The Australian reports that Labor’s lead in this fortnight’s Newspoll is down slightly from 57-43 to 56-44. Kevin Rudd is down three points as preferred leader to 65 per cent while Brendan Nelson is up two to 14 per cent.
The latest weekly Essential Research survey shows no change in Labor’s long-standing 58-42 lead. Also featured is a national-level question on state voting intention which suggests collective primary vote support for the state Labor governments is 7 per cent lower than for federal Labor (40 per cent compared with 47 per cent), although Coalition support is only 3 per cent higher (38 per cent compared with 35 per cent). Further questions involve federal Labor’s performance on various individual issues, and attitudes to the balance of power in the Senate.
745 Comments
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“For example, he didn’t say why education was important; what can be done by a well-educated population; what it can achieve that it’s not achieving now. It just seems to be sort-of assumed that an educated nation is a “good thing” and that the benefits are self-evident.”
BB had Rudd said all of that the same number of people who read and saw yesterday’s effort would be reading and watching. Most wouldn’t be aware or care that he gave a speech.
As for bad news you know as well as I do that the media feed on bad news. The good news ends up at the end of news programs or past page 15 of papers. Whatever Rudd says will be turned into bad news.
“GB, Kevin’s position in the polls has a lot to do with the Libs’ poor performance.” You left off the “in part”. If he was seen as incompetent or without a vision (a vision which was clearly put during the election campaign I might add – he did win) those polls in these economic circumstances, with a somewhat hostile media and bad news all around, would have quickly changed. They haven’t.
I thought there was plenty of inspiration during the six months before the election, and that was exactly the time for it (and funnily enough that’s where the US electoral cycle is at the moment), but surely now is the time for putting the head down and getting on with it. Stop listening to the MSM and all their rubbish about this ‘narrative’ crap. It’s just utter bs that they are using to trying to paint Rudd as doing nothing while they ignore everything that he has implemented and has begun implementing. The grand plans will bear fruit but the major things the government is doing will simply not provide short term results. If the people aren’t paying attention to the MSM’s rubbish, why are you?
I think you are asking for a show pony BB and I don’t believe people want that. Nor do I think Rudd is capable of it. They’ve had 11 years of bland and are very happy to accept more. Results are what they’re after not a performing seal.
So they spent tens of thousands of dollars recalling parliament for nothing…
Australian has article headed: ‘Opium output rises in Afghanistan’.
The article then provides the details: ‘The total amount of opium harvested fell from 8200 tonnes to 7700 tonnes.
BTW, remember when Vanstone was running around crowing about victory against opium growing?
The Rudd speech style issue and narrative themes are intriguing. There is a huge amount of policy stuff out there for serious consideration but the OO, for example, spends a disproportionate amount of space fretting about style and narrative. It is apparently not a serious concern for the large majority of people who are still expressing satisfaction with Rudd as PM.
Some of the posts above also indicate a yearning for a bit of fire.
It seems to me that the real question here may be: ‘Is Rudd’s approach to his speeches deliberate?’ Let’s just assume for a moment that he is smart enough to reflect on his style and the sort of impact it is having. Let’s also assume that he is aware of the narrative issue and the yearning for a bit of the vision thing and a bit of the fire in the belly thing. So, if the style is deliberate, and Rudd is cocking a snoot at the screeching of the OO parrots, then perhaps his real ’style’ aims could be:
1. to keep expectations focused and dampened by not raising the emotional temperature too much.
2. to present as calm, reasonable, in control and perhaps even (?) a bit boring.
3. avoiding differentiating himself too far from the people he is talking to by adopting a conversational sort of tone of voice.
4. to put the sharpest possible contrast himself with the confected outrage and faux passion of John Howard’s later efforts and the mealy-mouthed passion of the bleeding, caring Nelson?
5. to portray himself and the Government as meritorious technocrats by focusing on addressing issues and practical responses,
6 to present as a practical, focused doer and not as a bullshitting hyperbolic messiah.
Just to get a bit more context than Howard and Nelson: My choice for last century’s most effective public speaker was Hitler. My choice for the most responsive audiences were Soviet audiences when comrade Stalin was saying a word or two.
In NSW labour is for privatisation of electricity generating and the liberals are against it.
So, who put what in the water?
What’s the world coming to?
The Liberal Party and its supporters are long time proponents of electricity privatisation in NSW.
The ALP, at least at a grass roots level and within trade unions, is against the wholesale privatisation of public assets.
