Brumby must accept responsibility for his own poll ratings

• Rudd to blame for poor Vic poll: Brumby

  tags: politics, Brumby, Rudd
  

  • Victorian Premier John Brumby has blamed Labor's dismal performance in the latest opinion poll on the damage to the Labor brand under former prime minister Kevin Rudd.
  • Mr Brumby said issues within the party at a federal level had affected the result but would not say whether he expected his government's popularity to improve under Ms Gillard.

As another unelected leader like Julia Gillard, he would say that wouldn't he. Surely, it wouldn't have anything to do with his handling of the State's water supplies - or the standover tactics being used in Parliamentary inquiries - or the ongoing corruption allegations throughout the police system.

No signs of global crisis in Australia

Governments across Europe tremble as angry people take to the streets

In pictures: credit crunch protests in Europe

Arcellor Mittal workers demonstrate during a protest march in Marseille. Photograph: Jean-paul Pelissier/Reuters

France paralysed by a wave of strike action, the boulevards of Paris resembling a debris-strewn battlefield. The Hungarian currency sinks to its lowest level ever against the euro, as the unemployment figure rises. Greek farmers block the road into Bulgaria in protest at low prices for their produce. New figures from the biggest bank in the Baltic show that the three post-Soviet states there face the biggest recessions in Europe.

It's a snapshot of a single day – yesterday – in a Europe sinking into the bleakest of times. But while the outlook may be dark in the big wealthy democracies of western Europe, it is in the young, poor, vulnerable states of central and eastern Europe that the trauma of crash, slump and meltdown looks graver. ...more

Mediators called in as wildcat strikes spread across UK

The government called in mediators from Acas last night in an urgent attempt to end the dispute over the exclusion of British workers from construction contracts which led to a wave of wildcat strikes across the country yesterday. ... more

Greg's Comment:

Here, in Australia, there are no really visible signs of the global crisis.

• So, we have all lost money in superannuation or shares - well at least on paper.
  
• Those of us retiring right now have taken a hit but it is only in the order of 10% and there is the safety net of the age pension.
  
• Few of us know people who have lost their homes and, in fact, with interest rates tumbling, many may feel better off.

It seems our systems of financial governance, since the dollar was floated by Paul Keeting, have indeed placed us in a better position than most other countries.

Real Labor would create a people’s bank, not a “Rudd Bank”

Media Release 27^th of January 2009

Craig Isherwood‚ National Secretary
PO Box 376‚ COBURG‚ VIC 3058
Phone: 03 9354 0544 Fax: 03 9354 0166
Email: cec@cecaust.com.au
Website: http://www.cecaust.com.au

Citizens Electoral Council leader Craig Isherwood has slammed Kevin Rudd’s proposal to make the Government the “lender of last resort” to Australian corporations, which this year face $75 billion worth of foreign loans falling due that they can’t repay.

“Australia desperately needs a new national bank, another ‘people’s bank’ like the original Commonwealth Bank,” Mr Isherwood declared, “It is what a real Labor Party government would do.

“This so-called Rudd Bank proposal is a continuation of the globalist policies adopted by Labor under Hawke and Keating, which systematically handed the public resources that old Labor had built up for decades, over to private financial interests.

“Now that those private interests are going broke, another Labor government is planning to step in with more public resources, and bail them out.”

NAB and Westpac have led Australia’s banks in lobbying Canberra for the “Rudd Bank” scheme, in which the Government would put up the lion’s share of a fund, raised through the sale of government bonds, which would be leveraged up to as much as $30 billion, and directed especially into the commercial property sector.

NAB chief Cameron Clyne told The Australian on Jan. 23, “I think this is the time when strong, functioning [sic], major banks look at partnership opportunities with the Government on a whole range of issues.” [Emphasis added]

Mr Isherwood continued: “It is time to come clean—in truth, our banks are busted, and the Government plans to bail them out.

“Prime Minister Rudd should heed my call last week for an Australian Pecora Commission, to investigate corruption and possible criminality in the financial system, especially the interface between private finance and the politicians who pass the policies to facilitate their corrupt practices.

“He should also return to real Labor values, and establish a new national bank, not to bail out corporates, but to direct public credit into an economic recovery program, centred on large-scale water, power and transport infrastructure projects that would both provide the basic economic infrastructure our industrial economy needs, and create millions of jobs, for those people who are losing their jobs every day as whole sectors of the speculative economy shut down.

“The issue is private benefit vs. the public good,” Mr Isherwood concluded, “and Australia will only survive this crisis if the Government pursues the public good.”

