THE DONKEY VOTE

Well with Sheldo’ away for the next week at least, its nice to be asked to step in and help hold the fort and stop this website becoming just an extended part of Kevin07.com, and what better way to do it than to have a look at the recent economic data presented by the Australia Bureau of Statistics today.

Whilst the opposition has continually criticised the government for first its economic reform, and recently its workplace reform, the fact remains that over the 11 years the Liberal party has held power, the country has enjoyed continued economic growth, and now has the lowest unemployment rate in 33 years.Prior to WorkChoices being introduced many economists felt

Australia had reached a natural low with the roughly 5% unemployment being made up of a population either not capable of being employed or not wanting to be employed. Somehow though, another 13,000 jobs have been created in the last quarter alone and we are now sitting at a 4.2% unemployment rate.

Now Brad on here will be quick to point to the large number of full time jobs that have since changed to contracting, part time work or being removed all together, and on face value you could be forgiven for thinking that a large number of people have been harshly done by, but the reality couldn’t be further from the truth.See the strong economic environment we now live in has actually allowed people to start restructuring their work to suit their lifestyles.

Economic data shows that the amount people are earning per head has increased, whilst the hours have decreased slightly, so doesn’t that indicate that people are being paid more for less work? Throw in that there are still a huge number of unfilled jobs out there, it really is an employee’s market at the moment.

So where I’m I going with all this? Well like it or not, as much as we may love the sounds of some of these feel good policies presented by rival parties, the fact is none of those can happen regardless who is in charge unless there is a strong economy behind it, and you can’t have a strong economy unless people have jobs.

The Lib’s have shown once again, for the 11^th year running, they know how to keep the economy going strong, surely that has to prove something?

Share This

Parliament won’t be recalled next week and the Election will be called.

That is my call.

There is no credible reason besides those of the possible Liberal political advantage. There is no significant legislation on the table and the cost of recalling parliament for each day would be $6million per day as well as the $1million a day of tax payers money John Howard is flushing down the drain for his pseudo government ad campaign (Free Coalition pre-Election campaign slush fund.)

Johnnie has already put a lot of voters off side with his dancing around calling an Election, milking and timing it for maximum political advantage. We are coming upon a definitive launch window that he has to call an Election or Parliament will be returns. With the electorate always very unhappy with the waste of public money a move to delay an Election would certainly exhaust the patience of the people.

The Coalition may want to try and score some political points in another sitting of Parliament but that also runs the risk of the Labor Party scoring points as well.

He has to make a decision soon, if Parliament is recalled, preparations need to start to be made and if the Election campaign is about to begin, preparations need to be made.

I’m sure the Labor machine is on war footing, like a tightly coiled spring ready to bounce no matter the timing of the war. We have our shells loaded, have our range and sights. We are armed and ready for launch.

I think Howard will call and Election in the next three days.

But if not, on the plus side the lifespan of the Donkey Vote website can increase another week or so. And another sitting of Parliament would be a mouthwatering spectacle.

And Sheldon and I can offer some commentated highlights of the sitting. Something we always wanted to do.

But this raises two good opportunities for me to push forward some virtues of Kevin Rudd and the Labor Party. If elected Kevin Rudd wants to institute 4 year fixed terms which would end this circus we are currently enduring. The Prime Minister shouldn’t have the power to call the Election on his whim and time it as he sees fit for political advantage.

Kevin also wants to put a ban on government advertisements in the three months leading up to the end of these 4 year fixed terms. Two extremely welcome policies in my eyes.

Kevin Rudd on the 7:30 Report on ABC -  LINK

KEVIN RUDD: But here’s something further, here’s a challenge to Mr Howard. Whoever wins this next election, why not have a system whereby three months prior to when an election is due, whenever this election is due, three months prior to the election being due, for there to be a ban on publicly funded advertising unless explicitly agreed between the Leader of the Government and the Leader of the Opposition.

KERRY O’BRIEN: Is that what you will promise to do in a Labor Government?

KEVIN RUDD: That is an absolute undertaking from us. I believe this is a sick cancer within our system. It’s a cancer on democracy. Quite apart from that, $1 million spent today, $21 million between when the parliament last rose and when the parliament may go back next week, depending on what Mr Howard wants to, do apart from the $6 million cost of running parliament for a week or so, is that that is money which could be spent hugely in investing in some of the health equipment I’ve been looking at all week.

KERRY O’BRIEN: But Mr Rudd, we don’t have fixed terms as you know. You’ve proposed it but we don’t have them, and if you don’t have a fixed term, how do you know what the cut-off point is three months before an election that hasn’t been called?

KEVIN RUDD: Well, why don’t we kill two birds with one stone? Here’s another challenge for Mr Howard. He wins the next election, as he may, then why don’t we finally put behind us this antique system - and I think quite wrong system - which enables the Prime Minister of the day to pick and choose what the election date is. Let’s have fixed four year terms. Take it out of the politician’s political purchase and leave it as something fundamentally entrenched in terms of what would be the system for the future. That’s my undertaking; I challenge Mr Howard to do the same.

KERRY O’BRIEN: Well, that’s another whole issue again and we don’t have time to test it further, but Mr Rudd, thanks for joining us.

KEVIN RUDD: Thanks for having me on the program.

Go Kevin!

__________________________________

Well congratulations Australians and NEWS.COM.AU readers, you have once again disappointed me.

What is this rubbish that out of 72,300 people who participated in their VOTE-A-MATIC, the answers of 35,200 were matched with the Coalition! With Labor 28,700, Democrats 6700, Greens 1,700 and Family First 175.

LINK TO OFFENDING ARTICLE

Of course I’m basing my assessment of Howard’s Election moves on my own code of ethics and John Howard has disappointed me, disgusted me and angered me innumberable times before. He is very much capable of doing the WRONG thing and delaying the Election further and making me once again ashamed to be Australian.

Share This