If the New South Wales Liberals had been on the ball, the Greens would have had their first lower house beach-head in mainland Australia in Port Jackson. If the Liberals had preferenced the Greens' Jamie Parker ahead of Sandra Nori, Parker would have won the seat.

Our polling that election http://onlinefocus.nationalforum.com.au/nsw-election-2003/files/nsw_results_week_4.xls showed that a possible Greens boil-over was on - they were polling around 30%, more than usual in our polls. According to our poll on Victoria the Greens are polling 45% of our sample. While they won't do that in the real world, it is an indication of how motivated, numerous and active they are, and it means they are in a position to win seats, but to be sure they need the Liberals to preference them.

A win in one lower house seat in Victoria, and maybe more, would be a great result for the Greens. There is a large group of passionate Australians who are disenfranchised by the mainstream parties. They have gravitated to the Greens and this would be accelerated by a Greens win. The Greens have lost momentum to the Democrats in the polls, but they could make this a mere statistical blip with the right result.

A win for the Greens would also be a win for the Liberals. Not only would it deny Labor one or two seats, important if there is a close result, but it potentially forces Labor to the left.

The political battles in Australia are won by occupying one side or the other of the socio-demographic divide and reaching into the conservative blue-collar vote. John Howard has achieved this federally. The failure of the state Liberals is almost entirely due to their inability to duplicate the trick because state Labor has firmly grasped this constituency. A Greens win, if it moves Labor to the left, will losen its grip and free these voters up so that the Liberals can have a chance of winning them over.

Full marks to the Victorian Liberal Party machine for cunning, and the Greens for coming of age.

Not sure I'd agree it's a correct call.I suppose it is from the political perspective of potentially denying a seat or two to Labor but I think these contrived preference deals only confirm the corrupt nature of our preferential voting system. Far from delivering the outcomes people want it allows the wheelers and dealers to manipulate the system.
First past the post is a much better electoral system - and while we're at it - non-compulsory voting.

Call me Stupid but anything which promotes the Greens is anathama.

Green ISSUES I agree with.
In particular renewable energy, and prevention of large multinationals turning old growth forests into wood chips.
I don't have as much of a problem with sustainable timber harvesting for structural and ornamental timber for furniture etc. Thats very tribal and natural.

BOB BROWN specifically OPPOSED shutting down the availablity of XXX rated Pornography by mail order from ACT. this attitude seems to be prevalent in State level greens also.

GREENS seek the support of, and support the Muslim segment of the community in a racist divisive way. (cheap points scoring to gain the Muslim vote)

There are many other socially DANGEROUS policy's of the Greens, which I feel are downright evil, but thats only my and many others opinions in the final analysis.

Apart from SOME Environmental issues, the Greens appear to me, to be morally bankrupt and totally relativist in their foundations.
The closest biblical saying I can think of for them is "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil"

I would much rather put energy into Family First who at least have some moral basis for their position, whether we like it or not.
They are also more open to common sense viewpoints about sensible issues.(except for a couple I'm dark on them about...RRT2001 being one)

Fielding showed his independance from Howard over the PNG Assylum seekers issue. He does NOT dance to a Liberal tune.

POLITICS should never boil down to the choice of:
Save trees, destroy morality.
or
USE trees, support morality.

There has to be an alternative and I believe family first may be closest at this point.

These so called preference deals rely on apathetic voters. The informed voter will always mark his or her own preferences, and not follow how to vote guides.

There is the problem Robg. Informed voters - where are they? The figures show that the overwhelming majority of voters follow how to vote cards - pathetic though that is!

Boaz David complained that

"BOB BROWN specifically OPPOSED shutting down the availablity of XXX rated Pornography by mail order from ACT. this attitude seems to be prevalent in State level greens al so"

Are you coming out of the closet BD, what would JC think?