Bill Shorten - Australia's Trump with a Twist

I am passionate about many things. Open and responsible free speech being one of them. Equally, I abhor violence. However, my demeanour is rapidly changing when it comes to Bill Shorten. To use a good old Aussieism, I’m rapidly reaching the point where I could gladly smash him with the proverbial shovel. 

I am sick and tired of Shorten’s insults. His hysterical outburst over what were reasonably considered and sensible points raised by Peter Dutton with regards to the impact of immigration failures (that being the mix coupled with inadequate vetting) in the past. This outburst is the final straw. His manipulation of the truth is astounding. 

Amanda Vanstone put it succinctly in the Australian today when she said, “Shorten’s the one fanning racists fires over immigration.” She said “ Mr Shorten’s remarks reduced an important debate to the “lowest common denominator.” Spot on.

Of course the comments to Ms Vanstone’s column attracted the usual bag of support. Plus as expected when presented with the truth a fair smattering of vitriolic attack. This one in particular stood out, because it's typical of what we see expressed by so many today.  It was penned by a woman named Jane. 

“Seriously [Sic] Amanda Vandastone, you ought to be ashamed.

Mr Dutton you are a disgrace. 

Thank you Mr Shorten for calling him out.

We must call out racism wherever it occurs. It is not acceptable in a decent and peaceful  multicultural society.

What is devastating is that he must have such powerful influence in the [Sic] Turnull government because he should have been sacked on the spot.

This is highly unusual and should be examined.”

Firstly, Dutton is a Government Minister. You would expect him to have a powerful influence. If he doesn’t, he shouldn’t be there. By the mere fact, we have been relatively unscathed when it comes to on-shore terrorist violence (despite the threats) he’s obviously doing a good job. So, I contest that Jane is showing her blatant ignorance with her ‘highly unusual and should be examined’ nonsense. 

Facts appears to have escaped Jane. We stopped being a decent & peaceful multicultural society when people were murdered on the streets. When dozens of young men, many born in Australia left the country to fight with terrorist organisations in the Middle East. In turn,  to have those same people appear in ISIS propaganda video’s threatening us and inciting supporters on home soil to commit terrorist acts against us. Our security and Federal Police operatives along with the help of many from the Muslim community have thwarted those acts, thank our lucky stars.  

We lost our peaceful multicultural society when we looked on in horror, at an Australian child holding up the severed head of a man caught and murder by those very terrorists, people on our shores openly support. 

We lost our peaceful multicultural society when dozens and dozens of  youths (both Sudanese and Islanders, many recently arrived on our shores) formed gangs who terrorise, rob and bash people on the streets of Melbourne. 

So, I suggested Jane that she might like to actually LISTEN to what Peter Dutton said in response to a question/s asked by Andrew Bolt. For the record, it was Bolt, who first raised Fraser's well acknowledged (even by Fraser) lapses in immigration rigour, as that applied to some migrants during his reign. Then, I suggested she might like to read through Hansard (Monday 21st) to understand what Peter Dutton actually said in response to Bill Shorten's pathetic attempt to lampoon him.

We have a problem with both violence and the threat of terrorism in this country. Sadly, the percentage of law breakers and terrorist sympathisers within some sections of our immigrant community is too high. Sticking our heads in the sand, suppressing discussion and verbally attacking and slurring the messenger will not fix it. The problem needs to be discussed openly, maturely and with a commitment to do just that, fix it. The only people who should be sacked are those attacking the very people who are trying to do something about the problem. Peter Dutton should not be sacked. Bill Shorten most certainly should be.

Bill Shorten and Labor’s strategy on attacking Peter Dutton is hard to fathom. Are they arguing against Mr Dutton acknowledging the Fraser Government made some mistakes? It’s a fact. They did. Fraser eventually listened and changed the strategy. But, alas in many in cases it was too late. The foundation for problems in the future was also set. 

Is Labor’s  argument that this historical fact must be buried and that we can’t talk about the impacts today of the bad decisions of  ‘yesteryear’? In the context of what Mr Dutton said in the Bolt interview about taking time now to thoroughly assess the 12,000 who are coming from Syria, to ensure we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past, I contest that references to past mistakes is relevant. Or are Shorten  and Labor's motives more sinister? 

Bill Shorten is turning into the lefts version of Donald Trump. During Trump’s campaign, he said some pretty terrible things about certain groups. He stirred up a lot of hostility.  By the very nature of many of his comments he gave rise and legitimacy to the rise of the Alt-right and neo-Nazis. When questioned this week about seeing Neo-Nazis raise their hands in a “Seig Heil” salute chanting “Heil Trump, Heil our people, Heil Victory” Trump’s comments were, “It’s not a group I want to energise. And if they are energised I want to look into it and find out why.” All he has to do is turn the mirror on himself. There is his answer. 

Bill Shorten similarly, fuels the racist debate with his selective subtraction of pieces of conversations to score political points. Then, Shorten throws racist slurs based on those subtractions. Shorten tries to suppress the truth and close down open and mature debate. He fuels the fires of our Alt-Right but from a different perspective. It's not about personal adoration for Shorten, as it is for Trump. 

