Monday, September 24, 2007

Dirt files fail to impress

Intrepid poll watchers are noticing a clear trend in Australia’s faux election campaign; smear campaigns are not making any impact on voter thinking.

Recalling last years US mid-terms, there was furious debate on the value of attack politics. Well at least with this constituency the value seems to be zero.

We are being warned, continually, that it will be a dirty campaign. There has already been the Rudd New York ‘strippergate’, among others.

The latest circulated by some members of the government, charges that one of their ministers is a closet gay. Further it labels said minister’s wife as a ‘beard’; someone who covers for a gay.

Some ‘experts’ are saying the Liberal’s will be running the dirtiest campaign in the country’s history. I guess if they are attacking their own already we might be in for a treat.

On the other hand, the hapless voter doesn’t seem to be taking that particular bait. I guess there is no real point telling people what they already know, that politics is sleazy.

Given politics is my favourite sport I’d like to be able to put up an argument. Unfortunately the smell of power does seem to reek of something more earthy.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wait...did you say "will be running the dirtiest campaign"? You mean it hasn't started yet? Isn't your election only a few months away?

Oh to be Australian. The campaign may be dirty, but it's mercifully short.

Cartledge said...

froggy, it's about the legals now. There are no candidates until registrations are called on the day the election is announced.
I'm thinking the dirty campaign might just die in the arse if it doesn't reflect in the polls, but I doubt it :(