Well, I'm a NSW voter and I've been singularly unimpressed by the NSW Labor government over the last few years. But as so many others have said, look at the alternative.

Rotten Labor vs Toxic Libs. Great.

And the minor parties aren't much better. The Greens have a serious case of the Trots, One Nation are a spent force, the Unity party are a totally unnecessary anti-One-Nation bunch, and I doubt I could stop laughing long enough to vote Democrat!

So I think I'll take the time to check out which independents are running in my seat, and see if I can find out what their policies are.

Cheers!

I will be voting for the party I belong to the ALP, but I would want blood on the sword from our leader on Monday morning.
Heads should roll big name ones too, but no way no honest way I could vote conservative.
And we the voters of NSW should hope independents do not have control on Monday.
The biggest loss on Monday?
I just hope it is the NSW press, never before has such a biased coverage been seen in this country.
Fox like in the manufacturing and crafting of news it insults voters with its one sided intent.
Would you be pleased to wake to the budgie smuggler leading NSW on Monday?
It could still happen, the fact that some doubt exists highlights the failure of conservatives in all states.
Liberalism old fashioned Liberalism demands from its grave that answers come why the rot in conservatism?
Why have true Liberals been dumped by the right only to see votes fall to all time lows?
I believe conservatives must ask what direction do the electorate want them to take, not what direction they wish to take the electorate.

Listening to Debenham and Iemma on Channel 7 at 4:40 on today Iemma referred to Debenham promising to slash 20,000 services, he repeated it 3 times. I thought the Liberals promised to slash 20,000 public service jobs.

On Wednesday night on Channel 2 there was a sound bite from Debenham saying that the the Victorian Labor government had slashed public service jobs and put public servants on contract.

Not quite correct Debenham, The Liberal Premier Jeff Kennett slashed the public service and Labor hasn't rebuilt it.

A smaller public service in Victoria has meant that there were only 3 apprenticeships offered in Victoria by the privatised electricity generator, Texas Utilities - which replaces the State Electricity Commission, while the NSW Country Energy had employed 700 apprentices.

Well let me explain the One Nation scenario...

There are 2 One nation's in NSW. The original one cannot run as David Oldfield prevented it by taking the party name and starting his own party in NSW. I believe now that he's leaving and having almost destroyed both parties he has given the name via the position of Registrar to someone in his One Nation party. Leaving the original ON party still unable to run. Even though it may run federally.

I personally don't think there are enough good people left in either party to run in either election.

The one aspect of the NSW election that does not seem to have been covered at all is my belief that a vote for Morris Iemma is a vote for John Howard later in the year, and similarly a vote for Peter Debnam is a vote for Kevin Rudd.

The reason I believe this is that if Iemma is returned, many voters later in the year may not like Howard very much, but are not prepared to have one major party running EVERY government in the country.

In addition, there are many nasties that have been saved up for NSW voters until after the election, with the first being the Lane Cove Tunnel. It will be far better for Howard if these nasties are administerd by Iemma than Debnam.

Personally, like many posters, I would like to see a hung parliament, but I can't work out where we should locate the gallows.

p.s: I wonder if the major fire in a Melbourne tunnel will affect the vote?

Debnam's gonna lose because of Workchoices and some people's intense dislike for John Howard.

Those two things prevent many people from voting for Debnam and the Libs, even though they'd like to give Labor a nuclear-powered boot up the backside.

It's tragic really. I think if not for Debnam's blunder in saying he would hand IR powers to Canberra, he would romp in. Instead we will have another 4 years of a staggeringly corrupt and incompetent Labor government.

It is all terrible, isn't it? I live in Surry Hills NSW and used to vote for Clover. I thought she was our "saviour" until I have watched her increasing graps for power using any means possible. So the idea of independents like her in control of the state fills me with horror.

The NSW Labor party has done a very bad job for years. The Libs are controlled by the extreme right covertly led by an Opus Dei radical.

As much as I hate to say it, the Greens are the only choice now that the ALP has become so bad.

Debnam's demise was basically due to John Howard's ill planned IR reform.I made this observation a year ago.John Howard will lose the next election over poorly planned and presented IR reform.Peter Debnam has now suffered some of the fallout from this public anguish.

I cannot believe how stupid the Coalition have been both Federally and at state level in confronting this issue.

Do we all have to suffer no talent time at the hands of Rudd's duds who are already salivating at the prospect of spending Public Servant's future fund on broard band internet?

I think that the Howard Govt has been there too long,but the alternative is is too stupid and bereft of any talent for most sane people to consider.Yahweh help Australia.PS I'm not Jewish.

T800: "I personally don't think there are enough good people left in either party to run in either election."

T800 was talking about the erstwhile redneck One Nation party, but I reckon much the same applies to the ALP and Coalition, in both the current NSW and forthcoming Federal elections.

Mind you, I disagree with the contention that this is a Hobson's choice (i.e. a choice between a viable but imperfect alternative and zilch). Rather, I think that it's a choice between two unviable and unattractive alternatives - in which case I expect that there will be a larger than usual vote for the minor parties, particularly the Greens.

As a Queenslander, I obviously can't vote in the NSW election, but I think this is a good thing for democracy - and I fervently hope that the electorate is presented with a similar 'choice' in the forthcoming Federal and State election rounds.

