Comments on: Seat of the week: Stirling

By: Andrew Owens

Andrew Owens — Sat, 05 May 2007 17:23:05 +0000

As a side note I’m a fellow Stirling resident. My experience with the current member has been mixed (and somewhat less positive than with MacFarlane before him, who was very approachable) – he seems to be buried in a quagmire of spin and minders, and one never sees him in the electorate, he’s almost invisible apart from the bus seat ads and the “Keenan Report” (anyone checked out right.net.au’s expose on one article in there?). Any time I’ve enquired of his office about a matter (even just to find out what a government policy is) I’ve been left waiting months, and basically just got a non-answer from a minister with a cover note. Any of the “meet and greet” functions I’ve seen him at have been completely stage-managed from beginning to end by party minders. It’s sad, really – you’d expect better from a member sitting on just 2.0%. At this early stage I’ve already met Tinley and he seems an intelligent and dedicated person who can answer a question by himself, even if he’s somewhat to the right of myself politically. I feel almost bad supporting Labor given their woeful performance in state politics in WA, but in this seat with this candidate I would happily back this one over that one.

By: Sacha

Sacha — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 23:40:52 +0000

Adam, I know quite a few people who are genuinely interested in politics and attend branch meetings, who aren’t in factional cliques or are people with nothing else in their lives. Are you saying that these people shouldn’t have a say in who the local candidate will be? Should factional organisers have most of the say? What, 10 odd people, who might not have any life outside organised (factional) politics, deciding who will be elected as a senator with all the footsoldiers who do have lives and contribute out of interest having no say?

By: Adam

Adam — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 17:42:02 +0000

I have never met Brown or Hoare, although I have spoken to Hoare maybe three times on the phone. I have nothing “personal” against them. My views on them are entirely political. Brown spent (from memory) 18 years in safe seats without making so much as a passing impression on the world, even as a (very junior) minister (Hawke made sure he never got anything important). My memory of him is mainly as a self-important blowhard. He then handed his seat on to his daughter, whose qualifications to be a federal MP are, shall we say, not immediately apparent. She has had three terms to demonstrate why she is occupying a prize safe seat, has failed to do so, and now is trotting out every victimhood line she can think of to stay on her paid vacation in Canberra for another term. Greg Combet is a vastly superior candidate – and I say that even though he is in the Left and I am a supporter of (although not actually a member of) the Right.

If the effect of “rank-and-file” preselections is to keep drones like Hoare and Irwin in safe seats, then that is an excellent argument for abolishing them. The fact is that Labor doesnÂ´t really have a “rank and file” at all. Its branches are run by tiny cliques of factional fanatics, and are otherwise made up of pensioners, nostalgics and people with nothing better to do than go to branch meetings – which is quite an indictment on anybody. Union affiliation presents problems for Labor, to be sure, but at least the unions are real organisations that represent, however imperfectly, real people. Although, as I say, I favour primaries, which puts the power of selection in the hands of all Labor voters, I would MUCH rather have Labor candidates chosen by a junta of Bill Ludwig, Joe de Bruyn and Doug Cameron than by the “rank and file.”

Things are, I believe, much the same in the Liberal Party, except they donÂ´t have the ballast that the unions give Labor to stop the fanatic cliques taking over, which is why they are in fact taking over.

By: Blacklight

Blacklight — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 12:52:43 +0000

on 4 corners.

the Burke fiasco traversed both major WA parties.

basically they are BOTH corrupt.

Arse kicks all round are needed

By: Adam

Adam — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 10:23:58 +0000

On another matter, I have met Colonel Mike Kelly, the next MP for Eden-Monaro, and heard him speak. He will be a dynamite candidate and a killer MP (puns fully intended). He is an exceptionally smart guy and tough as nails, and can speak about the Iraq debacle from extensive personal experience, unlike that great fraudulent ponce Downer, who wouldnÂ´t know a gun from a swizzle-stick. Gary Nairn is a decent chap as Liberals go, but he can start dusting off his theodolite.

By: jasmine_Anadyr

jasmine_Anadyr — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 08:20:14 +0000

So Dovif you are talking about the very short term construction costs and impacts. By that logic major infrastructure would always and only be built in a recession. Or have I missed something. The millions to build the technical colleges in marginal govt seats, producing and duplicating states services should not be happening either by your standard? Dreadfully irresponsible?

My understanding is that the current inflationary pressure (admittedly eased by bananas and petrol going down last quarter) is a result of insufficient investment, particularly in training and infrastructure, such that the economy reaches capacity constraints earlier than if the capacity had been appropriately expanded.

I don’t see how companies having to compete for labor is a terrible thing. Under worstchoices it is the only possible time employees get pay rises. And note retail workers still go backwards at this time so they are in for a really rough trot in a slow-down.

So if you are going to view this as dreadful you seem to be very uncomfortable with market forces and dreadfully uncomfortable with employees taking advantage of market forces (but I always expected worstchoices was a fully one way street).

But as a salute to my family (all of whom live in Stirling) thinking like that will see labor romping it home in Hasluck and Stirling and God willing Canning as well.

By: Blacklight

Blacklight — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 05:12:04 +0000

*cough* China *cough* resources boom*

*cough* Kevins IR not very like the Accord era or before… In fact it is the Howard 97 model *cough*

So here goes the ON NOES HERE COME THE UNIONS from Howard and the Business Associations *cough* Unions *cough*

Union bosses dictating for the masses eh

Hendy.. Check
Ridout.. Check

By: Gary Bruce

Gary Bruce — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 04:03:18 +0000

David Charles- actually that is the second time Newspoll have polled me. The last one was late last year I think. Most unusual to be polled twice I would have thought. David, of course I answered the interviewerâ€™s questions objectively and dispassionately, just like you would have, oh and of course just like dovif would have.

By: Snow

Snow — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 03:45:25 +0000

I’ve never been surveyed by a polling company, but I worked for one for a few years.The one thing that I learnt is that responses as to how likely people are to change their minds are meaningless, while I was never allowed to try i was fairly certain that I could change at least a third of respondants votes with just a few comments

By: David Charles

David Charles — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 03:36:57 +0000

You’re a hero “scor(ing) a gig in the latest Newspoll survey”, Gary Bruce. I trust you answered the interviewer’s questions objectively and dispassionately.