Reflections on the Miracle of Democracy at Work in the Greatest Nation on Earth

Morning marginals madness

   

Morning my time, anyway. Polling action from overnight:

Roy Morgan has targeted three widely spread electorates with small sample polls of about 300 respondents each, with margins of error approaching 6 per cent. These show the Liberals with a 3.1 per cent lead in Macquarie (a 3.2 per cent swing) and the Liberal National Party with a 2.5 per cent lead in Leichhardt (a 6.6 per cent swing), while in the long-forgotten Perth seat of Brand Labor retains a lead of 53-47, a swing against them of 3.1 per cent. The poll was conducted on Wednesday and Thursday evenings.

• Via Ross Hart in comments, we learn of a poll by Tasmanian outfit EMRS of that state’s marginal seats of Bass and Braddon which has both “safe” for Labor. Only figures from Bass are offered, which after exclusion of non-respondents are 43 per cent Labor, 34 per cent Liberal and 20 per cent Greens (who have a history of doing unduly well in EMRS polls), for a Labor two-party vote of 57 per cent and a swing in their favour of 6 per cent. UPDATE: More at the Launceston Examiner. Of Braddon we are told Labor is on 40 per cent and the Greens on 13 per cent, and I believe this is without distribution of the undecided.

• The Tweed Daily News/Northern Star has produced a poll of 400 respondents in the NSW north coast seat of Richmond, which appears to have been conducted in-house and should thus be treated with caution. Certainly it suffers a problem common to such polls: an undecided rate of 24 per cent, presumably resulting from a failure to twist respondents’ arms with a follow-up “leaning towards” question. For what it’s worth, the results show Labor in trouble: primary votes without exclusion of the undecided are 30 per cent for Labor incumbent Justine Elliot, 26 per cent for Liberal challenger Joan van Lieshout, 9 per cent for Nationals and 10 per cent for the Greens. If nothing else the poll suggests the Nationals are no longer competitive in the seat that was once home to the Anthony dynasty.

1,378 Comments

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  1. 1351
    Sertse
    Posted Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 10:20 pm | Permalink

    The owner of newspoll beats the ghost? lol? ;)

  2. 1352
    the spectator
    Posted Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 10:20 pm | Permalink

    52/48 alp

  3. 1353
    leftwingpinko
    Posted Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 10:20 pm | Permalink

    I’m grateful to Mick for confirming my view that all Liberals, with the exception of my immediate relatives, are obnoxious pricks.

    You don’t have to be a prick to be a Liberal, but it bloody helps.

  4. 1354
    Diogenes
    Posted Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 10:20 pm | Permalink

    The latest Newspoll survey, taken exclusively for The Australian from Friday to Sunday, was unchanged on a two-party-preferred basis, with Labor four points ahead.

    The primary vote was virtually unchanged as well, with Labor trailing the Coalition 38 per cent to 41 per cent, while the Greens were on 14 per cent.

  5. 1355
    Jon
    Posted Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 10:20 pm | Permalink

    Mick,

    Make that a double handful of Xanax.

  6. 1356
    drake
    Posted Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 10:20 pm | Permalink

    Phew…

  7. 1357
    ltep
    Posted Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 10:20 pm | Permalink

    Don’t forget the Bradley (female) effect couple with the shy Tory factor ;)

  8. 1358
    El Nino
    Posted Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 10:20 pm | Permalink

    mfarnsworth

    ALP 52-48 http://auspol.info/aFlxis

  9. 1359
    Andrew
    Posted Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 10:20 pm | Permalink

    The latest Newspoll found that Labor had almost drawn level with the Coalition on the question of which party would manage the economy better, cutting the 12-percentage-point lead the Coalition held three weeks ago to just one point.

  10. 1360
    To Speak of Pebbles
    Posted Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 10:21 pm | Permalink

    Good. My heart can start beating again.

  11. 1361
    Country Kid
    Posted Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 10:21 pm | Permalink

    Meanwhile – coverage of Rudd’s interview can only be good

    “whatever we think we have been through is tiny”
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-election/rudd-says-his-problems-are–tiny-20100815-1254k.html

  12. 1362
    victoria
    Posted Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 10:21 pm | Permalink

    TSOP

    What time tomorrow will you have your new predictions?

    No pressure!!!

  13. 1363
    The Finnigans
    Posted Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 10:21 pm | Permalink

    Well Newspoll 52-48

    Finnspoll 54-46

    well within MOE.

    I put Bilbo inmoderation

  14. 1364
    the spectator
    Posted Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 10:21 pm | Permalink

    bad luck mick

  15. 1365
    PEDRO
    Posted Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 10:21 pm | Permalink

    1277 Most of it rubbish.Betting is a very accurate guide to the probability of an event occuring if you crunch the numbers over thousands of events – but the further away from the event the less accurate it becomes.By next Saturday the market on this election may look vastly different to the current one.
    Secondly the market is not saying Abbott can’t win only that he is much less likely to do so than Labor.The fact that no short price favourite has lost a federal election before means nothing eventually it will happen.

  16. 1366
    Mick Wilkinson
    Posted Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 10:21 pm | Permalink

    Yeah, no, you are right. My posts are trite, boring and very troll-like. Other posts have been great, groovy and accurately reflecting the Zeitgeist in here.

    I would behave if I could get some numbers..

  17. 1367
    Oscar
    Posted Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 10:21 pm | Permalink

    Thank F#$@$@# for that!

    Now I can go to bed.

  18. 1368
    Posted Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 10:21 pm | Permalink

    Just me

    ;)

  19. 1369
    Centre
    Posted Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 10:21 pm | Permalink

    post 1341,

    seconded with my rels Psephos :)

  20. 1370
    Andrew
    Posted Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 10:21 pm | Permalink

    The moment when you know you need to get a life? refreshing PB and GWV twitters on the same screen

  21. 1371
    Mr Squiggle
    Posted Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 10:21 pm | Permalink

    38% primaries for ALP – o dear, I think we have a contest

  22. 1372
    the spectator
    Posted Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 10:22 pm | Permalink

    It has succeeded in wiping out the Coalition's election lead on economic management as Julia Gillard prepares to launch a last-week assault on the Liberal leader over the economy

    the most crtical line – It is the economy stupid.

  23. 1373
    ltep
    Posted Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 10:22 pm | Permalink

    Looks like Gillard’s campaigning on the economy has been cutting through then. Will sour Mick Wilkinson’s milk just that little bit more.

  24. 1374
    To Speak of Pebbles
    Posted Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 10:22 pm | Permalink

    Don’t forget the Bradley (female) effect

    I would like to see some evidence that there is a “female bradley effect” before I include it as a factor.

  25. 1375
    Posted Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 10:22 pm | Permalink

    New thread.

  26. 1376
    Quantum
    Posted Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 10:22 pm | Permalink

    Mick, did you wake your kids to tell them Daddy got it wrong?
    Good practice for next Sunday I guess.

  27. 1377
    scorpio
    Posted Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 10:22 pm | Permalink

    Newspoll Primary Votes: ALP 38 (+1) LNP 41 (-1) GRN 14 (+1) #ausvotes

  28. 1378
    Mithrandir
    Posted Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 10:23 pm | Permalink

    The latest Newspoll found that Labor had almost drawn level with the Coalition on the question of which party would manage the economy better, cutting the 12-percentage-point lead the Coalition held three weeks ago to just one point.

    Amazing what advertising can do.

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