Like Howard, Anna Bligh's Achilles Heel is her hubris. Unlike John Howard she has very little ability or ideas to offer (well I might not have agreed with Howard but he knew where he was going). Remove the affirmative action and there is nothing left.

More spin didn't help Howard and it will not help Bligh either. The Labor government in Qld will manage to recruit good people for the opposition if Anna doesn't quit soon. She knows it too, hence her recent push for affirmative action for company boards, in fact anywhere she could land a job. Maybe the remnants of ABC Learning after liberal Sallyanne Atkinson? Will she be Qld's next tourism 'diplomat' for somewhere sweet overseas? There has just got to be a guvvy funded sinecure somewhere over there.

I have asked a bunch of questions that I don't know the answers to. Nor can I even offer some reasonable potential answers, except for the last question

My last question was:

'Or is every government doomed to fall out of favour and incur a whole lot of distrust, no matter how it conducts its business?'

The answer seems to be yes!

There doesn't seem to be one single federal or state government that has escaped this syndrome over the last thirty years that I've been politicially aware.

Even Rudd, with his still enormous public support according to the polls, isn't escaping a whole lot of condemnation.....not least from me. I think he is the worst PM we've ever had, for reasons that I have explained on other threads on OLO.

And now I just simply don't know what else to say !! !! !! !! (:>0

Apologies Ludwig

>”........ the government is not listening to the people. People feel powerless and alienated. They feel as thought their government is not acting in their best interests.”<

Organisational theory and practice dictates that the hierarchy of purposes in any organisation is as follows.
1.Its own survival/growth
2.The survival of those in power
3.Their personal interests. (Marlow's Hierarchy of needs.)
4.Then those they purport to serve.(us...voters, customers etc.)
Given that our interests come after the above list then it isn't that surprising that people are feeling a little second hand.
In business the solution is half truth spin ads ' whiter than white' etc.
Therefore it shouldn't be a surprise to find that govts. Regardless of the flavour, seek to use the same proven tactics of manipulation via the media.
If we overlay this voters come 4th with that of parties i.e. another set of organisations the list looks like this.
1.Part first
2.survival in party
3.personal interests within the party
4.gaining govt for the party
5.survival in the government power structure staying a minister etc
6.personal advancement to a minister (Maslow again)
7.maintaining perks
8.The policy
9.The ( people) voters.
NB few of these goals are based on real executive ability of running the country (acid test). They're advancement is more based on ambition and internal prowess not the former. In that is adherence to the ideology that defines the party.

I used one member I know/knew well a painter by trade and not the best informed individual.. his utterances in the press have in the past been roundly ridiculed for their inanity. His hypocrite alliance with his church is a wonder to observe. It should be noted that despite being well funded by self serving developers (disproportionate influence for the number of voters) his last three elections were through decreasing numbers one of the most marginal seats in parliament. He now advertised himself by his party affiliation on his front window of his electorate office. Get the alienation/self interest...people last.

Hasbeen,
Wrong again. I said "Neither will make much difference where it counts. Our interests get trampled like the grass under their feet." what part of that don't you understand.

You're the one that makes grand sweeping statements then refuses/unable to defend them instead delves into obfuscatory personal attacks not me.

Well, if we needed any convincing, our Anna, has just a appeared on TV, talking about this idiot, caught high level drink driving in a tax payer funded car.

So what did Anna have to say about this idiot.

She said that our drunken public servant was, wait for it, "a very bright young woman".

No wonder Qld is in trouble. This fool woman has a very strange idea of what we might consider bright.

I'll bet she was a great twister of fact. Just what you need in a spin doctor.

How about a guessing game. On what date will this idiot be quietly rehabilitated, into the fold?

Belly, you become tiresome some times. What JH did has nothing to do with Anna failing.

I believe Howard did some very good things for Oz. However he did some stupid things too.

Are you listening mate? I agree with you, his Industrial Relations policy was a major mistake, & the government deserved to fall because of it.

Pity we didn't have anyone good, to replace him, in either party, & STILL DON"T. We are about to send the only good one, we could have had, to the USA.

This woman is a fool, & her government members are a bunch of fools. I am surprised that many of the ministers are allowed on TV, where their lack of any simple savvy shines brightly, for all to see.
Hasbeen, unfortunately you're hitting the nail on the head there. I am at a loss how these people got support to get into government but then again, just look at the average constituent. Do we give up now or hang in till sense makes a re-appearance.