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The honeymoon is well and truly over for Kevin Rudd.
But how did his popularity hit all-time lows and why is the Coalition looking better than ever?
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Rudd never really started failing, he was a failure from the outset. He was clearly a nobody who offended no-one who was selected to help Labor fall over the line due to the increasing unpopularity of Howard and his motley ugly crew, since replaced by an only slightly less motley ugly crew. The ALP didn’t want to chance another Mark Latham. Rudd is a cipher, a vacuum waiting to be filled by the spirit of anyone who looks at him, like Woody Allen’s Zelig. Such is the nature of Australian politics.
Rudd set expectations WAY too high, which is why his poll results were so high in 2007 – 2009. The turning point was the home insulation deaths, fires and massive cost to taxpayers, then the Educations rorts, and failed other policies, like fuel watch, grocery watch, laptops for school children and the other 40 or so broken promises. The ETS has had a smaller impact, cause it was flawed from the start. Copenhagen did not help.
I’m board with people incorrectly blaming the government for the insultation deaths and fires. The employers and company’s installing the insulation are responsible for the deaths and dogie instalation work, that is a fact. Everyone goes way overboard with how involved the government were. Homeowners should have decent electrical wiring. Employers should ensure the health and safety of all their employees.
Boat arrival assylum seekers are a minor issue in the scheme of things. This backflip is just positioning by Rudd to expose his real moral position on the issue and to ensure the lib’s cant differentiate themselves on the issue. Sorry Getup, but matter how much you harp on this issue, you will just be wasting your members money as the result of the next election will not hinge on this issue.
Rudd backflips on all other policy has all been down to the influence of lobbiest and industry interest groups.
Grocery choice, was flipped after lobbying by Coles and Woolies, Choice still wanted to go ahead.
Fuel Watch, who cares, no one would use it except retirees, they all vote Liberal anyway or don’t know how to use a computer. Rudd would have been lobbied by the big name fuel distributors on this to drop it.
Laptops have been rolled out, poorly specified though due to not thinking through the policy properly and then having a massive funding issue, so have fun with your cheap laptops kids.
BER – for some reason Julia Gillard can duck anything, even the rip offs. She can easilly point to the States who were to roll this program out as being the ones who stuffed up. Which is correct.
The core issue that has hurt Rudd is that policy has been too easliy influenced by the for-profit business sector. I’m not saying don’t talk to them, by all means they should be sounded out. But the for-profit sector and industry organisations to directly influence policy like they did with the various backflips, the CPRS and are now doing with the RSPT is fundamental to what is corrupting Rudd. This influence should have some form of regulation and exposure and transparency offered to the public over all political parties. This should be addressed, along with political donations and clear disclosure by media as to what ‘articles’ they publish are PR pieces (thanks to Crikey for publishing that data) for our democracy to function better.
The biggest issue for Rudd is the fact there is no movement on climate change and the fact that their CPRS policy was weakened substantially with free permits inefficient industries, but this same benefit not going to more effiicient alternatives. The policy would ensuring coal remains a strong part of the our ongoing energy mix. So even if we wait for the end of another electoral term for some action on Climate change, it will be another poor policy.
Saying that, I think the Greens fundamentally stuffed up by not voting for the poor CPRS policy as it may well have gone through with some Liberal cross benches who were still loyal to Mal. And then over the next electral cycle it could have been improved. As such I doubt the greens will perform much better this election than last having performed badly on what should be the core policy position of climate change.
DEAR @BIV
A FEW COMMENTS ON YOUR POST
I’m board with people incorrectly blaming the government for the insultation deaths and fires.
HUH?? THEY CREATED THE SCHEME THAT COULD BE RORTED BY UNLICENCED AND UNTRAINED OPERATORS?? THEY REGISTERED THESE BOGUS OPERATORS AND PAID THE REBATES
Boat arrival assylum seekers are a minor issue in the scheme of things.
RUBBISH, IT COSTS AUSTRALIA HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS A YEAR WHEN YOU ADD UP DEFENCE TIME AS WELL. WHY DOE THSE QUEUE JUMPERS ORGANISED BY CRIMINALS GET TO JUMP THE QUEUE, WHAT ABOUT THE OTHERS IN THE QUEUE. ITS A JOKE, THEY SCUTTLE THEIR BOATS, SO THEY HAVE TO BE SAVED.
Grocery choice, was flipped after lobbying by Coles and Woolies, Choice still wanted to go ahead.
CORRECT. RUDD PROMISED IT AND DID NOT DELIVER. HE BENT TO THE KNEES OF THE TWO GROCERY CANNIBALS WHO HAVE 70% MARKET SHARE. NO SPINE. I INSTALLED THE FIRST SCANNING STORE IN AUSTRALIA IN 1982 AND KNOW THE RETAILERS SYSTEMS VERY WELL. IT WAS AROUND 2 DAYS WORK TO SEND GROCERY CHOICE A REGULAR FEED OF PRICES. TEN YEARS AGO IT WOULD HAVE BEEN MONTHS WORK. RUDD AND EMERSON WERE CONNED AND ARE WEAK.
Fuel Watch, who cares,
WE ALL CARE, ITS A HUGE PERCENTAGE OF EVERYONE WEEKLY LIVING EXPENSES.
BER – for some reason Julia Gillard can duck anything, even the rip offs. She can easilly point to the States who were to roll this program out as being the ones who stuffed up. Which is correct.
IT WAS FEDERAL MONEY OUR TAX DOLLARS, SHE SHOULD HAVE TAKEN GREAT CARE. SCHOOLS WERE TOLD SPEND THE MONEY QUICKLY OR YOU LOOSE IT. ANY BUSINESS RUN LIKE THAT WOULD FAIL.
Hi Astro, thanks for your response.
I understand your point on insulation, but are you saying that the employers of these people who died at work have no responsibility for the health and safety of the people they employ? We equally feel it is unnecessary for anyone to die from work related activity. I feel that the employers responsible for the deaths have not got the beating they deserve in the media vs the treatment Peter Garret got.
Fair enough assylum costs us lots of money, but Liberal vs Labor policy are both as costly. Not much to cast your vote on here.
Are you seriously going to check fuel watch before you fill up? Who has time unless you’re retired?
We’re in heated agreement on Grocery Watch
I think we can agree to disagree then on the BER. From my point of view the States are responsible for the spend, Julia just handed them the cash and timeline for the spend in line with the design requirements of the economic stimulus. The States are the ones responsible for getting ripped off, they have designed their procurement system for the BER which has led to the waste. If the catholic schools managed to not get ripped off then it goes back to the State’s wasting our money.