Seems Morgan have taken the week off, not counting its release of qualitative findings from federal polling conducted from June 4 to 9, leaving the following collection to stand on its own:
• The Launceston Examiner has published findings from an EMRS poll showing new Tasmanian Premier David Bartlett leading Liberal leader Will Hodgman 46 per cent to 32 per cent as preferred premier, whereas Paul Lennon trailed 32 per cent to 17 per cent in the poll immediately before his resignation. Hat tip to Peter Tucker.
• A poll by new kids on the block Essential Research shows Labor with a two-party lead of 59-41. The AAP report says this means Labor has “dropped one point”, but I think they might have missed the poll published on June 2 which had the score at 56-44.
• Brisbane’s Sunday Mail has published results from its Queensland Galaxy survey (its state-level findings are discussed here) on Liberal federal leadership preference, showing Peter Costello leading Malcolm Turnbull and Brendan Nelson with 30 per cent, 23 per cent and 14 per cent respectively. Respondents were also quizzed on petrol, maternity leave and the budget, though not (federal) voting intention.
• Ian McAllister of Australian National University and Juliet Clark of Deakin University have produced a report entitled Trends in Australian Political Opinion: Results from the Australian Election Study, 1987-2007, updating an earlier effort from before last year’s election. Hats off to News Limited for reporting the story thus. I haven’t read it yet, but these graphs from Crikey were absorbing enough that I’ve decided to pinch them:
• The Redistribution Committee for the Northern Territory has recommended no change to the boundaries of Solomon and Lingiari. Opponents of the status quo have until July 18 to register their displeasure. That is also the projected date for publication of proposed new boundaries for Western Australia (UPDATE: the date has been put back to August 1), with Tasmania to follow on August 22.
• Four days to go until the Gippsland by-election, on which discussion is invited here. Also on Saturday is a Victorian state by-election for Kororoit, vacated by one-time Police Minister Andre Haermeyer, where prominent charity worker and Phil Cleary ally Les Twentyman is taking the challenge up to Labor candidate Marlene Kairouz. More on this shortly.
Marky, you don’t have to know someone personally to recognise they’ve made a contribution and to attend their funeral.
All the reports of the funeral featured the many women who turned up to the funeral, not because they knew Jane McGrath personally but because they were survivors of breast cancer and wished to acknowledge the work she had done in this area.
I wouldn’t have called her a celebrity, and cricketers don’t interest me (nor, I have to say, do celebrities impress me, and I’ve met a few!!).
People who do good things with their lives do.
I notice you haven’t revealed what self sacrificing, life enhancing activities you undertake for others.
It was a no win game. If either Nelson or Rudd goes, the other has to go too. Or else the media makes an issue out of it, and their main message they are trying to get across will not be heard. The Neal saga is an example of a story getting in the way of real issues.
Politics is about keeping the public on side if you want to be able to do stuff.
Marky this kills me because I know that my husband died without all the fanfare of Jane – he was no less important and deserving of a huge funeral like all the people that die every year to cancer.
Roger was 48 years old and had his battles over 12 years. He died.
I’ts so easy to sneer – please don’t – it’s demeaning
I felt for those two little kids, they looked so brave! I can’t imagine how traumatic it would be to lose your mother at such a young age.
C’mon marky, get real. Not everything pollies do are for one or two votes, probably with the exception of the rodent.
Glen Mcgrath is one of our best ever fast bowlers and an absolutely top bloke. Jane was a fantastic mother and would be an inspiration to all suffering from the same illness.
What a seriously loony left disposition you have marky!
Yeah, now liberal voters are going to vote for Rudd, oh and labor voters are going to vote for Nelson because they were at the funeral?
i am not sneering at the grief of the situation and her greif i respect the loss and hurt and the pain and understand how terrible it is.
My argument is about politicians and celebrities and how they continue to be captured by it, it is not about compassion it is about being in the spotlight and showing that you understand but in reality they do not.
I read in an article in todays Age about people who are victims of housing bungles, by builders who continually build poorly constucted buildings and in the process defraud the owners, and yep guess what they get away with it, and what are our pollies doing very little. People who live in caravans and are paying large mortgages and fighting in courts for compensation. Meanwhile though our pollies are playing television capture and trying to show they care.
Sorry if i made an issue of it but i hate our politicians trying to show they care because for them it is not about this it is about public relations and media capture.
Fairman- you are right but this does not mean you cannot be critical of it.
I do things for charities such as fundraising and help out occasionally with a Refugee group, anything else zoom.
