It won’t get any better than last night for Labor, with virtually made-to-order media coverage (except for that galoot in budgie smugglers), plenty of emphasis on WorkChoices — Labor will be delighted journalists recalled the Mark Latham comparison when Abbott signed the commitment – and Gillard talking to an ordinary Aussie family — almost certainly the sort that set their alarm early and work hard. The Liberals have got off to a shocker of a start. But that means only one thing: things will get better. And still over four weeks to go.
Julia Gillard targets another ‘population seat’ today with a visit to the outer-Sydney seat of Macquarie, where Bob Debus is retiring and his Labor successor Susan Templeman is up against Louise Markus, who knows a thing or two about appealing to the baser prejudices of outer suburban voters. Last week Crikey revealed Macquarie is where a particularly blunt flyer is being direct-mailed to voters presenting Gillard’s credentials as an advocate for a “sustainable Australia” in direct contrast to Kevin Rudd.
According to yesterday’s Essential Research poll, Julia Gillard’s lead over Tony Abbott is twice as large among women as among men. Worse for Abbott is … it’s even 15 points among men.
Abbott needs to stop talking about WorkChoices. Barring a dramatic policy announcement, the only way is to play a straight bat to every question about it and say he has covered the issue in detail already and will not be adding to his answers. It will make for a day of painful interviews and bad headlines but the demands of the media cycle mean journalists will have to move on and by next week will be distant in the rear-view mirror.
Peter Costello’s mockery of “moving forward” didn’t help at all yesterday. It wasn’t just the reminder that in Costello the Liberals had a leader who could have romped to victory this time around but who never had the bottle for the job even when it was offered to him on a platter. Costello’s mimicry might have revved up the faithful but it looked bad on the evening news. In question time, some men on both sides of politics reflexively mimic female opponents’ voices, like they’re back in the schoolyard. It never looks good, let alone — dare I use a word of patriarchal oppression — gentlemanly.
Peter Costello, a ….gentleman???
ROTFLMAO
Thanks BK. I just sprayed coffee all over the monitor. 🙂
And to think that I once thought I could vote for Costello–when I first returned from half a lifetime spent o/s back in 2001. I tell myself this lapse of judgement was unfamiliarity and the repellent climate established by Howard in that year of Tampa. Costello has proven himself to be lacking in most of the qualities one would like in a leader, especially courage and grace, and utter lack of judgement. His mimicry was ugly to watch and the post-speech grin-fest-thru-clenched-teeth with Abbott was almost as bad. It would have been better if they had a physical barney right up on stage maybe with a plank of wood or two (Abbott & Costello). As it is I almost felt a twinge of empathy/sympathy for Abbott.
No doubt Abbott was thinking: dead, buried and cremated is too good for this bloke.
Ah the spineless gutless insipid Cossie….not a description he or Abbott would dare make of PM Gillard.
“in Costello the Liberals had a leader who could have romped to victory this time around”
Bernard have you forgotten the polls in the lead up the last election which consistently showed either 19 or 29% of voters (my memory is shot and i never thought i’d have to revisit this) would be less likely to vote for the Libs if Costello was leader.
He was unelectable.
The fact that he used to entertain the press gallery in Canberra and make you feel like you were part of the game did not, does not, never will, translate into votes away from the bubble.
Your assertion also de facto makes the claim for Costello that he is a once in a lifetime political god that could have been the first political leader in since WW2 to oust a first term government.
Costello was what he was a lazy treasurer and a gutless aspirant for the top job who when faced with the chance to do the hard yards and try to be that once in lifetime politician quit the stage.
end of story
I was going to make a comment about the sneering smirker but I can’t add anything to what the previous 4 commentators have said. Thanks, guys!