Articles etc.

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> Political climate heats up as Newman wages war on DERM

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Liberal National Party (LNP) leader Campbell Newman says Anna Bligh and Labor stealing his policy ideas

[Golliwog]

Couriermail --> Liberal National Party (LNP) leader Campbell Newman says Anna Bligh and Labor stealing his policy ideas

I thought he was meant to be the politician that didn't play politics? Surely if that was the case theres nothing wrong with the party in power adopting a policy from the other party (and isn't that also one of the reasons for having an opposition and democracy in general? To question those in power and offer alternatives)

[O_128]

Couriermail --> Liberal National Party (LNP) leader Campbell Newman says Anna Bligh and Labor stealing his policy ideas

I thought he was meant to be the politician that didn't play politics? Surely if that was the case theres nothing wrong with the party in power adopting a policy from the other party (and isn't that also one of the reasons for having an opposition and democracy in general? To question those in power and offer alternatives)

Normally I would be disgusted but TBH I just want the current party to go.

[Golliwog]

Still, at least its letting people know what he's like. I was talking to some friends who are/were going to vote for him "because it's Campbell Newman" with no regard for what his policies were. They weren't Brisbane ratepayers either.

I just find politics these days is a bit perverted in that its seen as being about getting points for your party, not helping the people you want to elect you.

[Stillwater]

"I won't release my policies because the government will copy them" is pollie-speak for:

-  the LNP has no policies, or none that are finalised (Campbell Newman declared all LNP policies null and void, forcing a complete rewrite -- a massive task unable to be completed before the election in March 2012)

-  in circumstances where there are no policies, whatever commitments I say off the top of my head become policy ("I will build an overpass there, and I will form a Department of Agriculture in government").  The totality of whatever I've said between now and the election becomes "policy" under such circumstances.

- we are cobbling together policies that the LNP knows won't stand up to close scrutiny.  Thus, we will release the policies together during the election campaign, one today, another tomorrow: Health, transport, bat eradication policy - such that we grab a headline each and every day and the media caravan moves on at a pace that does not allow anyone to scrutinise what we have released the day before.  That way, we can be seen to be a party of ideas, even though the ideas will be proven flawed after the election.  Who cares, we are elected then.

-  by not releasing policies, I can control the factions in my own party.  It is no use announcing a new tunnel in a marginal electorate if that sparks a revolt from my LNP members on the Gold Coast who want that money spent an extension of Light Rail.  Making these announcements in an election campaign means LNP candidates will have to grin and bear it in the interests of party unity.

- if I release my policies early, the government will toss them to Treasury to cost and that will reveal a 'big black hole' (heard that before?) in state revenues.  The government might ask where the money is coming from and I don't have a clue.

- I just want the LNP to win government will the least scrutiny of policies, which don't exist or are under-developed.  Anyway, we are hoping that voters will be that pee-ed off with Bligh and Labor that they would vote for a dead cat if its name were on the ballot paper.

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> Katter's party outpolls Greens, survey finds

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> State fast-tracks power wage deals to clear way for early election

[ozbob]

Couriermail -->Liberal Nationals and Labor politicians in finger-pointing fracas

(⊙.◎)

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Campbell Newman and LNP on track to sweep Anna Bligh's Labor from power, says Galaxy poll

[Mr X]

That's a swing of 12-13% uniformly..

HBU is in Anna Bligh's electorate of South Brisbane, held by a margin of 15% to the Labor party since 1977. Could it swing to the LNP? HBU's vote might just be important (being in a safe Labor seat for years, it has never mattered). 

[Golliwog]

That's a swing of 12-13% uniformly..

HBU is in Anna Bligh's electorate of South Brisbane, held by a margin of 15% to the Labor party since 1977. Could it swing to the LNP? HBU's vote might just be important (being in a safe Labor seat for years, it has never mattered). 

They polled 800 people, and claim that accurately represents the state. Right...

[Fares_Fair]

I take your point Golli,

Polling these days is more of a science I am told and the regions are carefully selected for their comparatively representative views.
Having said that there have been some awful 'misreads' of polls in the past, take one nation's meteoric rise and fall for example.
Never count your chickens before they hatch as they say ...