The Liberal Party now appears to oppose privatisation, whilst elements of the ALP wholeheartedly support it.
O’Farrell’s going to come out of this smelling a wee bit stinky, especially within the ranks of the business community. I dare say many grass roots Libs are miffed at O’Farrell’s shameless political stunt.
As for Costa: ride off into the sunset, you clown.
357
Boerwar
Well said. I would add
7. Being restrained and pragmatic now and focused on the boring details of genuine policy development, means that when he does make an inspirational vision speech, it will have far more background, depth and impact.
{#
347
TurningWorm Says:
August 28th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Jovial Monk, maybe Ruddster could hire people a Nanny, like he hired for his own kids on the public purse.}
And he could stay at Kirribilly like the Rodent, causing millions of dollars expense and endless inconvenience.
Grocery choice saves heaps Peter. Hiring comedy DVD’s is quite expensive but the creative forward thinking Rudd Govt has saved many people a motza with just a few clicks getting the average person heaps of chuckles for very little (well other than our tax contributions towards the latest Rudd inspired bureaucracy.)
I sure have to take issue with anyone criticising Grocery Choice. While I agree it has been a spectacular failure by any measure, how many previous Govts had the foresight to waste big money by replicating what most people throw out when it clogs up their mailbox without reading i.e. junk-mail ,not forgetting that this is new age , forward thinking just like he promised us. Tops !
My one minor criticism is there are not many photos of Kevin with any glamorous female Australian celebrities on the website however that is possibly because the girls are all in Australia whereas he on the other hand …. well..
Wacko of Berowra Hts (Reply)
Tue 26 Aug 08 (06:37pm)
Grocerywatch
some comments
I’ve never looked at it.
My local supermarkets send out flyers every week and the butchers and fruit shop display their specials outside their shop and occasionally place an ad in the paper.
Why would I waste time looking at something that is updated once a month and gives me choices that are laughable.
I was in Darwin when people discovered that prices were being compared between Darwin and Katherine (300kms away)
Grocery Watch, like Fuelwatch, is a sad, sorry waste of time and money. I would go as far as to say these are both initiatives that are an insult to our intelligence.
Jane (Reply)
Tue 26 Aug 08 (05:27pm)
I have logged onto GroceryChoice once and found it completely useless, it is very general and clearly another stunt by this dishonest government.
It is high time Mr Rudd came clean with the “Howard Battlers” that he mislead during the election campaign, he said he would bring down the cost of petrol and groceries and has done neither, GroceryChoice is an unacceptable waste of taxpayers money.
Mr Rudd needs to start taking responsibility for the cost of living pressures that are increasing under his stewardship and stop waffling on about 16 year inflation highs and 10 consecutive interest rate rises under the Howard government. Mr Rudd knows full well that the Howard Government managed the economy well including fiscal policy and that is why we now have such a large budget surplus. Inflation and interest rates were also managed well under the Howard government and would have been far worse under a Labor government if history is anything to judge by. Has Mr Rudd forgotten that rates were 10 percent higher under that elitist nutter Keating.
Our jet setting Priminister seems more interested on strutting the world stage and being a celebrities handbag than getting on with the job that he promised to do for those on struggle street. If he really wants to live such an opulent life of luxury travelling first class with his millionaire wife every month or so perhaps he should seek employment in the private sector or just retire early. I think that voters expect Priministers to travel and understand that first class is acceptable under such a high office but Mr Rudd is taking this privilege to a new level of abuse. Surely Mr Rudd has now used his quota of first class travel at our expense and should devote the rest of his term to resolving the domestic problems that he is ignoring. What is it with Labor Priministers, they all spend 12 months after their election travelling the world big noting themselves at tax payers expense? The next time Mr Rudd boards a 747 jumbo for some useless excuse to pontificate in front of a communist dictatorship, it will be seen as another slap in the face for the struggling working families that he used to deceive his way into government.
Darren of Sydney (Reply)
Tue 26 Aug 08 (06:14pm)
Just something for Ron way back at 213 and 172-174… all three of your links worked fine for me, but if you have trouble posting links try dropping off anything after a ?. They’re used for setting variables for the pages, and generally aren’t needed for just accessing a site. Once you hit the .html part of a link, you can just lop the rest off, so this link should work fine for you.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/14/us/politics/14rezko.html
Al
thanks for explaining that ,
so does that mean
“?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin” I should hav loped off including th ‘?’…?