I believe Bill Shorten deliberately seeks to motivate and stir up racial divide. He knows others will go out and issue threats against his own supporters; against the people of the left. More alarmingly, we also end up with threats being made against our broader immigrant community.  Isn’t that exactly what Union bosses do? The load ‘the guns’ and others go out there and ‘fire the bullets’. 

Mr Dutton singled out the many thousands of wonderful law abiding immigrants we have in this country. As Mr Dutton stressed many of them are from the Lebanese community. Of course, that is one piece that has been selectively culled by Mr Shorten in his assault. Shorten also stirs up members of our immigrant community who may not be fully aware of what has been said or the context in which it was said,  Thus, by his actions, Shorten is driving even greater social divide. In other words, he is doing what he said he would do. Lead like a unionist. 

So putting on my cynical hat. Trump and Shorten are either so stupid they are oblivious to the impact they have on the behaviour of others. For the record, I don’t think either of them are stupid. Or, they are wilfully manipulating the populous for political gain; divide and conquer, stuff the consequences. Either way it's extremely dangerous. Both should be resoundingly condemned. 

Polls Are Down - Let's Chuck Out The Leader

The Newspoll is out today and the knockers are in full flight. I've commented many times, it's rather funny to watch people diss the polls. That is until the results suit their agenda. Hence, the Turnbull assault squad are having a jolly old time this morning. 

This really stuns me. After suffering the chaos that resulted from tearing down a succession of prime minister's there are people who are openly championing doing it again! It's alarming. We either enjoy the chaos or we are exceptionally slow learners. There appears to be little consideration of the real impact of political overthrows. 

Even more alarming if the polls are right is the support for Labor. Despite the fact Malcolm Turnbull is the preferred PM, Bill Shorten leads Labor. Bill Shorten's sole mission is to destroy Malcolm Turnbull. Hence, Labor's sole mission is to destroy the government. Forget about running the country, getting debt under control and passing necessary legislation to make that happen. In essence being an effective opposition. Destroying the government isn’t being effective, it's being a vandal. All Shorten is focusing on is wedging Turnbull on SSM.  I'm gobsmacked people prefer as their government a bunch that behaves like this. 

Labor lied about Medicare during the election. They scared the pants off vulnerable people. Now they are insulting the public with their vile accusations about the SSM plebiscite. This is despite the fact that Bill Shorten supported a plebiscite only a few years back. So what is he saying? We've all turned into a bunch of homophobes who can't be trusted to behave responsibly in a couple of years? It seems he is. Yet, the public prefers a government that thinks so lowly of them? Yes, I am gobsmacked people would prefer a government with no integrity and no respect for us. 

Whether you approve of Turnbull and how became PM or not, he is. In addition, he won an election as PM albeit by a slim margin. It was always going to be slim but, a win is a win. He therefore (much as it might be galling) has a legitimate claim to the position.  

So as I see it we have three choices. One. We join the call for Turnbull's removal and go through even more upheaval and time wasting. Meanwhile, important initiatives stall or aren't implemented. Labor gains more ammunition provided by the LNP. Under those circumstances, how long would another leader last I wonder? As for the call to bring Abbott back. Look at his polls. Unless of course you believe those polls were wrong for 30 cycles and now they right. 

Two: We desert the party and give Bill Shorten and Labor a free pass to continue destabilising and politicking unabated. Three more years of soap operas. Stuff the country. 

Three: We think about what is best for the country. I consider that to be a stable government delivering on what the majority voted for (with sensible modifications where warranted). In other words we let the government do their job and if we don't like it, we vote them out next election. We just can't keep turfing leaders out. Politics isn't a popularity contest, it's about governing.

There is another question I have. If Turnbull is still the preferred PM over Shorten. But the LNP is down in general. That tells me that whilst there is a negative Turnbull impact it's the party per se that needs to brush up. Time for a bit of inwards soul searching chaps. The behaviour of some members of the LNP is less than satisfactory and it does contribute to the poll result. The same as it did in the Abbott era. 

There are even people who believe Pauline Hanson is the solution. Surely, we have more sense than that. But, the divide and conquer plays to her hand. Of that there is little doubt. She attracts the protest vote, but remember protesters are rarely effective competent leaders. They are good at protesting. There is a big difference. 

As for us voters. Perhaps it's time for us to grow-up and stop acting like a bunch of petulant kids. 

Revenge v's Justice & Grace

Jennifer Oriel’s column in the Australian today titled, Federal Election 2016, electing Labor would have dire consequences. I thought it was an insightful and sensible piece. Her last paragraph had meaning. It reads; 

“In the wake of his ousting, Abbott has demonstrated the qualities of character that earned him the office of prime minister: humility and generosity of community spirit. The political power he lost has been replaced by ­something greater: the Christian gift of grace. Instead of seeking vengeance against Turnbull or his team, Abbott took the higher ground. Conservatives too must choose between vengeance and grace in the upcoming election. Don’t leave two graves behind you at the ballot box.”

