Greetings all,
Have not been as prolific with this blog as I wanted to be, but it's now about to fulfil its primary function, i.e. act as a vent when the world of politics starts to get me angry.
So here's a countdown of 8 things that have been annoying me, and that you should probably think about before you vote.
8. The idea that Tony Abbott is not experienced enough to be Prime Minister
As a fairly solid Liberal voter, I naturally distrust the Labor Party and though I have no doubt that solid Labor voters feel the same about the Liberals, there are certain facts about this particular point that cannot be denied.
Number of years in power over the last 14 years: Labor, 3. Liberal, 11.
Number of years Abbott has spent as a minister or parliamentary secretary: 11
Number of years entire existing Cabinet has spent as ministers: 3.
Being in Opposition is not the same as actually being in government. In Opposition, the decisions ultimately lie in the hands of other people. Shadow ministers can make comment, and possibly support or block the government's policies, but they cannot actually make policy.
All this Labor government knew how to do before they swept to power in 2007 was to make comment, not to govern. Abbott on the other hand has more actual federal governing experience than Rudd, Gillard and Swan combined, with a little to spare.
So sorry, if you're going to talk about having the most experienced government in power, then it is not Labor.
7. That voting the Greens is a good protest vote
I know that friends of mine are planning to do this one. I can't change that, and I respect their opinions, but ultimately, a vote for the Greens IS a vote for Labor. If you really don't want your vote to go to either major party, do it some other way. (I'm not gonna do a Latham and say you donkey vote, that's in some ways worse)
The Greens look new and exciting a full of forward-thinking policy right now. Remind you of anyone? Kevin Rudd looked new and exciting and full of ideas to transform the nation, but here were are, three years later with a mountain of debt and a few empty gestures to show for it.
And actually, voting Green straight up is not really a smart choice for our economy. I know, what about the environment and climate change, etc. However, we are one of a tiny proportion of nations in the world that is isn't in the serious financial doldrums. We really are the lucky country right now, and I think we tend to forget that. I have relatives in the UK - things are still really bad there.
Put simply, now is not the time to be tearing up the proverbial carpet of Australia, which is ultimately what the Greens want - big, big changes which are really not feasible with that debt load on a reasonably stable economy that's ultimately being kept together by the mining industry.
6. Julia Gillard
Yep, just Julia. I know she came to power and people were saying, "What a victory! What a triumph for Australian women everywhere!" Yeah...no. You can't commit political assassination and keep your hands clean. You can't repeat stock phrases ad nauseam and think it passes for policy. It is ridiculous to leave your campaign launch till 5 days out from the actual day we go to the polls. And finally, you cannot, CANNOT compare yourself with Barack Obama. I mean, what a joke. Parroting 'Yes, we will' in an appalling bastardisation of a phrase and indeed a man who brought inspiration to millions not just in his own nation, but globally. What kind of arrogant person is this 'real' Julia, that she thinks can compare herself with such a man and not be harshly derided? Or more to the point, how arrogant are her minders and strategists?
5. WorkChoices
To all unions who are running various nasty advertising campaigns: It is NOT 2007 anymore. WorkChoices is not coming back under any name, shape, form, guise, or permutation. Talking about WorkChoices three years after it was dismantled and replaced is useless scaremongering. WorkChoices is a political Frankenstein raised by the unions to cow the voting public into re-electing the union-controlled Labor Party.
4. Labor saved Australia from recession
Not true. There is more evidence every day that Labor's stimulus package was a rash squandering of all the billions of surplus government money Howard and Costello built up over a decade. The money is gone, it is never coming back, and it's pretty clear that by the time the various stimulus projects got off the ground, things had already started to sort themselves out economically. This is an interesting article to read if you want to know more about this: http://www.realclearworld.com/articles/2010/08/12/did_labor_really_save_australian_economy_99114.html
But the point is, they're not responsible for us doing so much better than everyone else. They can say it as much as they like, but they didn't save us. If anyone rescued this country from recession, it was probably the Reserve Bank. All that $900 Rudd gave most of us did was hand large wads of cash to the Chinese manufacturers of flatscreen televisions.
3. Labor has a good economic record
This is was another one that really set me off. I was watching Sunrise this morning and heard
Labor strategist Bruce Hawker say the following, "...we do have a strong economic record to point to on the Labor side." Ahem. How can spending billions of dollars on grossly overpriced, rorted beyond all belief schemes make for a good economic record?
The BER projects have given mind-bogglingly expensive and in many cases, unwanted or unsuitable buildings to schools, most of which aren't finished. Some haven't even begun. Furthermore, how does twice or even three times as many hot water heaters as there are showers in sport clubs even begun to suggest good fiscal management?
2. Labor has, in general, done good things for Australia
Ok, so here are a few things Rudd made really important in 2007 and its aftermath - saying sorry to Australia's indigenous population, signing the Kyoto protocol and the 2020 summit.
Number 1 was, I believe, cathartic for many people, especially (obviously) the indigenous community. But I felt at the time that as wonderful as many found that moment, did it actually do anything to tangibly improve indigenous living standards, health or education? No. What use is a good feeling if it's not a prelude to action on the issue? Fast forward to 2010 and the indigenous are somewhat angrily wondering why no-one's talking about their very important issues in this campaign.
The Kyoto protocol made Rudd look committed to action on climate change. Whatever your position on climate change, Copenhagen was all too obviously a futile talkfest. Kyoto expires in two years. Again, what good is an apparently landmark gesture if there's nothing to back it up?
Finally, the 2020 summit. It sounded lovely - a diverse meeting of the minds to make plans for the future of this nation. Not a single idea put forward at that summit has been implemented, or has even come close, and just as well, because a lot of them were just plain stupid. And the Australian public knows how stupid it was - just look at the reception Julia's 'citizen's assembly' got.
1. Labor's incompetence has killed people
That sounds melodramatic, but it's true. They were Matthew Fuller, 25, Mitchell Sweeney, 22, Marcus Wilson, 19, and Reuben Barnes, who was just 16 years old.
And there are thousands of homes across the nation with electrified insulation, thousands of home-destroying fires waiting to happen, and some where it already has. All for a scheme that aimed to provide a product a lot of people already had in the name of stopping the recession.
The scheme was rushed into effect so quickly that shonky operator after shonky operator took advantage, to the point where the deaths and dangers and rorting forced it to be axed, leaving hundreds of legitimate businesspeople pretty much destitute except for warehouses fulls of insulation they can't give away.
Four people died because Labor was in too much of a hurry to 'save' us from recession to think the policy through like a competent government. Of all their failings, that is the most unforgivable for me.
So that's my piece. I don't know if it'll make a difference to how anyone thinks, or votes for that matter. But I feel I've made my opinions on who would do a better job of running this nation pretty clear, and for me, that's enough. :)
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