Nostalgia is a fine political tool if you can use it and half his luck if Abbott can make it work for him. But it’s no basis for an economic policy.
Coalition
Do the Liberals have a conscience on gay marriage?
The media narrative is overwhelmingly obsessed with Labor’s position on the same-s-x marriage issue and the Coalition’s much larger anti-gay contingent has mostly been given a free pass.
Crikey Says: Australian political parties are dying, and fast
Australian political parties are cossetted by compulsory voting, public funding and exemptions in areas such as privacy. But despite those protections, they are dying, and quickly.
Offended by ‘nanny state’, Coalition wants more censorship on gambling
The Coalition has proposed greater internet censorship as part of its counter-proposals on gambling reform. The US experience shows it doesn’t work.
Rundle: carbon tax a monument to Labor, and testimony to a burial
The carbon tax will be Labor’s historical triumph; if a post-Labor Senate can lock it in, then it will be, for the Gillard government, a monument –- and like all monuments, testimony to a burial.
Crikey Says: Media inquiry has to do more than gather dust
It appears the government has decided to conduct a media inquiry, with details to be announced this afternoon.
News Ltd’s indelible influence on the Labor brand
For years News Limited media have published unremittingly negative attacks on the Gilllard government. They have had a massive influence in tarnishing the party’s brand, writes Ad Astra.
The Power Index: meet #2 on the list — Christopher Pyne
Christopher Pyne is attack dog, enforcer, messenger, organiser, whipper-in and tireless spruiker for the Opposition cause. And if Abbott becomes prime minister he will be amply rewarded.
Daring to dream on the Coalition’s costings
The problem with the Coalition needing to find $70 billion in savings is they never found the first $50 billion last year.
The Power Index: could a six-year-old s-x scandal really bring Gillard undone?
Could a six-year-old sex scandal really bring Julia Gillard’s minority government undone? The Power Index’s Matthew Knott reports.
Under pressure: leaning on lobby groups over the carbon tax
Brad Kitschke, head of the Australian Sporting Goods Association and leader of the Fair Imports Alliance, has claimed that Tony Abbott’s office effectively told him that the opposition would support his group on the GST issue if it came out against the carbon tax.
Essential: Gillard under the hammer, support for a carbon price down
Julia Gillard’s support has collapsed among voters and she now trails Tony Abbott as preferred Prime Minister.
Crikey Says: Crikey says: Climate Change Authority key to carbon future
One of the better aspects of the carbon price package revealed yesterday is its governance arrangements.
Cynical weakness v economic
irrationalism
The Government appears unconvinced it should be in power, and the Opposition will say anything, no matter how ridiculous, to confirm that.
Possum: Labor’s worst month in government
This quarter has seen everything move towards the Coalition.
Crikey Says: No more flying under the radar
And so it seems there’s more to being a viable alternative prime minister than effective media management.
Crikey Says: Splitting climate change on party lines
One of the striking elements about the public’s belief in climate change that emerges from today’s Essential Report findings is its highly politicised nature.
Essential Research: 54-46 to Coalition
The latest Essential Research poll finds the parties locked in their post-carbon tax stasis, with the Coalition steady on 47 percent, Labor steady on 35 percent and the Greens up one to 10 percent, writes William Bowe.
Essential: forget the surplus, voters say, and save us from cuts
Most voters would rather the federal government delay its back to black strategy and extend the deficit to stave off service cuts and tax hikes.
Crikey Says: The magic S word
Today Bernard Keane writes of a time when politicians treated voters like they actually had half a brain …
Nielsen: 54-46 to Coalition
Fairfax’s monthly Nielsen poll has the Coalition leading 54-46, which adds to a general impression of the Coalition lead having blown out from 51-49, reports William Bowe.
Abbott’s amazing ability to make an audience of supporters cheer
The ABC online reported that Tony Abbott found an enthusiastic cheering audience in Adelaide. What it neglected to mention was that the crowd were Liberal supporters, writes Jeremy Saunders.
Essential: Labor cops a hammering
Labor’s carbon price announcement is further battering an already-damaged brand. There is also strong opposition to the government’s carbon pricing announcement, with 48% of voters opposed compared to 35% in support.
Galaxy: 64-36 to Coalition in NSW
The latest Galaxy poll for New South Wales has the Coalition on 50 percent of the primary vote, down a point on the previous poll, with Labor up three to 23 percent, leveling out to 64-36 two-party preferred, writes William Bowe.
