Govt in waiting versus Govt on trial - what d'ya all reckon?

GuruJane

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Thread starter #1
Interesting to see the opinion polls are still showing a 50/50 divided electorate. The voters are clearly not going to rally to Julia/Labor just because she/it is in the chair.

Equally they are prepared to have a serious look at Abbott/Coalition for next time.

My list:

Govts weak points:

Rudd,

Swan,

Wong,

Conroy

Julia's serious lack of experience and maybe even substance beyond schools. And certainly lack of vision.

Bruce Hawker and Hawker Britton

Faceless men. Still there and awaiting.

Govts strong points

Crean in charge of regions, indies, and protecting Julia.

Combet - only he couild pull off a carbon tax, imo.

Can't see any others.

Opposition weak points

Can't see any obvious at the moment.

Oppositions strong points:

More like "safe" points than strong points.

Stability mainly, provided Abbott keeps going the way he has been.

Turnbull's return to front bench in a killer portfolio.

What do others think?
 

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Relativity

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#3
I think Hockey is their weak point. He keeps his position for reasons of internal political machinations rather than any solid performance. If he doesn't strengthen and focus his arguments the Opposition will lose ground.
 

noddy

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#5
Turnbull is Abbotts weak point in my opinion not for any lack of ability but for the simple reason he could make or break Abbotts already badly damaged credibility even further.

Anyway i do find it interesting in that Abbott has ordered Turnbull to go forth & destroy Labors NBN without delay, this coming from a man who stabbed his party leader in the back to gain power for the extreme right of Australian politics.

Labors weak point is Rudd.
 

Freo Big Fella

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#7
Equally they are prepared to have a serious look at Abbott/Coalition for next time.
Incredibly risky for Abbott to sit back and take this approach - look at the ALP post-98.

All it takes is for the Government to pull off one or two policies that ring true with the electorate, and the "Government-in-waiting" is blown out of the water.
 

JimDocker

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#8
Interesting to see the opinion polls are still showing a 50/50 divided electorate. The voters are clearly not going to rally to Julia/Labor just because she/it is in the chair.

Equally they are prepared to have a serious look at Abbott/Coalition for next time.

So 50/50 means a negative comment towards the government and a positive comment towards the opposition.

Possibly the least balanced OP to have appeared in ages and that is saying something on this board !!

At any given time, there are talented and decent people in both parties and at any given time there are walking time bombs in both.
 

GuruJane

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Thread starter #9
That your review is incredibly biased. How you could claim their cabinet has no weak points beggars belief.
Was defining "weak" as in terms of potential to derail govt.

In Abbott's cabinet, there are no obvious "weak" potentials, unless maybe Malcolm Turnbull plays up. If Barnaby had already been in finance, I woulda said Barnaby. The people who trot out Joe Hockey forget that Joe has been shadow treasurer for 19 months now and is still to derail the opposition. Abbott's shadow cabinet may be uninspiring, may be arse clowns, but they got a much better result at the election than Julia's did.

btw saying something is "not weak" doesn't mean it is "strong" which you might have understood if you'd read the post properly.
 

Big John

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#10
Was defining "weak" as in terms of potential to derail govt.

In Abbott's cabinet, there are no obvious "weak" potentials, unless maybe Malcolm Turnbull plays up. If Barnaby had already been in finance, I woulda said Barnaby. The people who trot out Joe Hockey forget that Joe has been shadow treasurer for 19 months now and is still to derail the opposition. Abbott's shadow cabinet may be uninspiring, may be arse clowns, but they got a much better result at the election than Julia's did.

btw saying something is "not weak" doesn't mean it is "strong" which you might have understood if you'd read the post properly.
Haven't been following the news much, but i heard the election result was actually pretty close.
 

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Southerntakeover

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#12
Was defining "weak" as in terms of potential to derail govt.

In Abbott's cabinet, there are no obvious "weak" potentials, unless maybe Malcolm Turnbull plays up. If Barnaby had already been in finance, I woulda said Barnaby. The people who trot out Joe Hockey forget that Joe has been shadow treasurer for 19 months now and is still to derail the opposition. Abbott's shadow cabinet may be uninspiring, may be arse clowns, but they got a much better result at the election than Julia's did.

btw saying something is "not weak" doesn't mean it is "strong" which you might have understood if you'd read the post properly.
So, in what way is it actually possible to 'derail' the opposition, given that the furthest they can fall is to remain in opposition. (which they do).
 

