Queensland election, who will win??

[.RC.]

Looks like us Queenslanders are up for an election in under a months time...

Who do you think will win?

Does the current incumbent government deserve to get back?

Will the LNP get a 7.8% swing and win the 22 seats required? A swing of that magnitude has happened before in the 1989 election.

What is your prediction...

Mine is a Labor victory by 2 or 3 seats..

For the record, I shall not be voting for the incumbent.

[Waldo]

Doubt Springborg would win, Bligh don't know enough of her as a Premier. Is she more a a Beatie clone? Or has she really come into her own?

I'm not a Labor bloke, I had doubts about Beatie based on previous dopes before him, but he seemed to be more intent on doing okay for the state than playing the politics.

[Waldo]

A swing of that magnitude has happened before in the 1989 election.

And that landed Goss didn't it, from memory? One of the worst Premiers in Qld.

[damian]

Not as bad as the person he replaced. JBP has the tremendous distinction of undermining both our electoral system and freedom of assembly. Whatever else he did I can not forgive that.

Beatie spent 10 years stuffing this state, blowing out high salary admin and "communication" positions in government, increasing beaurocracy and state taxes. Because the opposition was unelectable he just kept on keeping on. Bligh has inherited that but due to her total lack of charisma and ability to lie convincingly even the really unsophisticated the people of queensland now realise we're in it up to our chins.

Of course the "borg" won't do a better job, but at least he's (unintentionally) funny.

I think the LNP will pick up some seats, but not enough to govern in their own right. There may be a resurgence of independants. The greens will continue to claw the odd seat especially in the nuvo-pseudo-hippie areas. I don't think the swing will be big enough to change this time, maybe next election especially if the LNP put up a leader who's a bit more convincing.

[Waldo]

True what you wrote about Beatie Damian, I didn't like him, but I give him marks for making some hard decisions like implementing the dams around Esk, a bit down from Jimboomba and the other one (can't remember where exactly they are, but then Bligh has got cold feet and pulled the plug, for that she needs a boot up the and needs kicking out. Politicians who play politics over what is better for the state need , espeically when it has to do with water, look at Brumby's inheritance down here with water )- these were recommended back in '91 by the Water Resources Commission but dropped by the successive labour idiot Goss. When he asked for recommendations but didn't like the answers he was given.

Water desalination was the other one.

Didn't do great elsewhere as you wrote, but in other areas, he was okay.

I'd prefer LNP got in, but they've not been anywhere near heir strength of before Goss. And yes, for my 2¢ Joh did a heck of a lot of good for Queensland.

[Spanner69]

I think it will be a Bligh government as the NLP has nothing to offer as a real alternative.

I think the Bligh government needs a savage kick up the bottom and needs a huge scare..... particularly on the environmental and social issues. Kind of funny actually that the Greens are more socially responsible in terms of both the environment and jobs and social welfare which used to be the heart and soul of the ALP until the right wing factions of the ALP made the greed is good mantra Johnny was sprouting an ALP core belief.

For the record I am voting green as I firmly believe after reading their policies that they are the new ALP alternative and will bring about a social and environmental change that is required to bring us back to the Australia of social justice and to help with the climate chaos that is occurring. You should check out the policies of each of the political parties.

In fact I am going to try and find some links so that people can make an informed decision.

I will try and include the three "main" parties but will also try for the minor parties as well if I have time.

[Waldo]

Yeah, but if you go by Federal Greens their policies are up the... take for instance having negotiated bike pathways in the stimulis,

I've no idea, what the Greens in Queensland stand for, but I doubt it'd be much better than federally and just as ill thought. They might have ideas, but no idea on a bigger picture.

For me, all the Greens do is bring half baked ratbag ideas into the population.

[damian]

Really ? Like what ?

I've voted liberal very very rarely. Locally for our councillor who is very good, once in a NSW state election when they took the parties off the ballot paper and Unsworth was trying to take our guns off us. I've never voted Labour. I usually vote independant and study the candidates before the election. So I don't think I can be consider a raving fan of either side.

Having said that I have heard many times about "what Joe did for qld" but I'll be darned if I can figure out what ? He let his mates have their way with any resource in the state they wanted to pillage. Serious sustainable development was held back because no one outside qld wanted to do business up here. The government was a running joke and I wouldn't even visit my home state during the 80's because of the oppressive police actions and madness of it all.