Also when I called it up yesterday after posting it , it came up with th actual New York Times story heading but NO story , instead a ’suscriber login’ requird ..then I tried 2 other trys as you saw…same thing ..YET today I can pull it come , do you hav any ideas Al
Rezko makes Brian Burke look like an Angel of of decency and honesty
362 dovif – Of course these were all Rudd supporters before the election and voted for him? I don’t suppose they remember Costello blasting Swan and Rudd for not guaranteeing to bring prices down during the election campaign.
Oh, and of course there is yourself. Non biased, a great fan of Rudd and wanting to see him succeed so that he gets in with a bigger majority next time. LOL
Ron,
From your link:
Mr. Rezko, 51, declined to comment. He has pleaded not guilty to the federal charges.
People who know Mr. Rezko describe him as warm and personable.
Gary
No I speak it like it is, which is much more then a lot on this site, when I first heard about it, I called it stupid for the following reasons
1. who cares about last months prices, they might not be cheapest now
2. The site does not tell you about the quality, you can probably go to the cheapest store and find that strawberry season is over/ their strawberries is too ripe/ their goods are near used by date.
3. Coles/Woolworth has specials each week, junk mail is a better source for bargain (last month’s prices helps noone)
4. As I said before, other retailers have a problem completing with Coles and Woolworth, who has more resources, this is a complain from IGA, who is not small
5. I am not driving 5km to go to get the cheapest apple, then 5km more to get oranges; fuel cost
6. Most people do not have time to go further than their local Coles/Woolworth/IGA
It was a stupid waste of $13 million, if Rudd gave every taxpayer a $1 tax cut it would be worth more. This is just done so Rudd looks like he is doing something
I have not heard of one thing that the website does well from anyone yet. If Howard introduced this, you would be typing this instead
There is competition to Coles/Woolies: Farmers Markets. FM are growing rapidly and give fresher better produce (fruit/veg/meat/fish/milk&cheese, eggs/bread/herbs/seedlings etc than the big chains. I have emailed the ACCC to have Farmers Markets included on the website and ‘they are looking at it.’
Website will be improved in other ways too.
Muskiemp
#367
“Ron,
From your link:
Mr. Rezko, 51, declined to comment. He has pleaded NOT guilty to the federal charges. People who know Mr. Rezko describe him as warm and personable.”
Appreciate you may wish to make Rezko seem ok for Obama , but given th long association on th PUBLIC record thats not possible
And as for your “He has pleaded NOT guilty”comment , th article was dated June 2007
Since then , in 2008 Rezko has been found GUILTY by jury of 3 counts of federal corruption and fraud , including ‘public’ officials
True re Grocery Watch seems to be a flop and probably want work, at least they are trying to use the new media to inform.
Fuel watch is not a failure as it has not yet been put in place nationally, where it is in place in WA it has been there for a number of years. What I want is a chance to make up my own mind whether I am able to find the cheapest petrol in my area for the next 24 hours. The oil companies are having a lend of us with the BS of ‘Cheap Fuel Day’ and it appears people like dovif are willing to push thier burrow. As far as the so called Independents they are just as bad as Big Oil.
Re GroceryWatch, it isnt as if it can’t be improved. I have rarely seen a first effort website from anyone that has been spot on first time. As for the $13 million, that is a drop in the ocean quite frankly compared to the billions wasted under Howard. The cost shouldn’t even come in to it.
For clarification , th 3 convictions actualy relate to th Federal corruption charges Rezko leaded not guilty on
Ron, Just pointing out that stories can be interpreted to say what people want them to say. Since as you say he has been found guilty well you are the one who gave us the link to a 2007 story.
“I have not heard of one thing that the website does well from anyone yet. If Howard introduced this, you would be typing this instead.” Possibly but I would also give him credit for trying something. As it was he did NOTHING.
Muskiemp #374
I did openly report th convictions , that is not correct
Refer my #171
“Thirdly Rezko , since th article has been actualy convicted in June 2008 on those 3 Federal charges of fraud & corruption referred to in article “
dovif @ 362
I am a bit with you on Grocery Choices. In its current manifestation, it is not doing the job. The test is whether consumers are using it, and, as a result, there is downward pricing pressure on groceries. No sign of this at all, at the moment.
Grocery Choices needs to be real time and easy enough to access so that individuals can use it to make choices on an item by item basis. It is technically possible to deliver this but it does not do so at the moment.
If the databases and the portals are properly constructed and integrated with the electronic pricing systems (focusing on the barcodes) in supermarkets, the marginal cost over time should be minute on a per purchase basis.
