Comments on: Possum: Coalition’s “economic legacy” in tatters

By: AR

AR — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:58:17 +0000

Opinion polls are about ‘opinions’ not knowledge or fact-based (old, worn-out concept I acknowledge) reality.
I am nonetheless impressed by the honesty of the 22 & 23% ‘Don’t Knows’ asked chicken entrail questions of financial finangling. The 2/3rds who express certainty (either way) about such phantasy & arcania probably haven’t had access to news under whichever rocks they’ve been living for the last 2 years.

By: evidently

evidently — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:16:28 +0000

Malcolm Street
a very neat summary of success and failures of the Howard experiment. I really do think the 24.11.07 result was about more than the interest rate blatherings, though important for those swing voters with highly geared investments at that moment, there was, and still is, a great deal of ‘revolting youth’. These affective drives harken back to times referred to in our recent literature where there was a burley sort of kindness shown to each other, which was missing in action under the thin lipped sneer of liberal hubris.
Ben
I love it, though as a meme du jour, I think since the GFC (b) is an easier sell than (a).

By: Ben Aveling

Ben Aveling — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:05:59 +0000

I don’t think you can blame this one on the Liberal’s lack of incumbency. Simultaneously telling the voting public that (a) pain is good for you, and (b) the economists are all wrong? It was always going to be a hard sell.

By: Malcolm Street

Malcolm Street — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:42:40 +0000

Evidently - Howard nearly lost in ‘98, and looked gone for all money in 2001 until his boat came in in the form of the Tampa. He then lied his way back in in 2004 re. interest rates, helped by Latham frightening the horses. The interest rate blather blew up in his face by 2007 and he was up against a better opposition leader.

By: evidently

evidently — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:30:26 +0000

Good stuff Possum,
oh Meski…. I really don’t agree that “we got sick of him” is why he lost. I personally know lots of people that hated him from the start. I reckon it was that the swinging voters and new young voter things were getting increasingly alienated by a government that was shamelessly promoting individualism over the community and state to the extent we were like an idiot half brother of the US of A.

By: meski

meski — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 05:09:28 +0000

Opposition parties don’t win, governments lose. That’s the real legacy. And it’s why Howard lost. We got sick of him.