Rotten lying rodents seemingly abound in Howard's Australia

If there was something more needed to convince Australia that John Howard needs to go, it might be that this latest attempt at racist campaign mischief may be just that little thing which tips the balance.

 

In The Daily Telegraph this morning.

 

"THE Liberal Party has been hugely embarrassed over a campaign team caught delivering fake letters linking Labor with the Bali bombers.

The grubby night-time operation in St Marys, in the seat of Lindsay, was busted by a squad of ALP sleuths who conducted a stake-out.

Police have been called in to investigate the distribution of the letter, as well as the Australian Electoral Commission.

The Liberal Party yesterday expelled two members involved in the scheme.

The gang included Gary Clark, husband of retiring MP for Lindsay Jackie Kelly, and party state executive member Jeff Egan. Another was named by Labor as Troy Craig, president of the Glenmore Action Group."

 

Alleged timeline:

"TUESDAY: Labor officials, acting on a tip-off, stake-out a Penrith house:

8PM to 8.30pm: Three cars park near the house and the occupants enter it;

8.40PM: A group of men leave the house and walk up the road to Ms Kelly's residence;

8.58PM: Six men leave the Kelly house to the three cars which arrived earlier, and drive to the Great Western Highway;

9.25PM: At St Marys they turn into Glossop St, then Debrincat St where they separate at corner with Boronia Rd.

9.30PM: Two men seen putting material into Boronia Rd letterboxes, which the ALP shadows find to be the fake Islamic Australia Federation letters.

The Labor men confront the pair and identify one as Mr Egan, a prominent Liberal Party figure in the Blue Mountains area.

9.30PM: Two men seen letterboxing the same material in Maple Rd. They are approached and identified as Ms Kelly's husband Gary Clark and a man said to be president of a residents' action group."

 

The Daily Telegraph articles:

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22799667-5001021,00.html

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22799657-5001021,00.html

Campaign Day 39 - we all deserve medals

Thankfully all election advertising went off television and radio airways as of midnight, but your phone might still bite because those pesky, tinny recorded campaign messages are still allowed.

Newspapers will as usual carry those last minute attempts to sway voters of course, and today and tomorrow may still see some libellous Nationals garbage turning up in letter boxes across Australia.

Probably a crude leaflet all about how the Greens/Democrats/Labor, and anyone but themselves, will shear your granny and rape the sheep.

These last six weeks have been an endurance marathon for everyone with the misfortune to not be able to afford an extended overseas holiday.

John Howard deserves to lose this election solely on the grounds that he authorised our protracted torture.

I hope his chooks turn into emus and kick his dunny down.

Will Gulaptis lose the Nationals' family jewels?

National Party candidate for Page, Chris Gulaptis, should be having restless nights in the run-up to Saturday's election. The prospects of Page falling to Labor must be causing Gulaptis and his supporters, who include former Deputy Speaker and experienced head kicker Ian Causley, to have grave concerns. The Nationals have bankrolled Gulaptis's campaign to an incredible extent. Nightly commercial television news has had an appearance that it's been the filler between a steady stream of ads for Gulaptis and his counterpart Sue Page, who is contesting Richmond for the Nats. Some locals in Page have been on the receiving end of three, four and in some cases five direct mail outs from the Gulaptis team.

On top of the direct cash funding the Nats have thrown Gulaptis's way, there's been no shortage of Government members visit the electorate and throw their weight behind Gulaptis. Locals have lost count of the number of times National Party leader Mark Vaile has visited the electorate. Local wags reckon Vaile will soon have to notify the AEC of a change of address to one that's in Page. Pity he didn't do that before the rolls closed - that would have allowed him to vote for Gulaptis who resides in the electorate of Cowper and doesn't get to vote for himself.

In a move that shows all the signs of desperation Vaile, speaking at the coalition's corporate lunch in Sydney, said that Labor was a bunch of burglars intent on stealing the coalition's family jewels.

Vaile said, "We cannot allow this to be put at risk. We cannot allow a bunch of burglars to slip through the side window and steal the family jewels now that we have created them."

Who does Vaile think he is?

A local in Page remarked, "I think the biggest issue for The Nationals is that the seats they hold tend to be the poorest seats in the country. What has been happening for the last 11 years? It is only now the money has started flowing because they are desperate."

The local resident added that the issue most concerning to him was the prospect of a nuclear reactor on the NSW north coast.

AAP reports that Gulaptis's son had this to say about his father:

"He is my Dad. How embarrassing."