From reading the comments it appears there is a groundswell of people who are seeking revenge. Their decision of course, but I wish they would reconsider. That reminds me of a recent piece I read, written by Leon F Seltzer Ph.D. He refers to the confusion between revenge and justice. This piece is particularly relevant

. 

"Revenge is about retaliation; justice about restoring balance. The motive of revenge has mostly to do with expressing rage, hatred, or spite. It’s a protest, or payback, and its foremost intent is to harm. In and of itself, it’s not primarily about justice but about victims’ affirming their inborn (but non-legal) right to retaliate against some wrong they perceive has been done to them."

Some of those commenting in response to Jennifer Oriel’s column are disillusioned with politics. I get that. It’s those who profess to be avenging Tony Abbott’s ousting as PM, or who consider the action a betrayal of their values that intrigues me. 

The only person who has a legitimate claim to being wronged is Tony Abbott. He is openly supporting the party and campaigning to help deliver the return of an LNP government.  He has continued to fight for the values LNP supporters say they hold dear. He is about restoring balance with a workable parliament; both houses. Something his government and the Turnbull government didn't have. Let's not forget it was voters who delivered that outcome. Many are a advocating a repeat of that. I find that hard to believe but it's true. 

The majority of those who seek to slap Malcolm Turnbull down are out for revenge and retaliation. Many are honest enough to admit that is the case. Others hide behind “I will not betray my principles BS.” These are people who by their very actions are willingly heaping their desires to avenge what they consider past wrongs upon "innocent generations” who will follow. They are doing it handing government to Bill Shorten and Labor. Or worse still they risk the control of the country by placing it in the hands of a gaggle to self-interest micros or Greens. Principles? 

We have others who openly declare they are “true blue” Liberals but they are voting for Bill Shorten. True Blue? Never. No true blue Liberal would ever vote for Labor and particularly not modern Labor who wrecked havoc on this country for six years. AND, who will do it again. Bill Shorten has no economic plan, just a huge spending plan. 

These people profess to be voting for Labor in the hope it will be short lived. Then hope springs eternal again with the desire for a new conservative party to rise like a Phoenix from the ashes of defeat. That’s their idea of justice. Well I suppose that's OK if you believe in mythical creatures. But I wouldn’t be relying on hope to save ‘us’. I'd add lumbering the rest of us with Labor, Greens or a mishmash in either house is anything but just. 

"Revenge can masquerade as justice, but it frequently ends up perverting it." Yes it does. 

The question for all us genuine true blue Liberals is; what is the risk and can we really afford to take it in kicking the Libs out. Or, do we stick with what we have and help change it? I’m opting for the latter. I can’t rely on hope and I’m not into revenge. I'll stick with justice and grace. 

Update From Labor Election HQ: A Political Farce?

It was red faces this morning with the realisation that future star David Feeney was on another losing streak. He's previously 'lost' a house. This was followed yesterday by 'losing' his interview notes and exposing Labor's duplicity. Then we had the David Speers interview. What a shambles for Feeney. So we chalk up the third loss. I can't wait to see what's next on Feeney's agenda. Mr Feeney has been affectionately dubbed a 'loser' in the past. Now it appears it is an inherent flaw. 

We were informed yesterday of more division within the party. This time the split is over backing a ban on political donations from miners and all fossil fuel subsidies. Justine Elliot, the current member for Richmond, and Janelle Saffin, the former Page MP who is trying to win the seat back, have broken ranks in backing a ban. I have it on good authority Bill has upped his dose of 'headache' pills. 

Labor are not happy campers with splits over border protection and now donations from miners and fossil fuel subsidies. At this rate there'll be more out than in the camp by July 2nd. 

Meanwhile Bill Shorten's 'Spend-O-Meter' has been in meltdown. When quizzed by his 'number cruncher' Bowen "where does the money come from Bill?" Bill replied. "All sorted. I've just organised a $100billion overdraft on the credit card and ScoMoo exaggerated anyway. Bill could be heard chuckling to himself, "I mean $69billion what a laugh it's only $40billion." It is, isn't it, only $40billion? Chris tell me I'm right." Bowen's just ordered a new calculator and 144 rolls of paper. 

Reading this you would think it was a satirical comedy script. But it isn't. It's fact with a slight embellishment to the Shorten, Bowen exchange. But the numbers are real. We can laugh, but if this lot secure government it will be no laughing matter. 

WARNING: BUYER BEWARE

"Bill Shorten will nearly double Australia’s emissions reduction targets if he wins government but will seek to counter a carbon-tax and electricity-price scare campaign with a range of measures including rolling out smart meters to manage home power use." 

However, the article by Sid Maher in The Australian today goes on to say "The contentious detail and price implications will be thrashed out by consultation after the election." So in other words, sign your life away and we'll tell you how much it will cost you later!!!! Now that's a deal worth signing up for....not.