If our pollies cared about people they would actually do things which fix problems in the community instead of developing bandaid solutions.
How about Swan and Rudd visiting Tosser Turner in the last days of his life. This was not publicised or planned. It was a spur of the moment decision and their is independant proof of these facts. It is also a recorded fact that he (Tosser) was over the moon that he was honoured in this way. So Sarcy Marky, what have you done for humanity lately – should be an impressive list going by your stated opinions on here!
Tom.
Centre i am fed up with this celebrity news, where are the real issues. This issue does not deserve to be one of the main headline news items, sorry it is not.
Our news needs to question the problems which exist in our society today and look to fixing them instead of highlighting celebrity trivia or dramatic nonsense each night.
Sorry to the McGraths, my argument is not about your grief and suffering it is simply about what is news and what the issues should be.
Love it when the media brainwashers gang up on me. When will you all realise it is significantly diverse media or lack of it which is running this country into the ground and in the process destroying our thinking.
Henry Kissinger on Lateline- Nobel peace prize for bombing with agent orange the crap out of Cambodia and Vietnam.
Next Nobel Peace Prize- Geoge Bush for saving Iraq?
marky, The McGraths deserved to have both leaders there. One was a role model and the other a great inspiration.
Why shouldn’t politicions go to funerals of well deserving and respected celebrities? It is absolute nonesense to believe major issues are being put on hold!
Marky Marky, have you ever stopped to think that people turn up at a funeral like that because they care? it’s showing that they respect the person who died, i know that Rudd has gone to the bedside of sick or dying people he has respect for without any fanfare, he visited Matt Price in the middle of the election campaign and rang him to give him the election results the night before he died, it was done on the quiet, until it was ferreted out last xmas nobody knew he has served up meals for the homeless every xmas for years, i think thats what makes him seem more human to folks, he doesnt mind getting his hands dirty or quietly doing menial tasks for others, what a difference to Nelsons pretend sympathy or his loudly proclaiming sitting in the gutter with someone, the fact that he announced it to the journos makes it worthless.
sometimes someone coming and telling you what that person meant to them –be it just giving them courage to keep on going can give you an immense amount of peace.
when my boy was buried his pals got together and held a good old fashioned Irish wake at my home, there was this very old lady i had never seen before sitting in the corner, when everybody got up, one after the other to tell a little story about Alan, this old lady stood up, in a quavering voice she told us her story, aparently one pension day she was at Parabanks struggling with her fortnights groceries, she lived too near to the shops to get a taxi home, about 4-5 blocks i think, as she put her bags on the footpath to rest a minute a lad yelled “hey gran, ya wanna hand” he carried her things all the way home for her, every pension day after that he’d religiously line up after school to carry her things home, he refused any reward, well that old lady gave him his reward, she gave me, his mum, something very precious to hold in my heart forever, Alan was no angel–in fact as a child of his times he could be a loud little yahoo, {very, very, mild by todays standards} but that was something i never knew about him.
Marky – you could have made exactly the same point without being offensive – there are lots of other examples (other than funerals) of pollies etc hanging out with celebs.
However, what you also have to realise is that BECAUSE people are celebrities, who meets with them is considered newsworthy.
Brendan Nelson talks of sitting in the gutter with someone in Kings Cross at 3 am in the morning. (I know it’s easy to make fun of that, I have, but…). We don’t know who it was. The media didn’t think that worth reporting.
Kevin Rudd visited the homeless on Christmas morning. Again, it didn’t get the same headlines his visiting Cate and her baby did.
I would also dispute your claims that pollies don’t care about real people or their problems. For most of them, that’s what politics is about – it’s a means to an end.
You go through this absurd game, juggling factions, creating alliances, handing out HTVs, door knocking etc just to get yourself into a position where you can do some real good for people.
I can say with absolute honesty that until I became involved with politics, I was self absorbed. People’s problems were abstract, they weren’t mine.
My involvement with politics has resulted in me being a far more compassionate, caring person. I’ve saved people’s lives (no exaggeration); I’ve made people’s lives easier in real, practical ways; I’ve visited the sick and the mentally ill. Importantly, I’ve been prepared to listen to people tell me their stories.
Some of this started out as self interest, but it’s not why it’s continued.
For me, the buzz of politics is not the media interest and the newspaper headlines (they can be fun) but being able to help people solve problems.
So what great things did Glen McGrath do for the community centre other than in sport? I am also a cricket fan and agree he was a great cricketer perhaps near the top of being one of best fast bowlers but sport and poltics should not mix.
