boats Boats BOATS! The Australian punditry needs to be put on a life raft and sunk in the Pacific.

[HurleyHepsHird]

Australia is truly a blueprint for how to stupify political discourse to a potato brained level.

The boats have stopped, the boats will start again, will he lose because of the boats, they are running on 'the boats' again, boats! How can a country care so much about a one word ******* dogwhistle which simply identifies a mode of transport? Entire campaigns, op-eds and infinite public brain rattling about a single damn word.

This is a huge gamble by Murdoch and the punditry. Trying to wring so much political capital and space in the news/entertainment cycle out of something so reductive, again, for the umpteenth time. What happens if voters have been inoculated to this stupidity, have developed a more sophisticated understanding of the situation and are leaning towards humane solutions or are just simply tired of the decades old, empty scare. The power of the LNP and News will be permanently diminished.

 

[sherb]

The upcoming LNP fear campaign will be a good indicator of the maturity or otherwise of the Australian population come election day.

 

[Generalissimo]

Screechy racist scaremongering did not work for the Libs in the Victorian state election, and it won't work for them now.

 

[HurleyHepsHird]

The upcoming LNP fear campaign will be a good indicator of the maturity or otherwise of the Australian population come election day.

I wonder if our naval command will be told to be a little less circumspect when it comes to monitoring the oceans to our north and suddenly shock horror "a boat" appears in the news.

Likewise the leaks and smears will start about the offshore detainees.

The calculus will be who cares if there is fallout or we get caught, as long as we win.

 

[HurleyHepsHird]

Screechy racist scaremongering did not work for the Libs in the Victorian state election, and it won't work for them now.

Hope so.

 

[Hank Scorpion]

Tasmania on fire, Queensland flooded and NSW having one of the worst ecological disasters in the history of this continent.


Scummo: BOATS!!!!!!!

 

[Rob R]

Screechy racist scaremongering did not work for the Libs in the Victorian state election, and it won't work for them now.

They might pick up a few votes mostly in safe seats and the alp might get a few back from.the greens but ultimately with the invasion having been stopped years ago it is a minor issue compared to the climate etc.

 

[HurleyHepsHird]

Tasmania on fire, Queensland flooded and NSW having one of the worst ecological disasters in the history of this continent.


Scummo: BOATS!!!!!!!

It was offputting in the extreme to read an op-ed by the ABC's chief political editor speculating about "will the boats start back up again" and how will the boats starting or stopping play for Shorten.

The LNP have cast stupify on this issue and the spell not only hasn't timed out but has massive DPS on the brains of journos.

 

[Lebbo73]

Tasmania on fire, Queensland flooded and NSW having one of the worst ecological disasters in the history of this continent.


Scummo: BOATS!!!!!!!

North Queensland might need boats

 

[Pie eyed]

North Queensland might need boats

The NQ floods could be because God hates redneck racists?

 

[Lebbo73]

The NQ floods could be because God hates redneck racists?

They vote Labor up there at a State level and the LNP have barely scraped in for a while now at a Federal level. Back to crayons now big fella.

 

[Better Loosen Up]

I will be doing what everyone should be doing this election...... a dummy vote

Both political parties are about as useless as each other as far as I'm concerned and both leaders are a complete joke. The sad thing is that there is absolutely no other viable alternative to vote for. If there was enough of a dummy vote in this election, maybe it would deliver the firm kick up the arse that BOTH parties so desperately need.

 

[Better Loosen Up]

Tasmania on fire, Queensland flooded and NSW having one of the worst ecological disasters in the history of this continent.


Scummo: BOATS!!!!!!!

And what exactly do you think the Labour party will do about any of the bolded? Please do tell.

 

[Better Loosen Up]

Screechy racist scaremongering did not work for the Libs in the Victorian state election, and it won't work for them now.

This is an issue of racism? Really?

 

[Better Loosen Up]

I find it dumbfounding how passionate the "lefties" are on this site. It's quite hilarious to be honest. You must have very short memories of how putrid your previous political parties were. And don't get me wrong, Scomo and his current bunch of dimwits are no better. It really is a sad state for politics at the moment.

 

[Carringbush2010]

I will be doing what everyone should be doing this election...... a dummy vote

Both political parties are about as useless as each other as far as I'm concerned and both leaders are a complete joke. The sad thing is that there is absolutely no other viable alternative to vote for. If there was enough of a dummy vote in this election, maybe it would deliver the firm kick up the arse that BOTH parties so desperately need.

While I agree with the sentiment, the problem with both parties they don't have the power in the houses and ultimately it's the nut job extremists on both sides who have a say on on any legislation that go through both houses.

If everybody in the country went the way of the dummy vote then that may get what you want but not in the short term. The only way to have a stable government is to take away the votes from the minors.

Even then you'll end up back in the 80s and 90s and both parties will have policies you don't like so essentially you choose what's not worse.

And while I agree there is no one to vote for, even if the population did as you wish you'll only end up disappointed anyway just like everyone else because they'll also see policies they don't like even if you like them.

 

[NSWCROW]

And what exactly do you think the Labour party will do about any of the bolded? Please do tell.

*Labor*

 

[Better Loosen Up]

*Labor*

Thanks. But you get my point. Bill Shorten and the Labor party is not the return of Christ FFS! We will continue to have floods, droughts and fires. It's been the nature of this country for thousands of years. And when you consider what other countries/ continents have to go through at the hands of mother nature, we probably have a pretty good deal tbh

 

[NSWCROW]

Thanks. But you get my point. Bill Shorten and the Labor party is not the return of Christ FFS! We will continue to have floods, droughts and fires. It's been the nature of this country for thousands of years. And when you consider what other countries/ continents have to go through at the hands of mother nature, he probably have a pretty good deal tbh

He'll cop a s**t ton more grief from the murdoch mutts than old mate JC would

 

[HurleyHepsHird]

I will be doing what everyone should be doing this election...... a dummy vote

Both political parties are about as useless as each other as far as I'm concerned and both leaders are a complete joke. The sad thing is that there is absolutely no other viable alternative to vote for. If there was enough of a dummy vote in this election, maybe it would deliver the firm kick up the arse that BOTH parties so desperately need.

both sides BOTH SIDES!

 

[Better Loosen Up]

He'll cop a s**t ton more grief from the murdoch mutts than old mate JC would

Ok. Murdoch/ Fairfax, whatever. Each party gets to cop it from one side or the other. Who gives a crap? Most can see through it pretty easily except for the less educated (of which would have a greater representation of Labor voters anyway).

 

[HurleyHepsHird]

Ok. Murdoch/ Fairfax, whatever. Each party gets to cop it from one side or the other. Who gives a crap? Most can see through it pretty easily except for the less educated (of which would have a greater representation of Labor voters anyway).

Fairfax are not and have never been in Labor's camp.

 

[Better Loosen Up]

both sides BOTH SIDES!

Sorry if my use of caps was too much for you to bare.

 

[Better Loosen Up]

Fairfax are not and have never been in Labor's camp.

I'll repeat... who gives a crap!

 

[HurleyHepsHird]

Sorry if my use of caps was too much for you to bare.

I just don't see it.

The Labor right rule in the party room on border policy and they are virtually in lock step with the LNP.

Characters like Burke do take the fiscal conservative line of privatise, cut spending and outsource when it comes to the safety net, but Labor has hugely different policy agendas on workers rights, financial regulation, climate change, infrastructure spending and research/education than the LNP. People argued that Daniel Andrews was no different to his Liberal predecessor coming into his first term, yet that could not be further from the truth. Shorten doesn't have Andrews backbone, but he does have the Labor left constantly on his case.