There is a notion here that "volatile" implies there is some continuity with the past in Australian politics. How Naive!

The truth is we are facing a hiatus with our political past and its only going to be perceived as volatile if you are NOT an international investor. There is an ongoing, programmed privatisation of every aspect of our lives: Howard puts 100,000-plus-immigrants into a city like Sydney every year. It is busting at the seams and being run by lying-contrarians-still-star-dusted-by-Olympic-games-glory. Howard shifts blame in depraved indifference as he ramps up the immigration. Howard knows most of the 140,000 Immigrants will go to Sydney and he hopes this will bust Labor who he keeps on a short-fiscal-leash. Labor hopes the extra numbers will boost their power base if they can de-individualise voters by overcrowding. This has lead to a stasis in Australian politics where Australians think they can get a better deal by playing Federal Conservatives against State Labor politics. In the end they lose their Democracy and their individuality. At the end of the day nothing changes. Voting is a waste of time and the only purpose of state government is how to suppress citizen's rights in order to fit the NEW people into Sydney without a sprawling brawl. They find the best way to do it is to LIE to us. It works and we end up with the-RTA, lazy-Workcover, Keystone-Cops, Tollways-to-nowhere and dead-end-Hospitals.!

The same pattern will emerge in the other states if it has not already. The ONLY winners in the end will be global investors as Australian citiens morph into sheep for the shearing and our political institutions get conned out of their beloved power and in essence become PRIVATISED.

The saddest part is that people like Howard are so caught up in their lust for power, glory, progress and wealth that they don't see what's coming. True democracies are grown slowly like crystals in a Petri dish. Howard's "Too-much-too-soon" version will lead to the chaos wiser heads have always warned us about. The chaos we already KNOW-with-worse-to-come.

CANADA Yesterday.

17 Muslims arrested for bomb plot with 3 times the explosive power of the Oklahoma bombing.

ENGLAND Day b4 yesterday

1 arrested, 1 shot in raid on home of Muslims plotting chemical attack.

MELBOURNE Recently
A number of Muslims arrested for allegedly plotting to assassinate PM and carry out other bombing attacks.

SYDNEY recently.
A number of Muslims arrested for allegedly plotting bomb attacks on Australian soil.

1/ Selective Immigration. (Positive discrimination) cultural, social and political compatability being foremost in mind.

2/ Promotion of Australian Identity based on demographics and history.

3/ UN Conventions: Withdraw from, or add exemptions/proviso's to our signatory status of UN conventions on 'no discrimination' to the effect that National Security interest overides any other consideration.

LOCAL TOPIC

Peter said:

[But our two-party preferential system makes the swinging vote decisive. When they do not have definite structural interests, voters tend to vote for their own immediate self interest.]

The above mentioned factors will also influence the ‘influential’ swinging voters. I’m one of them. Personally, I would have preferred the budget surplus to go into health first, and education second.
It would be a sad day for Australia, if none of us could see the global picture (as related above) and were so selfish and insular that we could be simply ‘bought’ by a mess of pottage for which we sell our economic and cultural birthrights.

Esau, in the book of Genesis sold his birthright to Jacob for a some tucker..... and later regretted.

1/ If the swinging voters make or break the elections, and
2/ If they vote out of short term self interest..
3/ Labor and Liberal voters also vote out of structural self interest.

swingers are winners and grinners.

Therefore, our political status quo is founded on ‘me me me’.
The greater our ethnic diversity, the more competitive will be our politics. (* @@ looks over at East Timor*)
Should it be surprising when ‘loony Christians’ call for national repentance and renewal ?
Come back to our constitution pre-amble “Humbly relying on the guidance of Almighty God”

Your article rings true as a member of the ALP. Howard has backed us into a corner to play the "conservative card" guised as a Labor policy. For example the 30% rebate for private health insurance under a Labor should be abolished to free up much needed funds for an underfunded PUBLIC health system BUT how would voters feel if there health insurance premiums went up 30%.

Radical ideas such as lower tutition or free tertiary education and TAFE are seen as unfeasible in current Labor policy. As well as the platform for a training levy as under a Keating government. This might be not seen as a good form of economic management by voters.

We should be doing what we think is right for Australians and trying to win them over with "inspiring" ideas with courage and convinction. Rather than second guessing what they might like and therefore watering down our policies.

In the end, the ALP needs more people within the party to shift its current status from the OTHER major party to THE Party with something to vote for. In April 2007, we come together to debate policy and in the end if we don't have enough numbers to pass policy such as re introducing a Federal dental scheme, it won't be in the ALP's platform leading to the next Federal election.

This article is spot on in terms of its analysis of politics in Australia. The two party system of government is an anachronism and is long past its use by date. What we really need in Australia is a European style electoral system which allows a wide diversity of views to be represented in Parliament and some constructive debate on very complex and often contradictary issues.

A vibrant Green Party is essential to the future of democracy in Australia as it represents a viewpoint that is frequently ignored in our media and public debate.

What the Greens need to do is be positive and send out the message that we can create a better society. Change will only happen when people believe it is possible.

A positive and constructive Green Party? Now I've heard everything.

A positive and constructive Green Party? Now I've heard everything.
....

Yeah Right - that is on a par with the benevolence of the liberals under Howard and Costello ..... soon to be the comedy team of Abort and Castrellato

But it does outrank the intelligence of Beasly the Blob and his tribe of misfits

Unfortunately we have developed into a vast mob of sycophantic morons who believe the biggest lies - we have no Statesmen - never had!!

Only a breed of politicians who sole objective is power and suppression!