Is Labor getting 'cocky'? Does it matter if they do?
There are already reports of jostling for positions in a Rudd led government. Is this degree of confidence good for the election campaign?
One Labor member told me outright, "We have already won the election. We don't even need to work at it. The only reason we are going to do any work on it is because we would like to win at least 22 aeats and our private polling shows we can."

I reckon anyone who believes they are guaranteed a win, is a fool.

So long as that jostling for government positions isn't done in the open, who cares?. They'd have to all be thinking about portfolios before the election. Pollies are a bunch of backstabbing mooches as it is. Does it surprise you they're all playing with themselves over their future [pay checks]?.

It's a bit of a cynical game. The last thing either side can afford to do, or be seen to do; is get cocky.

I think it fair to say Communicat, that you do not lean toward the ALP! Soooo...; I'm astonished that ANY politician would say to you 'we've already won';-let alone a Laborite!

But there you go. There's going to be a lot of 'disinformation' flying around in the next few weeks.

It's hard to know what to believe, isn't it?

It is propaganda, clearly a conservative tactic, just as clearly a desperate lie.
After this election the impact of such tactics will be reviewed and added to the list of why Australians are rejecting this government.
Communicat you can do better!

Ah Belly this little runt was so smug I just had to let everyone know what he was saying!
Labor is getting so cocky that there was election material in our letterbox today which just gave a name (unknown to me) and failed to say which party it came from. It was not hard to guess but they obviously feel no need to bother. The clear message was "all we need to do is criticise the government".
What about policies?

How about the libs give up on the personal rubbish and get on with running a country.

Labors been coming up with different policies weekly. Just gotta take your blinders off to see them off to the side of the smoke screen bridesmaid costello keeps setting off. Heart valve?, c'mon.

I can't believe how stupid the Coalition have been regards to IR reform.Keating gave them many blue and white collar workers and the Coalition dished up an absolute shambles of IR that alienated a very important portion of their supporters.

I don't think that these voters will come back that easily since it took a lot of pain from Keating for them to desert Labor and now they feel betrayed by the Coalition.

Kevin Rudd will keep a slightly watered down version of IR for 3 yrs and keep the most obscene portion of unfair dismissal whereby lawyers and unscrupulous employees can destroy small business.

My gut feeling is that Labor will be a disaster and the best the Coalition can do is to minimise the loss of seats so we can turf them out at the next election when they stuff up.

Labor has to claw back a huge number of seats, especially in Queensland.

Yes. Their polling indicates they can do it. It's still a huge task. They know that.

As for the election material, you said it yourself, there's no name. It could be anyone dumping it.

There's a certain level of cockiness that always goes on. Think Peter 'captain smirk' Costello.

It's pretty irrelevant to the whole situation however.

I again think the thread is evidence of the mud hole conservatives are wallowing in.
Some policy's could reverse the polling not fear and lies.
If old John Howard today said ok we got it wrong sorry about workchoices, signed Kyoto, questioned America about how we can win in Iraq.
Came up with a real plan for climate change, even a national plan for health ,not a propaganda policy.
They could turn it around given the polling they must.

The last politician to get cocky before the election was Jeff Kennett and look what happened to him.

If Labor wins I'll be looking to see how long Rudd's sugar coated talking style continues. When he's faced with running the country he might find life's not such a holiday as it is for him at the moment.

Can someone tell me what this bloke has been in charge of before now?

Labour
Have a policy we are told not to inform the public who their advisors are.?
Can anybody believe that.!
Thats not cocky thats shear arrogance. Half the time I suspect they dont know themselves.
Look we have been at war with the Howard Government for years over the cruel live Animal trade and probably I hope annoyed the Howard Government on more than one occassion.
However you can call them and speak with the advisors and argue whenever you like.
There has never ever been a problem knowing who the advisors are in any of the officers.
There is for sure a arrogance in mark Vailes office and Downers
However there is NO WAY they would ever refuse to tell the public who their advisors are.
Labour say they have a policy not to speak to anybody by phone to answer the most simply questions.
If you want to know anything you must write but even then they wont give you the name of the advisor to write to?

They go to water when asked the most simply of questions and become very defensive even rude.
They sound scared to answer questions.
Also under State Labour Government Animals are allowed to be slaughtered without pre stunning which at present is not the case with the export standards of AQIS.
Clearly Animals MUST be pre stunned at all times.
In answer to the question what has Rudd ran before?
Nothing.
Not even a city council.
Scarey isnt it considering todays world.
We are not pro Howard- Anything but.

I was not aware that Labor had any policies...just plans for inquiries into this, that and something else - and a much increased bureaucracy to handle those inquiries. This is perhaps what one would expect from a bureaucrat but it is not going to help him run the country.

communicat,

Surely someone as politically well informed as yourself would have thought to look at the Labor website. There's so much irrelevant noise going on in this campaign that it's easy to miss policy announcements from both sides.