Click here to watch Craig Isherwood’s half-hour video elaborating his call for an Australian Pecora Commission, which gives background to Labor’s historical fight for a banking system in the public interest, and names the names of the rogues’ gallery of politicians who have destroyed our economy on behalf of private banks.

Tony Abbott advises The Young Liberals

It is sad to see but Tony Abbott hasn't moved on from the neo-conservative philosophies of the Howard era. As the Western world steps forward towards a new world order with it's left foot, Tony marches on, out of step, with his right foot and is determined to foist his philosophies on the Young Liberals at their National Conference.

The Australian reported ...

THE Liberal Party should stick to its principles and resist a move to the left in its bid to beat Labor at the next election, argues Tony Abbott.

In his speech, the Opposition families spokesman said that voters distrust politicians but the "politicians they respect most are the ones who seem most committed to their cause".

Mr Abbott says the party should resist the urge to take populist stances on issues, and instead fight for what is right.

After such a grubbing at the elections, how arrogent of Tony Abbott to claim righteousness - that was the mortal sin of John Howard "I did it because it was the right thing to do".

"After a change of government, people aren't very interested in the opposition, but they will notice if our principles seem less important to us than our political prospects."

I disagree - we are most interested to find out if the opposition can offer an acceptable alternative to status quo - and with this type of thinking, the opposition is not offering a viable alternative.

Mr Abbott says those who see unions as "just another sectional interest" and who "heed climate change science rather than green religion" are more important than ever since the defeat of the Howard government.

That sectional interest is probably the biggest 'sectional interest' in the land and cannot be dismissed because the opposition claims 'righteousness'

And he strongly defends the legacy of his former leader, John Howard, drawing a parallel between the Victoria Cross awarded to SAS Trooper Mark Donaldson last week and the US Presidential Medal of Freedom conferred on the former prime minister by George W. Bush.

"If there was anyone in politics who deserved a medal for political courage, it was John Howard," Mr Abbott says.

"Whether it was banning semi-automatic rifles, introducing the GST, getting wharfies to earn their money, allowing workers and bosses directly to negotiate with each other, dealing with boatpeople before they reached Australia, or making people work for the dole, Howard did what (was right).

From Tony Abbott's viewpoint, he is probably right. However, the Australian people did not see it that way as they removed Prime Minister Howard from the Parliament altogether.

But, now to the future direction of the Liberal Party! At the conference, the Young Liberals have proposed nine months of compulsory national service to be completed before the age of 24 and which people will not be able to dodge by going to university.

In his review (A MUST READ), Slackbastard noted: Rather than force young people to serve their country — and in order to demonstrate their own commitment — the Young Liberals would be much better advised to make it a condition of membership in their own organisation that the individual perform nine months of compulsory national service.

Those of us old enough to remember conscription, and the lives sacrificed in the Vietnam War in the name of righteousness, will never accept it again. The unfortunate thing is that our generation will have died off by the time the Liberal Party comes back to power and the fear is that a stronger neo-conservative influence will develop. God help Australia should that happen.

And what is war, what is needed for success in war, what are the morals of the military world?
The object of warfare is murder; the means employed in warfare —
spying, treachery, and the encouragement of it, the ruin of a country,
the plunders of its inhabitants… trickery and lying, which are called
military strategy; the morals of the military class — absence of all independence, that is, discipline, idleness, ignorance, cruelty, debauchery, and drunkenness.

~ Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace, 1872

Warren Woos 'em

Source: Bill Sykes - 12.09.08

Warren Truss, Leader of the Federal National Party entertained over 130 people at Benalla last night with his insightful commentary on climate change and recent political events.

Mr Truss drew on his nearly 30 year experience in Federal politics to highlight the deficiencies between the election promises of the Rudd Government and the realities post election.

Similarly, in relation to climate change, Mr Truss highlighted the importance of global participation in emission reduction programs and the potentially very significant costs of emission trading schemes. Mr Truss said that Australia clearly needs to participate but Australian emission controls will have little impact unless large emitters such as China also implement strict emission controls. That said, low cost, no regret actions need to be taken by individuals and organisations.

Nationals MP for Benalla, Bill Sykes said, “Many people were amazed at Mr Truss’ breadth of knowledge and his ability to deliver an entertaining and informative 30 minute talk without once referring to speaking notes.”

People attending the evening travelled from Myrtleford, Wangaratta, Mansfield, Alexandra, the Strathbogie’s, Euroa, Nagambie, King Valley and Benalla.

Dr Sykes said, “Clearly when you have a speaker of the calibre of Warren Truss people are prepared to travel to hear him.

