Comments on: Brown’s ‘$1m bribe’ claim lacks a who, what and when http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/05/19/browns-1m-bribe-claim-lacks-a-who-what-and-when/ now with extra source Sun, 12 Feb 2012 02:48:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Tom McLoughlin http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/05/19/browns-1m-bribe-claim-lacks-a-who-what-and-when/#comment-2284 Tom McLoughlin Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-2284 On a tangent, I've nursed a theory about the NSW ALP seeking to 'bribe' voters in two ways prior to the last state election: 1. A week prior to voting day 100K walkers across the harbour bridge got free caps and night lights. A pretty cheap price for your vote. 2. Targetted to sensitive green leaning inner city seats - free long life light globes. More serious as worth maybe $30-40 value for 3 or 4 in each case, just sign the carbon credits over to contractor for NSW Govt. As my rhetoric ramped up about inducements to support the Govt at the election the scheme was terminated around Oct-Nov 2006 months before the election. // Both small give aways in themselves but it reminded me of pigs slaughtered for the feast and barrels of beer in the PNG highlands. Qualitatively not so different. The Coalition didn't dare complain about free caps and lights at the time, but the question is, how does a govt get away with give aways so close to the vote? Isn't it sleazy? Does it work? On a tangent, I’ve nursed a theory about the NSW ALP seeking to ‘bribe’ voters in two ways prior to the last state election: 1. A week prior to voting day 100K walkers across the harbour bridge got free caps and night lights. A pretty cheap price for your vote. 2. Targetted to sensitive green leaning inner city seats - free long life light globes. More serious as worth maybe $30-40 value for 3 or 4 in each case, just sign the carbon credits over to contractor for NSW Govt. As my rhetoric ramped up about inducements to support the Govt at the election the scheme was terminated around Oct-Nov 2006 months before the election. // Both small give aways in themselves but it reminded me of pigs slaughtered for the feast and barrels of beer in the PNG highlands. Qualitatively not so different. The Coalition didn’t dare complain about free caps and lights at the time, but the question is, how does a govt get away with give aways so close to the vote? Isn’t it sleazy? Does it work?

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