Guaran can't get his act together either - recognising rural people need more than holy huddles in the market corner to survive - farmers need planners !Peter Mcguran used the same "anti bureaucratic- antiscientific and planning argument" as O ' brien (perhaps he thinks the market wil keep farmers farming and science has nothing to say on sustainability - What he is saying is THE VERY same as saying "I am willing to cut my own constuiticies throat here" - tis true! either sustainability has substance of scientists or it does not - either the truth matters to rural producers or it does not )
The N ationals are falling into the same container hold of techno fix and market fundamentalism that Obrien clearly is happy in ( pity it doesn't solve a single sustaiability issue for the people committing suicide on the strength of such city centric simplicities )