Spin rules OK. Has anyone read the superb Global Spin by Sharon Beder?

The media also plays a relentless gotcha game. It either trvialises everything or blows the most trivial detail(s) compeletely out of proportion. Those on the "right" specialise in this dumb-ocracy.
No real substance allowed.

The current government is 100% spin.
All froth and bubble, with seldom any real substance and huge dollops of manipulative lies. Everything it says, from John Howard down, is an exercise in manipulative spin-ning. A prolonged ten year exercise in adolescent hoonery. Much of it is based on last nights focus group research.

Thin gruel.

It is perfectly standard practice for an opposition to keep their policy powder dry until the moment is right. That usually happens when an election date is either called or clearly forecastable.

Drawing comparisons with Blair is also unrealistic.

The actions of a political party in power are always fundamentally different in content and texture to those of an opposition, whatever apparent "colour" of that party. To that end, Rudd's actions would be better compared to those of Tory David Cameron, another opposition leader trying to unseat a long-standing prime minister hanging on well past his use-by date.

To add one more frisson, both have apparently anointed successors whose popularity amongst the electorate is somewhat suspect.

One further puzzle in this piece was also a reference to Blair's government.

>>most of the Australian Labor leaders, including Rudd, have adopted UK Prime Minister Tony Blair as their model of electoral success. Sadly, they have replicated none of his success in health, education or technology<<

Success? The health system in the UK is still in disarray despite enormous sums spent over the Blair years. Education is another continuing disaster, with standards continuing to fall and schools groaning under the weight of over-administration. And I haven't a clue what you determine as "success in technology".

The throwaway line is key, though.

>>the Blair Government’s perpetual state of campaign mode.<<

Another way to look at this is that Blair has never been comfortable in government, so permanently acts as an opposition leader – full of sweeping rhetoric and broad brush “initiatives”, but uninvolved in the implementation .

In opposition you have no power, so all you can realistically do is talk.

There's some good and some bad in this article. I tend to think Cutcliffe isn't being objective here.

I agree on the Tanner V Swan section, though Tanner is evidently still very close to ALP treasury policy. His input will remain, and while I'd have preferred him to be in the top spot, practically speaking, as long as he's on the inside I'm happy.

Disagree totally about McKew - we've heard plenty of the ABC demographic - Rudd also managed to insulate the ABC from further attacks during an election year, and effectively gave them more room to manoeuvre. Plus, McKew has profile - much like Garrett. It may not be the best in terms of knowledge (though McKew's ahead of Garrett here) though to the average punter, it looks good.

Here's Cutcliffe's main problem - he's not writing this for the punters, he's writing this for a select few pro-liberal aristocracy, while the majority of voters aren't actually scanning the paper daily for more policy from Rudd.

I tend to agree with Cutcliffe that Rudd's being light on policy and I for one am rather concerned about it. But it's not damaging him, all the evidence points to the contrary.

Beware a spin doctor indeed - but also beware rose coloured lenses and seeing what you want to see.

Rudd's Team is doing very well on Policy. It is the begining of the 'not on' yet election campaign.

More importantly, be it Rudd or Howard... one thing is clear. We need "institutional and administrational reform" across Australia.

Infrastructure is key and this is where I agreed with Cutcliffe.

We the public as well as governments need to discuss openly, pressing issues like improving civic engagement activities, and policies in;

' health, mental health, civic health and education, enterprise development, export performance, civic infrastructure as a goal toward sustainable development, and our immigration, refugee and foreign engagement policies '

Well done Gillard and Rudd!

I believe you have it right with the 'Fair Work Australia - with the power to resolve industrial disputes and set the minimum wage'.

We as Australians are a highly innovative and enterprising nation community.

I feel this kind of work policy will help inspire us - the public, to access the true value of our nations Human Capital.

Many of us are being pacified as a negleted Human Capital.

A Human Capital that is currently untapped.

Australia's Human Capital is our number one, principal national resource.

Australian's are innovative and enterprising.

We all need to open our minds to the potential of our full potential, and utilise pro-actively our joint knowlewdge, as a key pathway in securing this untapped human resource.

Win or Lose ALP, your campaign through this federal election will change the face of Australia forever.

As a public we are learning quickly about Australias future agenda. We all continue to have the courage and strength to learn more, listen more, talk more - speak out publically on critical issues by participating as a whole nation in these serious and highly stimulating home grown debates.

http://www.miacat.com.au
.

I think miacat's onto something there.

Agree with TRTL that it would be good to see more policy, but also that it would be stupid to release it too early. Apart from anything else that would allow Howard to adopt the most popular bits of it and claim them for himself, which he's done in the past.

Disagree with the article on Maxine. It was clever to put her up against Howard instead of dealing with the old 'parachuting/safe seat' accusations.

At this point spin is all we could reasonably expect, and Rudd's has all been about the future. Good move I think.

It draws attention to Howard's age and the possibility of his retirement.
It focuses on what we haven't done to prepare for the future education, training and R&D-wise.
It supports the global environment issues the Liberals can't win.
Works well with the innovation arguments miacat makes which is a much more optimistic picture for our yoof.
Says subtle things about the consequences for Australia if the Dems get up in the US.

I could go on all day. It's also more gender friendly than 'Australia rising' which is a bit gender-specific, if you get my drift.

There's nothing 'mere' about spin. In the age of celebrity politics it's central.

