Dear Belly,

I hope that Labor will get closer to its base and
map out a strategy of opposition that will shift the
public dialogue in favour of the common good instead
of the politics of envy, greed and selfishness that so
many politicians have so effortlessly mastered.

I would
like to see genuine conversation about policy free of the
backroom manipulation that normally accompanies the
development of their platform. Labor needs new ideas
and new unities to emerge. They need strong and new leadership
to take the party back from the wilderness.

Take care.

Belly, "It was our party and its actions that voters wanted to dump, for a great time. Not our policy,s."

How can you come onto a public site so soon after the electorate has comprehensively rejected Labor and pretend that presumably it was only a problem of replacing Rudd or better electoral spin?

Of course voters rejected such unpalatable policies as gay marriage, endless diversity-we-have-to-have, asylum seekers and so on. The problem with the left 'Progressives' is that that believe they always presume to know what is best for everyone else and no, they will never listen.

Surely after all of your years you have some appreciation of the importance of such 'traditional' institutions as marriage, family and FATHERS to the great majority of traditional Labor voters? - I put traditional in inverted commas because that is one of the slurs used by left progressives for anything they disagree with. If it is 'traditional' it must be bad according to their weird slant on life.

Dear OTB,

Political commentators have pointed out

"part of the problem with this last election
was that no one articulated a strong position on
anything (unless it was being as tough as possible on
asylum seekers)."

Gay marriage and other vital issues
were not written into any policy. There were many "positions"
on issues - but that's different from policies.

Economic policy to some was simply
saying the words "surplus" and "growth" over and over.
(oh, for the days when we actually discussed industrial
policy). A small target strategy (offes less in the
hope of providing less) was commonplace.

This election campaign must rank as one of the least
enlightening and most dispiriting election campaigns in
Australian history. We now have to wait and see what
the results will be for us all.

Foxy,

You may not realise how your words reflect unfairly and wrongly on voters.

The public are not stupid. They rely on practical experience, not on political spin, especially recent spin, to make their decisions. They gave Labor a more than fair go but do not have endless patience.

Mr Rudd referred to the voters as 'punters'. That was just one of his serious miscalculations.

otb,

"Foxy,

You may not realise how your words reflect unfairly and wrongly on voters."

Foxy's words are her opinion, there is no reflection on anybody.

"The public are not stupid. They rely on practical experience, not on political spin...."

Now that's where you're wrong...the public "are" apathetic and easily swayed, often stupid and they are 24 carat suckers for "political spin".

Dear OTB,

I was merely expressing an opinion.
The point that was being made was that voters tended to
focus far too much on the flim-flam. On the foolish
and frivolous moments simply because so much else was
dour and lifeless as politicians have become so
robotic and constrained by spin doctors. The moment we see
something like a moment of simple human faility, we seize
on it. TV especially lives for this.

The consensus seems to be that there's little value for
politicians being truly themselves, not if they want to
be leaders some day and not with a gaffe-hungry media
corps hiding behind every tree.

Dear Poirot,

We can only hope that in the future we won't be deprived
of serious political analysis.
That the top papers, websites, TV
and radio shows will give us the analysis and scrutiny
that we as voters need. I do worry though how does
a journalist make a politician answer a question when they
refuse to do so? Pose it again and, point out that the
question hasn't been answered, and eventually move on?

There are so many questions that us and the media to
answer. Now, in the aftermathy - this election campaign must
surely rank as the least enlightening and most
dispiriting election campaign in Australian history.