Oh yes RObert, the 2007 elections will certainly be an interesting time. I even know of people who are planning an "election night" function in their home. I myself have been invited to one such function. It involves sitting around during the election telecast, sipping white wine and eating dips on crackers, however, I won't be attending. All the players in the room, apart from myself, will be strong Liberal supporters. An evening such as that can only end in grief for me and the possibility of ending a couple of long standing friendships. Most dangerous indeed. Besides, white wine tastes absolutely disgusting.

To be honest RObert, I haven't completely made up my mind yet just who I'll vote for. I'll probably start with a small protest by voting for a minor party, but at the same time I'll be careful just where their preferences will go. The Libs will be last on my list, although I doubt the election will result in the foregone conclusion the polls current suggest.

I still predict that the Coalition will just sneak in, but with loss of control of the Senate. This is the best possible result as I believe major events will shape the world in which we live over the next several years. Howard's much loved economy will topple proving once and for all that his perceived 'good economic management' was a farce and due to fortunate timing rather than good management.

I'll be keenly watching the election results from the comfort of my lounge chair, safe in the knowledge that my Liberal supporting friends are well out of hearing range.

There is actually nothing wrong with the Democrats ; However they do have a problem ; their adherents are disaffected Labor voters ; so when Meg Lees cut a deal with the Lib's enough said !
The other problem ; Miss Hilton the Super Gal who discovered that glam is no substitute for substance ; and cooperation .

The political issues in Oz are making a ever descending left turn ; what I am alluding to is ; In the past whoever wins are accepted as an acceptable Govt and largely we all pitch in and cooperate , however spin and contempt for the people or isolation , disenfranchisement for the people is happening ; look at Education for example , the only input to Edu the People have is to take a walk to private education , a very expensive solution that has closed about 29 state schools in the ACT alone ; This is a sad price to pay for Ideology transgressing into a no go zone ; The Democrats have'nt cottoned to this issue eg; Keeping the B's Honest . On the same vein the Bracks Govt is about to confiscate the Goulburn Valley's water , the Democrats should be enquiring about how Brack's intends to compensate the Goulburn Valley People , there is no water in the Waranga Basin as yet , if Bendigo runs out of water will Bracks worry too much about the Goulburn valley People ?

Aime

As a good thread. Love your white wine comment- funny as.

The Greens will be the winners from the Dems.
I think you will find they have a lot more say in the Senate.
There are many reasons for the fall of the Dems.
I dont mind the Greens and I think you will see a few bills passed for the better of this country.

Regardless of which party is elected we need laws to ensure Leaders divide their time fairly and represent their local people as well as supporting their interstate contacts.

The faliure to work within the area elected is certainly the problem in QLD.

Yes PALE, I'd tend to agree with you there. I know of several people who, tired of the 'same old, same old' coming from both major political parties, have decided to "go green" although I seriously doubt they'll get the top spot since even the ALP requires a swing of 17 seats to win.

I still maintain the Coalition will just sneak in, but with a loss of Senate control which is probably the best outcome anyway.
The economic bubble will eventually burst and probably due to tightening oil supplies which will affect productivity and the economy within the next 5 years (as warned by the IEA) and whoever is in power at the time will be blamed for poor economic policy. Better it be Howard's mob, which will prove beyond doubt that his "wonderful economy" is more about good luck than good management.

Whats wrong with the Democrats?

They don't seem to have an agenda or a plan. Or maybe just not communicating it clear enough.

Fellow_Human, the Dems seem to have a reasonable set of policies and along much the same lines as the two majors. I think the latter half of your equation is the most likely. For what ever reason, the Democrats are simply not being heard or the media have decided to ignore them. Not hard to do when Australian media is controlled by a couple of entities and welded to the Liberal agenda.