For further details, read AAP's report at: http://milton.yourguide.com.au/news/breaking/general/strong-economy-taken-for-granted-vaile/1090648.html

How I see the day I quit or John-in-Wonderland

These days John Howard's view of his world is a wonder to behold.

 

Howard in The Sydney Morning Herald on Tuesday.

"Mr Howard yesterday said Treasurer Peter Costello would replace him unopposed as Liberal leader when he steps down, even though the choice is ultimately up to the party room.

The prime minister today defended that statement and offered a candid insight into what would happen on that fateful day.

"I will go into the party meeting and say I hereby resign as leader of the Liberal Party, and everybody will sort of say 'right o', they'll know it's coming, then I'll sit down and say 'does anybody want to nominate'," Mr Howard told reporters.

"In our party you nominate by standing and people will stand and in my view nobody else will stand, and he will be elected unopposed."

 

Who is he kidding? If the Howard Government fails to win re-election this Saturday, John Howard will be lucky to survive his concession speech without multiple bloody knives in the middle of his back. If the Coalition regains government by a severely reduced majority, John Howard will face leadership challengers aplenty before his preferred time to resign.

 

The Sydney Morning Herald articles:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/federal-election-2007-news/how-i-see-the-day-i-quit-howard/2007/11/20/1195321765417.html

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/not-faking-pm/2007/11/20/1195321747836.html

Nats' Chris Gulaptis promises $300k to catch a crook and Clarence Valley cracks up

The irony of today's The Daily Examiner frontpage headline was not lost on Lower Clarence residents - "Nat's $300k to catch a crook".

 

Chris Gulaptis' problematic voting record on the former Maclean Shire Council is well documented, and even though Clarence Valley Council has always been careful not to leave any printed or taped evidence of how individual councillors vote, many are still watching Cr. Gulaptis' performance on this council.

 

If the Nats want to catch law breakers they should look to their own ranks.

This party should also consider if promising money will be delivered to the Page via a specific program, the National Community Crime Prevention program, might be as dodgy as Mr. Vaile's recent promise to deliver more funds to another electorate from the now notorious Regional Partnerships program.  

In case of fire, break glass and vote Greens

In an effort to keep-it-simple-stupid the media rarely presents an Australian national electoral race as anything but a battle between two giants, and the Liberal Party will never call attention to the fact that it is not strong enough to govern without its mini-me Nationals.

 

Of course the major parties have been quite successful in convincing us all that this two-horse race call is all but ordained from on high. The reality of power and how it is exercised does lend some weight to this view.

 

However, other aspects of reality are also valid. Right now we voters can use not only our personal primary vote but also our preferences to strengthen or weaken the major parties' hold over our lives and futures.

 

So if you are fearful of another three years under an increasing right-wing Coalition government; if you worry that a Labor government might fall into complacency over issues like the economy, foreign policy, social justice or climate change; remember that there are still two parliamentary parties out there with track records and experience in the Senate - The Greens and the Australian Democrats.

 

So on 24 November if you are still consumed by fiery doubt, remember that breaking from the herd might be a better option - and vote for The Greens on the Senate ballot paper.

 

The Greens:

http://greens.org.au/intro/

The Australian Democrats:

http://www.democrats.org.au/

Exclusive Brethren - serial offenders, yet again!

The ever-so-exclusive Exclusive Brethren has made yet another underhand attempt to influence Australian politics. This group, whose access to the PM and government ministers is way out of proportion to that of similarly sized lobby groups, has decided its pay back time in Tasmania and is targeting the Greens in general, but Senator Bob Brown in particular.

The Sydney Morning Herald (November 21) http://www.smh.com.au/news/federal-election-2007-news/sect-back-in-fray-with-blast-at-greens/2007/11/20/1195321782667.html
reports the religious sect has dramatically intervened in the federal election campaign with a letter sent "To the citizens of Tasmania" warning about the "anti-development and immoral policies" of the Greens leader, Bob Brown.

The letter refers readers to a number of websites, including an anonymous, US-registered blog at www.greenswatch.com. This site makes wild accusations about the Greens. It would have readers believe the Greens started the 2004 race riots on Palm Island. And, get this, the site reckons the Greens are have been plotting to infiltrate the Exclusive Brethren.

Senator Brown's response: "I think the church's members are pouring hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars into this campaign … and under the Government's new electoral laws, an individual can put in $100,000 around the country without any disclosure being made."

Not unexpectedly, the Brethren denied any input from the Liberal Party.