Rudd and his team will not even need to worry about policy. They have the media right behind them. Rudd is not allowing anyone else to say too much, thus limiting the chance of gaffes. He only needs to continue denigrating everything the government says or does. This is what we get for a system which requires compulsory attendance at the ballot box. Comparing Australian politics with British politics is of limited value because of what is widely believed to be a compulsion to mark a ballot paper. Real reform in Australian politics can only come with a change in electoral laws to non-compulsory attendance at the ballot box combined with an intensive non-partisan education of the populus about the importance of being involved in the democratic process. The two things are not imcompatible but Rudd, even more than Howard, would hate to lose all those "I have always voted ALP and always will no matter what they might do or say" voters....and yes there are some of those on the other side of politics too. If we got rid of that element politicians might need to work harder and be more accountable.

I think we are heading for a drover's dog election, did anyone hear John Howard's almost lunatic ravings on radio national? He is acting like he is rattled, he has run out of ideas and is resorting to irrational scare campaigns.

Rudd has already said he will play mind games with Howard, Rudd is setting the agenda and Howard has no concept of the political game anymore.

Howard has too much baggage, his bending of the truth in the past 10 years has come back to haunt him and people don't care what he has to say anymore, because he says nothing.

I fear for his mental health, but when he loses the election it will be everybody elses fault, not his. If a future Rudd government turns out to be a disaster we have one man to blame, John Howard.

I think tenders should be called to convert Kirribilli House into a psych ward. The man has lost it.

Maxine versus the PM. Brilliant strategy. The Media will devote 10% of political news to this contest. We won't hear anything new or extra from the PM because he gets the coverage anyway. But Maxine will be granted a big platform for Labor and she is a very able spokesperson.
Warning to Labor. A lot of us out here are scared of the union bogey, and not at all convinced of the unfairness of work choices. Everyone has met, or knows about, some rascal who has taken his wages without pulling his weight effectively just as much as we have met or know about someone who has been screwed by a rotten employer. But the whole worker versus the employer thing is a 19 century formulation. People who don't like the offered conditions should refuse the work. I have done so in the past quite appropriately and to my advantage. The issue is how do we provide the wellbeing of those who are too weak, too vulnerable, too commodity-like? I think we need sound business-like attitude to jobs and positive encouragements for people who are structurally disadvantaged. The PM will attempt to scare us about unions.

I want to see who Rudd is going to appoint to the positions of real power, the judge, jury and executioner positions, within his new Industrial Relations empire!

I bet Greig Combet knows.

It's the details we're not being told anbout by young Kevvie.

Tony Cutcliffe has nailed it ! Factionalism is going to get Rudd. The question is, will it be before the election or after it ? Either way it's clear - factionalism always paralyses Labor Governments, so it's not really worth the trouble of installing them. There are still the Roosters to worry about, and the Swan / Tanner debacle is a very real indicator of how compromised Rudd is already. We shouldn't feel much one way or the other for Maxine - there are NO safe seats anymore, as we approach the moment of political accountability on so many issues. This bunch of decade old opposition harpys don't have the answer to anything - and there is plenty of time for the electorate to wake up to that simple fact. While Rudd was fiddling with the Anzac day clock in Vietnam, our PM was at a dawn service in Rudd's electorate of Griffith ...... Rudd's antics are laboured, and the exhiliration of the honeymoon is about to be overrun by the marriage jar of marbles reality.

The ALP National conference is highlighting a leader who wants power more than anything else.
A leader who has shown he will control the direction his party takes and rarely allowed other to say other than what he tells them to say.
Spin is his tool not policy's.
And his feet are turning to clay and are about to wash away from under him.
Full of hope and unable to see the truth his team are behind him.
That lost man is John Howard.
And that anyone can think Kevin Rudd is just spin speaks so very clearly about the failure of conservative Australia to debate the miss use of a mandate and the reversal of 2004 election results in such a massive way.
spin? maybe Howard has lost even that skill.

I was watching John Howard on Sunday this morning. Funny how it is possible to know what he is going to say before he says it.

He has about a dozen responses to any question, does not matter who asks them.

Surely this is holding us in contempt, answer the questions John and you may see the polls swing back your way, continue with the charade and you better start packing.

Mr tight lips Kevin Rudd does not impress me.His is too pre-occupied with his media image that prevails over any economic substance.

In the "Sun Lies False Dawn Affair" Kevin tried to use his political power to silence the Telegraph.Never in the recent past had the editors felt so intimidated.When the emails led to Kevin being complicit in this deception,he was contrite but did not confront his own short comings.

Kevin lied to the public,tried to use his power to silence the press,tried to use our ANZAC traditions for political advantage but most of all,Kevin is guilty of poor judgement.His behaviour demonstrates a very naieve juvenile mentality that has not the maturity to Govern this country.

When in politics or any profession,you begin to believe in your own image as having substance over diligence and hard work,you have lost the plot.

That last post, every word of it, could have been written about the John Howard I know.
And the John Howard Australia as weired of.

The difference Belly is that John Howard for over 11 yrs has produced the economic goods which labor has failed so dismally in the past.That is the irrefutable reality.

Arjay

All the major reforms to the Australian economy have been instigated by the Labor Party. Fact. Irrefutable.

If my memory serves me well, Gerard Henderson commenting on when he was Howard's Chief of staff, said something along the lines of "Howard would prefer not to make any decisions".

He has squandered a decade and will be condemned in the future for his inaction.

And the labor party

by saturdays daily telegraph
labor hase plenty of compassion but little on policy

so what has labor been doing for 10 years just collecting a handout from the people whilst siting in canberra.

for policy
for respect

www.tapp.org.au