Mr Maher also states Labor will promise to appoint a panel of consumers and family advocates to minimise the effect of policy changes on low-income households. But what about the impact on middle income households who are being squeezed at every turn? What about the impact on self-funded retirees? What about the impact on business? 

So buyer beware and if you trust Bill Shorten & Labor to do the right thing AFTER getting your vote I'd seriously be questioning your judgement with all due respect. 

Can We Afford To Gamble With The Election

Now that Malcolm Turnbull has signalled the Double Dissolution and a July 2nd election date, it's a good time to reflect on where we are politically.  It's important for two reasons; 

1. To try to understand what led us to this point

2. And, to make sure we don’t make the same mistakes  

The Liberal National coalition sweep into power in 2013 after the six year nightmare under the Rudd/Gillard/Rudd Governments. Tony Abbott was riding high as the elected PM and swiftly went about delivering on promised key objectives. We have talked about those ad nauseam.

The honeymoon ended with the 2014 budget and we were on a steady slide for months. In August 2015 I penned a blog to ex Prime Minister, Tony Abbott. It was titled Dear Prime Minister Abbott. What I wrote, wasn’t only about how I felt. A lot of us felt the same way. I know that from personal conversations and chatting with people on several forums. It was supported by the overwhelming response I received on posting this piece on Twitter. 

Things sadly didn’t change so the party changed leader. In came Malcolm riding high on the crest of a wave. But things turned sour fairly quickly and now we are plunging rapidly back to where we started. Cue Turnbull’s big play. It took guts to do what he did calling for a DD. I believe the intentions are sound but the risk of it turning pear shaped are high. That said, I believe courage deserves support. 

Perhaps if Mr Abbott had listened and made the called for changes things may have been different for him and us. But we won’t know, so we have to deal with the cards we’ve been dealt. Malcolm Turnbull will lead us to the election. I don’t mind admitting I’m not overly enthusiastic about that.

But it is, what it is. 

I accept and understand why many conservatives are unhappy. But that isn’t new. There were many unhappy conservatives when Abbott was leader. This unrest steadily increased throughout 2015. But most of the moderates were not comfortable sharing how they felt. They were slammed when they did. Now we have the DelCon movement. The major difference between the DelCon's and previously unhappy Liberals  is, many of the DelCon's are hell bent on payback. As a result, we risk being in a worse position than we find ourselves in now. The consequences of that are alarming. 

If we were in a solid position financially and the global market was buoyant, we could run the risk of experimenting. That is, send the Liberals a very strong message. But, we aren’t financially solid and the global market is particularly volatile. Due to Labor’s recklessness we are swimming in debt. Our mining boom has fizzed and we need time to build new industries. The warning bells are ringing on another market crash. We have NO cookies in the jar to buffer us (thanks to Labor). The odds for taking a gamble are not in our favour. 

Given the above I’ll be helping the LNP win government. I wasn’t over the moon with the change. But I’m just as angry with Tony Abbott as anything else. He could have done something he didn’t. So he gets no sympathy from me. I’m no different to many others I’m a Liberal and through gritted teeth I’ll vote for Turnbull’s team and work my butt off to help keep him honest.  The only thing which will change my position is a shocker of a budget. That coupled with a plan that lurches far too far to the left. If that happens there's no hope for any of us. I may as well pack up and move permanently to my UK home. 

I’ve said before Tony Abbott achieved a significant majority in the lower house but people didn’t trust him in the senate. His senate result was the worst ever. So claims he achieved a landslide are overstated. Unless the electorate delivers you a senate that works it's no victory as we’ve discovered.We can blame the ‘vote whisperer’ & I have. BUT if people had given Abbott the vote to enable him to govern we wouldn’t be in the position we are in now. It's that simple. 

The scary thing is, the micros and independents are still re-contesting. In addition, there will be many new ones running; all untried and untested. So the question for me is? Can I trust the new ones to do what they say they will? No. Do I trust the current backbenchers? Hell no. For me, it a matter of can I afford to gamble. I seriously don’t think I can. 

In the absence of an alternative to the Liberals a number of unhappy conservatives have stated they will donkey vote in the lower house. Their right of course but if enough people do it, they will effectively hand the seat over to Labor. One donkey might not seem much but if 100, 200 plus people do the same, it's a huge risk. Remember, Clive Palmer won by 53 votes against a Liberal candidate who scored 41.3%  first preferences against Clive’s 26.5%. Look how that experiment worked out. 

Adam Bandt said yesterday if we end up with a hung parliament the Greens will hold the balance of power in both houses. Just think about what that means. They want to increase the asylum seeker intake to 50,000 per year. They want to bring back a carbon tax (but so will Labor). The list goes on and on. If through our actions we give Labor a ‘leg-up’ the risk of a hung parliament is real. Queue left, in walks the Greens. 