Regards,
Fares_fair.

[Golliwog]

Hmmmm, carefully selected? I thought one of the key aspects of doing a sample and then being able to say that sample respresents the whole was for a completely random set of data.

That said, I don't think you'd ever be able to randomly sample people on their political opinions though. How many people like being called up and questioned? How many would stay on the line and actually answer them?

[Stillwater]

It depends whether the person ringing you has a thick Indian accent that's almost impossible to decipher.   

[Fares_Fair]

Hmmmm, carefully selected? I thought one of the key aspects of doing a sample and then being able to say that sample respresents the whole was for a completely random set of data.

That said, I don't think you'd ever be able to randomly sample people on their political opinions though. How many people like being called up and questioned? How many would stay on the line and actually answer them?

Hello Golli,

Let me give you an example.
The seat of Eden Monaro in the federal arena (located NSW south coast) has almost (if not always) resulted in being the same as the government that wins the election.
All federal polls utilise thisfact and so concentrate on the electors in that seat to predict mood swings that affect a nation.
Maybe it is just a statistical coincidence or anomaly - but it works - or has so far to date.

I know that specific regions and areas are targeted, down to ballot box locations, because of their statistical match to actual results over time.

Regards,
Fares-Fair.

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> Don't call early election, Beattie tells Bligh

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Katter could hang Parliament

[Mr X]

South Brisbane is a very safe Labor electorate.. the Katterites are not getting their hands on it (or so far as my vote goes anyway) 

[Jonno]

Why is South Brisbane such a safe seat when this Government has turned it into a Freeway On Ramp. I love South Brisbane but get angry at what it has become. It should be our Fitzroy/Brunswick Street of Brisbane. Instead it is decimated by roads. 

[O_128]

Why is South Brisbane such a safe seat when this Government has turned it into a Freeway On Ramp. I love South Brisbane but get angry at what it has become. It should be our Fitzroy/Brunswick Street of Brisbane. Instead it is decimated by roads. 

Agreed, I would like to see a plan that pushes southbank further in, turn all the roads into boulevards like grey street and just some general street scaling, I really don't get the big deal with west end. O and close the melborne st ( I think) to cars

[mufreight]

South Brisbane is a very safe Labor electorate.. the Katterites are not getting their hands on it (or so far as my vote goes anyway) 

I would doubt that under the present LABOR leadership that there is anything such as a SAFE LABOR seat be it state or federal, too much incompetence, too many broken commitments too many outright lies, all that Katter might achieve is to fragment the vote so that LABOR is re-elected.   

[Mr X]

Why is South Brisbane such a safe seat when this Government has turned it into a Freeway On Ramp. I love South Brisbane but get angry at what it has become. It should be our Fitzroy/Brunswick Street of Brisbane. Instead it is decimated by roads.  

South Brisbane goes beyond just South Brisbane suburb, you know   plus the LNPs candidates are always the usual bottom-of-the-barrel dorks, so no one ever votes for them.

Why is South Brisbane such a safe seat when this Government has turned it into a Freeway On Ramp. I love South Brisbane but get angry at what it has become. It should be our Fitzroy/Brunswick Street of Brisbane. Instead it is decimated by roads. 

Agreed, I would like to see a plan that pushes southbank further in, turn all the roads into boulevards like grey street and just some general street scaling, I really don't get the big deal with west end. O and close the melborne st ( I think) to cars

Melbourne Street could do with a big makeover IMHO, a boulevard spine connecting West End to the City would be pretty cool.

[ozbob]

From  the Brisbanetimes click here!

LNP support twice Labor's, poll shows

LNP support twice Labor's, poll shows
September 28, 2011 - 5:59AM

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh is staring down the barrel of a heavy defeat at the next state election, the latest Newspoll shows.

Support for Ms Bligh's Labor party has fallen to almost half the levels currently enjoyed by the Liberal National Party.

The Newspoll, published in today's The Australian, shows Labor's primary vote at 27 per cent compared with the coalition on 50 per cent.

On a two-party preferred basis, Labor is on 39 per cent and the coalition is on 61 per cent.

The poll relates to the period between July and September.

Labor's primary vote stood at 31 per cent between April and May.

