Why the PM’s unpopularity? If you were in another country and not watching, listening to or reading Australian media reports and simply looking at the official statistics you would probably assume that ours was a well governed country doing remarkably well compared with most other nations.
That is certainly what the various international comparison surveys show yet here at home we are apparently judging this Labor Government as one of the worst ever. This morning’s Newspoll result, for example, is truly dismal for Julia Gillard and her team.
Why is it so? Well, being one of the knockers myself, I put it down to the cavalier way that our Prime Minister began her post-election period with that breach of promise over the carbon tax.
It was like Paul Keating all those years ago abandoning his solemn pre-election commitment to his L.A.W. tax cuts after his greatest victory of all. History suggests he was doomed to defeat from that moment on. Extreme political cynicism is a turn-off for ordinary voters.
The only solution I can see – and I have suggested this before – is to assure voters that, while they did not have the opportunity to pass judgment on the carbon tax before it becomes law, they will have the opportunity of doing so after it is in operation and they can evaluate its effect.
This will entail agreeing to use Labor’s votes in the Senate to support, if there should be a Liberal-National government, the repeal of the legislation.
Then as a government I would be taking the advice that Malcolm Fraser one promised and getting politics off the front pages as much as possible.
Unanimity the only doubt. There’s only one reason to be fearful that the Board of the Reserve Bank will increase interest rates this afternoon. The financial industry economists surveyed by the news agencies are unanimous in their opinion that there will be no change!. The Crikey Indicator puts the no change decision as a 92.3% chance.
Richard,
You are right. Australian’s hate being lied to
Prime Minister Gillard began her post-election period with that breach of promise (lie) over the carbon tax.
Paul Keating all those years ago abandoning his solemn pre-election commitment (lie) to his L.A.W. tax cuts after his greatest victory of all.
Funny how everyone – well, the media anyway – seems to have forgotten John Howard’s “never, ever” GST promise which dogged his first term and gave him sub-strata approval rates. And he got back despite that pre-election lie.
And at least Julia has not had to dispatch seven ministers in the process.
First Dog’s cartoon today is probably the most poignant (if not the funniest) he’s ever done; it’s up there with that great one (can’t remember who penned it) when Howard’s on a conveyor belt under the title ‘the re-making of John Howard’ and he comes out the other side of the machinery exactly the same, while the machinery itself is wrecked. I doffs me lid, #1 Dog
If Australians hate being lied to why did they put up with Howard for 12 years? The guy lied to us all on a daily basis, from the ‘never ever’ GST to the children overboard to the WMDs that he assured us were in Saddam’s possession. Whole websites were filled with lists of his lies. Howard coined the term ‘non-core promise’ to persuade us that his lies were not really lies at all.
Sheep-like Australians who pay attention to the likes of Alan Jones have been led to believe that we elect our prime ministers and should all get to vote on every piece of government legislation, so we now have a noisy bunch of Coalition supporters constantly demanding an election because the last one didn’t get them the result they wanted. All that angst and hate has to be directed at someone and Gillard is the obvious target. I often wonder if there would be quite as much vitriol if she were a bloke. Somehow I think not.
Gillard is unpopular because the media tell us constantly that she is unpopular. Say something often enough and the majority will believe it.
Every politician lies. Some like Gillard get crucified by the media and some get away with it like honest John (Howard) who made lying an artform as Leone has pointed out. In 2004 the SMH noted:
“To his critics, John Howard is the ultimate political hypocrite, the political leader who promised honesty and prospered by lies and deceit. To those who hate him and despise his success it’s the dishonest way they believe he has achieved it, more than anything, that incites their fury”.
“… But it is demonstrably true that Howard and his Government have, on a number of well-documented occasions, parted company with the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. The introduction of retrospectivity to the value of an election promise with Howard’s declaration that he was totally committed to only “core” promises. The ditching of the “never, ever” promise not to introduce a GST. Children overboard. Medicare. Iraq and the dishonest word games over whether Australia would join the war and the false justifications for launching it. Even viewed generously, there is clear evidence of an elasticity with the truth. Viewed from the moral high ground it’s blatant, systematic dishonesty, without apology”.
The irony is he largely got away with it all..
Listening to ABC Radio National I see that Newspoll is the No.1 news item. It’s crap, has been crap all day (since Q&A last night) and is still being debated on ABC PM. What’s with the ABC and its NewsLtd focus? Can’t politics be conducted in some other way than constant regurgitation of fabricated untrustworthy polls.