However it is possible to check Labor's policies for yourself, which would allow you to criticise something of more substance than Alexander Downer's opinions about cockiness.

Heard a funny comment after Rudd's tete a tete with Al Gore;

Algore Rudd the man who was to be the next Prime Minister !

dit dit

I have certainly not written the government off just yet.

My views on this issue can be found here:

http://leonbertrand.blogspot.com/2007/09/can-coalition-manufacture-new-image-for.html
http://leonbertrand.blogspot.com/2007/09/howard-stays-put-as-union-savages-rudd.html
http://leonbertrand.blogspot.com/2007/09/howard-confirms-hes-staying.html
http://leonbertrand.blogspot.com/2007/09/rudd-increases-poll-lead.html

Chainsmoker why would I bother - the Australian's list of inquiries proposed by the ALP was enough to tell me that Rudd has more interest in bureaucracy than policies...and when he does announce something it is (naturally) aimed at winning the election rather than well thought out policy that could actually be carried out. He is (naturally) trying to trump the Coalition at every possible turn.
If he had well thought out, detailed, possible, practical policies then people like me might start to listen.
The problem is that other people will hear what they want to hear and will not analyse whether it is possible or not.
And, on top of all that, he still is not factoring in the reality that he has to work with the union movement.

To hell with the politics; there is a real problem with labours policy
on climate change.
NSW needs another power station, the population is increasing and
there is no way they can reduce the co2 by the amounts claimed.
There is also no way the wind and sunlight can step in.
We are being sold a crock of %^&&*.
The policy of 20% reduction by 2020 is just an election ploy to suck
in all those that have been taken in by the propaganda.

It cannot happen and in any case the unions won't allow the federal
government to stop the construction. There are jobs at stake and in big numbers.
Gareth can rant and scream all he likes, it will happen.

chainsmoker
Of course we have seen their web site. However people have questions and sometimes proposals for new policies.
For whatever reason our comment was to inform people that unlike some the public are unable to ask who their advisors are.
I will give you a couple of qick examples just from yesterday.
While trying to assist an edldery lay in a wheel chair who recieved a four hundred dollar fine for parking her car in a disablied car park it led us to the Mininster responsible.
The lady of course was not driving the car and had new helper drive. The new helper did not even think to look at the sticker which was a week overdue. BIG OFFENSE
The Mininsters office refused to provide the advisors name and wrongly said it was up to the council to enforce the law.
Sure but the council only flow the guidelines set out by [ Well somebody there but they dont seem to know either].

Bazz bit surprised you are unaware two new power stations are on the way in NSW.
Gas fired turbo construction underway at Munmora, and the other soon to be announced at Tomago.
Communicat maybe you can not do better.
Remember how pleased you felt with the peoples vote after it gave Howard his victory's?
Why do you now devalue those peoples thoughts displayed in the polls?

Communicate
If you were in the thread about skilled labour you would have seen us talikng about IT workers and several others brought into the country and very much encoraged by the State Labour Governments.

Its interesting to note while we most certainly need some skilled meat workers in the regional areas and the bush to train aborigonal people and others that its the ONLY area they do not encourage it.
In fact they have stopped us which has brought well intended abattoir operators to their knews.
They knocked back almost 500 visas in WA where Australians spent big bucks to try to build a new plants and slaughter in Australia which is what they RSPCA have been screaming for for years.

In fact the meat industry is the ONLY industry singled out not allowed to bring skilled workers in.

Dont you figure there must be something funny going on Communicate?
I mean they sent kids from rich overseas parents who unlike some of us can afford to pay a year in advance. They take our kids uni spots and then promised PR and work after at the expense of Australian kids whose parents have paid tax all their lives?

BUT ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE IF WE WANT TO BRING IN A FEW MEAT WORKERS FOR THE BUSH
Think about it.
Labour are happy to Swamp our cities and pay overseas centerlink until they find OUR KIDS jobs- but wont stand up for us to bring meat workers where Australia DOES NEED workers!
You get the clear message they will back up these people with overseas interests in the Barbaric live Animal Trade.
That goes for the Howard Government too who just gave A BILLION DOLLARS of OUR Money between Elders! who are cruel live Animal Exporters and OPTUS
Rudd "refused to inform the public at the AWB Enquiry when he was Shadow Mininster that trade AWB were ALSO Live Animal Exporters."
Anybody care to choose to guess WHY Rudd said
I wont be stopping Live Animals Exports??

Hello Belly
I had forgotten about the gas stations. However it is a
coal fired station to be built as a base loader.
Because the gas stations can be started up and down in a short time
they are used to adjust the availability of generation capacity.
Base load stations are still needed and I suspect that it will have a
very much larger output than the gas turbines. Stand to be corrected there.
The gas turbines are suitable as wind followers if there is a large
amount of wind generation on the network. Coal fired power stations
are not of course.

So anyway Labour has a problem, they can go with the greenies or they
can put signs on every lift;
"Do not enter if the power may go off" !