All elections are important but this one more so. This one is about reforming (cleaning out the senate) stability and prudence. I’m not convinced it's the time to protest or to gamble with our future. Whilst I am but one vote hopefully I can convince a few unhappy conservatives to rethink sending a protest vote. To ask them to give the government an even chance of getting back with a workable parliament in both houses. To ask themselves the question; can we afford PM Shorten and his union controllers? Can we afford the Greens controlling both houses? Can we afford another unworkable senate? Can we afford taking a risk on single issue micros and independents? That includes the Australian Liberty Alliance.

I’m keen to see what's in the budget and the plan for the next three years. Government is about compromise. No government can satisfy everyone's demands. It's a matter of weighing up what's important to us as individuals. That said, it’s equally important to acknowledge what's best for the country as a whole. I didn’t agree with all of Abbott’s policies. I won’t agree with all of Turnbull’s either. The lead up has been messy but I’m not going to hang the government for that. It's the substance that counts not the theatre. 

If Malcolm Turnbull does anything stupid then by all means we should demand they kick him out. As with Tony Abbott, Malcolm is the leader he needs to prove he deserves our trust. If he fails, don’t let him get away with what Tony got away with, blaming everyone else but himself. It's the leaders bums on the chair. Perform or get kicked. I'm counting on Turnbull performing.

Shorten, The Champion of the Worker, Right🤔

Bill Shorten is a fraud!!!

He certainly speaks with forked tongue. At the very least he should be sent back to the confessional to beg forgiveness for lying. 

This is a man who takes every opportunity to sermonise from the Labor pulpit that he stands up for workers. February 1st this year he even had the gall to unveil a suite of new policy measures designed to protect Australian workers from being ripped off by dodgy bosses. The failure was he left the Union and PM bit out in the middle. It should have read “to protect workers from being ripped off by dodgy union bosses and the Opposition Leader.” 

Union, Laborite’s and recalcitrant backbenchers flippantly dismiss the findings of TURC. They vehemently oppose the introduction of  ABCC legislation. Instead, they seek to cloud the debate with numerous amendments outside the intent of the legislation. From where I sit, it’s clear that given a choice of supporting workers or jumping to the tune of they who pay the piper, Shorten does the latter. He simply won't stand up to the unions.

Who could forget Shorten and his nauseating political sobbing (AKA photo opportunity) when addressing the workers at Queensland Nickel. So can anyone tell me what he has done since then? If he was the champion of the working man and women he’d be front and centre fighting for the rights of sacked workers. Unless I’m mistaken, he's done nothing of note to help. 

Now we have the debate the over The Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal (RSRT) and the devastating impact of their decision on owner drivers in the transport industry. The Government will be pushing for the abolition of the Tribunal next week. With the support of five of the now enlightened backbenchers, they have a chance of getting this through the senate. That said, I'm cynical enough to think a couple of the backbenchers are only doing this because of the threat of a DD. But, we will take their vote. Fingers crossed the government can get the sixth supporter to guarantee passage. Labor will vote against it and let's not forget it was Bill Shorten who set this Tribunal up.

Bill Shorten doesn’t care about workers. If he did, he’d be front and centre on pushing for the ABCC to help clean up the Unions. He’d be doing everything he can for workers in Q’ld and he’d support getting rid of the RSRT. Instead, he’ll stand by and watch thousands of small owner drivers go out of business. 

We Shouldn't Just Dismiss Polls

Much has been said about opinion polls over the last few years. The merit of which often depends on the personal like or dislike of parties and leaders and the results presented. Someone recently pointed out if the results are what you want to see they are right. But if they aren't what you want to see they are made up and lies. Makes me laugh but it's true. 

Whether you believe the poll results or not, it should be remembered they are often the only mechanism us, the voting public has to tell parties and their leaders what we think. They are a pulse check. It's too late when it comes to the election, the only other opportunity we have to voice our opinions. 

The most recent Newspoll has been the source of great delight to the antiTurnbull brigade. Let them have their fun whilst we focus on what the poll told us. Whilst the majority  of voters prefer Malcolm Turnbull to the alternative Bill Shorten, they are less enamoured with the LNP. That is a collective problem not just the problem of the leader, Malcolm Turnbull. If it was just down to Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership, both the party rating and his personal rating would be below that of Labor and Shorten. 

So, my take is the voting public sees the LNP as a party that is lacking direction and that’s a combination of many factors not just leadership. From where I sit and from what I hear I can summarise that around four key points. 

There is no united front: In a broad-church party there will be conflicting opinions and views. That's fine but but once a decision is made it needs to be owned by the party. Petty squabbling must be kept behind closed doors. Please stop airing your opinions about others in the party in public. Let the media do that. 

Distractions: There’s too much noise being generated by the Liberal Taliban, the gang of three; Tony Abbott, Eric Abetz and Kevin Andrews. 

Leadership: Malcolm Turnbull has to toughen up and take Labor head-on. I know he is careful with language but you can still be considered in your response and get the message out. Please accept the invitation to go on 2GB and take the likes of Alan Jones head on whilst you are at it. 

