Thanks Spinkeypinkey.......thought you'd be the first to reply.
FYI on Australian Elections.
Howards Coalition Government and Mark Lathams Labour fought the election on mainly domestic issues....the economy, labour reform, health and welfare,
interest rates. Defence and Security were in there but neither really bashed the issue until the last week or two.
That was where they tripped for me. Ex-ADF and I remember what the ALP did to us in the 80s. We are still living with it today. One year after the
Falklands, and nine days after Bob Hawkes Labor won, they axed a replacement for our old carrier, which the prior government had put on hold until
after the election. Budget priorities was one issue....Five years later we had him opening a brand new $1 billion plus Parliament House....bloody
statesmans disease!
Their comments in the lead up to Oct 9 showed nothing changed.
Security and Defence was important, but not as important....
But Howard scored big points with the Mum and Dad investors perceptions. Strong economic performance. Reminders of double digit inflation in the ALP
days, and a reminder that the opposition leader Mark Latham was a council mayor in the early nineties and that his policies put them in the red. I
think the Coalition scare ad was "If he couldnt run a council what makes you think he could run a country"
Lathams Pro Green policies on Old Growth logging in Tasmania lost him the key Tasmanian Labor seats there....The logging workers sided with Howard who
had a worker freindly Green policy.
Plus crisis brings out the conservatism in many Australians, even new ones and there was a "dont switch horses midstream" factor involved.
Theres been wholesale bloodshed on the ALP benches. Shadow Cabinet Ministers who just weeks before were the best for the job, got skittled like nine
pins after the election.
The Australian Democrats (Slogan:" Keeping the Bastards Honest") had held the balance in the upper house, lost half thier numbers....pretty bad
considering only half were up for re-election, and thier leaders just announced he will not stand again.
A new Christian Right Pro Family party picked up some seats in the Senate, and the lower house too I think.
The Greens picked up some seats on the mainland, increasing thier numbers in the senate but not enough. But then thier "leader" a Tasmanian Senator
wasnt up for re-election this year. I think the growing unemployment cues there are getting tired of his "Eco tourism around the corner will deliver
for all" speech after 20 years.
All in all Howards looking better than he ever has with control of both houses and an increased majority......whatever his detractors (and they have
reason to be) say about him, he put up the better show.
Its becoming a theory that after the ALPs Hawke/Keating years, when ever the ALP look likely to come up, they shoot themselves in the
foot....repeatedly. Its ashame - I really wanted enough reason to vote against Howard this year, but it wasnt there.
Only one thing bugs me about UK Politics.
Both parties are gonna mine the bare bones of UK Forces backside for election promises money at the Forces expenses. I know I'm an Aussie and its not
my problem, but I hate this and or approach the beancounters are taking in forcing massive cuts elsewhere to fund key projects.
And its unforgivable while they are talking about manpower and operational issues stuffing around the troops in Iraq.
Sorry for the rant.
[edit on 3-11-2004 by craigandrew]
[edit on 3-11-2004 by craigandrew]