The Howard Government hasn't even lost the election yet, but the Coalition is already openly planning how to dismantle any incoming Labor government

Well we all knew that the far-right would be bitter and twisted losers. This is now confirmed by the Coalition's threat to take thirteen Labor candidates to court sequentially, if these candidates are elected to the 42nd Commonwealth Parliament under a Labor government.

News.com.au yesterday:

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22791420-29277,00.html

 

Both the Liberal Party and the Nationals should be careful what they wish for. There are enough grey areas in Section 44 of the Australian Constitution and other related sections to catch some of its own first time candidates if they are also elected. The Nationals candidate for Page, Chris Gulaptis, is a perfect example because he is a Clarence Valley shire councillor who has been active in this role since writs were called, nominations closed and the political campaign commenced.

 

Nor should the Coalition rely on the High Court (because that's where all this would eventually end up if the numerous allegations were acted upon) being a tame participant in any move to subvert the known intent of the Australian electorate in such a manner. Especially as the Coalition has semaphored its motives.

 

One has to suspect that the Howard Government's threat is a last ditch attempt to scare voters away from Labor, rather than a genuine concern about the eligibility for election of some candidates.

During its previous terms in office the Howard Government had ample opportunity to attempt the clarification of current ambiguity surrounding candidate eligibility criteria and it did virtually nothing.

 

Australian Constitution and Section 44:

http://www.aph.gov.au/library/intguide/POL/Section44.htm

Australian Electoral Commission advice to candidates:

http://www.aec.gov.au/pdf/backgrounders/19/EB_19_s44_of_the_Constitution.pdf

Campaign Day 38

My senses have been bombarded by a desperate Nationals ad on TV over these last few days.

Apparently The Greens and Labor are in an evil alliance to release hordes of drug addicts onto the street to kill our primary school children with dirty needles.

The Nats seem to believe that voters in the bush are simple nongs who will believe any old nonsense that is thrown at them.

What's their next ad to be - Greens and Labor in despicable plot to kidnap our working dogs?

A timely reminder that it has always been voters who hold the whiphand on polling day

Voters have the final say ranking candidates on the ballot paper

20 November 2007

Every elector can choose the order they rank the candidates on their 2007 election ballot papers, the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) said today.

Electoral Commissioner, Ian Campbell reminded electors that it was entirely up to them to decide where their preferences go when voting in the House of Representatives election and Senate election. 

"Political parties or candidates may suggest to their supporters to vote in a particular manner but electors have the final say when filling in their ballot papers," he said.

"In completing the green House of Representatives ballot paper, electors can decide for themselves how to allocate their preferences or they can choose to follow a party or candidate's how-to-vote card."

Mr Campbell said electors had a choice of voting above or below the line on the white Senate ballot paper. By marking 1 in one box above the line for a party or group, the preferences will be distributed according to the group voting ticket that the party or group has registered with the AEC.

"Any elector that wants to inspect the registered group voting tickets can now find them online at www.aec.gov.au or by calling 13 23 26.   Booklets showing the group voting tickets will also be available in every polling place.

"If electors do not want to follow a ticket, they can vote below the line on the Senate ballot paper by numbering all the boxes below the line for each individual candidate in the order of their choice," Mr Campbell said.

"Polling officials are available to assist electors at all polling places on election day, Saturday 24 November.   If you do make a mistake on your ballot paper just ask a polling official for another one," he said.

"At this election we also have a new online 'How to vote practice tool' at www.aec.gov.au to show electors, especially those voting for the first time, how to complete the ballot paper correctly," he said.

For more information on voting in the 2007 election, visit www.aec.gov.au or call the AEC on 13 23 26.

Has luck finally turned against Prime Minister Howard?

It was a strange day yesterday for we ordinary voters trying to read the political tea leaves.

 

The Sydney Morning Herald and Peter Hartcher sounded the death knell for John Howard:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/federal-election-2007-news/the-luck-stops-here-pms-time-almost-up/2007/11/18/1195321609223.html?page=fullpage

 

But The Courier Mail readers in Brisbane were coming out in favour of the Liberal Party come Saturday:

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/poll/display/1,23815,5031601-023729-0,00.html

 

In The West Australian most bloggers gave Howard a bit of a thumbs down:

http://blogs.thewest.com.au/news/election-blog-should-wa-diversify-its-economy

 

While AdelaideNow gave equal space to both major parties on the Howard Government's $200 million advertising splurge without really raising an eyebrow:

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,22784749-5013964,00.html

 