Policy: The vast majority of conservative voters are not in the top percent of income earners. So policies that include retention of the super tax concessions and private school funding (particularly if we are taking a tough line on public schools) will be considered unfair. Repair the education system and that must include the massive problem we have with unpaid debt. Lastly, more money for health. That means hospitals NOT health care bureaucrats   

So the message from Newpoll was a simple one. We aren’t happy with you lot and you need to get your act together. Stop the squabbles and pull together, let Ministers do their job, drop unfair practices and Malcolm please, start to lead. 

I honestly don’t think the public will buy the hollow barrel policies of Bill Shorten and Labor. That said, if my party (the LNP) doesn’t get their act together post-haste that could be the outcome. Bill Shorten PM, and almost the same front bench that presided over our worst period in Government ever, back in charge.  

What a nightmare that would be. 

LISTEN TO THE ELECTORATE

Over recent years, we have witnessed first hand, the destructive impact the media has, and the part it plays, in tearing down political leaders in this country. The right wing media were vicious in their attacks on Julia Gillard. Those attacks were cheered on by right wing conservative supporters and those praying for her demise. Last week, we witnessed the destruction of Tony Abbott and we recognised the role the left wing media played in that. This of course was cheered by those on the left-side of the political divide. The vast majority of Australians I suspect were somewhere in the middle in thinking surely this can't be happening again. 

Now, we have a new Prime Minister. One who has broader appeal, across the political divide and for the first time in a very long time we are seeing a Liberal Prime Minister given fair airtime by both the ABC & Fairfax. The cynics will claim it's because 'he's more like them.' Perhaps, but it's also somewhat disrespectful to the community where it is blatantly clear the Prime Minister has more support than either Ex Prime Minister Gillard or ex Prime Minister Abbott ever enjoyed. I say, thank heavens we see the likes of the ABC and Fairfax giving the Prime Minister a fair go to present himself and his credentials to the electorate. Then the ELECTORATE can decide on his merits, not some biased journalist with an axe to grind. 

The Essential Poll was out September 22nd. I've referenced this one, because the overall result was 50 / 50 where some others showed a significant lift on 2party for the Coalition. I know some people hate polls. I love them, but as I've said many times I like analysing the question details. And Essential always presents interesting questions. 

The key question for me related to the replacement of the Liberal leader. Did people approve or not. 58% of those polled approved of the change and the outcome. Of those, 58%, 59% fell into the LNP supporters bucket v's 27% disapproval. The overall Don't Know score sat at 18%. 

The poll asked a number of questions on the key attributes of both Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten. Prime Minister Turnbull being declared a decisive winner.  

Those polled rated Malcolm Turnbull highly on intelligence at (81%), he is considered to be hard working (71%), a capable leader (70%) and that he understands the problems facing Australia (63%). 

People are crying out for strong leadership. And whether some people accept it or not, charisma and the ability to bring people along with you is a key component of leadership. It is in fact, in my view, the most important attribute for an effective leader. With 70% of respondents stating the Prime Minister is a capable leader that is a great platform to build on. 

Compare PM Turnbull's rating to that of the opposition leader Bill Shorten. Bill Shorten's highest rated attributes were hard working (61%), intelligent (58%), understands the problems facing Australia (48%) and out of touch with ordinary people (46%). Way down the scale in comparison. 

Since June, those polled considered the major changes in Mr Shorten are. His aggression has increased (+8%), he is more narrow minded (+7%), in their eyes, he is a less capable leader (-7%), he is more erratic (+6%), and in comparison to most politicians his honesty rating has dropped (-6%). His honesty is now sitting on a very dismissal (23%) and he is more intolerant (+6%). If this was a school report card it would be marked as 'must do significantly better' or you are out. 

In response to the question who would make the better Prime Minister; Bill Shorten or Malcolm Turnbull 53% of respondents think Malcolm Turnbull would make the better Prime Minister and 17% think Bill Shorten would make the better Prime Minister. Two weeks ago Bill Shorten was preferred over Tony Abbott 35% to 32%.

The breakdown of the 53% is even more interesting when you look at the support base with Labor at 35%  LNP at 84%, Greens at 41% and Other at 37%. Once again the Don't Know group is high at 30%, so a great opportunity for improvement for a new leader. 

Back to Liberal Leadership and the question; who do you think would make the best Leader of the Liberal Party. The Prime Minister won this by some margin with an overall score of 37%. In fact the next highest was Don't Know on 21% so lots to gain here. Followed by Julie Bishop on 14%. Not a bad a result given the PM has yet to be really tested. This question presented 8 options, which is perhaps too many but I will mention Scott Morrison only rated 4%.  

Now, it would be fair to say, that in opposition, Malcolm Turnbull rated very badly in the polls against Ken Rudd (the master salesman) and he split the Liberal party with his proposal for a carbon emissions tax. That led to his demise and overthrow by Tony Abbott when he lost by one vote in a leadership ballot. It's somewhat ironic now, that a major part of the contributing factors in Tony's overthrow was his unpopularity with the electorate (in comparison to Malcolm Turnbull) and the internal divide within the party room. This lead to a leadership ballot and Tony Abbott lost by 10 votes 55 to 44.