You think I am joking ?

As I understand it the meat industry has had problems for many years and will probably go on having problems for years to come. I am opposed to live exports but even allowing workers in from overseas to slaughter their meat in the fashion they approve is not going to solve the problem because they still will not accept the meat in places like Saudi Arabia. Labor has no intention of getting involved in that area.
Last night SBS news viewers and the ABC news viewers in South Australia were treated to the sight of one of the star ALP candidates (Nicole Cornes - chosen because she is the wife of a past AFL footballer with a high public profile- car dealerships, both new and used)make a number of major blunders on IR policy. Rudd was still being publicly supportive of her this morning. He seems to think that once she is on the backbench she can't do much harm. The worrying thing is that she won't do any good either. That does not seem to worry Rudd. He wants the 'names' to get the 'numbers' and seems to believe that they do not need the knowledge - probably true as they will not be having any policy input.

Bazz do not undervalue the gas fired power stations, they have a big future filling gaps.
We will however see more coal fired ones here in NSW and Greens will scream.
Power drives some sections of the economy, the traitorous intent to sell our power of may be driven by higher changes for power but it will if it gos ahead see a least one more coal fired in this state.
Thread took a bit of a lurch away from its title so this is my last post here

Its just so hard to believe that people do not understand enough about politics to be able to make a informed descion.
All day today I heard people on the talk back radio telling horror stories about the Royal North Shore Hospital.
It seems a poor lady was left for hours waiting and finally was rolling around on the floor of the toilet where she mis carried.
They say there was another twenty lined up. A seventy year old left for hours in a coridor.
Another poor old guy almost ninty was woken at mid night and told to go home.
He was very sick and frail
He was very upset how he was going to get home at that hour.
he got a lift but collaped going up his fron door step.
He suffered a broken hip and died three days later of a heart attack.
Clearly too much for the old darling.
So many horror stories.
We had Dr Death but there are plenty more around.
Hours of waiting. The health in labour states and their hospital is a total mess.
It ISW the Labour Government responsibilty and for years they have blamed the federal Government.
It is NOT the federal Government who have increased the funds.

Look at the lack of police in the states- Its everything they are responsible for.
To the poster who said Labour dont want to deal with halal Slaughter or Saudi.
Your one hundred per cent incorrect however I will require another post to explain fully.
BTW. Downer and Vaile have NOT done the right thing by Australia either.
They should hang their heads in Shame too.

Speaking of labour.
Does anybody know how poor old Kym Beasly is going.? He got a raw deal being stabbed in the back by kevin Rudd after he supported Rudd and dumped on the same day his brother was killed.
Wonder how he is doing.

He seemed to have a wide understanding of defence which may have come in handy down the track compared with a inexpereinced person as leader.
Still thats the ways of thinking for the labour party.
I hope hes ok whatever hes doing. He is a decent man in my opinion.

KB is retiring from politics...and the ALP will be the poorer for it. He was too good for them. They owe him far more than he owes them.
I don't think I could bring myself to vote ALP even with him at the helm but I would be a great deal less worried about an ALP government under his leadership.
Rudd's timing was impeccable - designed to do the greatest possible damage to his former 'mate' and ensure there was no possibility of a comeback. It was designed to show KB as 'weak' - rather like the ALP and the media lambasting Howard for being rightly concerned about his wife when she underwent surgery.
Watch Rudd's eyes - he cannot hide his arrogance and ruthlessness there.

Communicate

At least somebody tells it the way it is. Except Live Exports and Saudi etc. Your wrong on Labour not being involved in that. Not so long ago a group of both State Gov and councils Elders arranged a mob of people to go to Brunie. { Guess who paid for that? Its also under labour Governments that have they allow ritual slaughter in domenstic plants here in Australia. Thats something that has been illlegal because of cruelty by Federal for years in the past and AQIS .Each Premier is Minister for trade for that state and each labour state encourage massive live exports instead of putting local council to build infustructure like they used to. Instead of value adding for their state. Intead of creating employment for future generations. Instead of traing people. Instead of giving ANY consideration to barbaric treatment of animals.

Yes poor old Kym would have been a safer bet.
What gets me is these young kids on centerlink
saying they will vote Labour because its well know labour buy votes through bludgers.

How Rudd can be proud and stand there and grin like a cat is beyond me.
He should be so ashamed of hospitals and police for starters.

These stupid people who dont get that its labour who have stuffed up our hospital system and police sytem.

Every single one on his team is an x union official and he says unions wont rule him for goodness sake.
ALP used to be for the working class man but no more.
Now I reckon it stands for Australias Laziest People. Just sit back and tell the boss you want more.
Screw the boss at all costs.
Yeh that ought to do well for the Nation.
Idiots and thugs without a brain between them.
Thats whats so sad. Neither The Howard Government or Labour give a rats@ about unnessary suffering of Millions of Animals.
The Greens do but thats just about it.