There is still much counting to be done for the Legislative Council, but two clear patterns have emerged. One is that Labor has done well, winning a second seat in Agricultural for the first time and also picking up an extra seat in Mining and Pastoral, and perhaps also in South Metropolitan and South West. [...]
Reflections on the Miracle of Democracy at Work in the Greatest Nation on Earth
Monthly Archives: February 2005
Humiliating backdown
Sunday, February 27, 2005 – 12:00 pm
For about one hour, this entry proclaimed that Charles Richardson of Crikey and myself shared the honours for best Western Australian election prediction since we ended up reaching identical conclusions after my late change of heart on Albany. On re-reading Richardson’s piece I see that he did warily predict that Labor would take Kingsley, which [...]
How to vote
Saturday, February 26, 2005 – 12:00 pm
The long-awaited West Australian election editorial nominates Labor as the lesser of the available evils, but the paper makes up for it with a second successive front page on the matter of independent candidate Choy Chan Ma in Riverton. Labor member Tony McRae is reported as having gone "into hiding" while much is made of [...]
Manna from the Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday, February 26, 2005 – 10:00 am
The Sydney Morning Herald informs us that today’s West Australian will feature a Westpoll survey of 200 voters in five marginal government seats, projecting "definite Opposition wins in three and likely wins in two others". Also featured are some slightly unusual assessments from reporter Robert Wainwright of what "pundits say".
Manna from Newspoll
Saturday, February 26, 2005 – 9:00 am
Two agonising weeks without a serious opinion poll have finally come to end with a survey from everybody’s favourite, Newspoll. The verdict: Labor ahead 45 per cent to 39.5 per cent on the primary vote and 54-46 on two-party preferred. That’s enough for me to make good on my earlier threat to withdraw Albany as [...]
Mug’s game
Friday, February 25, 2005 – 9:00 pm
Brian Burke and Noel Crichton-Browne appeared on Paul Murray’s 6PR program this morning discussing the state of play in important marginal seats. On balance, Burke expects a narrow win for Labor, Crichton-Browne a narrow win for the Coalition, and Murray stands by his assessment of a minority Coalition government. Meanwhile, Charles Richardson at Crikey has [...]
Judgement reserved
Friday, February 25, 2005 – 12:00 pm
You know the Coalition has had a bad day when The West Australian’s front page devotes equal space to criticising both parties. Under the heading "double trouble", the left half of the page covers what most would have regarded as the major story on election eve, the universal thumbs-down given to the Coalition’s costings announcement, [...]
Murdoch’s goons
Friday, February 25, 2005 – 9:00 am
The Australian has come out for the return of the Gallop government in an editorial that follows the traditional format, with ridicule of the government followed by an assessment that the alternative would be even worse. The paper’s News Limited stablemate, Perth’s Sunday Times, followed much the same outline last weekend except that it also [...]
Momentum seized
Thursday, February 24, 2005 – 1:56 pm
Perth talk radio host and former West Australian editor Paul Murray tells erstwhile sparring partner Peter Brent of Mumble that he sees six seats as likely Liberal gains and six more as possibilities, with the most likely outcome being a minority Coalition government. Robert Wainwright of the Sydney Morning Herald thinks otherwise, reporting today that [...]
Shake it to the right
Thursday, February 24, 2005 – 12:00 pm
The Poll Bludger suspects that a proportion of his audience groans with dismay when he devotes a post to the upper house. Those thus inclined are asked to perservere with today’s sermon because it relates to that highly topical barbecue stopper, the prospects for Family First. A nugget of information that had earlier escaped notice [...]
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