Over at Melbourne's The Age the Federal Government advertising splurge featured, along with the risk of Turnbull losing Wentworth and a blog on the Liberal Party civil war:

http://www.theage.com.au/news/federal-election-2007-news/pms-200m-ad-splurge/2007/11/19/1195321679845.html

http://www.theage.com.au/news/federal-election-2007-news/turnbulls-seat-on-a-knife-edge/2007/11/18/1195321608610.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

http://blogs.theage.com.au/koutsoukis/archives/2007/11/liberals_at_war.html

 

Meanwhile in Tasmania the Mercury delivered uncritical space to the Howard Government's forest policy launch, but also worried about affordable housing at state level:

http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,22783788-3462,00.html

http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,22781864-921,00.html

 

And the Northern Territory News gave a brief sop to comment on the political scene by doing a straightforward piece on Howard's confidence in winning government:

http://tools.ntnews.com.au/rss_article.php?news_id=523221

 

The ABC's 7.30 Report exposed Malcolm Turnbull's $10 million grant to a dodgy rainmaking project and his rearguard defence against almost everything:

http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2007/s2095134.htm

 

Finally, Crikey as usual was all over the shop, therefore an interesting read and a great study of Flint's public disintegration:

www.crikey.com.au

 

Confusing isn't it?

Campaign Day 37

I hear tell that the Howard Government has splurged almost a million dollars a day for government advertising in the three months leading up to the issuing of writs for this federal election. Pity its attention was rarely on the things that matter to ordinary Australians.

Almost a million a day - what on earth were they thinking?

Government's hush up with Exclusive Brethren continues

For a mob that doesn't vote, the Exclusive Brethren certainly has a very strong interest in the political scene in Australia and isn't backward when it comes to lobbying the Prime Minister.

The Age (November 19) reports that Prime Minister JohnHoward has exchanged letters five times with the Exclusive Brethren since 2003, but after 14 months of stalling on a simple freedom-of-information request, his office will not release the correspondence until well after election day.

WHY PRIME MINISTER? WHAT IS THERE TO HIDE?

The Prime Minister's office has at long last acknowledged that it has corresponded with the religious sect with which the Prime Minister has had very close contact over many years.

PLEASE, PRIME MINISTER, TELL THE AUSTRALIAN PUBLIC WHAT THE CORRESPONDENCE AND CONTACTS INVOLVE?

Mr Howard was embarrassed in August when The Age revealed he had met Brethren world leader, Bruce Hales, and at least one sect member who is under police investigation over his role in funding pro-Liberal campaign advertisements in the 2004 election.

Greens leader Bob Brown said the Government had once again manipulated the FoI Act to hide information. Mr Brown was told by the Prime Minister's department, in response to his own FoI request in 2005, that "no records of correspondence with persons identifying as representatives of the Exclusive Brethren … were located". The response to The Age reveals that three relevant documents existed.

"I was lied to. That's clear. Straight deception," Senator Brown said. "But I'm used to it with the Government."

SENATOR BROWN, LIKE ALL OTHER AUSTRALIANS, HAS THE RIGHT TO KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT THIS MATTER.


Read the full report from The Age at:
http://www.theage.com.au/news/federal-election-2007-news/pmbrethren-letters-held-until-after-poll/2007/11/18/1195321608622.html

Roy Morgan Research released Sunday 19 November says marginals too mixed to call

"On November 15-17, with one week to go to the Federal election, L-NP two-party preferred support is 44.5% (up 1% from the face-to-face Morgan Poll conducted November 10/11), ALP 55.5% (down 1%).

This represents a swing of 8.2% to the ALP since the 2004 Federal election.  However, in the crucial L-NP marginal seats, where Labor needs to win 16 seats to win Government, the swing is slightly less (7.7% to ALP) and varies greatly by seats and States.

The ALP looks set to win between 14 and 24 seats, which means the election result cannot yet be called."

"New South Wales: 8.8% swing to the ALP in the seven key marginal seats surveyed. The swing required to lose each is Parramatta 0.9%, Wentworth 2.5%, Lindsay 2.9%, Eden-Monaro 3.3%, Bennelong 4%, Dobell 4.8% and Page 5.5%."

Summary of Morgan Poll November 15-17 findings:

http://www.roymorgan.com/news/polls/2007/4246/

Most risible media comments of the 2007 Federal Election

From a Sunday Mail editorial on 18 November, just six days out from polling day.

 

"That Prime Minister John Howard's Government stands this morning under threat is a mystery."

