People are confused about politics today because they do not understand that things began to return to normal about 40 years ago. As they have done over the millennia, the rich and powerful have re-asserted themselves after the murderous colonial invasions and world wars they caused began to slip from memory (with the help of the privatised propaganda system).

The Liberals have been brought to believe that if we transfer public wealth and power to the rich, the New Jerusalem will float down from heaven.

The Labour party leadership know that this is rubbish but have been bought out by those same forces (but are still hated because they are not true believers).

The Liberals are finding they have to put people at the top who don't seem like true believers (O'Farrell, Turnbull). Labour can only hope that good media performers will do the trick.

The above is a gross generalisation and badly needs needs fleshing out and some nuances. But for a short post is close enough to the truth.

The Labor Party became a party of Dynasties and minders from well before Neville Wran. Any pretence of representing workers interest went out the window around 1975 and politics became a family business and not a passionate defence of battles fought and won by past generations. Hence Julia Gillard's poor grasp of our history and values.
All parliaments are now just school type debating session, and just as futile.

The rightwing unions are already planning Keneally's escape route.

They want to dump Garrett from his wasted seat and fill it with Keneally!

Pots and kettles beware.

This shows just how hopeless the NSW ALP machine is.

Hi TBC,
Just looking at my local area with 5 Labor seats Coogee, Maroubra, Heffron Marrickville and Balmain. The Liberals are over the line in Coogee,with over 50% of the primary vote. Greens will take Balmain and Marrickville, we have an 8 point lead in Marrickville and more in Balmain, Maroubra could fall to the Liberals, Greens are not preferencing Labor, Heffron Greens and Liberal most likely to fall short, very poor campaign in Heffron by the Liberals and Keneally will retain it, Greens have not given up the fight by any means. The new state of play is Greens 2 Liberal 1 Labor 1 Doubtful 1.

Whatever you think about federalism in general, it's hard to see how it can work effectively when one state makes up nearly half the population of the country. Obviously the people of NSW are grossly underrepresented in the Senate, for instance, and have a legitimate grievance against the Feds for that reason. And as long as the population distribution remains so grossly lopsided we are unlikely to have a stable and competent government in NSW.

One solution is to dissolve the States altogether. Another would be to break up into smaller State units of, say, one million people each: that would allow Federalism with all its (dubious) benefits while making for an inherently fairer system.