“It is also evident that recent political events in the Northern Territory, Western Australia and New South Wales primed people’s interest in the political aspects of Mr Truss’ talk.

“It’s great to have quality people like Warren Truss visit North-East Victoria.

Dr Sykes concluded, “I understand that Malcolm Turnbull is going to speak at Mansfield on 5 November. I’m looking forward to hearing his perspective on Federal issues.”

Trucking and Bus Industry taxes rise

Sophie Mirabella, the Federal Member for Indi, has voted against a federal, state and territory government agreement to raise taxes on the trucking and bus industry, to increase charges on registration and fuel. The vote took place today in the House of Representatives following debate on the Interstate Road Transport Charge Amendment Bill 2008.

“This tax slug on the truck and bus industries will mean an extra 1.37 cents on the cost of fuel and an increase in registration charges for 69% of the country’s heavy vehicles,” Mrs Mirabella said.

“We have a very strong trucking and bus industry throughout the Border and north-east. Local transport operators will feel the impact of Labor’s price rises on their everyday operations, which in turn will be a burden imposed on local consumers through higher prices for food and groceries.”

“When in government, I chaired the Government Backbench Committee on Transport, Regional Services and Local Government and we forcefully opposed any increases in the taxes on the trucking and bus industry. Back in 2006, my committee colleagues, including the Minister for Transport at the time, Warren Truss, took the view that the proposed National Transport Commission charges would have resulted in an unjustified level of over-recovery from the heavy vehicle industry,” Mrs Mirabella said.

“For some years now, it has been the position of the Coalition to hold off further price rises in heavy vehicle registration charges. In fact, this tax rise that was endorsed by Labor federal, state and territory governments was almost identical to the one that was blocked by the Coalition Government in 2006.”

“This industry, which makes a significant contribution to the Australian economy, is already under pressure from higher fuel prices. I have long argued that our transport industries had endured enough through these times of high petrol prices and ongoing fuel demand,” Mrs Mirabella said.

“This large increase in road user charges in the current climate will make things very difficult for the industry. Labor claimed they would put downward pressure on grocery prices, yet just after its first 100 days in government, it has delivered an increase in costs for consumers.”

“The Labor Party has not yet explained what impact these price rises will have on ‘working families’ in the north-east. Already, local families are feeling the pinch at the supermarket check-out. Labor’s decision to raise the cost of transport will have certain flow-on effects in inflating the cost of groceries,” Mrs Mirabella concluded.

Labor's frontbench at a glance

LABOR'S new-look 31 member frontbench is as follows:

Kevin Rudd - Leader

Julia Gillard - Deputy Leader; Employment and Industrial Relations; Social Inclusion

Anthony Albanese - Water and Infrastructure; Manager of Opposition Business

Arch Bevis - Homeland Security; Territories

Chris Bowen - Assistant Treasurer; Revenue and Competition Policy

Tony Burke - Immigration; Integration and Citizenship

Senator Kim Carr - Industry; Innovation, Science and Research

Senator Stephen Conroy - Deputy Leader in the Senate; Communications and Information Technology

Senator Chris Evans - Leader in the Senate; National Development, Resources and Energy

Simon Crean - Trade and Regional Development

Craig Emerson - Service Economy; Small Business and Independent Contractors

Laurie Ferguson - Multicultural Affairs; Urban Development; Consumer Affairs

Martin Ferguson - Transport; Roads; Tourism

Joel Fitzgibbon - Defence

Peter Garrett - Climate Change, Environment and Heritage; Arts

Alan Griffin - Veterans Affairs; Defence Science and Personnel; Special Minister of State

Senator Joseph Ludwig - Justice and Customs; Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate

Senator Kate Lundy - Local Government; Sport, Recreation and Health Promotion

Jenny Macklin - Families and Community Services; Indigenous Affairs and Reconciliation

Robert McClelland - Foreign Affairs

Senator Jan McLucas - Ageing, Disabilities and Carers

Bob McMullan - Federal/State Relations, International Development Assistance

Senator Kerry O'Brien - Primary Industries, Fisheries and Forestry

Tanya Plibersek - Human Services; Housing; Youth; Women

Nicola Roxon - Health

Senator Nick Sherry - Superannuation and Intergenerational Finance; Banking and Financial Services

Stephen Smith - Education and Training

Wayne Swan - Treasurer

Lindsay Tanner - Finance

Kelvin Thomson - Attorney-General; Deputy Manager of Opposition Business

Senator Penny Wong - Public Administration and Accountability, Corporate Governance and Responsibility; Workforce Participation