Sheldon: Back in town kinda, sorta?
The last couple of days have certainly been better ones for the Coalition, which I have to say has surprised me. As previously posted on the Donkey Vote, Howard has pulled back four points in the two party preferred in Newspoll. Costello might be a little disappointed that he didn’t have a big win over Swan in the debate but from what I’ve read it was at probably a draw, maybe with Costello ahead but at least it wasn’t a loss for the government.
The big news story in the last day or two has been the gaffe by Labor over climate change. Garrett, shadow environment minister and sell out, came out and said that Australia would sign up to a post-Kyoto agreement even if developing nations weren’t signed up. Initially it seems that this position had Rudd’s support but after an attack by Howard saying that this position would lose Australia jobs, Garrett and Rudd both backflipped on the issue. After this Rudd came out and said he wouldn’t guarantee that Garrett would be environment minister in a Labor government. Personally I’d probably pick a politician with actual abilities to do the job rather than someone who’s been given a free ride due to his popularity. Then again, at least it would be one minister who wasn’t part of the union movement.
Turnbull is probably happy about this as it takes the focus on his problems for the moment. Climate change was one area where the Labor Party were outshining the Coalition so it will be interesting to see whether this has any effect on the polls. Labor did come out with an energy target of 20% renewable energy by 2020 which trumps the Government’s 15% as a way to deflect from the blunder from Labor’s all-star spokesman.
The we have Gary Parr, a Labor candidate for Bundaberg, who called the parents of a British soldier serving in Afghanistan “warmongers”. A clear case of foot in mouth disease I feel. Even if you believe that, you don’t say it. Howard’s putting the pressure on for Rudd to sack Parr but I’m not sure that’ll happen.
Funny how politics can seem to turn around in a couple of days. You’d have to argue that Rudd and Labor have lost some of their momentum of the last week with the gaffes that have been occurring recently. Rudd probably wishes some of his team knew how to keep their mouths shut.