Real issues were no doubt not put on hold, i was being sarcastic, my argument was about the type of issues which our pollies care about and it seems trivial issues matter more. Why can’t our news bulletins should how builders are ripping of people no more important to have some fast bowler on the news who only sports nuts know exists.
I would have thought that highlighting cancer and the need for breast checks, regardless of age (which the Jane McGrath story has done) was of at least equal importance to shonky builders, a story which could be run not only every day of the week but indeed, for every day of the last thirty years.
Judy, you’ve now got me wiping tears off my keyboard. It’s those little things that matter, isn’t it? Your son could not have imagined how important that little gesture of kindness would be to you.
marky I will refer to your 164 with my 161.
Oh no, the water works are starting, I’m out of here!
Night guys 🙂
This is a line from Mark Latham’s book the Latham Diaries page 17 in a brillant introduction
if the media were to promote solutions to society’s problems they would have very few stories left to report. A happy society full of good news does not sell newspapers or secure ratings. So too, the media have a commerical interest in the denigration of politics, presenting it as just another form of conflict and scandal in society to feed the publics voyeurism. Like all big businesses, their interests lie in preserving the status quo and the ruling institutions and culture that sustain their profitability.
This sums up my argument about the Funeral.
I love politicians Zoom who jump from one faction to another to get a seat, and i love it when those pollies give themselves a hefty pay rise every year whilst the average worker goes without.
Some pollies care yes but it is not universal.
Politics is about spin and photo opportunities and getting headlines. It is also about ego and power and yes they try to do things but just look how they knife each other and criticise one another.
that is my bloomin lot.
Marky Marky, it’s not up to the media to promote solutions to society’s problems, it’s up to each and everyone of us to do what we can–no matter how small, women came forward today to attest that they’d had themselves checked out at Jane’s very public urgings, they were found to have the disease and were now surviving, even if by her urgings she’s saved one life then she’s earned the respect she has been shown, i honestly believe some things were meant to happen to bring about some events, call it the law of karma if you will and some people are meant to trigger them off, i believe Jane may be one of these people, whatever! if Rudd decided to show her respect good luck to him.
bugga i promised myself i wouldnt go off on a rant on this site again, perhaps i’d better slink away and keep my big mouth shut!
Of course if you believe you can make a difference you will do everything you can to make it. If you truly believe that you’re the best person to make these changes, you will be ruthless about getting into a position to change them.
One of the hardest numbers men in the business is a very good friend of mine. His cutthroat attitude was born of the realisation that, to do the things he wanted to do, he had to have ‘the numbers’.
So he has this image of being totally ruthless, almost inhuman, and is loathed by large sections of the Labor Party.
In reality, he is one of the nicest people I know, who does a lot of good in quiet, unmentioned ways (which is how I think he likes it to be).
Dreaming of changing the world is lovely but dreaming by itself doesn’t get you anywhere.
It is egotistical, of course, to think that you can make a difference and that noone else can, but it’s also often a realistic assessment of the situation. (I don’t believe at present that Obama will make as good a President as Hillary, precisely because he isn’t willing to get down and be dirty; he isn’t ruthless enough to be able to override the system. I think that’s why Hillary fought to the end).
If you don’t believe that all politicians are driven by ego or power mad, then don’t use sweeping generalisations. A qualifier such as ‘most’ or ‘I believe’ or ‘My understanding is…’ takes a nanosecond to add and shields you from unwarranted criticism.
If I can weigh in on this… I had a cancer scare a few years back. I was getting sicker and sicker for no apparent reason, but was cared to find out the truth by going for a full checkup via an expensive procedure.
Kylie Minogue was diagnosed with breast cancer at the same time. I’d never been a big fan. In fact I thought she was a bit of a joke. But the way she handled herself made me realise I was being stupid about my own health. I have to say – it’s actually a bit embarrassing – she inspired me to go and have that check up. My illness wasn’t cancer, but it was something (a serious internal infection) equally life-threatening that would have led to multiple organ failure within months, or possible a quicker route to the morgue via gangrene.
Having that test and a simple piece of day surgery as a follow-up literally saved my life, and, of all people, it was Kylie Minogue who gave me the gumption to do something about it.
I can see how Jane McGrath might have been a similar inspiration to other silent sufferers who finally decided to do something about their illnesses after seeing an interview with her or reading about her. Or perhaps she helped people who were in the same boat deal with an illness that, unlike mine, could not be cured and had to be faced.