In my view, anybody with a brain and a heart would have to vote for the Greens, who are far from perfect, but at least offer some kind of vision for how people might co-operate to adapt to the environmental and sociocultural challenges that face us.

Here is an idea:

Forget political parties.
Vote for the best candidate.
Do some research on who is running and pick
someone with good personal qualities and experience.

This would raise the standard of all parties
and also provide good independents.

- 12 Years of government. The incumbent(NSW Labor) looks tired and worn out. It lurches from crisis to crisis.(Though I have to admit, Morris Iemma has handled himself well. While most people in NSW think Labor is a joke, The majority think Morris Iemma is a decent bloke.)

- Completely biased media coverage in favor of the coalition. Completely and utterly biased. I also think NSW Labor is a bad joke, but the bias in the media was extraordinary. Even I thought it was unfair.

- The coalition picked up 3 seats. 2 off independents (As of the time I'm posting this), the only one won off Labor was by the nationals. Pathetic.

Conclusion: The Liberal/National coalition managed to lose the unloseable election. Peter Debnam is a complete moron. He comes across as some rich upper class eastern suburbs twat. 18 Months ago I would I have put money on the Liberals to win with Brogden. Incredible.

The Lesson I learned: Never under-estimate the capacity of the Liberal party for complete and utter failure.

I have partly taken the advice of the thread starter, had my beer and it tasted sooo sweet.
After a long day in the booths and a long journey home it is was a reward and end to fear the voters might just say try the Liberals in any case.
Workchoices is a brick wall the contains the Conservatives and by years end will see them at best hold maybe a lord Mayors office?
But the force that put this insult to the term Fair go mate!into our laws came from within a virus within the Liberals around Australia.
It was planted by Howard and strange beyond belief the man who even his opponents once admired will be remembered by his own side and mine as the man who for a very long time destroyed his side of politics.
The removal of the last leader of the NSW Liberals was crafted by the man who drove this campaign, a man who has driven Liberalism out of the Liberal party.
John Howard.
The Sydney press sank to new standards of lies and manufacturing of news , good morning people how does it feel to run a lost election that cost you your reputations?
Mr Howard Australia never will buy workchoices we never will say it is ok to create wealth by making more poor.
Mate it is time, go now go with grace and as you do remember
Fair Go Mate still has meaning in Australia.
Morris you good thing! get that sword out! lets see the blood, no other than conservative.
PS all the best to the budgie smuggler in his new workplace.

That the best you've got Belly?

You don't cite a single positive reason why the Iemma government was re-elected.

This election is a victory for negative campaiging and refusal to engage by both sides on the real issues.

I am very saddend that hatred of John Howard, however justified, has poisoned the minds of the NSW public into voting back into office this bunch of corrupt, incompentant fools.

Reason not to vote labour; roads, water, planning, taxes, crap hospitals etc.

One simple challenge for you then. Name five things the labour government has done in the last twelve years that should have made me vote for them. I can't think of one.

And by the way whatever you think of Debnam the attacks on him were pathetic.

gw

I have my own pet theory.

The problems with NSW were mostly in areas that the public generally considers to be in the strength of the Labor party. Health, education, the environment, water and not least public transport were all big issues, along with the usual economic issues, as well as some development issues.

Had NSW experienced these problems under a Liberal government, they would have been voted out in a heart beat. However, people (rightly or wrongly) often associated the Labor party as being superior on these issues. Thus, the Liberals would have had to work doubly hard in order to convince the electorate that they could do better. Debnam fell well short of this.

However, the public are not likely to need as much convincing should these problems still be evident in 2011.

As for me, I'm feeling quite good that I voted for, and preferenced, neither major party.

Labors strong in public transport

so thats why they are going to sell off Country Link
loss of jobs
higher cost of train tickets

Didnt know

well Labor only tells the people what they want them to hear.

And like ChrisC i didnt have much choice but didnt vote for the 2 majors either.

Why disrespect for the people, and deceit.

The under valuing of voters choice and indeed the ignoring of voters intent is apparent.
How can so many give themselves a pat on the back for understanding the issues and think others failed to do so?
The electorate understood the issues and Labors failures, they did not buy the conservatives.
Dirty tactics? how about the parading of parents of dead children and blaming the ALP?
The Sydney press?
In just weeks from now we will see voters got it right! a new government by the end of next week with our leaders stamp on it and some real rubbish gone.
What then for the contented purr of the unhappy conservatives who claim insight they own and not the voters?
Do not please let bitterness mask the voters have spoken and if they did not take the path you wanted do not devalue their intent.
Clearly conservative Australia should address its own problems first.
Howard and his dirty half dozen must return to policy not lies.
His party should review its direction and leadership .
Post election 2007 it will be done from the middle of the rubble that was once conservative Australian politics.
You will still hear the voices coming from that pile saying the voters got it wrong.
Extraordinary!

T800, thanks for clearing that up about One Nation. I didn’t realise they couldn’t run in NSW any more; shows how much attention I pay to politics!

Belly, I’m not actually sure how much influence Workchoices had on the outcome of the election. It doesn’t seem to have bitten that hard yet, and possibly won’t until there’s a significant downturn in the economy. I think it’s more likely that it was a combination of factors, such as those identified by ChrisC, with a little bit of uncertainty over Workchoices thrown in.

Personally, my reason for preferencing Labor over Liberal was simply the oft-repeated promise by Debnam to cut 20000 public service jobs. So have a guess what I am!