Opposition Leader Campbell Newman also still leads the polls as preferred premier.

It was reports today that a company set up by Mr Newman's wife, Lisa, and her family sought up to $30 million a year from the Queensland Reconstruction Authority in the wake of Brisbane's floods earlier this year.

The company was set up while Mr Newman was still serving as the city's mayor and registered on January 21.

The Australian reported that it made an unsolicited approach to the reconstruction authority to provide disaster recovery expertise.

AAP

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/lnp-support-twice-labors-poll-shows-20110928-1kvt5.html

[ozbob]

From  the Brisbanetimes click here!

LNP support twice Labor's, poll shows

LNP support twice Labor's, poll shows
September 28, 2011 - 5:59AM

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh is staring down the barrel of a heavy defeat at the next state election, the latest Newspoll shows.

Support for Ms Bligh's Labor party has fallen to almost half the levels currently enjoyed by the Liberal National Party.

The Newspoll, published in today's The Australian, shows Labor's primary vote at 27 per cent compared with the coalition on 50 per cent.

On a two-party preferred basis, Labor is on 39 per cent and the coalition is on 61 per cent.

The poll relates to the period between July and September.

Labor's primary vote stood at 31 per cent between April and May.

Opposition Leader Campbell Newman also still leads the polls as preferred premier.

It was reports today that a company set up by Mr Newman's wife, Lisa, and her family sought up to $30 million a year from the Queensland Reconstruction Authority in the wake of Brisbane's floods earlier this year.

The company was set up while Mr Newman was still serving as the city's mayor and registered on January 21.

The Australian reported that it made an unsolicited approach to the reconstruction authority to provide disaster recovery expertise.

AAP

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/lnp-support-twice-labors-poll-shows-20110928-1kvt5.html

The policy and action vacuum needs to be turned around, clearly. And I don't mean more glossy promise parchments either ..

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> 'Drunks, punks and desperadoes': Newman attacks ALP

[somebody]

Brisbanetimes --> 'Drunks, punks and desperadoes': Newman attacks ALP

Let me get this straight.  Newman inferred that he had complied with the requirements in the case that he was an MP, but hadn't, and then sees fit to attack the ALP for criticising this?

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Qld run by drunks, punks, desperadoes

[Golliwog]

Brisbanetimes --> 'Drunks, punks and desperadoes': Newman attacks ALP

Let me get this straight.  Newman inferred that he had complied with the requirements in the case that he was an MP, but hadn't, and then sees fit to attack the ALP for criticising this?

As I understand it though, most of the criticism etc is coming from the media, not the government. Yes they're commenting on it, but they're not running to the CM going "Look, Look! Look what Campbell's done now!"

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> LNP abandons upper house push

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> MPs set to defect from Campbell Newman's Liberal National to Bob Katter's party after polls

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> A Bob each way: The Katter factor set to be Queensland's new political force

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Liberal National Party holds winning lead in Queensland, despite fall in support for leader Campbell Newman, says poll

[mufreight]

Well maybe we will get lucky, the LNP winning the election, Newman not getting elected and Fiona Simpson as Premier and Tim Nichols as Treasurer and Deputy Premier.
Newman failing to get elected would pull the LNP faceless men into line and between them Simpson and Nochols have the ability and integrity to get the job done.
The road fatalities over the last week alone show how drasticaly inadequate our road system is for the task presently imposed upon it and the worsening failure of the road centric policies of the present government

[Stillwater]

Yay!  Mufreight has his laptop.  Hope your posting is a sign that you are back on the mend.

[Jonno]

The road fatalities over the last week alone show how drasticaly inadequate our road system is for the task presently imposed upon it and the worsening failure of the road centric policies of the present government

That goes for all levels of Government.  Absolutely no recognition or interest in the deaths on our roads and the economic damage they are creating through their fruitless road construction.

[Gazza]

The road fatalities over the last week alone show how drastically inadequate our motorists are for the tasks presently imposed upon them.

Fixed.

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Queensland Premier Anna Bligh and LNP leader Campbell Newman go head-to-head in The Courier-Mail leaders debate

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> It's Kate versus Goliath in winner-take-all battle

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Polls tip Liberal National Party landslide win in Queensland