GuruJane

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Thread starter #13
So, in what way is it actually possible to 'derail' the opposition, given that the furthest they can fall is to remain in opposition. (which they do).
Derailing from being able to win the next election which the Opp is now in a much better position to do compared to what it was at the start of the election campaign
 

GuruJane

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Thread starter #14
The libs have many, many weak points. Bishop v Rudd in foreign affars is just one of them.
Bishop v Smith was continually said to be one of the Libs weak points, but didn't stop them from almost winning the election and indeed winning more seats than Labor.

Doesn't make Bishop a "strong point" of course, but Rudd has got to be counted as a weak point for Labor at this point in time.
 

GuruJane

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Thread starter #15
Turnbull is Abbotts weak point in my opinion not for any lack of ability but for the simple reason he could make or break Abbotts already badly damaged credibility even further.
Heh, heh, you don't seem to realise the campaign has enhanced Abbott's credibility not damaged it :D

however I agree that Malcolm has the potential to be a weak point in terms of leadership destablisation. But Abbott might surprise, Noddy. Again.

Methinks you are still suffering Hawker \Britton induced ADS.
 

kimp

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#16
Interesting to see the infighting reports are coming out now on the Coalition.

Also guruJane I realise you're not in-country which may excuse your error but the coalition did not win more seats than Labor.

I would add that Gillard is clearly a strong point for Labor. Given Labor's election campaign debacle she clearly showed that.

Finally any frontbencher that is remaining from the Howard years is a weakness.
 

GuruJane

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Thread starter #17
Interesting to see the infighting reports are coming out now on the Coalition.

Also guruJane I realise you're not in-country which may excuse your error but the coalition did not win more seats than Labor.
Coalition won 73 seats, Labor won 72. If you are imagining that because the national who took wilson tuckey's seat announced afterwards he would sit on cross benches means the coalition did not win that seat you are wrong: The member ran as a endorsed coalitionm candidate and did ot make his intentions knwon until afterwards.

I would add that Gillard is clearly a strong point for Labor. Given Labor's election campaign debacle she clearly showed that.
If Gillard and labor had got the post election "bounce" all govts get when they take office I would have agreed with you.

But they didn't - went marginally backwards, with Julia's dissatisfaction rising and PPM remaining the same. That's what gave rise to this post, if you'd like to go back to the start of the thread.

Finally any frontbencher that is remaining from the Howard years is a weakness
They weren't a weakness in this election campaign, or in all the time Abbott has been leader, so there's no evidence except personal opinion/bias to say they'll be weakness in the future.
 

kimp

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#19
Sorry Jane the coalition candidate lost his seat and the western aus national won (who aren't part of the coalition) but carry on...
 

TheGreatBarryB

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#20
Derailing from being able to win the next election which the Opp is now in a much better position to do compared to what it was at the start of the election campaign
$11bill hole nearly derailed the whole ****ing train. What an extraordinary rant this thread is.
 

Freo Big Fella

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#21
Coalition won 73 seats, Labor won 72. If you are imagining that because the national who took wilson tuckey's seat announced afterwards he would sit on cross benches means the coalition did not win that seat you are wrong: The member ran as a endorsed coalitionm candidate and did ot make his intentions knwon until afterwards.
That's not true - Wilson Tuckey was the endorsed coalition candidate, and Crook made his dissatisfaction with the Federal Coalition pretty clear throughout the campaign. The east-coast media didn't expect him to knock off Tuckey though so they paid him little attention until the election finished up.
 

GuruJane

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Thread starter #22
That's not true - Wilson Tuckey was the endorsed coalition candidate, and Crook made his dissatisfaction with the Federal Coalition pretty clear throughout the campaign. The east-coast media didn't expect him to knock off Tuckey though so they paid him little attention until the election finished up.
You're right. forgot about tuckey being the endorsed candidate! how could that happen?:D

ps woulda put Tuckey being defeated into the Coalition's "strengths" list.
 
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