In general, prices should face downward pressure as a result of the additional competition, and the amount of physical effort to compare prices should be also be reduced.
The Aldi ad the day after the first report came out made it plain that not all grocery chains need fear grocery watch.
Let’s hope that in 6-12 months time the Government commissions a review and then implements the recommendations of that review.
A well-informed market would make it more efficient, and Grocery Choices should be improved rather than simply destroyed. Ditto Fuel Choices and, if it transpires, School Choices.
I think unit pricing will be a good thing too if that gets applied across all the big chains
Ron @ 365
The stench is similar but Burke would probably be insulted if he was compared with Rezko.
and with justification Boerwar !
Its why I’ve said if i lived there , I’d vote informal and go to th pub using th blank ballot paper as a coaster
Boerwar 357 – thanks, I reckon you have hit on Rudd’s thinking. Not sure that too much razzamataz would work in Oz but I understand BB wanting a bit more.
I was in Gallery at Parliament House earlier this week – Rudd looked and sounded confident – Opposition were ridiculous most of the time and it is a pity that the cameras don’t show exactly how they act when the Govt. is speaking. Pyne, Ciobbo, Duncan and a couple of others on the end of the row are proper clowns.
Re FuelWatch
Have spent past 4 weeks travelling and the petrol prices were infuriating. We kept passing petrol stations with different prices and usually missed the lowest because we thought the one ahead would be the same price. Sometimes the stations were only 2 blocks apart.
Canberra was the same – 2 blocks apart and different prices. Yesterday morning (when we left for home) one station was 8 cents less than the next one and both were Shell Stations showing discount dockets. Same thing in Pennant Hills – passed the cheap one and were left with the next two at higher prices.
If FuelWatch had been on web we could have used the laptop to check where we could benefit most.
Bugger the Opposition for opposing it – I am all for being informed whether I save a bit or not.
Re Truancy thing – I spent many years in law office in large country town. I was constantly depressed with the number of legal aid clients who saw no reason why they should get the kids off to school each day. Many reasons for it but most of them were through alcohol or drug addiction and the inability to get up early. This applied to both the indigenous and non-indigenous community. It was extremely sad and I spent many sleepless night worrying about it. I have come to the conclusion that perhaps withholding money is the only way to wake some of them up. So, if it is done correctly and with compassion, I am willing for Rudd to give it a go but with lots of backup.
Poss (and others) critisized ACCC modelling, that Perth prices only dropped by entry of Coles. Real question tho is: does Fuelwatch save the consumer money?
Picking up stuff for my shop can’t always just fill up on cheap tuesday, and by the time I drive home I couldn’t be buggered lining up to save a fw cents per litre, be nice if cheap tuesday was all day tuesday!
Sue @ 381
Thank you. Also interested on your experience re: fuel watch. I believe that motorists will have a sneaking suspicion that the Opposition has short-changed them if it opposes FuelWatch.
Interesting too your observations in Parliament. Basically, it is hard to see the Opposition making any gains while it behaves as if it is anything but a Government-in-Waiting. This is sort of laughable but it is not good for our democracy. We need them to start doing some hard policy work – and on this front they don’t appear to have made a good transition from government to opposition.
There were some very good posts by Harry Snapper Organs on the truancy issue. I sort of lost the thread when I asked whether there was a point to a bit of push and pull (pressure as well as well as support) so not sure what his view was there. Like yourself, he has had a lot of practical experience at the coal face, which I always regard highly.
I find it odd that allowing people to know where the cheapest petrol in their area or along their route might be, is a bad thing. Line up 10 stalls selling the same quality eggs and you will purchase from the cheapest one.
I also think that setting a future price for petrol that cannot be changed during the day will encourage outlets to avoid the temptation to profiteer. Each day outlets tender for our business. If they are too high they get less business which will encourage them to be more careful the second time around. It is then up to the user to decide if they want to make use of the information.
Why all the over top rhetoric about this? Must be a sign of the Opposition having nothing in their policy basket that this is what they are trying to make a name for themselves with. Block it and Rudd can simply refer to the Oppositions role in keeping petrol prices high – true or not, it will ring true.
Grocery Choice’s value will be in the data it collects. It is not a “consumer” site per se. It tells people which of the big two wants to chase market share by being the lowest price prize winner.
Will Woolies or Coles want to be known as the consistantly high price winner?
dovif.
Nice regurgitation of the LNP talking points – but you miss the point.