 

"The Sunday Mail believes the Coalition is best placed to govern Australia for the next three years."

 

Where has this editor been for the last eleven years?

Just for fun - a Daily Telegraph readers poll on Howard's election chances

The Daily Telegraph online readers poll which began on Sunday now has 4,964 votes in at 4.47pm. today.

 

QUESTION: Is John Howard wily enough to still snatch victory?

Yes - he still must have something up his sleeve.      48%   (2396 votes)

No - just look at the polls.                                        51%   (2568 votes)

 

It seems some people are still expecting or fearing that now famous rabbit in the hat.

 

Bookmakers odds are still shortening in Labor's favour and yet another Liberal, former NSW Parliamentary Leader Peter Debnam, has taken a swipe at John Howard's campaign strategy.

The Daily Telegraph today:

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22779967-5001021,00.html

John Howard, master of the dimwitted remark

It must have been something he caught off a White House toilet seat. On the same day Australia learnt the contents of the latest UN synthesis report on climate change, John Howard told us all that climate change may be serious "but the world will not end tomorrow because of it".

News.com.au report yesterday:
 http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22778836-29277,00.html

 

An Australian prime minister may have been able to say something like that twenty years ago. John Howard himself may have gotten away with such a remark even eleven years ago. But not today. The time to go slowly-slowly has long since past.

 

Many worlds may end tomorrow because of climate change.  A farmer's world may end because long-term weather changes and water scarcity have meant that crops failed for years on end.

A sea-change retiree's world may end because their retirement home was destroyed by severe storms or is now being lapped by seawater due to sudden coastal erosion.

A worker in the city's life may end because all the money in the world can't put enough food on the family table anymore due to increasing world-wide food shortages and famine.

 

It has to be said. Howard's head is now burrowed so far into the sand that even his ar*se is beginning to disappear.

 

Copy of IPPC Fourth Assessment Report:

http://www.theage.com.au/ed_docs/17_11_07_ipcc4.pdf

Medical care in Howard's 'me first' Australia

"AUSTRALIA'S doctor shortage has reached crisis point, with three-quarters of the country's land area, and more than 12 million people, now deemed as lacking adequate access to primary care.------The latest available figures, from the end of March, reveal the federal Department of Health and Ageing has declared "districts of workforce shortage" over 74 per cent of Australia - or 59 per cent of the population.-------Mr Abbott said the figures were based on a "statistical construct" and while the shortages extended into suburban areas, there was evidence people could still see a GP if they were willing to wait a few hours."

The Australian article today:

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22781101-5013871,00.html

 

Really, Mr. Abbott? I see you don't mention rural or regional Australia. Here on the NSW North Coast the wait to see a GP is often counted in days or weeks with a $50 pay upfront bill attached. While turning up at the local hospital emergency department is a bit of a lottery because many of these hospitals don't have full-time doctors, and if they do your wait for treatment can sometimes be a long as six or seven hours.

 

The Australian Constitution says that the buck stops with the Federal Government on health care. So why did you let matters come to this pass?  Ah, yes - you have always expected the poor and those living in the bush to take what's leftover after your 'me first' mates have had their medical needs met.

Campaign Day 36

Anybody else notice that John Howard has just promised to stop an additional 60,000 people on government pensions or benefits from purchasing any form of alcohol or tobacco.

No? Well don't say you weren't warned.

First it was the goories; now its people with a drug conviction; next it will be the unemployed; followed by the disabled, widowed, old soldiers and aged.

If re-elected John Howard wants to turn most of government payments into a form of voucher system with little cash in hand for any of us receiving money through Centrelink or Repat.

Apparently if you are poor then you can't be trusted with money and don't deserve a couple of beers and a fag on Saturday night.

However if you are swimming in lard like Howard, then you can spend your parliamentary salary or pensions as you please. Advance Australia Fair indeed!

What's a former PM worth?

Brisbane's Courier Mail http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,22775928-953,00.html
reports that on top of a post-PM package of more than $300,000 a year, John Howard is expected to earn upwards of a million dollars from non-executive positions, international speaking tours and consultancy work.

A few quick calculations done on the back of a beer coaster reveal that during Howard's time at the helm, where he and Janette have lived off the public purse, he must have been able to stash away well in excess of $1.5 million as savings. Hence, he'll head off in to the sunset very well heeled . And, remember, in addition to his pension that is tax-payer- funded he takes with him heaps of other lurks and perks. What a jerk!

That's quite a reward for wrecking the future of working families!