At first I was prepared to sneer, but then did some digging around and discovered Jane McGrath had used her celebrity to do good things for others. To do what she did even while suffering from a painful secondary condition herself (bone metastases) was pretty admirable. So I put my sneers back in the Sneer Box I keep under my bed and said a quiet thank you for people like her, who give up what little time they have to go to the aid of others, even if from afar, and yes, even if the Telegraph and the tabloid TV shows turn it all into a circus.
A study has confirmed that media political bias is driven at least as much by profit as ideology. Too bad if it misleads voters at the ballot box:
Study: Media bias can net mistakes at the ballot box
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The media slant political news to the left or right to increase ratings and profits, spinning up an information vacuum that can lead to mistakes at the ballot box, a new study by three University of Illinois economists says.
Media bias has become increasingly profitable given a polarized electorate in which conservatives and liberals want news coverage that tilts toward their political leanings, according to the study by Dan Bernhardt, Stefan Krasa and Mattias Polborn.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-06/uoia-smb062508.php
Did I hear correctly a media report that Nelson has said the ALP will win the gippsland byelection? He really is a master of lowering expectations. He already has Liberal supporters cheering rises in popularity to 17%!
Quick question for anyone out there – does anyone know when Cabinet is expected to meet today?
From the transcript:
“The voters in Gippsland go to the polls this weekend for a by-election. What do you consider will be a good result both for the Liberal Party and yourself as leader?
DR NELSON:
Well look, in this environment, seven months into government and whilst Australians are perhaps no longer starry-eyed about Mr Rudd and realising that he’s full of it, I think you would expect in this environment that the Government should win the seat.
QUESTION:
Will the Liberals come second?
DR NELSON:
Well, I’m not going to speculate on that. I can assure you it is very close. It’s very tough. Rohan Fitzgerald is the Liberal candidate there who’s been working very hard on the local issues – the Traralgon post office, the duplication of the Princes Highway, the Traralgon bypass, the Maffra Hospital. These are the issues that people are concerned about.
They’re very supportive of the Coalition’s five-cent cut in excise policy. There’s a lot of guys down there that are very angry about the extra taxes on Bundy and Cokes and mixers, and there’s a whole variety of issues locally that both the Liberal and National Party candidates are standing up for. And it’s interesting that the Labor candidate, who’s been imposed by Labor head office, the only thing that he’s clutching at is Mr Rudd. But it’s going to be really tough and you would expect in this environment the Labor Party would win the seat.”
Masterful argument. Australians are no longer starry eyed; our candidate has been working very hard on local issues, the ones that people are concerned about; they like our policy; the Labor candidate is useless….but the ALP will win.
Socrates, i hav’nt heard it but if anyone else has and has a link i’d be interested.
Bushfire Bill, well said, two mothers of murdered children here in little old Adelaide became friends, understanding what each other was going through when no one else seemed to, {i HATE and LOATHE someone patting you on the hand saying “i know how you feel” because they bloody well DONT!} anyway, realising how they supported and helped each other the idea was born of a victim self help group, at that time there was a couple of multiple murders going on in Adelaide, the mums pulled all stops out and ruthlessly used every contact they had made from the media, the police and the pollies,they roped in Ray Whitrod {who they had met throught a journo who had befriended one of them} Ray was ex commissioner of commonwealth police, New Guinea police and famous for resigning as commissioner of Queensland police because of the corruption he wasnt allowed to clean out there, Ray had recently retired back to Adelaide after the infamous Queensland stint, Ray at first was a bit reluctant to get involved because he thought no victim would have the stomach to join other victims and help themselves, he was bulldozed by these two very ordinary mums who wouldnt take no and so he became their groups public face, Victims of Crime was then born, it’s now a world wide organisation, Chris Summner a labor Attorney General eventually was drawn in and the rest is history.
SAPOL now hands out a victims phamplet at every crime scene and have victims laison officers to act as inbetweens, South Australia now has a commissioner of victims rights.
would those two middle class mums have thought their friendship in distress and their realisation that there was no help for victims whilst offenders have OARS, would they really have thought their supporting each other would make such a difference and ease the load of others following them?— i dont think so.
Judy
every post of yours humbles me in some way.
please keep posting as your heartfelt sentiments are shared by most here
🙂
Gus…we could form a Judy fan club!
zoom @ 171
Gaining and exercising power of any kind requires compromise and getting your hands dirty. Always has, always will.
