With just days to go before we trot off to our local polling stations the boredom is really setting in. Despite late breaking scandal the campaigns just haven’t caught fire. All carefully planned of course, this is the election of the small target. I’ve reflected before on the major parties going to great lengths to control media output. With something like $40 billion in promises there is no simple, straight forward list of what is on offer.
Break your promises, please!
Not something we normally want, but the broad thrust of the promises are based on tax breaks. Hospitals desperately need catch up funding and the country desperately needs hospital staff. Not a word on that, just give us a few bucks a week in our pockets.
Education infrastructure funding desperately needs sorting, instead we give education tax breaks to parents. On and on through key issues, forget the basic needs and just offer us the cash. I would hope that a sensible government would simply put the money where it is really needed.
On the polls
This is another odd area of the campaign, with the polls barely moving over the past year. Sure there are a couple of points difference between some of the polling organisations, but pretty much within the error range.
It is more the way polls are being reported. The same figures can range through from a cliff hanger to a wipe out either way. I guess that comes back to lies, damned lies and statistics.
The pork barrel
Just days out from election day the incumbents have been revealed as the greatest pork barrel artists in this country’s history. Between a suggested $400 million dumped on key electorates without any proper oversight, and another $200 million a year spent on government ‘information’ campaigns, the Howard government is without equal.
But it seems corruption is just another yawn in this election campaign full of yawns. There are some very real issues which should be addressed, but I doubt any will even be considered in this outing. ‘Don’t know, don’t care’ seems to be the election campaign slogan.
3 comments:
5 out of 5 on Mclaughlin Group predict a Howard defeat.
I thought you might like to hear that.
btw, welcome to the cynicism of American politics; it looks like it has taken hold in Australia.
I hope you get a good turnout & that your votes are fairly counted. Galvanizing the electorate is hard, but damnit, when they do turn out, the least they should expect is that their votes will be correctly counted. But then, maybe I am a bit jaded, considering all the election shenanigans we have in the U.S. Does Australia do exit polls?
PT thanks. I'm just going from the on the ground response in this conservative electorate. I think Howard is gone big time. Still thinking a 30 seat swing.
d.k. We have compulsory voting which ensures a decent turnout. How people vote then is another issue.
As to counting, we can suspect foul play, but without independent scrutineers in every polling station it is a matter of trust.
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