It's very early days, but based on polls, people have warmed to PM Malcolm Turnbull and indications are that a majority of LNP voters feels he is the right choice from the selection available to us. It's up to him to now to win the hearts and minds of Australians. I believe he can do that but time will tell. The radical right faction the (remnants from Nick Minchin Godfather era) if they don't adapt to the new circumstances will be wiped out. That's probably not a bad thing because it will bring back to the fold the lost middle ground including younger supporters. 

As for me, I am still taking a 'wait and see' approach. That said, it is such a relief to have an articulate leader who looks and sounds statesman like. I'm proud of my country, I want to be proud of the leader, after all he or she represents you and me. They represent who we are, what we believe and what we stand for. We are a young vibrant, innovative, high achieving and clever country. The leader has to match that. 

And I'd caution the media to present the facts and to respect people's rights to make up their own minds I've had enough of others forcing their opinions on me and destroying leaders in the process. 

And as Prime Minister Turnbull correctly pointed out, don't treat people as fools, their intelligence must be respected. 

Essential Poll: 

http://www.essentialvision.com.au/category/essentialreport?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Essential+Report+-+22+September+2015&utm_content=Essential+Report+-+22+September+2015+CID_cdeaa6025e8cf03fd1f1b7669ba4b54f&utm_source=campaign%20monitor&utm_term=Federal%20politics%20%20voting%20intention

LIBERAL PARTY, LABOR PARTY: NO COMPARISON

Day two under the leadership of Malcolm Turnbull and the social media trial continues. The witch-hunt for the ‘turncoats’ is in full swing, ably supported by the shock-jocks. The opposing Liberal camps are ripping into each other. I have a personal view that some of the comments would probably be best left unsaid, but expression is good and we do believe in free speech. 

What is really interesting, is the tactics now being used by our Labor chums. They are doing their level best to compare the Labor years to what happened on Monday. For them to suggest there is any comparison between Rudd-Gillard-Rudd and Turnbull-Abbott is ludicrous. But, it’s a deliberate tactic to brand Liberals as no better than Labor. We must not let them get away with it. Mr Abbott’s situation is very different. 

In February, Mr Abbott survived, as one journalist described as a ‘near death experience’ when MP’s called for a change of leader. This challenge came after months of the government's inability to gain support for key budget measures and to explain their vision to the electorate. People were also becoming frustrated with what they perceived were broken promises. Whilst I understood the reasons for actions taken, it would be fair to say the government did a very poor job of selling the reasons to the electorate. The electorate was very angry including many staunch Liberal supporters.  

I remember having discussions with some LNP social media activists. We were trying to defend broken promises, but we were losing the battle. The communications from HQ was almost non existent. Polls were declining and our elected members of parliament were trying to deal with the disenchantment in their electorates. Months of this finally led to the demand for a leadership spill as referenced. Mr Abbott survived, but he had received the most public and direct warning possible from the party room that he had to change. Mr Abbott was given six months.  

Over the ensuing months little improvement has been made. Mr Abbott has received multiple warnings of the potential consequences of failure. Elders of the party, i.e. Former Prime Minister John Howard (who by the way was an advocate of carbon pricing, but who had a change of heart), Peter Reith and Peter Costello also pleaded him to change and to make changes. Mr Abbott refused. 

I am well aware of some of the substantial help and advice that was offered to help bring the two warring camps together. Likewise, advice was given to change the line-up so that some of the performance gaps could be closed. That was also ignored. 

Mr Abbott’s stubbornness got in the way of good judgement. The merciless media attacks on him continued and the white-anting from within, grew in intensity and frequency as anxiety levels increased because nothing was changing.. Now, I am not supporting white-anting, but I do understand the frustration felt by many. 

Mr Abbott could have made necessary changes, but he didn’t. Not because he couldn’t but because he chose not to. I’ve read all sorts of comments related to the swiftness of the spill, but once again it was Mr Abbott, who called the vote for Monday evening, a few hours after Mr Turnbull made his announcement. Mr Abbott could have delayed the spill motion to give his supporters more time, but he didn’t. Unlike the first spill that Mr Abbott won, he was unfortunately not victorious a second time. 

Now we have an active campaign by some Liberals to paint Mr Abbott as a victim. He wasn't and isn't a victim. I'm sure he wouldn't want to be remembered as a victim either. And we have Labor and their ‘pointing the finger’ campaign; “see, see your party is no better.”

I’m sure Mr Abbott was deeply hurt by what happened on Monday. No one likes rejection. But as we would expect from him, he was gracious in his departure. And, he would NEVER do anything to wreck his party. We should respect that. We owe him that.

And, the next time someone from the Labor side tries to tell you the Liberal Party is as bad as Labor, put them straight. There is NO comparison, not even close. Assassinating someone behind closed doors is very, very different to extending the courtesy of giving someone six months to fix the problem, knowing full well what the consequences of failure are. 