“Only the impotent are pure.” G. Whitlam
Judy
Here is link to an ABC report of Nelson’s story on the ALP winning Gippsland:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/26/2286569.htm
He’s obviously trying to spin it as though retaining a seat that has never been held by Labor since Federation would somehow be a triumph! His very own Dunkirk.
Also, I join with Gusface in paying my sincere respects to your comments on positive responses to personal tragedy. I think that is a commendable approach.
#174,176
But we haven’t seen any leaked Coalition “Secret internal polling showing it’s gonna be close so you can’t afford a protest vote..blah blah”, which you’d expect them to drag out this week if they felt they were in any danger.
Oddly, there’s been no leaked polling from Labor either (showing, of course, an easy Coalition win). Either both sides suspect the Nationals will win comfortably, or nobody is really sure what will happen.
Still no result from the McEwen court of disputed returns. Justice delayed is justice denied.
Victims of Crime, now world wide, is a wonderful legacy of three very fantastic caring people now deceased, Ray Whitrod, Annemarie Mykyta the mother of Julie Mykyta from the Truro murders and Bob Whitington–at the time Bob was the chief crime reporter for the Advertiser,Bob was that rarity in journos, an honest caring humanitarian, he was an ex japanese POW and he took a bag of jelly babies wherever he went because they saved his life then {but thats another story} he volunteered to write and print the group’s newsletter in those days of no money and the group relying on the charity of Ray’s church group, he also shared an office with the “cane toad” and had nothing but conpempt for him even then, he had good taste did Bob, i’d like to think Bob would love this blog and have a whale of a time here.
Socrates, thanks for the link, it’s much appreciated, i honestly don’t think anyone expects labor to win Gippsland but a reasonably close contest would be nice.
Gusface and Zoom, the fanclub belongs to those people i named not me, also Chris Summner who took the idea of VOCS to a U.N. symposium of victims rights and from there to the world.
now you know why i’m an avid leftie, the libs didnt want to know about us and labor went way above the call of duty to help, when the last lib government was in, an ex prisoner rang me about the special treatment in Yatala V.E. was recieving from some of the guards,in fact he had his own fan club in there, i rang the then A.G. to inform him, i certainly recieved the bums rush, i was given the persona non grata treatment with bells on, he was far, far too busy to be bothered with someone as lowly as me, well Rann got labor back in and then the scandal broke–headlines all the way, the libs started heaping the blame on the Rann government trying to make hay — that is, until i emailed them, threatening to go public about their ignoring the warnings i tried to give them two years previously,surprisingly there was no more public bleating from them.
watching QT from the senate
some obs
Steve fielding is pushing the petrol issue? asking why labor has increased its take of the tax component-der bonehead !
Is barnaby related to the heiferman both have that bowlegged 1000 yard stare about them
labor is very smooth in responding to the fibs-the fibs are really showing signs of irrelevance
IMHO Sen Evans is a standout performer-he should do more TV
I heard on the radio QT from the House Of Reps!
Rudd was in good form today, the opposition, or as I like to call them “the Flopposition”, were dreadful! Nelson is all over the shop when it comes to climate change & emissions trading!
The more Julie Bishop adopts her high and mighty attitude in QT the worse she looks.
From the online Daily Telegraph:
“THE Rudd Government is collecting $1.7 billion a day from a tax on alcopops that may never be legal, now senators are threatening to block it.
And it is unclear whether consumers, forced to pay the $1 a bottle tax, can be reimbursed if it is vetoed by Parliament.”
Really, $1.7 BILLION a DAY in tax, why didn’t we think of taxing this one more before this? Are these journalists stupid or do they just think we are?
You’re right, Basil, it’s brilliant.
Who needs income tax or the GST? We’re on a real winner here!
Basil, Christ we’re a nation of alcho’s, that’s about a hundred alcopops per adult per day!
hiccup!
Possum, it’s your shout!
Lets double the alco-plops tax then we could have a two trillion dollar economy. 😛
Now where did I put my 1.25 litre bottle of Bundy? 🙂
It’s in the Ute
Thanks Bas, Now where did I park the ute? hic 🙂
Alcohol tax. Pfft.
Make your own.
Re QT time today – I was watching and the quote of the day after the incessant “watching” questions was Rudd’s reply – Brendan I’d be watching my back if I was you mate, named a few others, and threw in, and you too Joe, you’ve been a very naughty boy
Just Me
You got that right!
🙂
What also got me is that Rudd said “Brendan” not the Leader of the Opposition as protocol dictates, and also “Joe” not the member of North Sydney – Rudd wasn’t pulled up