Sue H @ 381 & Boerwar @ 383. Welcome your comments and observations re: kids being neglected. Psst, Boerwar, many people who visit here know I’m actually a woman of a certain age, and the name is a joke from an old (yes, carbon dating myself – probably have to apply for an ETS permit!) Monty Python skit. You might also see the odd post from Dinsdale Pirannha, also from the same skit.
I don’t know where you live, however, there’s some upcoming lectures by Prof. Dorothy Scott, my old boss and Foundation Chair in Child Protection and Family Policy (Adelaide Uni) in Melbourne in September, if you’re interested and can get to them. Let me know if you are and I’ll post the venues, etc..
About the push and pull idea, Boerwar, yes, of course, this applies to a greater or lesser extent, depending on the case. For instance,I’m of the view that if a parent is addicted to whatever it is to the extent they cannot effectively parent the child, remove the child as early as possible and place them somewhere stable. For years in Victoria, till the latest legislation, we’ve seen the courts returning children to circumstances we know, and have heaps of research to show, will just damage them irreparably. It’s why I don’t particularly like the cut off the welfare solution. I must admit I haven’t had a chance to look more closely at what else is being proposed, and am reacting to what is being reported as the highlight bit of the legislation. Will attempt to do so over the weekend.
Ok, Gary Bruce and Other BB Critics…
If Rudd keeps up the enthusiasm like he just demonstrated on The 7.30 Report, I’m prepared to cut him a lot of slack.
It was a neat combination of bureaucratic mumbo-jumbo (i.e. detail) and looking to the future (i.e. vision).
Keep it up Kevvo. That’s what we want to hear.
Grocery choice and fuelwatch, while I think they’re good things, are essentially rinky dink measures that really should have been let die with a shrug.
Though unit pricing is something I seriously want to see happen – is it just me or have the size of chip packets shrunk recently???!
387 BB – it was a good performance (and some good questions from Kerry as well – much better crafteed than the ones the LIbs threw at Rudd during QT today).
But for me, Julia on AM this morning was the star performer of the day.
There you go, Bushfire Bill, and I hope you stayed tuned for John Clarke and Brian Dawe – “Clever Kevin, they didn’t see him coming” piece. Best belly laugh I’ve had for a while. They know what’s going on, that’s for sure.
390 it was a corker.
Grog @ 389, I liked Julia’s taunting of Costello via the publishing company who liked their books to have spine by the author who doesn’t have any!
and at tomorrow night’s dinner, prawns for starters, followed by chicken and winding up with jelly for dessert!
There’s nothing quite like shadenfreude, is there?
Grog, have you had a look at The Piping Shrike’s blog? You may find it interesting, if you haven’t.
Yep Harry – it’s a good one
Bushfire Bill,
You have been sold a pup! Kevin Rudd aims to preside not govern.
The slow learners will take a while to pick it up.
Have an alternative read of Kevin07 , I do not think he has crafted anything actualy What you ar seeing is th reel guy , if one closely looks at history in both Goss Labor Govt and career as a Diplomot there is same consistency of a measured outcomes orientated no rammammtaz person , attends local church , lives in normal home etc , and can be nerdy witty
Reason he got out of strip club bit last year was cause aussies (rightly) believed it was contrary to his personality
It is not in him to give a PK stirring type speech , but it is in him to speak from
th hart as he did in appology speech simply because it was policy driven & so th speech was inspirational because of its subject matter , and not because it cam from an orator
But when actualy looks at what he is not (vs Howard) and what he has already
either changed/put in trains as I listed last nite , he is a reformer As for magnifiect PK and Gough they were exceptions , brilliant orators and with substance but th substance IS contained in there delivery
IF we want all th glitter & beautiful oratory from a Politcan , then thats what USA politcans ar , BUT they hav no substance in there delivery…all fluffy nothings Of course in case of Bush he is neither an orator nor has substance
MSN say Kevin07 is bland , and I say , but he delivers for th people , and thats all that finaly counts , seems voters think that way with Polls
ESJ “been sold a pup” ? I didn’t realise you were Chris Pyne incognito…
Greensborough Growler,
Sorry to be so slow in getting back to you. The higher rates in Nillumbik are the price we pay for being in the Green Wedge with little industry and little subdivision. I’m prepared to pay them.
Kevin Rudd was pretty good on The 7.30 Report. He seemed really normal, if you know what I mean. His attacks on the teacher unions, will, sadly, help him. His intentions re education are very good, and the states will cave in while the teacher unions, contrary to the myths of press are close to powerless, but I fear he is importing dumb ideas from England.
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