As for the view, that the only the public should have the right to decide the fate of a Prime Minister, that simply isn’t how the process works. The Prime Minister isn’t The President. The Prime Minister's electorate vote him in, we vote for our own candidates, their party policies and local issues. The party room appoints the Prime Minister. If people vote for a party based solely on the leader, that probably explains more about them and their lack of understanding of the Westminster system than anything else. And it clearly explains how we ended up with the Rudd Labor government. We know how that worked out. 

One last comment. I happened to pick up 2GBS Alan Jones comments about both Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten last night. I was frankly disgusted. That sanctimonious so call 'King of Radio' branded the  The Prime Minister hypocrite over what he said about Mr Abbott when addressing the parliament. It might pay Mr Jones to play back some of the things he himself has said about Mr Abbott. 

What really sickened me was Jones fawning over Bill Shorten!!!!! The same Bill Shorten who played a major role in knifing, not one but two Prime Ministers in a most sinister manner. Who himself has said some dreadful things about Mr Abbott. So if we are handing out Hypocrite Awards I think Mr Jones and Mr Shorten might be very worthy recipients. 

The Electorate: Misogynistic : Double-Standards

Questions:

• Is the electorate becoming increasingly misogynistic? 
• Or do people on all sides of the political divide simply treat Conservatives significantly harsher than Labor or Greens? 

I'm struggling to work out which one it is. Or, perhaps both apply.

I expected the polls to reflect the electorate's anger over the travel expenses scandals. 

What I didn't expect, was for them to unleash their anger on PM Tony Abbott and to reward Bill Shorten. The latest Newspoll was the final straw for me. So consider this. 

The argument that the electorate is increasingly misogynistic. 

Examples of two women; Julia Gillard and Bronwyn Bishop, hounded, attacked and abused over the same issues as men who survive.

Julia Gillard was not a very good PM and she certainly was not to be trusted, but people hounded her over a $5000 brown bag payment. The combination of that and her performance finally cost her, her job. 

In comparison, we have Bill Shorten. With a far, far worse footprint. Unions bully, adulterer, accused rapist and he has demonstrated vicious behaviour toward an innocent female shop owner. He has taken money, at the expense of workers, for self gain and only disclosed it when 'forced' to do so. There are very serious questions arising in the Royal Commission about his conduct and honesty. Yet, in the latest Newspoll taken over the weekend, Shorten's stock rise against a PM who has none of those shadows hanging over his head.

Bronwyn Bishop.  Foolishly took a $5000 helicopter ride. She was attacked unmercifully. She has been humiliated, abused and finally hounded out of office. Hounded out for excessive spends that pales into insignificance to Labor's Tony Burke her chief assassin. Burke is even given a free pass by none other than Christopher Pyne (who himself we discover has pushed the expense envelope) 

Tony Burke, is a serial expense abuse offender. He was Labor's attack dog, ripping into Mrs Bishop daily. However, over the past week, Mr Burke's own gross abuse has been highlighted. Flying girlfriends 1st class, business class holiday flights for his children, holidays for himself, $10,000 a day jaunts in Europe, lavish parties and $20,000 drinks bills. He's accepted free gifts; travel, entertainment, accommodation.  Fifteen times he had paid back travel claims. The list goes on and on and on. But, Burke  is considered to be operating within the rules, but Mrs Bishop isn't.

Mrs Bishop paid back the $5000 plus a fine. Burke under pressure is reimbursing one lousy ComCar bill. So why was Mrs Bishop treated so harshly when a serial abuser of expenses like Burke survives? Could it be because she is a woman. I'm rapidly reaching the conclusion that is the reason.  

Are Conservatives held to a significantly higher level of professional standards than Labor. 

Tony Abbott's personal ratings are down Bill Shorten's go up. That is almost inconceivable when you think about it. Now, there are those who are very suspicious of polls. Funnily enough, that usually only applies when they go against their preferred party, yes I am guilty as well. There are those who will say; but they only target Labor electorates.  I suspect in some cases pollsters pick and choose BUT surely decency and personal standards should be above political preferences when it comes to people.

Tony Abbott has worn the wrath of the electorate over Bronwyn Bishop. His ratings went down. 

Bill Shorten was unscathed over Burke. Shorten's ratings went up, astounding. This is despite the very serious accusations levelled at Mr Shorten at TURC. This is despite Mr Shorten's disclosure that he took a $40,000 payment from an employer and used that money to fund his political campaign. AND, kept it quiet for years. Let's face it, if it hadn't been for TURC that payment would never have been disclosed. None of these serious failures of personal conduct have been levelled at Mr Abbott, yet his ratings go down. 

So, as I've been committing my thoughts to paper I've now reached my conclusion that as an electorate, we are collectively guilty of both: 

1. We are becoming more misogynistic although many will dispute that 

2. We most certainly hold the Conservatives to much higher standards than Labor 

I will confess, I’m becoming increasingly disillusioned with society. We appear to be losing all sense of fairness. We punish people for other people's misdemeanours and we are inconsistent in our judgement. In Tony Abbott's case, the achievements of his Govt are ignored and he is attacked based on personality.  That is grossly unfair in my opinion.