I'm not telling you your wrong, I'm not slagging you off or anything. I am asking the question sincerely. What is it you percieve Joe did for queensland ?

The infrastructure problem is endemic across Australia at all levels of government. They have relinquished control of monopoly and critical infrastructure for a short term return then the private owners run it into the ground and hand it back when it's st*f'd. Also infrastructure spends as a % of GDP has been in decline since the early 70's. I'll be becoming water independant when I can and hopefully electricity and phone independant in due course. Then all I'll need is a high wall and some machine gun towers

[Waldo]

Took on unions who were bringing the state to a stand still and stopping economic growth, brought Qld out of what other states called a backwater - if he hadn't of done what he did, Qld wouldn't be in the shape it was prior to the economics of today.

But, I don't want to increase stress levels of myself or anyone else with arguments, especially over politics. I'm not running from an argument, I'd just rather not make another thread in this forum another great debate.

Politics and religion were never meant to be argued.

[Spanner69]

Yeah, but if you go by Federal Greens their policies are up the... take for instance having negotiated bike pathways in the stimulis,

I've no idea, what the Greens in Queensland stand for, but I doubt it'd be much better than federally and just as ill thought. They might have ideas, but no idea on a bigger picture.

For me, all the Greens do is bring half baked ratbag ideas into the population.

With out trying to get personal ... as I really dont want it to get poersonal ... these sorts of comments are based in ignorance.

Bike paths?????? .... what better way to help deal with the obesity problems in australia, what a great way to help to reduce the cost of motor vehicles in Australia, what better way to help to reduce the congestion of morning peak hour in Australia, What better way of making our children safer when riding to school in Australia.

If you are going to make comments like these above then please make sure you have a valid reason for "poo-pooing" them and not just vitriol that is based on only part of the actual policy or based on as I said ignorance of the actual topic.

I say go for you life in downing any political party but do it with knowledge rather than vitriol.


Again as I said I am saying this not to offend any one but to make this a discussion that can be real and based on fact rather than based on what we hear in the tabloid newspapers.

[Waldo]

What have bike paths got to do with improving the economy of Australia directly?

[damian]

You cna email me from my usename if you want. I'm not interested in arguments either, but I am interested in what other people think about this stuff.

The political party thing is a seperate matter. Liberal and Lbour moved to the center because the desire of politicians to get elected supercedes any personal principals they may have. In teh 80's Hawke/Keeting et al realised the blue collar vote ahd nowhere to go so they could afford to shaft them in order to curry favour with the conservative voter. Howard applied the same in reverse to broaden the coalition vote.

The greens have a long way to go to become more than a side show. Yes they have filled the void left by the democrats in the senate but if there was another viable alternative they would again become irrelevant. They are pollitically naive and appeal only to the fringe of pseudo hippie inner city types. Everyone else regards them as too dangerous. Same with family first. I would not be sureprised if that chap doesn't get re-elected to the senate.

Golden rules of Australian politics:

Governments don't win elections they lose them. We never vote people in, we vote them out.

Australians more than anything else want stability. Whitlam found that out the hard way.

The only votes that matter are swinging votes in marginal seats. It does not matter what you do if your seat does not change hands. This does not apply to the upper houses of course. Australian federal elections are decided essentially by a few hundred thousand people, the rest of us don't count.

[Waldo]

With what you wrote above I agree with.

[damian]

With out trying to get personal ... as I really dont want it to get poersonal ... these sorts of comments are based in ignorance.

snip..

I say go for you life in downing any political party but do it with knowledge rather than vitriol.


Again as I said I am saying this not to offend any one but to make this a discussion that can be real and based on fact rather than based on what we hear in the tabloid newspapers.

Well I found his post a lot less offensive than yours. I'm not trying to start a punch up with you, but he was just expressing his opinion, while your criticising him for expressing it.

The reality is most Australians have no idea who their local reps are, how our government is structured or any details of the political parties policies. So are you suggesting they have no right to an opinion, or maybe even a vote ?

You sound like a typical greens voter

[Vernonv]

What have bike paths got to do with improving the economy of Australia directly?

Infrastructure spending. Much like building roads, schools, hospitals, etc, just on a smaller scale.