The 2007 Budget - let the election campaign begin

[mick]

If Rudd loses, surely he would be given another opportunity at the next election.

Mick - given your pathological dislike of comrade Gillard, how do you view some of the more personal attacks on her from Bill Heffernan and Ken Smith? Would it not be better to attack her on a substance level? It hasn't been a good look, regardless of which side of the political fence one sits.

My view is personal attacks are not warranted, Howard should have kicked Heffernan's arse publically. Gillard was on the ropes as a result of her recent threats against business and employers, Heffernan let her of the hook. Really she should thank the idiot. Even so her personal choices/life should be left out of the political debate. Believe it or not I actually admire her achievements, a successful lawyer, deputy leader of the parliamentary ALP all the more difficult to achieve because she is a female, it's just I don't want her running our country.

[Psyber]

If Rudd loses, surely he would be given another opportunity at the next election.

Mick - given your pathological dislike of comrade Gillard, how do you view some of the more personal attacks on her from Bill Heffernan and Ken Smith? Would it not be better to attack her on a substance level? It hasn't been a good look, regardless of which side of the political fence one sits.

The problem is she keeps the substance well hidden except fot the occasional slip up - what you usually see is not what you are going to get! You definitely have to watch for what slips out. Rudd comes across as more genuine, but recently he has had to backdown and toe the party line a few times which suggests he is not in control of the party, but just a nice mask they are wearing for now.

Although I am generally a Liberal supporter, I am not entirely happy with the present federal government, and I started being pro-Rudd and thinking of voting for him, but I am beginning to have doubts about what we would actually get now.

[redandblack]

Psyber, you're a rusted on Liberal and would never have countenanced a vote for Rudd.

[Psyber]

Psyber, you're a rusted on Liberal and would never have countenanced a vote for Rudd.

Nope, I was seriously thinking about it. I have voted Labor federally once before.

I tend to disagree with the Howard government and have written to various ministers about issues:

1. The IR laws have gone too far - only companies with 6 or less employee's should get a free hand - not 100 or less.
2. David Hicks should not have left in the hands of a foreign power so long without fair trial - which he didn't get.
3. DIMIA should have been reigned in long ago.
4. The safety nets for health and pharmacy costs are not "safe" enough.
5. The government should have put the telecommunications infrastructure into a trust, then sold the commercial arm of Telstra.

There are probably others I have canvassed on but dinner is now ready!

[mick]

Psyber, you're a rusted on Liberal and would never have countenanced a vote for Rudd.

Nope, I was seriously thinking about it. I have voted Labor federally once before.

I tend to disagree with the Howard government and have written to various ministers about issues:

1. The IR laws have gone too far - only companies with 6 or less employee's should get a free hand - not 100 or less.
2. David Hicks should not have left in the hands of a foreign power so long without fair trial - which he didn't get.
3. DIMIA should have been reigned in long ago.
4. The safety nets for health and pharmacy costs are not "safe" enough.
5. The government should have put the telecommunications infrastructure into a trust, then sold the commercial arm of Telstra.

There are probably others I have canvassed on but dinner is now ready!

I pretty much agree with all of that. Suppose I'm not a complete fascist

[Psyber]

...I pretty much agree with all of that. Suppose I'm not a complete fascist

I think Paul Keating was the most Fascistic PM we have ever had - he made Mal Fraser look a relative Pinko - I liked Mal.
PK was much more authoritarian than John Howard is being.

[redandblack]

As I said, Psyber, you're a rusted on Liberal.

Mick, I agree with you, you're not a complete fascist

[Coorong]

Gee the second line sounds familiar to another (not too regular on here these days) poster

[topsywaldron]

G'Day Coorong.

[Psyber]

As I said, Psyber, you're a rusted on Liberal.

Mick, I agree with you, you're not a complete fascist

I'm more of a disillusioned one time Labor voter. The next election after my last time voting Labor I did penance giving out Liberal voting cards in Hindmarsh - the Crittenden Road booth.

A friend was local Liberal President and asked me to help out as they needed a largish fellow because the last time they left a woman alone there some guy broke her jaw! That was years before I joined the party. One guy almost took a swing at me too, and I was being so sweet and polite. My being about 15cm taller than him was probably what prevented him actually attacking.

The guy giving out the Labor cards nearly died laughing - he and I had been handing out each others cards and betting on who would take both and who wouldn't. [And who would look puzzled when one of us offered both cards - we obviously weren't taking it seriously.]

JH is too authoritarian for me too, its just that I think PK was a lot worse, and as arrogant as Jeff Kennett.

I just can't trust Labor because Bob Menzies was right about the "faceless men", who really run the show behind the scenes and have obviously corrected Kevin Rudd when he has showed signs of compromise recently!

[redandblack]

Psyber, I accept what you say as fact, but if you don't trust Labor because of something Bob Menzies said in the 1960's, then I'd say you're a rusted on Liberal who voted Labor once in his life.

[mick]

I turned 18 on the day Whitlam was elected, I was pleased and relieved as National Service did not appeal to me, but was too young to vote. I was a member of the Liberal Party in the 1970s and early 80s, but being somewhat disillusioned by the Fraser Government and the LP in general, I voted for the ALP in 1983 when the Hawke government was elected. My one and only foray to the dark side but I'm not interested in being a member of any political party now. I guess I'm rusted on as well.

[Coorong]

I turned 18 on the day Whitlam was elected, I was pleased and relieved as National Service did not appeal to me, but was too young to vote. I was a member of the Liberal Party in the 1970s and early 80s, but being somewhat disillusioned by the Fraser Government and the LP in general, I voted for the ALP in 1983 when the Hawke government was elected. My one and only foray to the dark side but I'm not interested in being a member of any political party now. I guess I'm rusted on as well.

You what in 1983? So you are one of the responsible masses

[Psyber]

Psyber, I accept what you say as fact, but if you don't trust Labor because of something Bob Menzies said in the 1960's, then I'd say you're a rusted on Liberal who voted Labor once in his life.

No mate, I have trouble trusting them because they seem to keep proving he was right and that it still applies!

Every time it seems to have changed it pops up again and someone gets shafted in a faction fight - like the local guy who won Semaphore as an independent after an outsider from the Left was put in as a candidate over the wishes of local ALP members - late 1980s I think - about the same time Labor federal MP Terry Groom got duck-shoved off the Senate ticket for another Lefty!

OK that was about 20 years ago, but now we see Rudd having to back track on things he has said - nothing has changed. I started my life pro-Labor and got diillusioned by the absence of internal Democracy. Hell, I grew up in Hindmarsh and my father was a committed Labor man.

[mick]

I turned 18 on the day Whitlam was elected, I was pleased and relieved as National Service did not appeal to me, but was too young to vote. I was a member of the Liberal Party in the 1970s and early 80s, but being somewhat disillusioned by the Fraser Government and the LP in general, I voted for the ALP in 1983 when the Hawke government was elected. My one and only foray to the dark side but I'm not interested in being a member of any political party now. I guess I'm rusted on as well.

You what in 1983? So you are one of the responsible masses

Mea Culpa